Alright here's the next chapter for you, it's a little bit of a change of pace from the romantic weekend so I hope you don't get to upset with me. I should tell you now I'm no expert on hospital procedures so sorry if there are some inconsistencies. Please tell me what you think and as always I still own nothing.

Things were going to good, I should have realized it things were never this good in my life, never this easy. Monday had been slow the day ending with a soccer game. Tuesday we caught a case and bright and early Wednesday morning I was standing in front of a man aiming a gun at me. In one moment everything stopped I heard the gunfire I saw the ground rising to meet me, but something was wrong. The only pain was where my wrist hit the pavement.

"Patrick!" Suddenly my wrist didn't hurt Jane was shot, what had he been thinking. I was trying to stop the bleeding with my hands and I could feel the tears running down my face. This was not happening, not now not when we were finally a couple. Why had he done that? He shouldn't have pushed me out of the way. I vaguely processed the sound of sirens approaching but the only thing my brain was processing was the blood soaking through Patrick's vest and pooling on the ground around him. I was shuffled backward as the EMT's lifted him onto the gurney, but couldn't be pulled away as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance. "I'm his partner." I brushed off the EMT who tried to prevent me from getting in with him.

At least he was breathing, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. Patrick was rushed into surgery and I was left sitting in the waiting room, it was then that I realized just how exhausted I was it wasn't even ten yet my wrist was killing me and I was covered in Patrick's blood.

"Boss?" Van Pelt rushed into the emergency room, "Is he okay? Are you okay?"

"He's in surgery now, I'm fine."

"Boss, go get your wrist checked out sitting here isn't doing anyone any good." She instructed. "Cho and Rigsby caught the guy he's in custody now, Jane's going to be okay go get yourself checked out. Come on I'll go with you, if something happens the doctors will tell you." I gave in and followed Grace to the nearest nurses station.

Two hours later I was sitting at his bedside, waiting for the pain medication to wear off enough for him to wake up. The doctors said he had been lucky, the bullet had missed all his vital organs. If everything went well he could be released from the hospital before the end of the week as long as he had a place to go. I heard movement in the bed and had to stop him from sitting up.

"How are you feeling?" I whispered.

"Great, and you?" He tried to chuckle but it was more of a cough.

"Hairline fracture." I showed him my new wrist brace.

"Sorry bout that." His smile was somewhat weakened by the hospital and pain medication.

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

"He was pointing a gun at you." He forced himself into a sitting position with multiple groans and grimaces.

"I was wearing a vest."

"He wasn't pointing it at you're vest."

"You over reacted, I would have been fine."

"I over reacted! He was pointing a gun at your head!"

"Patrick calm down you're going to reopen you're wound." I used my good hand to force him to sit back. We sat there for a couple minutes while his breathing returned to normal. "Why'd you do it?"

"You're a mother of four you can't be shot down by crazy gun men."

"It's my job."

"No where in your job description does it say get shot in the head."

"Why'd you really do it? It wasn't only for the kids was it?" I wondered, there was just something about the look in his eyes.

"I wasn't going to lose another family, not after I just got you." He all but whispered after a minute.

"Even if something happened to me you'd still have the kids." I held his hand.

"For a couple days maybe until their family came to get them. You don't think their family would honestly leave them with me, after what happened the last time I lost someone I loved, besides I'm not family. I'm just their guardian's new secret boyfriend." He may have been right but that wasn't what he needed to hear right now. "Teresa I would not/could not survive that again."

"So your plan was to die instead, what about me? What about the kids? Do you ever think about anyone other than yourself?"

"You'd be okay if I were gone, you all would be."

"Patrick you're crazy if you think I'd be alright."

"You're stronger than me." He all but whispered, "You and the kids would be alright after awhile."

"You're full of shit you know that." I sat on the edge of his bed, I got him to smirk but he was visibly holding back tears. "I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"No, I guarantee you're stronger."

"You're on a lot of pain medication you're talking crazy." I tried to smile, he shook his head and leaned forward to kiss my cheek, grimacing in pain but never saying a word.

"Where is the team? I figured they'd be at least in the hallway when I woke up."

"They were for a long time until I made them go get lunch. It's probably almost one by now."

"Teresa go get something to eat, go home and get cleaned up. You still have to pick up the kids you don't want them to see you're clothes like that. I promise I'll behave for the doctors until you get back."

"What do I tell the kids? You know this will hurt them."

"It's better me hurt than you dead." He reminded, "Just tell them what you always tell them, Patrick did something stupid but everything will be okay. But for the record I would do the same thing all over again if it meant keeping you safe."

"I've told you before it's my job to keep you safe, I'm the cop and you're the consultant. "

"Well you'd be no good at protecting me if you were dead." He shot back, before falling back into his pillow. He must be exhausted and me sitting here fighting with him wasn't helping anyone.

"You're right thank you, but don't you ever dare try something like that again."

"If I say okay will you yell at me for making a promise I can't keep?" He succeeded in a small chuckle and as an instinct I rolled my eyes before leaning into give him a proper kiss.

"I mean it you don't need to play superhero anymore. Go back to sleep, I'll be back later this after noon."

"I love you Teresa." He smiled watching me leave.

"I love you to Patrick, get some sleep." I left his room and called a cab it wasn't until I saw my reflection in the cabs review mirror that I realized what a mess I was. I had Patrick's blood all over my clothes, there was a rip in my jacket from getting pushed out of the way, my eyes were red and swollen, and I don't even know what had happened to my hair.

Unlocking the door was a little unsettling the house had never been this quiet, never this empty. Now I was being ridiculous Patrick was injured not dead and the kids were at school I was being over dramatic. I threw my clothes in the wash and headed straight for the shower, it didn't take long for the blood to go down the drain but that didn't make me feel any better. My head hurt, and my wrist was still throbbing, it didn't help that I was obsessing over Patrick. The doctor assured he would heal psychically but I was worried about his need to be protective. His idea that my life was some how so much more important than his, I wasn't stupid I knew he had probably saved my life, but would he feel the need to do that every time there was a little bit of danger.

I spent a good half hour in the shower before deciding I wasn't doing anyone any good hiding at home. I needed to put the clothes in the dryer and I needed to eat, then I was going to work and figure out what was going on with our shooter, before picking up the kids and going back to the hospital.

"Boss, oh my God when we got back to the hospital you were gone what happened?" Grace attacked me the minute I walked out of the elevator.

"Jane woke up and gave some line about being noble and not wanting the kids to lose another parent. Then he told me I looked like shit and so I went home and got cleaned up and ate some lunch."

"And you're wrist?"

"A hairline fracture, I need to wear a brace and take ibuprofen it should heal on it's own in a week or so and it'll be stiff for the next couple months." I shrugged her off, "What did the shooter say?"

"Cho got him to confess to killing our victim, but I mean shooting Jane with the same gun he used to kill the guy was a little bit of a give away." She explained, "And how was Jane he was sleeping when we got back."

"He was able to sit up, it looked like he was in pain but he wasn't about to say anything. He was alert enough to try and fight with me, so I think he'll be okay."

"That's good to hear." She grinned, "You didn't have to come back in today, you were injured, people would understand."

"I did not get injured, it's a fracture it's not even broken I'm fine. I want to get a little paperwork done before I have to go get the kids. I think I'm going to take them to see Jane that'll cheer him up."

"That should really make him feel better." She nodded and I disappeared to my office. I still hadn't figured out what I was supposed to tell the kids. How do you tell kids someone they really care about just got shot? Three thirty came way to quickly.

"William I need you to be gentle holding my hand." I warned, and he frowned at the brace but didn't say anything. So with Cass in the other hand I went to the kindergarten classroom.

"What happened to you're arm?" Emily frowned running out behind her sister.

"I got hurt at work today."

"Are you okay?" Alyssa questioned jumping into the car.

"Yeah I'm fine, but I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"Patrick got hurt at work today to."

"Hurt like you?"

"No, he got hurt worse than me, he's going to be okay, but he needs to spend a couple nights in the hospital." I tried to explain.

"Are you absolutely positive he's going to be okay?"

"I'm absolutely positive."

"But he's in the hospital, that means he's really hurt." Emily whispered.

"I talked to him this morning he's going to be okay he promised." Sooner than not we were standing outside Patrick's room. I suppose that was a perk of working with the police was a private room. "You have to be really gentle with Patrick right now he's in a little bit of pain."

"We'll be really careful." Alyssa promised and William and Emily nodded, so after a deep breath I opened the door for them.

"What took you so long?" Patrick smiled, he was sitting all the way up now and had a cup of tea on the tray next to him it almost looked normal, "I need hugs from all of you." He invited the kids onto his bed with him.

"Teresa said we have to be careful because you hurt a lot." Emily frowned standing by the bed while Alyssa and William didn't hesitate to jump up next to him.

"Well it hurts a little bit but that's why the doctor gives me so much medicine to make it better." He smiled as I helped Emily up next to her sister.

"You have to take a lot of medicine?" Alyssa wondered.

"Yes so much that it has me seeing two of you." He teased.

"There are two of us." Emily giggled.

"That's right I forgot."

"Did all of the medicine taste bad?" Alyssa questioned.

"I didn't taste a thing." He assured.

"Patrick where's your booboo?" It was Emily's turn to question, then with a small grimace he moved his arm to point to his chest before putting it around William and moving the other arms around the girls. "Can I kiss it and make it better?"

"Yeah it worked for mommy when we got hurt." Alyssa nodded.

"I bet that would make me feel all better." He chuckled.

"What did the doctors say after I left?" I sat with Cass at the foot of his bed.

"I'm fine and can go home when ever."

"Nice try."

"It was worth a shot." He smiled, he really did look better than this morning when we talked. Maybe it was the difference in conversation, or the kids being here, but I like to think he was feeling a little better. I stayed there with him and the kids until around five when it became apparent Patrick's pain medication was wearing off and he was getting tired.

"Come on guys give Patrick a hug and a kiss and then we got to go home, we'll come back tomorrow after school." I instructed.

"I need a big hug and a big kiss from everybody and I'll see you again before you know it. And Teresa there should be some leftovers in the fridge you can heat them up and they'll be okay for dinner." Seriously he was in the hospital with a bullet wound and he wanted to make sure I was eating right.

"You behave for the doctors I don't want a call in the middle of the night telling me you've disrupted the whole wing of the hospital."

"I suppose I can try." He chuckled, as I directed the kids for the hall, "Not so fast, I said a hug and a kiss from everybody didn't I." I rolled my eyes and kissed him good bye.

"You're killing me Jane."

"Curious since I'm the one in the hospital."

"Good night Patrick, I'll be back to check on you before work tomorrow."

"Good night Teresa."

I didn't think of this until just now, but I wrote this chapter months ago before Robin Tunney had a cast on her wrist, I just thought that was a kind of funny coincidence I'd share with you. Sorry I won't take up any more of you're time with my babbling it's the story you want to read not my random thoughts.