Then everything happened fast. Sharon saw his index finger twitching and knew that Alexander wasn't going to be distracted by talking anymore. He wanted to get things done and was about to pull the trigger. So Sharon raised her gun a little higher in a split of a second and shot him before he had a chance to achieve his goal. Gasping for air, Sharon leaned back onto the nightstand. She secured the gun with shaking hands.
"Sharon?! SHARON?" Sharon heard Andy's voice seconds later. She wanted to answer but wasn't able to catch her breath and then Andy already found her.
"Oh my god, Sharon", Andy murmured while running into the room. He kicked Alexander's gun out of his reaching range, checked for a pulse but never stopped looking at Sharon while doing these things.
"Is he dead?"
Andy nodded and then finally kneed down next to Sharon, badly wanting to embrace her and never let her go. He pushed his own needs aside and gently stroked her cheek, put a strain of hair behind her ear to get a better view on her injury. Andy then took out his phone and dialed 911. In the meantime, Sharon was still leaning against the nightstand and bed, trembling.
"Can you get up?" Andy asked after hanging up. She was jammed between her bed, the nightstand and the dead body of Alexander and Andy wanted her to get out of there.
"I'm not sure", Sharon whispered. The adrenaline that had saved her life just minutes before was slowly deserting her and she started to shake even worse and was freezing badly. Andy pulled a blanket from Sharon's bed, wrapped it around her and whispered: "Let's get you out of here" and very gently lifted her from the ground. Sharon groaned in pain so Andy whispered again: "I'm sorry, hold on." Sharon nodded, clenched her teeth while Andy carried her into the living room as fast as possible where he laid her down on the couch. Both ignored the fact, that the room was covered in red roses. The smell made Sharon sick to her stomach.
"What happened to the officers outside my condo?" Sharon murmured.
"Don't think about that now", Andy said quietly while starting to get impatient. Sharon looked like she was about to pass out and he really needed the ambulance to arrive. He got a wet cloth and pressed it on the nasty gash above her left eye. Sharon flinched but then let him.
"Andy", she said with a shaking voice.
"Sh, it's ok now, Sharon. It's over", Andy tried to sooth her.
He kept pressing the cloth on her head with one hand and with the other he took her ice-cold hand into his. His heart was racing as much as Sharon's.
Finally, the paramedics and bit by bit every single one of the team arrived in the condo. Everything started to become a little chaotic from that moment on. Sharon didn't notice much of it. She was losing her consciousness as the paramedics laid her on a gurney and didn't wake up until hours later. Andy drove with her to the hospital while everyone else took care of the crime scene and the corpse of the man that had been very close to taking Sharon forever.

When Andy arrived at the hospital, Sharon was already with a doctor that examined her. Andy started pacing up and down that waiting room. Guilt gnawed at his consciousness. They had been trying to keep her safe and still failed. Alexander O'Riley knew exactly when the best timing was for another attack and he hadn't been there to help her. He didn't save her. While he had been busy with tracking the man down that was threatening his girlfriend, that exact man had been with her, hurt her and almost killed her. Andy wanted to punch something. He took two and then three deep breaths in and took his phone out. Rusty should be close to home now, he didn't call him before because he wanted him to drive carefully.
"Andy? What happened?" Rusty immediately asked when he took the call.
"Rusty, don't drive home. We're at the hospital, I don't know much more but I think she is going to be ok", Andy said, trying to say something that wouldn't panic the boy. But there wasn't much he could say.
"Ok", was the only thing Rusty was able to say before they hung up and he sped to the hospital with a racing heart.
He met Andy in the waiting room, Sharon was still being examined.
"Andy, what the hell happened?" Rusty stormed into the otherwise empty room.
"We're not sure yet", Andy sighted, "when I got home, the officers weren't in front of her room anymore. I knew immediately that something was up but when I got inside everything was already over?.
"What do you mean?"
"Sharon had already shot the guy."
"Oh my god", Rusty whispered, as his brain forced pictures of his mother, fighting for her life in her own home in front of his eyes.
"Yeah", Andy nodded.
"How is she?" Rusty asked.
"I don't know. They haven't said a word yet", Andy shrugged his shoulders.
"She's going to be all right, right?" Rusty panicked.
"I think so", Andy said vaguely and walked towards Rusty, whom he carefully embraced. To his surprise, Rusty didn't back away, he didn't stiffen. He let Andy hold him for a couple of moments and it was the first time since many years that Rusty let a man (besides Gus) so close. But Andy was family, now more than ever.

"Lieutenant?" the doctor that had treated Sharon before entered to room and Andy let Rusty go.
"Yes?"
"Captain Raydor got lucky. Due to the impact on her head she now has a severe concussion but very, very luckily no internal bleedings. Unfortunately, one rib cracked, probably as a result of massive kicks", the doctor was quiet for a moment, dealing with acts of violence like these never got easier, "and her left kidney shows some bruising."
"What does that mean?" Rusty asked.
"As far as we could see, the bruising isn't severe. That means that she will experience pain in her flank and lower back but fortunately there are no signs of ruptures so there is no need to operate right now. Due to the swelling, it is possible that we were unable to see minor tissue ruptures so we will keep a close eye on her."
"So she is going to be ok?"
"We are optimistic, yes", the doctor nodded, "we will keep her here for, I would say at least a week to make sure the kidneys are well functioning. After that she must stay on bedrest for at least another week."
"All right, thank you doctor", Andy said.
"Can we see her now?" Rusty asked.
"Of course", the doctor nodded and told them where to find her.

Finally the update so many of you were waiting for, thank you so, so much for reviewing the last chapter, it is so much fun for me to read your reviews! So, Sharon is safe now and we know most of what had happened. Now tell me, do you want a few chapters about how Sharon is dealing with the aftermath? Tell me what you think and want and I'll keep writing.