Everything We Are

by Kadi219

Raydor/Flynn - Third in a small series of stories. Follows "Everything She Does" & "Everything He Is". In life there are twists and turns. Many of them are unexpected, and even unlikely. There are those which are entirely unrealistic. It's how we approach the curves that life throws in our path that define us. With this family, it's no different. Rated M for content of later parts.

6. Chapter 6

Everything We Are - Chapter 6

by Kadi

Rated: M

Disclaimer: It's not my sandbox, I'm only visiting for a time.

---

Critical missings were worked by Major Crimes. Had his partner not called him, directly, Provenza was sure the address would have given him a heart attack when it came across his phone. As it was, he reached the house owned by Flynn and the Captain to find several squad cars and an ambulance already parked in front of it. On the street there were also several unmarked cars and, he nodded to Sykes. She was seated with Rusty on the curb, keeping the kid out of the way. He had sent her to fetch the boy just as soon as Flynn called him. He wanted Rusty in hand before the Amber Alert hit the airwave and the kid could panic.

As it was, the Amber alert was out, with description of Ian Flynn, and as he understood it… recently updated to include a description of Daniel Dunn. As he approached the house and started up the steps to the porch, he spied his partner seated on the front step, arms draped over his knees and head hanging forward. Provenza didn't jog, and he didn't run, but he could be inclined to walk quickly. He moved up the steps and knelt beside him. "Flynn." He touched his shoulder.

Andy lifted his head slowly, but he was staring straight ahead, toward the ambulance. "She's conscious, and they're getting ready to take her to Cedars," he said quietly, voice devoid of emotion. "Dunn… It was Dunn, he came into the house and he took Ian. She ruined his life. He's ruining hers. That's all she really managed to get out before they got her in the bus."

Provenza scowled. Yes, that figured. The no good deadbeat would want to make someone pay for his own failings. People like him were all the same. "What are you doing sitting here for?"

When he looked at him, his eyes were more focused inward. "Where would I go? It's a Major Crime."

He was a man torn between going with his wife and staying to look for his son, Provenza realized suddenly. He didn't know where he was supposed to be, or where it was he should be. He knew where he wanted to be, but he couldn't be in two places at once. Provenza nodded slowly. "You can't work the case," he said carefully. "You can go with the Captain, see if she remembers anymore… Take the kid with you." He nodded to where Rusty was bent forward, hands in his hair.

"And when my wife wants to know why I'm not finding our son," He asked dully. "Then what do I tell her?"

"I think she'll understand," Provenza replied quietly, gently for him. "If anyone understands how the rules are supposed to work, it's that one. Flynn, go. She's going to need you close."

He nodded slowly and ran a hand through his hair. "I know, I just…" Andy heaved a sigh. "How the hell did that son of a bitch get into the house, how—"

"All things we're going to figure out." Provenza stood up. "Now, I need you to get out of here. We need to… we have to process the scene and start canvassing. The guys aren't going to be comfortable doing that with you hanging around glaring at everyone."

"Yeah, alright." Andy stood up. He remained where he was for a moment before he slanted a look at his partner. "Find him." His dark eyes burned intensely. "If you've never done anything for me before, find him." He couldn't put it into words, this gut wrenching terror. He could barely breathe, barely swallow past it. It was a heavy weight in his gut, threatening to drag him down.

"I will." He said seriously. "I will find him. Don't worry about that. We are going to track Dunn down and he had better pray that the uniforms get to him first." Provenza slapped his partner's shoulder. "You know, we all love that kid," he said haltingly. This whole, emotions and feelings thing wasn't him. He might give his partner a hell of a lot of crap about it, but that was just them. "We're going to find him."

"Nothing is going to happen to that boy." Russell Taylor had joined them. He stood at the bottom of the steps, in uniform, looking at both of them. "We've got birds in the air, a description of Dunn's vehicle based on DMV registration has been put out. We're going to find him."

"Yeah." That was all Andy said. They'd find him. Question was, would he still be alive? They didn't know how unstable Dunn was, and from the way he'd attacked Sharon, he was pretty damned out there in Andy's book. "Yeah," he repeated and walked down the steps.

They watched him move down the walk. He stopped beside Rusty and whatever he said to the kid, he reached down and lay a hand on his shoulder. Rusty nodded and stood up. Then he went and got in Flynn's car. "We do this by the book," Taylor said quietly, slowly.

"Chief, with all due respect," Provenza replied. "We report to Captain Raydor, and this team doesn't know any other way." That said, he turned and walked into the house, where Tao and Sanchez were already riding herd on SID while Buzz took video.

From where he stood, Taylor watched Andy step up into the back of the ambulance for a moment. Whatever was said, when he stepped out a minute later, the doors were closed and the ambulance left the scene. She was waiting, of course she was waiting. If she was even remotely conscious, Raydor wasn't going to do anything that wasn't on her own timetable. Taylor shook his head. He turned toward the house and sighed. Into the lion's den, it seemed.

"Sanchez, Tao," Provenza put on booties before he walked through the house. They were preserving as much evidence as they could. By the book, as they'd said. "What have we got?"

The pair looked at each other and Julio strode forward. He was fair to brimming with excess energy, vibrating with the need to do something. "We have the Lieutenant's statement, sir. The door was locked when he got here, and there's no sign of forced entry on that door or any of the others. The house was locked up, with the exception of the front entrance. We didn't find any raised or damaged windows, either." They moved together through the foyer to the living room. "Lieutenant Flynn said that when he arrived, the television was on, and a DVD was playing." Sanchez indicated the wide screen with his gloved fingers.

Provenza glanced toward it. It had been paused. His head inclined, he squinted, trying to figure out what the odd characters were. Finally he shook his head. "Whatever happened to Tom and Jerry," he grumbled.

"Bubble Guppies," Julio said quietly. He was staring at his notepad. "He likes it to be on when he's playing in here…" He had babysat the boy a few times, he was familiar with the routine.

"Right." Provenza sighed. "Keep going, Julio."

"The toys were the way they are now." Sanchez indicated the floor. Officers and SID were stepping in and around. "The child likes to take everything out, scatter it, like most kids," he shrugged. "The Lieutenant said he didn't see his son, he called out to him, but there wasn't an answer." Sanchez pointed to the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. "That was still secured, as was the gate across the foyer where we first came in. Lieutenant Flynn opened it when he arrived. He stated that of the downstairs gates, only the gate in the kitchen was already open when he got here, but that's not unusual. The Captain lets Ian move back and forth between the two rooms while she's cooking."

"The patio doors were still locked," Tao jumped in. He pointed at the latched doors. "We took prints from the inside and out, but there's no sign of entry or tampering. The doors were locked when we arrived, and they were locked when Lieutenant Flynn got here as well. He said that he turned and walked into the kitchen, and that is where he found the Captain."

Provenza walked the path, from the door where he imagined Flynn must have stood, into the kitchen. He stepped over the matchbox police car, and was careful to skirt around the blocks. "Okay, what happened next," he stated, not wanting to think too heavily about it.

"The Lieutenant noticed that dinner should have been mostly finished, but it was hardly prepared," Sanchez walked over to the cabinet, where the half prepared vegetables remained. "The oven was on, we've turned it off. He found the Captain here." He pointed to the spot on the floor where there were a few drops and smears of blood. Nothing significant. "She was unconscious and barely responsive when the Lieutenant tried to revive her."

"So we think," Tao stood at the counter. "The Captain was here. The knife on the floor here, has residue on it from the vegetables." He indicated the knife still at his feet. "So the captain was standing here, making dinner…"

"And we think the son of a bitch came up behind her," Julio concluded. "He clocked her with something, took Ian, and left her here. Injured, bleeding, and possibly even dead."

"But she saw him," Provenza pointed out. "She was able to identify Daniel Dunn as her assailant."

"True," Tao said. "Which is why I think she heard him. She turned," he mimicked the motion. "She saw who it was, and… then he must have hit her. There are no signs of a struggle. The Captain had no defensive wounds. We only have the single head wound."

"Which begs the question," Provenza said. "How did he get in?" He looked between the two of them. "Flynn said the door was locked when he got here."

"Could he have locked it on the way out to throw us off," Sanchez asked.

"SID has prints, they're going to run them for Dunn. We took sprints from the lock and the handle," Mike replied. "If he did, we'll know about it."

"Alright, alright," Provenza held up a hand. "That does us no good unless we find out if the Captain had it locked or not. If not, and he came in that way, then he screwed with us. If it was… then he got in some other way."

"I don't lock my front door," Julio said automatically. "Baby gate was up in the foyer. The door could have been unlocked. Ian couldn't get to it."

"Right," Provenza said. "I'm not saying leaving it unlocked was wrong." He scowled. Sanchez would come to her defense, he knew. The younger detective had developed a protective streak where the Captain was concerned early on. Like Flynn, he was enamored with her, and now he looked up to her. "I just want to know how he got in, to figure out what his motivation might be… and to throw another charge at the son of a bitch for breaking and entering on top of kidnapping and child endangerment."

"Yes sir," Julio relaxed somewhat. "I want to find the bastard," he said.

"We all do." Provenza looked around. "What about the upstairs, has that been checked?"

"We wanted to make sure that we had everything down here first," Sanchez said. "Buzz just went up ahead of FID to tape it all.

"Okay," Provenza nodded. "Let's leave Buzz and Tao here to coordinate with FID. I want the rest of us in the field. Ian Flynn has been missing for an hour now… we're losing daylight." He left the house, Sanchez with him. Outside, they joined Sykes. "I want every traffic camera between here and all the main thoroughfares pulled and the footage reviewed. Get me eyes on what Dunn was driving," he instructed Sykes. "Someone track down his fiancée, Annie, find out where he's been staying. The FBI is here, let's use them, Sykes. This is no time for a pissing contest. Sanchez is with me, we're going to the hospital. We need to question the Ca—" Provenza stopped himself, he looked at the members of the team. "We need to question the mother again," he corrected. "Let's move people."

The team scattered to their own assignments. Provenza and Sanchez climbed into his car, Sanchez driving. They pointed it toward Cedars, and with lights and sirens, they headed off to question their witness.

Provenza called his partner before they reached the hospital. "We're still in the ER," he reported. "They did an MRI, we're just waiting for results. She's awake, but it's all pretty foggy for her. She's definitely concussed, we're just trying to make out how bad."

"Good," Provenza said. "That she's awake. We're on our way. We need to talk to her."

"I figured as much," he said. "We'll be here."

"How's Rusty?" Provenza shared a look with Sanchez.

"Blaming himself," Andy sighed. "He figures none of this would be happening if it weren't for him ruining Dunn's life. He only got to see Sharon for a minute, she'll knock his head back on straight. I tried but, I'm not sure he really believes me."

"Yeah, she's good at that," Provenza had to admit. "Listen, we're only a few minutes away. We'll talk to you then. Might be a good idea to occupy the kid somehow. I don't want him there when we question her… you know?"

"Yeah," Andy breathed. "I know." They weren't coming to interview their Captain. They were coming to interview a witness… possibly a suspect, if for no other reason, than to rule out the latter. Andy hung up the phone and focused on his wife. She was seated on the gurney, knees bent. Her arms were wrapped around them and her head was laying against them. They had placed a small bandage against the cut and cleaned it. Blood had dried in her hair, and the bandage stood out, stark white against the dark brown and red tones of her hair. At least they were able to secure it without wrapping her entire head, Andy thought.

Andy sat on the gurney in front of her. He took her hands to get her attention. "I spoke to our guys. They're almost here."

"I heard." She looked up at him, eyes still glassy and a bit unfocused. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and sighed quietly. They had her in a cubicle, rather than one of the curtained off bays. Rank had its privileges, she thought bitterly. Her head was throbbing, and if she moved, the room threatened to tilt alarmingly around her. When Andy's hands moved to her legs, gently stroking the backs of her calves, she forced herself to focus on him. He was worried about her, she knew. She wouldn't let them put her in a gown, she had no intention of staying, and while Sharon didn't want to be difficult, the sooner they were out of there, the better. She kept running over the encounter in her head, over and over again, and all she could think about were Ian's high-pitched, frightened cries as he was carried away. "Andy."

"I know." He felt the shudder that ran through her. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her temple, on the uninjured side. Her hands gripped his upper arms tightly, almost painfully. They hadn't actually talked about it yet, he was more worried that she was okay, but at the same time, this was one story he only wanted to make her tell the once. Yeah, his objectivity was shot to hell alright, he should have been taking notes, breaking her story down, tearing it apart, and relaying it to their guys… putting them on the trail that much faster. He couldn't. He couldn't look into her frightened eyes and put her through that hell. He was going to let Provenza do it. He bent, placed a kiss against one of her bent knees and felt her hand go into his hair. He shuddered.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. She felt the tension coiling in him, saw the fear in his dark eyes. It was all brimming, just beneath the surface. Sharon didn't know if she had it in her, this time, to hold him back.

Andy's head lifted. He stared, incredulously at her. "Sharon." His hands cupped her face. "No," he said thickly, pointedly. Her eyes dropped and his thumbs swept her cheeks. "Look at me," he demanded roughly. "No. He could have killed you. This is not on you."

Her small, shaking hands circled his wrists. "Isn't it?" Her eyes brimmed with moisture. She took a thin, shuddering breath. "Andy, I couldn't—"

"No." He wouldn't allow her to blame herself for this. Whatever happened in that kitchen, this wouldn't be the result. "I know you," he rumbled quietly. "I know the hell you would walk through for any of those kids. Okay?" He continued to stare at her until she finally nodded, and he relaxed somewhat. Dunn needed to pray he didn't get his hands on him, Flynn thought. A knock at the door drew their attention and he sat back slightly. "Yeah, come in."

Andy's hands dropped to her legs again, a simple, comforting caress on the outsides of her calves. Sharon sat up a bit straighter at the sight of her officers, Provenza and Sanchez. She clenched her jaw against the pounding in her head and the nausea that wanted to make itself central to the moment. "Lieutenant… Detective." They both looked grim, drawn. Like Andy, she could see the coiled tension in Julio. The concern in the older Lieutenant had moisture threatening to pool in her eyes again.

They moved into the room and closed the door behind them. "Captain," Provenza stopped at the foot of the bed, while Julio moved to the other side, standing opposite of where Flynn sat with her. "We have some questions that we need to go over," he said gently, reminding her of their job, even if she knew the procedure quite well.

"Yes," She sighed quietly. "Of course. I have to warn you, it's still a bit…" She waved a hand at her head. "We might need to go over this again in a few hours."

"Yes ma'am," Julio said quietly. "We understand." He had his head bent, and was looking studiously at his notepad. He didn't like to see her this way. It… bothered him. "Ma'am, could you go through your day for me?"

He wouldn't look at her. Sharon didn't think she could take it. As if he were afraid to let her see exactly what he was thinking. What they all were thinking. "Detective," her tone dipped. She reached out, lightly brushed the cuff of his sleeve. "I think you can do better than that?"

Sanchez looked up. When he finally gazed at her, his jaw was clenched. Muscles of his arms and back bunched, coiled. She was hurt, and she was pale. She looked small, vulnerable, but the tone reminded him what they were here to do. It settled him somewhat. He nodded once. "What did you do today, Captain," he asked more pointedly.

She drew a breath and thought back, which was difficult. "I arranged to work from home today. I had a few errands to run in the morning," she spoke quietly. There was only a barely detectable tremor in her tone. "After Andy left this morning, I got Ian and I ready to go out." Her eyes closed, just for a moment. "We drove over to the mall, he's gotten so tall, he needed things for—" She broke off and shook her head. That was a mistake. It ached sharply and she drew another breath. She felt Andy's hands slide to her knees and she exhaled quietly. She cleared her throat. "He needed some summer things. We browsed for a while, did a little shopping. We had lunch in the food court, it's not my preference, but Rusty got him hooked."

"Did you see anything unusual," Provenza asked, interrupting her. "Any evidence that you were being followed, or—"

"No," she said quietly. "Then, I wasn't really thinking about it. I was more focused on Ian."

Andy stroked her leg again. "What happened after the mall?"

Her lips pursed for a moment. "I stopped by the market. We were out of practically everything. No, I didn't see anything there either," she answered before they could ask.

There was another knock at the door. Provenza walked over and opened it. He glanced at the others before allowing it to swing wider. He stepped out of the way, and Agent Howard entered the room. "Took the FBI long enough," he groused.

Fritz moved into the room. He glanced around quickly before his gaze fell on the Captain and Flynn. "I drove out to the scene first," he said. "I've got my people coordinating with your people. I didn't realize until I got there that it was—" He trailed off and shrugged. "Anyway, don't let me interrupt."

Andy felt her go stiff and let his hands stroke her legs again. "After the market," he said. "What happened?"

Sharon glanced at the others and let her attention go back to Sanchez. "I drove home. I unloaded the car. Ian sat in his high chair and had some juice while I put everything away. He was cranky and tired, it was well past his nap time. I put Ian down for his nap, and while he slept, I worked. Detective Sanchez had quite a bit of overtime that I had to get approved," she said with a slight smile, one which didn't actually reach her eyes. She watched him making notes and waited until he stopped. "After the nap, I put Ian's favorite show on, and let him play while I started dinner."

Julio stopped her there, by holding up his pen. For a moment he hesitated. He exchanged a look with Lieutenant Provenza. "Ma'am, do you recall if you locked the front door when you got home?"

Sharon gave him a puzzled look. Her head inclined. "I'm not sure, why?"

"In Flynn's statement," Provenza said, "he indicated that the door was locked when he got home. He had to unlock it. We're trying to establish how Dunn got into the house."

"I don't…" She looked away, trying to recall. Those moments just before the attack were still so clouded. She remembered getting the last of the groceries out of the car and carrying them inside. "I don't know…"

"Think about it, Sharon," Andy pressed quietly. "Did you flip the deadbolt? The gate was up…"

"That much I remember, but honestly, I'm not sure." Sharon shrugged. "It's habit, yes. We got so used to keeping the doors locked when Rusty was getting the letters from Weller, but I really don't remember if I locked the door this afternoon or not. I may have. I don't really know," she said apologetically. "I just don't remember."

"The other doors were locked," Julio stated calmly. "When the Lieutenant arrived, he had to let himself in with his key. The gates were secured, except for the kitchen. The back door was locked. There's no sign of forced entry. Is it possible Dunn could have gotten a key… maybe you keep one hidden outside for Rusty?"

"No of course not," Sharon stated. "That's ridiculous. We caution people against that all the time. I've never had a hide-a-key. Rusty has a key, and if he loses it, he knows that I keep a spare in my office. The same with the two of us," she indicated herself and Andy.

"Then how did he get in," Andy asked, growing frustrated. "If you locked the door—"

"I don't know," she replied. "I didn't even hear him. The door may not have been locked. Ian was playing, the television was on, I just don't know." Sharon sighed. "I didn't know he was in the house until he spoke."

"Is it possible the door was locked, and Rusty lost his key?" Provenza asked. "If Dunn's been following you for a while, he could have lifted the key…"

"No," Sharon said. "Rusty knows better. If he'd lost his key, he'd have said something. We've stressed the issue of security since the Weller incident. We don't arm the alarm during the day, but Rusty was always good about all of that when he was living with us. He still is."

"Then we go on the assumption the door wasn't locked," Fritz stated quietly. "It honestly isn't an issue. Either way…"

Andy ran a hand through his hair. "It's a big damned detail to forget, Sharon. Did you leave the door unlocked or not?" Dunn could always argue that he found Ian wandering around in the street. It was a weak defense, but any way of casting doubt with a jury was a problem for them. Especially with their history with the guy was considered. He didn't like this, she was too unsure, too unsettled. It wasn't like her at all. He could blame it on the concussion, and that probably had a lot to do with it. It worried him, seeing her like this.

She knew why it was important that they know, but his tone surprised her. She gave him a wide-eyed look. She opened her mouth to reply, but wasn't given the opportunity.

"Flynn!" Provenza snapped at him, eyes flashing. "Go, take a walk," he ordered, pointing at the door. "Check on Rusty."

His dark eyes flashed. Andy sat back, cheeks flushing. "I'm not going to leav—"

"Lieutenant." Sanchez stared at him. "You can leave, or I can escort you," he said calmly.

"Andy." Sharon's hand slid down his arm. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth. It wasn't her, she knew, that was provoking his temper. He was already on the cusp of losing the hold he had on it. She knew that he was frustrated and frightened, so was she. "I need someone to check on Rusty," she asked quietly. "When we're done here, I'd like to see him."

His jaw clenched. He stared back at her. They were both silent for several long moments. Finally, Andy sighed. "Yeah, fine." He stood up, but not without pressing a kiss to her mouth. To the others, he glared. "Don't over do it."

They waited for him to leave the room. The three officers exchanged a look, Agent Howard shook his head quietly. He moved closer to the gurney and pushed his hands into his pockets. "Captain, can you take us through what happened while you were in the kitchen."

Sharon folded her arms around her legs again. She drew a breath and let it out slowly. "I was starting dinner. Ian was playing. We leave the kitchen gate open when we're cooking so that he can move between the rooms. He likes the sound his toys make when he drops them on the tiled floor," she said, smiling slightly. Moisture pooled in her eyes again and she looked away. She took a moment, but when she spoke again, her voice was thick, and the tremor was back. "He'd gotten too quiet again, and I was just about to check on him. I heard his blocks hit the floor, and I was teasing him. Seek and Destroy, he can make quite a mess in a short amount of time." Sharon shrugged, "But then, most children can."

She stopped. Her attention drifted. Provenza sighed. He watched what little color she had fade completely. He knew where she'd gone. Tapped his notepad against the foot of her bed. Terror, abject terror, the kind he'd seen before. Cases like these didn't always have good results, the problem was, they knew that only too well. All of them did. How many of these had they worked? How often had they ever recovered the child? It wasn't good odds. "You didn't hear Dunn arrive," he questioned quietly, gently for him.

"No," Sharon glanced at him. "I was speaking to Ian, but it was Daniel that answered. I never heard him enter the house…" She trailed off again and shuddered. "I must have left the door unlocked."

Blame, for herself. Julio ground his teeth together while he made notes. "That doesn't really matter, ma'am. We need to know how he got in, but…" He drew her gaze and tried to smile, it felt more like a grimace. "I never lock my door, except at night. Who does? You had the gate up."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel much better," she whispered. Sharon shook her head. "Let's just get through this okay?" She drew a breath. "Daniel and I had words. He blames me for ruining his life. He's lost everything, I gather. His fiancée, and her children. He followed me home from the office, that's how he knew where we lived. He saw me with Ian and that… angered him. He wanted to know whose child I stole this time, he said some things which I'd rather not repeat, I don't want Rusty to hear them. He intimated that I was replacing Rusty, with a much younger child, someone who would be easier to influence. He said that I'd taken everything that mattered to him, and now he was taking what mattered to me. So that I would know what it felt like. He was… unkempt. His hair was longer. You'll want to factor that into your description. He…" Sharon closed her eyes tightly. "Ian was frightened, I tried to get him to let me have the baby so that we could talk, but… he wasn't hearing me. He was armed." Her eyes widened. Sharon had forgotten that. "He is armed. He's got a gun. It's what he hit me with. Damnit." How could she forget something so important?

They all moved at once. Fritz had his phone out first. "I've got it." He was calling in the alert. The agent stepped into the hall to make the call.

"Okay, alright." Provenza held up his hands. The Captain looked ready to get out of bed. "You've got a concussion," he reminded her. "He hit you pretty hard. We know now, that is what is important."

Sharon placed a shaking hand to her forehead. "Yes." She chewed on the corner of her bottom lip. "That's it, that's all I remember. He had a gun, and mine was locked up. We have a child in the house, we don't—"

"Captain," Provenza said gently. "You do what we all do. You were off duty, you secured your weapon. It is what we are taught to do, especially if there are children in the home. You were following procedure—"

"Yes," she snapped. "Hell of a lot of good those rules have done me this time, isn't it?" Her eyes flashed. "Isn't that what we should all be thinking?"

"No." Julio spoke quietly. "We should be thinking that it doesn't matter. An armed man took your child and you were injured trying to stop him."

"Right." She looked away from them. "Is there anything else that you need to know, gentlemen?"

They exchanged a look. "We have enough for now," Provenza decided. "We're going to update everyone. We have wants out on Dunn. We'll update the Amber Alert, and we're searching for the fiancée. We'll keep you updated." He nodded Sanchez toward the door. "Would you like me to send Flynn back in?"

"Yes," she said. "I need to see Rusty." Sharon waited until they left before she lowered her face into her hands. A tremor went through her. She exhaled sharply. "Oh god…"

The door opened again a few minutes later to admit Andy and Rusty. Just when he thought he'd gotten a hold on his frustration, they told him the son of a bitch was armed. He'd held a gun on her, and now he had their kid. Andy was fighting it back, but it was difficult as hell. He wanted to be out there, to personally put his fist in that bastard's face. Instead, he clamped down on the rage that was filling him and maneuvered Rusty into the room. "Hey," he spoke quietly, to draw her attention.

Sharon looked up immediately and her gaze went to Rusty first. "Come here." She held out her arms. Affectionate exchanges were still rare for them, and usually reserved for moments such as these.

Rusty hesitated, but only for a moment. He stepped forward, legs feeling heavy, and moved to her side. "Sharon, I am so sor—"

"No, honey," she whispered. "You didn't do anything. This has nothing to do with you. Daniel is an angry man who is incapable of taking responsibility for his own failings. We know that about him. This is not your fault. Rusty, I will never regret getting that man out of your life, understand?"

"Yes," he nodded slowly, but clung a little more tightly to her for a moment. When he did move back, his eyes were suspiciously bright. "What happens now," he asked, looking between the two of them. "What do we do?"

Andy shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from clenching them into fists. "We wait," he said brusquely. "There isn't a lot that we can do. They're scouring the city for him. It's hit the news—"

"Oh god, Andy…" Sharon looked up at him. "The kids?"

"I called them." He moved to the bed again and sat beside her. "I called Nicole when I got here, before they ever let me back here with you. I told her to stay home with the boys, they don't need to be around this. Then I called Charlotte and Rick." He reached out and lay a hand on her knee. "I told Charlotte to stay put in New York. With any luck, we'd have him back by the time she landed," he said, a bit haltingly. "Rick is probably already in the air. He was threatening to drive down if he couldn't get a flight out within the hour. He's…" Andy shrugged at her, smiled a bit. "His mother's son."

"You realize Charlotte is probably already in the air too?" Sharon reached out and lay a hand on his arm. She adored her children, but they were both stubborn, and to be honest, she wouldn't mind having them close. They needed to be close. She needed them all, at the moment, especially Ian." She leaned toward him. "I'd really like to get out of here," she murmured.

"Your tests aren't back yet," He reminded her. "We need to make sure you're okay first. You were unconscious for a while…"

"Not that long," she told him. "Andy, I'm fine."

"Sharon…" He sighed. There was no use arguing with her, he knew. He'd feel the same way. "Okay. If the MRI comes back clean, I'll get you out of here, alright?"

She nodded. "Thank you." She lay her forehead against his shoulder. Waiting was always the hardest part.