Happy Monday everyone!

Well, I just couldn't leave you all heartbroken like that... So I worked really hard during the weekend and managed to speed up this update.

I promise things will get better eventually.

Thanks for constant love and support. You're amazing!

Happy reading.

Xoxo,

Nina

The following week sucked. Sure she has talked to Adam now and then, but it wasn't as nearly as much as what they used to talk and everything had to do with Grace, after all that was their deal.

Adam had a quiet week at the bullpen which meant that he didn't need any extra help from Kim and she hated that. She really missed him and the fact that he had become a huge part of her life was hitting her hard in the face.

Hailey and her had plans for that week that they had arranged before everything between Adam and Kim went downhill, so the brunette made sure that Hailey was aware of the situation before getting together, that was if Hailey still wanted that to happen after finding out what had happened with Kim and his friend.

"Kim just called me." Upton said as she entered the breakroom where Adam was getting himself a coffee.

"Really? Is she alright?" Even if they were taking some distance he couldn't help it, he still cared and he would always do.

"Well to be honest she didn't sound a lot like herself, but other than that I think she's fine. We were supposed to go for drinks tonight, remember?" Adam nodded as he took a sip of his extra black coffee. "Well, she just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be uncomfortable given the current situation."

"I don't mind. Kim's great, whatever is going on between us right now doesn't change that fact. So if you want to, go ahead."

"Yeah? Are you sure?"

"Totally."

"Adam, you know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know."

"And for what it's worth I think both of you will find the way back to each other."

"I hope so."

"She just needs some time. What she went through, it's not easy." She pulled out a chair and sat next to his friend. "I know it's not the same, but I've seen Jay struggle with the absence of some of his friends from the Army and it's tough for him. I also understand that it's hard for you too, because sometimes it is for me." Adam was just staring at his cup of coffee as Hailey continued speaking. "You see them so shattered and you don't know what the hell to do to make them feel better."

"I'm not running away from her."

"Adam, I know. I know that this is the exact opposite of what you want and I believe it's the opposite of what Kim wants too."

"I can't keep doing this though. I'm never going to live up the expectations that Kim has of her ex's memory. I can't do that if she pushes me out everytime she spins out. I don't know what to do."

"Me neither. I wish I had the answers for that."

"It's alright. I'll figure it out."

"Of course you will. And you have us to help you through it, you have Jay who's been through some similar taruma. We're your family, we're here for you."

"I know." He smiled and held Hailey's hand over the table. "Have fun tonight."

She did. Hailey discovered the Kim that she never knew before, the fun and bold girl that her friend had fallen for.

They just bonded and shared funny stories. Hailey hoped for Kim to be back as part of their gang soon because the more she got to know her, the more she knew that Kim was perfect for Adam.

Kim didn't really tell her whole story to Hailey, but she did stress the fact of being mortified for ruining what she had with Adam, and as the alcohol intake increased she confessed the detective that she was madly in love with her friend and that they first time both women interacted Kim was jealous as fuck.

When the night ended they were both drunk and laughing about their little initial quarrel and Hailey promised Kim that she was going to help her and that she was definitely in her wedding list, making the brunette laugh even more since it was such a random comment.

When Kim woke up on Saturday her head was throbbing and her phone showed no signs of Adam. She just threw herself back on her bed and fell asleep for another two hours.

That was basically how she spent the whole weekend. Sylvie had called her trying to make her leave the comfort of her apartment but it was useless, she just stayed home.

She needed that, she did a lot of thinking and being alone totally helped her.

It was Tuesday and it surprised her not to hear from Adam at all during the day. When she saw it was Bob, the one who came to pick up Grace, she knew something was wrong and there was no way on earth she was just going to leave it at that.

"Mr. Ruzek, it's a pleasure. I'm Ms. Burgess, Gracie's teacher." She walked close to the gate to greet him since he was one of the last ones to get there. Kim did want to officially meet him, but right now her ulterior motive was to know what was going on with Adam.

"Ms. Burgess, I've heard so much about you." Kim smiled and ruffled the top of Gracie's head.

"I hope they were good things."

"Oh yes. Both my son and my granddaughter can't seem to stop talking about you." Kim blushed and Bob smiled. "I really want to thank you for all you're doing."

"Please, it's my pleasure." She made a quick pause and decided to ask exactly what she wanted to know. It was now or never. "Mr. Ruzek, is everything alright? I'm sorry I ask, it's just that Adam usually lets me know when there is a change." The tone of her voice was low, she wanted to keep her worries away from Grace as much as she could and so did Bob. Kim realized it when he looked at the girl before he said anything else. "Bear, why don't you ask Steph to go with you to the classroom to get that book we read today so you can share it with your pops tonight." When Grace was far enough Bob finally spoke.

"Adam is in the hospital." He said and Kim's face instantly turned white. "He's alright, just some swelling and bruising but they wanted to keep him in observation for a few more hours to make sure. I guess I'll stop by with Grace later to see if he needs anything." Kim listened attentively and just tried to figure out what to do.

"Why don't you stay with Grace and I'll go over to Med? I'll write to you to let you know." She offered. Whatever Bob's answer was she was going to do that anyway.

"Yeah, that might be better for Grace. Are you sure you don't mind?" Bob asked, seeking reassurance.

"Not at all. I'll be there as soon as I leave the school."

"Thank you so much Kim."

"No problem."

"Grandpa Bob, look what we read today!" Gracie came running with the book in her hands.

"Can't wait to read it together. Let's get going." He grabbed his granddaughter's hand and smiled at Kim before leaving.

The drive to Med seemed to take forever, she was worried and stressed and it wasn't a good combination. When she got there she asked for him and found his room instantly when he saw Atwater leaving through the doorway.

"Hey, Kev!" She called him trying to stop him from leaving.

"Kim, what are you doing here?"

"Um, Mr. Ruzek told me Adam was here. How is he?" She spoke quickly showing her nervousness and Kevin thought it was cute.

"He's fine, seriously. He got beaten up kind of badly, but it's nothing serious. They're just checking on him to be one hundred percent sure."

"Ok." She didn't sound so convinced.

"Listen, I have to go get my brother, but I'll be back in a little while and take him home."

"Don't worry about it, I'll do it."

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Ok." He agreed quickly, he knew Adam was going to like that even if he did bicth about it at first. "Just let me know if you need anything. You have my number?"

"I don't." She said and he immediately took his phone out of his pocket.

"There. Just AirDropped it."

"Great. We'll be in touch."

"Thanks, Kim." He walked closer to her and hugged her. "You can go in. Just be ready, because he's being a pretty difficult patient right now." He said laughing.

"I have experience with whiny children." They both laughed and Kevin walked away.

She walked inside the room and saw him lying in bed looking frustrated as hell.

"What the hell were you thinking about?" That was the first thing that came out of her mouth. Yes, she was worried about him, but she was also pissed he didn't tell her what was going on.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, looking at her bewildered. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"So you really thought I wasn't going to realize it was your dad who came to pick up Grace with no previous message from you?"

"Pops told you."

"He did. Why didn't you?" She was pushing him and when he rolled his eyes at her, she felt a fire inside her.

"Really? Like you always tell me everything." Ok, bad decision. He was in a bad mood and he couldn't help his crappy answers. Seeing the pain in her eyes broke him instantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine, you're right." She sat on the chair next to his bed totally defeated. He looked at her and reached his hand out hoping she would take it. Of course she did, she didn't have to think about it twice.

"It just isn't anything too major, and I didn't want to worry you. Plus, I really hate being in hospitals." Kim squeezed his hand tighter. "I like the fact that you're here though." He gave her a lopsided smirk, making her smile as well. "Jay's brother will be back in like an hour to check on me again and then Kev is picking me up."

"Um, he's not. I told him I'd take you. So you're stuck with me buddy."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad." He was perfectly aware that he said they should keep some distance, but he couldn't. He had no idea who he was trying to kid, staying away from Kim was harder than graduating top of his class in the Academy.

"I'm glad you think that, 'cus we also have to give your dad an update. Since I offered to stop by, he thought it would be best for Grace not to bring her here." She was playing with his fingers until she finally entwined them together. She couldn't stay away from him either.

"I agree. I'll call him as soon as Will comes with more information." He loved the fact that Kim referred to them as we all the time, that and the fact that she was here holding his hand kept his hopes up.

When Will Halstead came in to check on him, she was impressed by the massive bruise on his ribcage. It was obviously painful and it made it difficult for him to move, but Dr. Halstead confirmed that there was no internal bleeding and that Adam was good to go. They picked up his prescriptions and drove to his place.

As soon as they got there she left everything on the kitchen counter and offered to call Bob while Adam took a shower.

He got out of the bathroom and found Kim in the kitchen moving around comfortably, bringing a smile to his face. She turned around and saw him, jumping a little because he got there without making a sound.

He had only his pajama pants on and his hair was still wet. Kim wanted to jump in bed with him right there, she wanted to lightly caress his injury and to press her lips against his bruised skin trying to make it feel better. She couldn't do that now, that's not where they were standing, so she did the next best thing.

"Here." She handed him a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and his painkillers. He took everything as he listened to her. "I talked to your dad and told him that you're alright and that you'll be picking up Grace in the morning, just like you told me to. You know I can take care of Grace tomorrow and you can just rest a little."

"I know, but it's not necessary. I can take care of it." He stopped for a second and finished the content of his glass. "This is really good by the way. Thank you." He stepped closer to her and kissed her cheek lightly. "For everything."

"You are very welcome." She placed her hand on his neck and gently played with his hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, in a little pain, but ok." He pressed his forehead against hers and was trying his best not to brush their lips together. "I think I'm going to bed now. You can go, I'll be fine." His voice came out almost as a whisper.

"You do that. I'll get Gracie's lunch ready for tomorrow and probably leave you something to eat too and then if you are ok I'll go."

"No, babe. You don't need to do that." The medicine was getting him drowsy and loosening up his lips a little, but what he felt for her was no secret.

"I want to. Do you want an ice pack for this?" She asked as she lightly feathered the tips of her fingers against his rib cage.

"Yeah, I think it'll help."

"Ok." She opened the freezer and looked for the ice. "Come on, I'll walk with you." She left him in bed and sat next to him brushing his hair with her fingers until he fell asleep in what felt like seconds to her. She really enjoyed the closeness to Adam, she wished that she could do so much more to comfort him and it sucked that she couldn't. She kissed his forehead and left for the kitchen. If she stayed there any longer she would lay next to him and hug him making sure he was alright.

After she got the food ready and organized in different containers, she walked over to the couch scrolling though her instagram feed. She had no idea what to do but there was no chance in hell she was leaving. What if he felt bad and needed her during the night? Kim tried her best to stay awake but her efforts were worthless. In a matter of minutes she was dead asleep on his couch.

Adam woke up in the middle of the night, his side was killing him. He needed another painkiller and he'd left everything in the kitchen. He got out of bed moving incredibly slow, that stupid bruice hurt more right now than earlier. As he got out of his room, the switched on lamp in the living room called his attention. He wasn't surprised at all to find Kim asleep on the couch.

"Hey." He said quietly shaking her gently in an attempt to wake her up. Although he did his best not to scare her, Kim jumped as soon as she heard his voice.

"Adam. Are you ok? Do you need anything?" She was in complete alert mode, like every day during recess. Adam chuckled lightly.

"I'm fine. I just wanted another pill. Kim, I really appreciate this but you can really go home now."

"Ok, let me get that for you." She said totally ignoring him.

"I can do it, I swear." He smiled, it was adorable how she was trying really hard to take care of him. "You're not leaving, are you?" The smile was plastered on his face.

"Nuh-huh." She said as she shook her head.

"Ok, then I'll take the couch you go to my bed. You work tomorrow, you'll wake up feeling like crap if you sleep here."

"No way, you're hurt. You're not sleeping here, I'm fine."

"The only way I'm letting you stay is if you take my bed. I'll go to Gracie's room."

"Adam, her bed is smaller than this couch."

"Ok, we share my bed then."

"Um…" She wanted to, but she wasn't sure that was the best idea.

"We're adults, we can do this."

"Can we?"

"We can try." He sighed. "I'm going to get some water and then I'm going to bed. I'll wait for you.

If you think you can't do it I totally get, just please have a good night's sleep and that won't happen on this couch." He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Adam was lying on his back, his left arm behind his head and his eyes closed. Fifteen minutes had gone by and he was beginning to lose hope, until he heard soft footsteps and felt the weight of her body on the other side of the bed. "Thank you." He said softly.

"Wake me up if you need anything." She moved closer to him and lef a kiss on the corner of his mouth.