I stay by Vic's side as the nurse comes in to check her vital signs and make some notes in the chart. She is able to tell the nurse her name, where she lives and what year it is. By the time the the nurse has finished the brief battery of tests and left the room Vic's eyes are starting to flutter. I can tell she's fighting to keep them open while her body is still needing the rest only sleep can give offer.

"It's okay, Vic, you can go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

I feel a gentle squeeze on my hand and Vic allows herself to slip back into oblivion. A huge weight has been lifted from me and I wonder how many more times my heart can go through this. I guess as many as it has to. When it seems she has settled I stand, feeling the need to move around and work out the stiffness in my legs. I go into the hall in search of some water and almost run into Dr. Weston heading toward Vic's room.

"Sheriff, you're still here. I thought you would have gone home long before now."

"Nope. None of us wanted her to be alone and I volunteered for the night shift. I'm surprised you're still here."

"I had to come back in for an emergency surgery on a patient whose appendix had burst. I'm getting ready to head out but wanted to check on Deputy Moretti before I left. The nurses tell me she woke up."

"Yep."

He nods his head, "Good, I checked her chart and it looks like so far everything is fine. It's the best outcome at this point. There may still be lingering effects from the injury that take some time to resolve. We'll run another scan in the morning just to make sure but right now I have no reason to suspect that she won't be back to normal in a few weeks."

"That's great, Doc."

"However," his voice holds a warning, "She has to ease back into work slowly, no chasing after suspects and no more getting hit in the head, at least for a while. Once she's released to go back to work she'll need to be on light duty until I give the okay for more."

"I'll do my best to keep her calm and in the office, but I can't make any promises."

"Look, Walt, she pulled through this one, but if she experiences any more head trauma before her brain has had time to fully heal, things may not turn out as well the next time. She could suffer memory loss, difficulty concentrating, impulsive behavior, dizziness: things that would make it impossible for her to do her job. Better to keep her tied down for a relatively short time than risk her suffering an injury that would force her to leave law enforcement all together."

I nod, "I understand."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to head home and try to get some sleep. I suggest you do the same. You're going to need all your strength to keep her in line."

"You have no idea, Doc. Thanks!"

Dr. Weston nods and heads down the hall.

After buying a bottle of water from the vending machine down in the lobby I make my way back to Vic's room. It's not going to be easy keeping her on light duty but I know it has to be done. I'll have to sit down with Ferg and Ruby and work out a strategy. If we're all on the same page it will be more difficult for Vic to manipulate one of us into doing what she wants to do instead of what she needs to do while she's at work. At home will be another story altogether. I'll have to give some thought as to how to keep her in check there. With Shaun gone, there's no one to keep an eye on her. I'll talk to Cady. Maybe she can stay with Vic the first couple of nights after she's discharged. Vic's going to hate that. I can already hear her complaining about having a baby sitter. It's too bad her family isn't closer, one of them could come help out. Of course, that might piss Vic off more, having her mother hanging around while she's stuck at home. I'll see what Ruby thinks about all that too. By the time I make it back to Vic's room I've decided that Dr. Weston's right. I finish my water and sit in the chair. I'm going to need all my strength to manage Vic once she's out of the hospital so I'd better get started building it up now. Grabbing my hat, I lean back, set it over my eyes and settle in for a few hours of sleep.