A/N: Sorry this update took so long, I just wasn't in the writing mood for so long. I don't know when the next update will be, from here on out the story takes a personal journey that is difficult to write. I will try to get one more chapter at least out before I go on vacation next week with our very own Jago Ji, Sonomom and LnBen. My sincere thanks to Wanda517 for all her help in making sure my ramblings make sense.

Disclaimer: The plum universe belongs to JE I just play with it.

I could certainly cross off being a guest of the City of Trenton from my list of things to do before I die. I would much rather have a root canal with no Novocain before repeating the last two days of my life. Jail wouldn't have been too bad, but the fact that I had been a cop until recently was not something my hosts kept secret. Cops in jail rank only slightly above child molesters, I knew if I had drifted off into a deep sleep that I would have been a dead woman. Combine lack of sleep, with caffeine withdrawal, the random "accidents" I had after my arrest and this illness that had been plaguing me for months now, and I knew I was looking less than my best. It took every inch of self-control I had not to collapse as my Lawyer walked me out of the Trenton PD.

Bobby and Lester were anxiously waiting for me near a Rangeman SUV; part of me wanted to run to them, to be tucked away into the vehicle and hurried home. I didn't run though, I could say it was my pride that kept me walking at a sedate pace, but I would be lying I felt so drained that I doubt I would be able to run even to save my own life. We finally reached the truck and I leaned heavily against the door catching a glimpse of my reflection in the side mirror. My Native heritage usually gave my skin a healthy golden color, but today it looked yellow. That would explain the worried looks I was getting from both the guys. Neither one said anything as I was handed a cup of coffee. It took me a minute to get the cup to my lips as my hands were shaking hard enough that it was difficult to control my movements.

I wanted nothing more than to crawl into the SUV and fall into a deep sleep, but that had to wait. My lawyer deemed it necessary to fill me in on all the details of my release. I heard him saying that the charges had never been officially filed, and that I was free to go, but he wouldn't promise that they wouldn't be filed at a future date. I was trying to pay attention to him, but I just couldn't focus at the moment. Bobby seemed to catch on that I did not comprehend even the most minor details of what was being said, so he cut the conversation short informing the windbag he could talk to me tomorrow. I shot him a grateful smile as he opened the door and helped me inside before joining me in the back seat.

Lester pulled out of the parking lot, and was going to turn left to take us back to the Rangeman offices, when Bobby spoke up from the backseat. "Les, take a detour to St. Francis."

I jerked my head to stare at him and shake my head. "I don't need a damn hospital, I need to go home and sleep." I said before crossing my arms over my chest and turning to look out the window.

Bobby reached over and pinched my hand without warning. "Ow! Jesus Christ what the hell was that for?" I demanded to know.

Bobby just gestured to my hand. "See the tenting? You're dehydrated."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "So start a damn IV when we get home." The man was a damn medic, he could start an IV blindfolded on a moving transport over rough terrain while taking heavy fire, I didn't need a hospital for something as simple as that.

Bobby looked at me and reached out to gently touch my face. "Please." He said as he stroked his thumb across my cheek.

I knew how desperately he wanted me to go, but I was hurting and exhausted, I didn't need a side trip. "Bobby please, I just want to go home and go to bed. You can give me an IV and I'll see a doctor after I have had some sleep." I could tell he wanted to argue, but he finally gave a nod of agreement and gestured for Santos to take us home. I laid my head against the window and stopped fighting to keep my eyes open. I knew the guys had my back, and it was finally safe to drift off into a deep sleep.

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Bobby POV

We had barely pulled out of the police department parking lot when Ray leaned her head against the window, and within seconds she had fallen fast asleep. She looked like shit. I had wanted to take her to the hospital to have her checked out. Not only was she dehydrated, but she had probably had more than her fair share of accidents since arriving at the jail. I took her agreeing to see a doctor after getting some sleep as a small victory, but not one I was really all that happy with.

Lester pulled into the garage at the Haywood building, and I slipped out of the back seat, walking around to the other side to help Ray out. She was so exhausted she didn't even stir when I opened the door, unbuckled her seat belt, and lifted her out of the truck. I gestured with my head for Lester to shut the door, and then walked with him to the elevator. We rode in silence until we got to my apartment. I would have taken her to her place, but Steph was still staying there, and I needed to get Ray hooked up to an IV.

Lester opened the door, and I carried Ray to the bed. I laid her down as gently as I could, and softly called Lester in to help me. I told Lester to get her boots off and to stay with her while I ran to get some supplies from my office. I didn't want to leave her alone in case she woke up, she needed to know there was someone watching out for her while she slept, and if it couldn't be me, Lester was the next best thing.

I hurried back into the bedroom and dropped my duffle bag of supplies on the floor beside the bed. I asked Lester to help me sit Ray up to get her t-shirt off so I could check her for injuries. I tossed her shirt into the corner while Lester held her up. Her torso was shades of purple and green showing new bruises on top of older healing bruises. I knew some of the yellow was from sparring here with some of the guys, but the new ones had me worried, there were a few spots that were so dark they were almost black. I lightly ran my hand over her ribs making her hiss even in her sleep. It didn't feel like anything was broken, but I was sure she might have cracked a rib or two. I looked over at Lester watching his eyes flash dangerously; he was barely suppressing the rage at the sight of her battered body. I did my best to ignore the fact that it was Ray I was working on, and I reached down to grab an ace bandage to wrap her ribs.

With Lester's help I started wrapping her ribs trying to keep the bandage firm without hurting her, but I guess I must have tightened it a little too tight because she opened her eyes cursing. "Son of a bitch!"

She pushed Lester's hands away from her and sat up under her own power glaring at the both of us. She didn't say anything else, which was almost frightening. It could mean one of several things; she was in too much pain to argue, she was too exhausted to put up a fight, or she was mad that we didn't just leave her the hell alone. For the first time in a long time, I was actually hoping that her silence was because she was angry, and not because she was too injured or tired to put up a fight.

"Ray, I'm sorry if I hurt you, but you'll rest more comfortably with these ribs taped up." I told her quietly. She just nodded and turned to look at Lester.

"Thanks for helping today, but I think we've got it from here." She said.

Lester nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and lightly ruffled her hair. "No problem. Call if you need anything." He said as he walked out the door.

I finished taping up her ribs and secured the bandage before reaching for the IV kit. She laid back on the bed and I sat down beside her. I picked up her hand and started looking for a good vein to get the fluids started. "Did you eat much of anything while inside?" I asked as I swabbed her hand with an alcohol pad.

"Not much was actually edible." She told me with a small smile. I knew I was at least partially forgiven for making a big deal out of her health.

I nodded and made a mental note to give her a small amount of glucose with her IV. I knew that once she fell asleep, she was likely to stay that way for a while, so she would need a little bit to make up for not eating while in jail, and again while she caught up on her sleep.

"You want to talk about it?" I asked as I slid the needle into her hand watching her wince a little. It was almost funny, she could take a punch as well as any guy I knew, but stick her with a needle and she flinched.

"Not a lot to talk about really. It's not something I want to ever do again I know that for sure." She finally looked around the room and it must have dawned on her that she wasn't in her own apartment. "Why did you bring me here?" She wanted to know.

"Steph is still staying at your place, and there really wasn't room for all three of us for the duration, so I figured you wouldn't mind staying here." I hooked up the IV to the port in hand, and slipped a hanger through the top of the bag before looping the hanger over the bedpost above her.

"Sounds reasonable." She agreed as she shifted to the edge of the bed trying to stand up. I jumped up from where I was sitting and almost flew to her side.

"You should lie down." I told her as I grasped her shoulders lightly trying to keep her on the bed.

She shrugged me off and pushed herself to a standing position. "I will, but I'm not sleeping in jeans." She said as she reached for the button on her pants, but I gently pushed her hands away unbuttoning them before helping her to slide them down over her hips. I tried to remain detached, to look at her with a clinical eye, but it was hard. I had thought of nothing but having her undressing to get into my bed for so long, it was hard to keep my mind focused on the seriousness of the situation. I slid her jeans down her legs, and she sat back down on the edge of the bed so I could slide them off her legs. I tossed her jeans in the corner with her t-shirt and helped her slide under the covers.

Ray lie back against the pillow and let her eyes drift closed, as she snuggled in I pulled a chair close to the edge of the bed and sat down rubbing my face. I was just getting comfortable when Ray's eyes popped open. "Well this is a little uncomfortable." She said.

"What?" I asked quietly leaning closer to the bed.

"You sitting there staring at me. I'm not going to be able to fall asleep with you staring at me." She snapped.

I jumped out of the chair rushing to grab the bag of medical supplies. "I'll get you something to help you sleep."

She grabbed a pillow from the bed and whipped it in my direction. "I don't want you to give me something to sleep damn it! I want you to not sit in the corner and stare at me. If you want to be here which I would like, then get into bed and stay with me. Don't watch me sleep like some creepy stalker."

I nodded that I understood and stopped rushing across the room, and grabbed the edge of the blanket and slid into bed next to her. It took a few minutes of finagling, but we were finally able to snuggle together comfortably.