Long weekend ahead so I will be incognito for a bit. Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Keep making a change in this world!

Mike hadn't been able to get rid of the tremors running through his body since seeing his partner catapulted several feet into air, then landing hard on the unforgiving asphalt down below.

It was a chilling sight that had set into motion his most basic, well-engrained protective instincts. Risk assessment, regain control of the chaos, take note of injuries, collect information for reports, follow standard operating procedure to ensure everyone's safety; all blanketed by a thick layer of neutral professionalism and police due diligence.

And none of this even came close to the knot in his stomach when thinking of his partner; that overbearing need to ensure he was okay having to be set aside temporarily to handle a potential new suspect when all Mike wanted to do was to call in an ambulance and have Steve checked out, with or without his consent.

An ironic twist of fate had brought him onto the scene to begin with; wanting to stop for a hotdog while inadvertently stumbling over the terrifying incident.

He knew little about the man running away from Steve and that was something that could be settled later, in the relative comforts of the interrogation room. Did it have something to do with Joe Joplin who was several feet behind the young inspector, witnessing the accident from the safety of the sidewalk?

More than likely.

The name was beginning to sour his stomach, for every time he heard it, something else seemed to go awry.

The latest debacle had sent Mike to the locker room with his battered partner in tow, grateful for the assortment of gauze material that filled up the first aid kit. Part of him wanted for Steve to get checked out right away, the other part understood the young inspector's desire to be present when they would interview the fleeing suspect. He'd feel no different if they'd traded spots.

Perhaps, once those sore muscles and deep bruises began to rear their ugly face, he would be more agreeable to the idea of seeing a doctor, or so Mike mused, as he finished bandaging the nasty scrape on his partner's left hand, stretching from his palm to the tip of his ring finger.

That swollen knee below the shredded dress pants would be a whole different issue he loathed to think about.

"I guess I should be grateful that your hunger saved the day.", Steve chuckled and looked up, that genuine smile not hiding the pain beneath his carefully crafted facade.

"And I guess we need to go over some basic protocols again, buddy boy. What were you thinking crossing a busy road like that? You could have gotten killed."

"For what it's worth, three of the four lanes of traffic did stop for me.", Steve argued half-heartedly, wincing when Mike tightened the tape around his hand.

The comment earned him a feigned grunt of disapproval, before the lieutenant pointed at his partner's swollen knee.

"You're going to want to put some ice on that and keep it elevated. Think you can do that while we interview our suspect?"

"Absolutely.", Steve replied and cocked his head at the locker behind the bench he sat on, "I have a change of clothes in there, so let me make myself look…presentable and I will be right up."

Everything about that ongoing situation was beginning to irk Mike as he glanced down at his partner, then at the open box of first aid supplies and bloody napkins, then over to the side where a couple of patrolmen watched them curiously.

"Look at me."

With a heavy sigh, he reached for Steve's chin, lifting his head enough to see pupils that shouldn't be this big.

"You sure you're alright? I can interview this guy myself and have Art drive you to the emergency room."

Staying perfectly still until Mike let go off him again, Steve shrugged.

"I want to be there after all this. Who knows, this might break the case wide open for Joe."

"Let's hope so.", Mike grunted cantankerously, then bent down to close off the first aid kit again, "But if you're still looking green around the gills when we get done, I will drive you to the emergency room myself."