A/N Just a few chapters to go! Thank you, thank you so much for reading this story. It's been fun to write! :-)

Eddie stood in the precinct assembly room looking up at the roll call roster. It had been three weeks since Jamie had been released from the hospital. She had to do a double take at the sight of his name beside hers on the partner assignment list. After their middle-of-the-night kiss they managed to put it—and their feelings—back in a box just as they had done after the first time, and she remained at his apartment for the following three days to help out, their partnership intact. But she thought he would be out at least a full month. She reached up and snapped the roster off the wall and turned to head out to look for him. In her hurry out the door she bumped in to Sgt Renzulli. "Something wrong Officer Janko?" He looked down at her, his Italian features formed in to a question mark.

Eddie looked up in surprise. "Hi, Sarge. I'm sorry. I must be a little preoccupied."

"Is that so?" He asked, in a tone that also sounded slightly skeptical of her answer. "Anything I can help you with Janko?"

Eddie remembered what Jamie had told her in the back seat of the car the night of the shooting—that Renzulli had confronted him about their partnership. She chose her words carefully. "I just happened to see Officer Reagan's name on the roll call and I didn't realize he was returning today." It was true, but her comment hid her worry about Jamie coming back too early.

"That's right. His fitness report was passed this morning. He's been restored to duty." Renzulli seemed to be sizing her up. "You have a concern with that?"

Eddie thought he might be fishing and she didn't want to compromise Jamie's status due to her worries. "No, Sarge, no problem at all. I just wasn't sure when Reagan would be coming back. We don't keep in touch much outside of work."

The last comment was a lie and Renzulli didn't buy it but kept his thoughts to himself. He remembered the conversation with Reagan that left him with more questions than answers. "Uh-huh. I see. Well, he's suiting up now but I think it might be a good idea to see how things go on tour, Janko. Like you said, just to make sure Officer Reagan is a hundred percent."

"Will do. But I'm sure everything's fine." Her promise was sincere. She had every intention of making sure Jamie was ready to return to the street. She ducked to one side around Renzulli and went in search of her partner.

In the men's locker room Jamie was dressed in boxers and a pair of socks. He was stepping in to his black uniform trousers when Eddie's voice called out from around the corner. "Jamie?" Her head peered around the wall at him. "You're here." She hadn't really meant to catch him nearly undressed, but didn't mind the view either.

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "Yeah, I'm here and half naked...as always seems to be the case when you enter the men's locker room."

She leaned against the door jam, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She could see the scar on his left shoulder; healed but still visible. "What I mean is what are you doing here? I thought you were still on medical leave?"

He pulled a black t-shirt on and then his Kevlar vest. "I was but the doc cleared me for duty." He said and kept his eyes on the inside of his locker avoiding Eddie's cross examination. "Is there a problem?"

She didn't want to pressure him—he had already been through enough. But she was worried about him, which was apparent in her voice. "It's only been three weeks since you left the hospital, Jamie. I thought you would have at least another week before coming back to work."

He tucked his shirt in and wrapped his utility belt around his waist, fastening it in place. "Yeah, well, the doc gave me a physical and said I'm good to go." He finally looked at her and could see the concern in her eyes, their blue color darkened with worry. He wanted to put her at ease because he was going stir crazy not working. "It's fine. I'm ready to come back." His voice implied it was nothing.

"And this wouldn't be in part because you hastily told your doctor that you feel a thousand percent and have ants in your pants to get back to work?"

"First of all," he started as he put a foot up on the bench and tightened his shoe lace, "I've never had ants my pants." His attempt at humor fell flat on his partner. "And second, I do feel a thousand percent. So if you're done interrogating me I'd like to get back to work." He pulled his service weapon from the upper shelf. He pulled the magazine out of the Glock, checked it, and pushed it back in to the grip with a loud click and slid it in to his holster, putting an exclamation point on his answer. End of discussion.

She clearly wasn't budging from her position. "I wasn't interrogating you. I just want to make sure you're alright. You went through a lot, Jamie."

He grabbed his jacket and shut the locker door a little louder than he meant to. "Come on, Janko, you know me better than that, I wouldn't do anything stupid." He reached out and gently squeezed her arm. "And I've got the best partner on the force looking out for me."

Eddie swallowed her anger. She was worried about him but decided arguing with him about it at the precinct wasn't a good idea either. "Fine," she agreed. "But I'm driving." She dangled the keys from a finger as she turned and headed for the car.

Eddie's hands pulled the steering wheel to the right, and the patrol car turned a corner. Turning corners was something that Jamie thought about as he sat in the passenger seat with one arm braced on the door and the other on the seat. Four hours in to their tour and the radio had been quiet. It felt good to be back in the car with her and out on the street. "We've been on tour for four hours, Eddie, and we've only stopped for one meal. By now you're usually talking about cheese steak sandwiches. What gives?" He tried to keep things light and was hoping Eddie would let him but he doubted it.

She liked having him beside her again. It was the little things she had missed. His penchant for talking about old movies, good leads on their casework, his humor, indulging her eating habits…and his hazel eyes. But she was failing to keep her personal feelings in that box with everything else. "I guess I'm just not very hungry today."

She was easy to read and he could see storm clouds forming in her eyes. "Something you want to talk about? Aside from my fitness report, that is." She remained silent and his frustration found its voice. "You know Eddie, I'm a good cop but I'm not a mind reader. So if this is still about my coming back to work I think you need to let it go. I'm good, ok?"

She abruptly turned the car in to an abandoned parking lot, the tires squealing against the pavement, and hit the brakes. Jamie clutched the door and held on. The car jerked it to full stop and she got out, slamming of her door behind her. He followed her out of the car me, slamming his door as well, and stood a few feet in front of her, his hands out at his sides. "Jesus! What's this about?!"

She turned around to face him, anger fixed tightly in her voice. "You know, Reagan, for a guy who is one of the most perceptive people I know, there's a lot you don't pick up on."

"What are you talking about? I told you I'm fine!" His anger got the best of him. "Are you saying you think I can't cut it? That I shouldn't be here?"

"What?" She felt hurt that he might think she didn't believe in him. "Of course not! You're the best cop on the force, Jamie, and this is where you belong. But that's not what this is about."

Now he was thoroughly confused. "Then help me understand!"

She was having a hard time controlling her emotion. "You keep telling everyone how fine you are. Or that you're good."

His face revealed his frustration. "And that's bad?"

She paused, searching his face and could see he didn't understand. "Jamie, it was just a matter of weeks ago that you almost died in the back of a patrol car!" She strained to control the volume of her voice and her eyes watered from the memory and her emotions. "You had two bullet wounds and almost bled to death in my arms! There was blood everywhere. I was covered in it!" She tried to control her breathing but her anger was getting the best of her. "And I thought…I thought…." She needed to catch her breath and didn't want to utter the words. "I thought you wouldn't make it." She felt spent trying to get him to understand what she was trying to say. "And you weren't there when your family walked in to that ER, Jamie. They thought they had lost another son and had to relive that nightmare all over again until you were out of surgery, and even then…" Her voice dropped off and she shook her head, trying to shake off her worry and fear.

Seeing her emotions struck him. Eddie didn't trust people in the same way he did, so she didn't trust people with her feelings. Apparently, not even him. He realized he hadn't thought about her reaction to what had happened—what if it had been her? Reagan's were stoic but the thought of something happening to Eddie made his heart clench in his chest. "I'm sorry, Janko. I didn't mean to sound insensitive. I just didn't think...I wasn't thinking."

She sighed at the first sign that he was seeing her point. "The people around you love you, Jamie."

He took several steps toward her until he was standing directly in front of her, their faces inches apart. His voice and his eyes softened. "And are you one of those people, Eddie?" Neither of them said a word as his question hung between them. She averted her eyes but he waited. "Is that why you asked for the assignment with Rigetti last month? Why you wanted to ride with someone else?" He was sure he knew the answer and hoped he was right. But he wouldn't force the issue.

Eddie felt like she couldn't breathe. How had the conversation gone from making sure he wasn't rushing back to work, to her feelings for him? She looked down at the ground, avoiding his eyes."You're my best friend," she whispered. "I just want to make sure that you aren't rushing back too soon and that you're alright. One hesitation in an incident, Jamie, and it could be deadly for you or someone else."

He put a finger under her chin and nudged her head up until he could see her eyes, bright blue and filled with affection. "And you're my best friend, Eddie. I'm alive because of you." He processed what she had said and knew she was right. He loved that she believed in him as he believed in her. Just like his mother had said in his dream…"Meet the right person and then meet them in the middle."

He let out a long breath and reached up to brush a tear from her cheek. "Look, how about this—I can talk to Renzulli about riding a desk for a few days. I'll just say I want to hit the firing range and get caught up." He was quick to reiterate that he didn't think he needed it. "I'm not saying I need it or anything."

Eddie quickly agreed. "Neither am I! Not saying that at all."

"Just as a precaution."

"Absolutely!" She nodded. "Just a precaution."

"OK, I'll do a desk tour for three or four days."

"Five." She said abruptly, teasing him but also testing to see if he would agree to it. She nervously toyed with the car keys in her hand.

He rolled his eyes and tenderly slid a hand down her arm. "Don't press your luck, shorty." He reached for her hand and snatched the keys from her. "And since I'm being grounded for a couple of days I know you won't mind if I drive."

Eddie walked around the car and got in the passenger side. She slid in next to him and fastened her seat belt. "Hey, Reagan. Thanks." She reached over to him and brushed her hand over his arm affectionately. "Thank you."

"You were right, partner." He winked at her and pulled the car out in to traffic and turned right. He glanced back at her and realized that turning corners was something he and Eddie were getting good at.

Sgt. Renzulli sat at his desk until a knock on the door caught his attention. He looked up and saw Jamie standing in the doorway. "Reagan, glad you dropped by. You have a minute?"

"Sure, boss." Jamie was suspicious of Renzulli's invitation beating him to the punch to request a desk job for the week. Another inquiry in to his partnership with Janko?

"Grab the door, counselor, will ya?" Renzulli got up and walked around to the front of his desk and sat on the edge. "Everything go okay on your first tour back?"

Jamie took a seat in the chair. "Yeah, everything's good, sarge. Thanks. But I was wondering if…"

Renzulli cut him off before Jamie could ask about the desk assignment. "That's good, Reagan…seeing as it's probably gonna be your last." Renzulli looked at him without elaborating, a smile on his face.

"Boss? I don't think I understand." His mind raced. Renzulli said he'd be watching him and Janko, but they had kept their partnership strictly professional especially at work. Hadn't they?

Renzulli reached around and pulled something out of his top desk drawer. "You're being reassigned, Reagan." He turned back around and held out a gold shield. "As of tomorrow morning you're officially Detective Reagan. You're moving up to the 6th Precinct." Renzulli stood and extended his hand. "Congratulations, Detective Reagan."