"So, you think that Johnson character got his speedballs off Stanton's dead body?" Healey asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Dan put down his cup of green tea. "Probably. It makes sense. I mean, Johnson said he knew where Stanton was, he didn't say anything about him being alive." He looked up from his study of the table. "I don't think I've ever seen Norm so shattered. And I don't think I've ever been so relieved. You know, for a few seconds there, I honestly thought he'd killed the kid in cold blood." He shuddered.

"Well," Healey said, leaning back, "that's behind us now. Thank god. It'll be good to have you and Norm back on the squad. Things have been pretty quiet, homicide-wise, since the assassinations but who knows how long that's gonna last."

The inspector nodded.

"So what's the latest on Mike?"

Dan smiled. "Well, we're pretty sure they're gonna let him go home tomorrow. He's still got a long way to go but they figure he'll recover faster at home, and I kinda think they're right. Say, ah, a bunch of the guys are gonna go to the hospital tonight after work – Steve said to come by and have supper with them all in his room."

"Tonight?" Healey asked, puzzled. "I would have thought it would be easier to wait till Mike got home."

Dan frowned as well. "Yeah, I thought the same thing but Steve insisted it be tonight. So some of guys are getting together and going over as a group. Want to join us?"

Healey looked down at his coffee cup and hesitated. "No, ah…I think I'll wait till after Mike gets home, go see him one-on-one, so to speak."

Dan knew Healey was still a little uncomfortable assuming Mike's position as head of homicide. He nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll tell him you said hi."

"Thanks." Suddenly Healey brightened, looking up at Dan with a broad grin. "Hey, is what I heard correct – Mike's got a girlfriend?"

# # # # #

All eyes turned at the sound of the discreet knock. "Come in," called Steve, and the door opened on a grinning Dan.

"Look who I found wandering the halls," he said with a laugh as he was followed into the room by Tanner, Lessing, Haseejian and two young assistant inspectors, Jeff Holburn and Charlie McAllister. Tanner and the two inspectors had two large paper bags each, and Haseejian carried a flat cardboard box.

"What's all this?" Mike said happily from the bed, grinning, obviously delighted to see his men.

"This, sir, is dinner," Tanner said with a chuckle as he and others found places to put the bags down.

Haseejian, whose face still registered the ordeal of the past week, approached the bed tentatively. "How are you doing, Mike?" he asked quietly. But before the older man could answer, he continued quickly, "I am so sorry I haven't been in sooner –"

Mike, sensing that there was more going on here, cut him off quickly. "Norm, Norm, it's okay… really… I haven't been much company until a couple of days ago… it's okay…"

Haseejian smiled gratefully and moved away, as if not wanting to belabour the point, and Mike noticed Dan's concerned stare following the Armenian detective.

"Ah, so, fellas, can I make some introductions?" Steve said quickly, trying to draw attention away from the awkward exchange. He introduced Maggie, first name only, to everyone, and Jeannie and himself to the new inspectors.

"And we brought enough for everybody," Lessing announced as he opened one of the bags and started to hand out paper plates.

"Oh, sorry, gents," Jeannie announced, "but this has got to be a guys only affair. Maggie and I have a lot to do tonight. They're letting Mike out tomorrow," she announced proudly to the room, and Mike was rewarded with 'yeh's' and happy nods, "and we are going to make sure everything in the house is ready for him."

She picked up her purse. "So, gentlemen, we will take our leave, and see you all at our house in a couple of weeks for a real party. Right, Mike?" She turned to her father with a happy smile.

"You bet, sweetheart," he grinned, and she leaned over the bed to give him a quick kiss before heading to the door.

Trying her best to be discreet, Maggie picked up her purse as well and started for the door. She stopped, hesitated, turned and strode back to the bed, leaned over and gave Mike a long, passionate kiss, walked back to the door and then turned to face a small sea of startled faces. As she pulled open the door, she growled sexily, "Gentlemen," and then she was gone.

# # # # #

Jeannie was still laughing as she and Maggie got into her father's car. "I almost feel sorry for Mike, but then again, I bet he's still grinning like the cat that ate the canary."

Maggie chuckled. "I hope so. He needs a little levity in his life right now. Did Steve mention anything to you today about their little talk last night?"

Jeannie shook her head as she put the key in the ignition and started the car. "No, but we really didn't get a chance to talk without Mike overhearing us. Mike seemed okay, but he's really good at hiding his feelings sometimes."

"Yeah, I know. It's bothering me, though – he knows about Milk and Moscone now, and he also knows about his own future with the department. And he hasn't mentioned anything about either of them. I wish he would talk to me instead of bottling things up."

"Well, he does have Steve, thank god." She pulled the car out of the parking space and started towards the exit. "And I think, once we get him home and there's just mainly you and me and him, he'll be more forthcoming."

"I hope so," Maggie said quietly.

# # # # #

"This is really good," Lessing said between forkfuls of chow mein.

"See, I told you to try The Red Dragon. My wife and I have been going there for years and they've never disappointed," Tanner said with a self-satisfied smile.

"Is that the one on Jackson?" McAllister asked.

"Yep."

Mike was watching Haseejian, who had taken a seat near the door, slightly away from the others. Dan glanced from Mike to Haseejian, frowning. He wished the sergeant didn't look so miserable; he knew it was worrying his old boss.

Steve glanced at his watch, then stood quickly and put his plate down on Mike's overbed table. "I hate to do this," he said to Mike, "but I've got to get out of here. I promised someone I'd meet them tonight." He turned to the others. "Sorry, guys, previous commitment." He smiled apologetically at Mike. "I'll be here first thing in the morning. Have a good night and sleep well." He winked.

As he moved towards the door, he caught Dan's eye and gestured with his head for the young inspector to join him in the corridor.

"Dan, there's something going on tonight that I have to be there for. Do me a favour, will ya, and make sure Norm comes out of his funk or Mike's gonna have a heart attack trying to find out why."

"Do you think we should tell him about Stanton?"

Steve thought about it for a moment. "Only if he asks directly. I don't want him to think we're keeping anything else from him."

"How did he take the news about Moscone and Milk?"

Steve shook his head and smiled slightly. "A lot better than I thought he would. He was upset, of course, but he asked me all about it, the logistics, the timeline, what people were speculating…Mike Stone the cop." Dan nodded affectionately. "Well, I gotta go. You guys have a good time tonight, but don't let them stay too late. Mike had a busy day and it's going to be a long one tomorrow." His gaze turned inward, his thoughts suddenly far away, then he shook himself back to the present. "I'll see you tomorrow."

# # # # #

When Dan opened the hospital room door again, Haseejian was seated near the head of the bed with Lessing, talking to Mike. Tanner was standing at a side table, cutting the square cake they had brought and distributing the slices. He took a piece of cake from Tanner then crossed to the bed.

"So, ah, what do you remember?" Haseejian was asking.

Dan glanced quickly at Mike, worried about his reaction, but the older man looked slowly from the cake on the table in front of him to his sergeant and shook his head once, looking calm and not in the least disturbed. "I remember most of it, Norm. I knew the kid was on something, or coming down off something, and I knew I had to be really careful. But I also knew he had a .22 and even if he did get off a shot, I had a chance." He stopped for a few moments. "But the second I heard that voice at the door, the customers coming in, I knew it was all over with that kid. There was no hesitation, he just turned the barrel towards me and fired."

Mike's gaze had turned inward. No one in the room moved. "The first shot was this one," he said quietly, his right hand going to his lower left rib cage. "It felt like I was kicked but I also knew he'd missed my heart so I knew I had a chance. It knocked me back and I started to fall…and that's when he shot again…" His hand moved up to the wound in his upper left chest. "I felt that one too… that one burned… but I don't remember anything after that. I don't even remember hitting the floor." His eyes focused again and he looked at Haseejian. "I didn't even know I was shot a third time till I woke up in the hospital."

Haseejian leaned forward even more, his voice low and measured. "The guys in the lab told us that the powder burns on your jacket meant that the third shot was fired from about four inches above your chest." As Mike stared into his eyes, he said gently, "Thank god he was high, Mike. He was trying to shoot you in the heart."

# # # # #

Jeannie pulled the car to the curb, shifted into park and glanced at her watch. "Perfect timing. I can get to Tony's before he closes with no problem. He promised me he would have the roast cut and ready to go." As Maggie got out of the car, she continued, "I should be back before they come with the recliner."

After they left the hospital, Jeannie and Maggie had visited a furniture store where Maggie had bought a brand new recliner for Mike, then, using their feminine wiles and a small bribe, persuaded the store owner to have the chair delivered that night.

"I'll move the furniture in the living room to make room for it," Maggie said with a grin. "Drive safe." She slammed the door, turning towards the concrete steps as the sedan pulled away from the curb.

It was pitch black and she could see her breath as she mounted the stairs to the house, which was also in darkness. Smiling, she fished her keys out of her purse, found the right one for the lock and opened the heavy front door. She had just closed the door behind her and was reaching for the switch when the overhead light in the kitchen snapped on.

Startled, she dropped her purse and froze. A heavy-set older man stepped into the backlight from the kitchen, his features unrecognizable in the gloom, but she could easily see the gun in his right hand.

"Hello, Maggie."