Chapter 16

"Are you going back to the hospital?" Danny nods.

"Will you give me a ride?"

Danny opens the passenger door of the Silverado, does a valet and points to the passenger seat, "Milady."

Catherine laughs and gets in.

The hospital is already quiet in the corridors. The handovers to night duty have already taken place and when they come to the corridor of the monitoring ward, the night nurse is also on her way there. She nods to them and disappears into the next room.

Then a gunshot echoes from the hallway walls. Horrified, the nurse comes running back out the door where she had just disappeared. After a brief moment of shock, Danny and Catherine draw their weapons, rush to Steve's room and tear open the door.

There is a person lying on the floor in front of them, but the light from the hallway does not reach him.

"STEVE!"

Catherine rushes to the person and drops down next to him.

Then Danny finally found the light switch and the ceiling lights flare up. It's not Steve.

"Greer."

Quietly comes a, "I'm here."

Catherine stands up and looks around searchingly.

Steve is lying in his bed holding his right arm, blood oozing between his fingers, holding his gun in his other hand.

"Steve. Thank God."

Relieved, Catherine steps up to his bedside and kind of hugs him. Danny checks on the woman on the floor and pushes her silenced gun out of her reach, then he, too, checks on his friend. There is relief on his face as well.

"What's going on here? Oh."

Dr. Carter stops next to the night nurse in the doorway. He then walks over to the woman lying on the floor and feels her pulse. He shakes his head and then comes over to Steve.

"Let me take a look, Commander."

Steve takes his hand away.

"Straight through. Simone?"

"Be right back Dr. Carter."

The nurse rushes out of the room to get bandages.

"In the meantime, can someone explain to me what happened here?"

Steve nods, then tells them the short version. He notices how the adrenaline that just made him react wide awake loses its effect.

"What I don't understand is why I never got the call for help. Of course I would have helped her." Thoughtfully, Danny looks at him.

"I can only guess, too. But I would imagine Lynn was jealous. Or maybe she misunderstood the message and that's why she didn't pass it on. I'm afraid we'll never know."

Steve nods, slowly his eyes fall closed.

In the meantime, Dr. Carter has doctored the arm and someone has brought Greer's body out. Worried, Dr. Carter looks at Steve, the excitement was poison for the still stricken heart. Exhausted, the commander had also already fallen asleep again.

"So, now everybody out of here, the commander needs some rest please. That was actually way too much excitement again."

Catherine and Danny look at him pleadingly. Dr. Carter takes a look at his patient. He nods at them in surrender.

So the two move back to their usual seats in the visitors' chairs. Catherine briefly informs the agency about the alleged misinformation on the laptop. The agency will check everything carefully.

A noise has awakened Steve, but he can't tell what. Then he spots the night nurse changing the syringe in the perfuser. She whispers, "Sorry Commander, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Why are you whispering?" asks Steve back in a whisper. She smiles and points to the two visitor chairs in the corner. Steve turns his head and grins. Danny and Catherine have curled up in the chairs to sleep, just watching them makes his back ache.

"Those two have been here every night since you got shot." The night nurse nods at him again and disappears back through the door. Steve looks steadfastly at his friends. Then sleep overcomes him again.

When Steve wakes up the next time, the sun has already risen. He still feels tired. As if he hadn't slept for weeks. Danny and Catherine are still sitting or lying in the armchairs. Steve watches them again.

The scent of coffee is already wafting through the closed door. Catherine stirs first and her brown eyes look over at him, still a little sleepy.

"Good morning, Cath!"

"Good morning, Sailor. How are you?"

She gets up and comes to his bedside. Her hand settles on his cheek again, and gives him a deep kiss. He puts his healthy arm around her and pulls her into a hug.

"Good morning you lovebirds, may I perhaps check on my friend now too?"

Catherine grins, "Then I'll let the gentleman have a look here before he arrests me."

Danny takes Steve in his arms, then whispers, "I was scared shitless for you, don't you ever do that to me again, you hear? ... I love you."

"I'm trying Danno, I love you too."

Then he lets go of Steve again and looks at him thoughtfully.

"Say Steve, I have two more questions about yesterday. Where did you get your gun and how did you know it wasn't over?"

"Well, the gun was here in the closet..." Danny looks at him scrutinizingly.

"Do I want to know how you got that closet?"

Steve grins and points to his legs. "It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed somehow."

Danny shakes his head. This guy.

"And I didn't know it, it was more of a feeling. I mean, with the laptop, all that was really missing was the silver tray."

"Coffee, anyone?"

Sounds from the door. Three heads nod.

"Sorry Commander, but you'll have to pass. A soda, perhaps?"

Greg holds a bottle out to him. Steve mumbles something about betrayal into his three-day beard.

After a few weeks, Steve is finally allowed to go home again. Even a few days earlier, because Dr. Carter couldn't stand his whining anymore. Sometimes he is still a bit tired, but it gets better from day to day. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend Lynn's funeral. Her parents had taken her back to the mainland and an eight hour flight had been impossible in his condition at the time. Danny had flown there on his behalf together with Melissa.

Now, as he closes the front door behind him, he is just glad to be back home.

"Hey Sailor."

Two arms gently close around him from behind.

"It's good to have you home."

He sighs. Then he turns around and embraces Catherine in his turn.

"It's good to have YOU back home."

That was the last Chapter. I hope you enjoy the story. Feel free to leave a review. See you.