I want to say a big thank you to everyone who continues to read this. There are over 450 of you reading the chapters when they come out, or in the week that follows, and that means a whole lot as it's my most read story ever. Other thanks to Pharmergirl, YaleAceBella12, decadenceofmysoul, Faithfan2000, patrickpopp, and the guests MirraRosee and Coco. I'm happy to see what you guys think on the situations and where it could be going. Only time will tell. A minor side note, it makes me very happy when I see the emails come rolling in telling me about new reviews on this story.

Once Jamie hung up with Jim, Mike watched him. "You look like you haven't slept in a while. Why don't you go catch some z's? I'll watch over her like she's my own, like I've done for the last two years."

Jamie turned his eyes on the other cop. This was his niece and though he really hadn't slept in a while and he did need it, he wasn't sure he wanted to leave her with this guy.

"I promise, she's in safe hands and I'll talk to Jim too. You can trust me."

Jamie relented. "Ok, this is my number. Call me if anything happens." He handed over his business card and showed him the cell number on the back.

"The minute anything changes," Mike promised, tucking the card into his pocket.

Jamie nodded then left. Mike noticed him talk to the uniformed officer before he did leave. For a brief moment, Mike wondered what they were talking about then his eyes landed on the bed. His heart sank. She looked so small in the bed it actually reminded him of his little girls, especially his middle daughter. Where normally her face would look stubborn and slightly angry, now she just looked soft and sleepy. He perched on the edge of the bed and allowed his feelings to overwhelm his rational, professional, distanced mind. Right now, he saw her more like his family than his partner. He smoothed back her hair. "Oh, my sweet girl, Sasha is going to kill me if you don't wake up. You have to pull through," Mike said gently.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Officer Reagan?" a voice said near the door.

Mike stood quickly. He turned and stared at the young man in the doorway. "You are?"

"Jim Miller. Anna's … best friend."

"Right. Mike Johansen. I'm Anna's partner. Jamie went to get some sleep."

"How bad is it?" Mike reached for Anna's collar and pulled it aside. Jim stepped up and took a peak under the bandage. "Gunshot wound. Two inches to the left, they'd missed completely."

"Two inches the other way and they would have made it so much worse," Mike said.

"Yeah, I'd have had to bury my best friend. What happened?" Jim asked.

Mike sat down in his previously vacated chair as Jim perched on the bed. "She was having dinner with her uncle last night and then she was shot outside. At least, that's what I've been able to put together."

"Do they know who did this?"

"No. Her dad's working on it though."

"Of course he is," Jim said. "Could you do me a favor? Give me a few moments?" Mike scrutinized the boy but seeing no ill intention, he nodded and went to the door, leaning against the frame and engaging the uniform in small talk. Jim, on the other hand, turned to Anna. "I am so sorry, Sweetheart. This never should have happened to you. Come back to us, please. I know wherever your consciousness is, you're probably with your uncle Joe but please, we still need you here. Please, don't leave me." Jim kissed her forehead as he took her hand.

"Jim, we have a Reagan coming," Mike called. Jim got off the bed, let go of her hand, then dropped into a chair by the bed. Henry entered the room with Mike behind him. Jim recognized him from all the ballgames he had been to.

Jim stood back up and offered a hand. "Mr. Reagan, I'm Jim Miller, Anna and I have been friends since we were 12 and 13. This is Mike Johansen, he is a friend of Anna's from Miami."

"That's our Anna; making friends everywhere she goes," Henry answered. He shook hands with both men then sat down in an empty chair.

Jim turned to the other cop in the room. "Mike, this is Anna's great-grandfather, Former Police Commissioner Henry Reagan." Henry and Mike exchanged greetings then Henry was back to staring at Jim.

"Paramedic, huh?" Henry asked.

Jim briefly wondered how Henry knew then realized the older man was staring at his shirt. Best to answer the question then direct him away from the subject. "Just an old shirt I had lying around. There's no change but I'm sure it's just a matter of time."

"So, what do you do for a living, Mike?" Henry asked.

"Miami P.D."

Henry instantly was on alert. He wasn't sure why a cop who was several years older than his granddaughter would fly clear across the country when she got hurt but part of him was glad she had someone looking out for her. "Oh. Have you had any trouble with Anna?"

"No. She's got a lead foot, but overall, she's a good kid."

Henry smiled. "You know a lot about her?"

"Decent amount."

Henry looked at the time and decided he needed a little time alone with his granddaughter. So, he attempted to send the boys for coffee. "Listen, why don't you boys go get some coffee? I'll take it from here."

Jim and Mike shared a look but went to the cafeteria. They knew they had no right to be in the room as they weren't technically family and if they pissed off the patriarch, there was a chance he wouldn't let them see her. Once they were out of sight of the room, Henry called a friend still in the department and had him run a check on Jim, but it came back clean.

After about an hour, Jim and Mike returned and sat down with Henry. It was around lunch time that Linda came up to visit her daughter. Though Anna was her baby and Linda wanted nothing more than to sit with and watch over her, Linda knew Anna would hate that, so she worked to keep her fear at bay. Linda's eyes trailed over the room and landed on the three men beside the bed. "Pops," Linda said. He stood and wrapped her in a hug.

"No change."

"Well at the very least it means that she's not getting worse," Linda said. "Jim, what brings you all the way out here?"

"I actually work in Brooklyn, uh—Jamie called; told me I could come down to see her. I can leave if you want me to," Jim answered.

"No, it's okay, Sweetheart. Anna speaks very highly of you. And you are?" Linda said, turning to Mike.

Jim introduced him. "Mrs. Reagan, this is Mike Johansen. He works down in Miami. He and Anna are … good friends," Jim said.

"My daughter is friends with a 40-year-old man?"

"46 actually," Mike corrected. Then he softened his tone, knowing that this was Anna's mother and she was having a rough time with her daughter being injured. He also had to be very careful with what he said as he knew Anna had never told her parents that she was a cop. He had already seen Danny's reaction when he had told him and he didn't want to break Linda's heart by telling her too. "I've known Anna since she moved to Miami. She's been in a few scrapes, nothing major, but decent enough. I have two daughters, the younger one slightly older than Anna. I too would be concerned if a man several years her senior was friendly with her and flew across the country to see her when she got hurt but I would trust her judgment."

"He's her emergency contact too. That has to mean something," Jim suggested.

Linda looked at Jim then crossed the room to the phone on the table. She pulled up the I.C.E. list and sure enough Mike was listed as the top number. "Maybe this will help?" Mike pulled out his badge and I.D.

Linda read it closely. "Of course you're a cop," Linda muttered. "My daughter has a gut instinct, like her father, about people. She's rarely wrong." Linda put the phone down and finally settled her eyes on her daughter. She sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her hand through Anna's hair. She could only pray that her baby would wake up but she knew the longer her baby was asleep, the less she'd feel the pain.

"Have you spoken to Danny lately?" Henry asked.

Linda looked at her grandfather-in-law. "This morning, but he didn't say anything about the case," Linda said.

"Has he been by?"

"Not since it happened. You know what Anna would say if she saw him here."

"Stop staring at me, find the rat, and make him pay," Henry quoted his granddaughter. "She always hated people feeling bad for her when there was a job to do."

"The one thing I just can't figure out is, who would want to hurt her? She's a sweet and happy kid," Linda said softy.

"Danny will figure it out; he always does."

Then Jamie entered the room. "I brought lunch. Is anyone hungry?" Jamie asked. He passed the sandwiches around.

Once the food was gone, Jim's phone buzzed. He checked the ID and tried not to panic. "Excuse me, I have to take this." Jim stepped out of the room. Jamie looked at Mike but he only shrugged. He wasn't sure who Jim was talking to but figured it was important. Jim returned to curious looks but didn't mention his phone call.

About an hour later, Baez stepped into the doorway. Jamie stepped out to meet her. "You find anything?" Jamie asked.

"Her phone calls and texts are clear. What we could access of her internet history shed no light either. We spoke with Miami police and they have no leads either. Could you step out here?" Baez asked Jamie. They walked down the hall to where Danny was standing.

"What else haven't you told me?" Danny said.

"Else? I've told you everything I know," Jamie answered.

"You didn't tell me about her job in Miami."

"What about her job?"

"You conveniently forgot to tell me she's a cop," Danny snapped, glaring at his brother.

"A cop?" Jamie asked, confused.

"Don't start that. I know you knew long before I did. Don't you think her being a cop could have something to do with this? At the very least you should have told me."

"As the detective on the case, maybe. However, I'm sure Miami P.D. is looking into that aspect. And as her father, Anna made me swear not to tell you. I break that trust and she never tells me anything important again. I wanted to tell you, Danny, but she's an adult." Jamie studied his brother's face. "You think this has to do with her being a cop?"

"Maybe. She was coming out of a known cop bar," Danny answered.

"But she wasn't wearing anything that said she was a cop and she was getting into a red Camaro that shows no connection to the NYPD. If they wanted to take out an actual New York cop they'd have better luck in the actual bar."

"So, you can't think of anyone who'd want to hurt her?" Baez pressed, getting back on the actual subject.

"We're talking about Anna. She's a sweet girl. She doesn't have enemies. She's not Danny, despite inheriting his temper."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny asked.

"You know what she's like Danny," Jamie told him.

"She rarely meets someone she doesn't like or that she can't charm into liking her," Danny sighed. Jamie was right. His baby was a great girl who always seemed to know how to make even the prickliest of people like her.

"But if she did?" Baez asked.

If she did. What had happened last time she met someone she didn't like? Danny thought. Last time it had been a teacher and the first to know about it was him but other than that she had told Jamie. Before that, anyone she had had a problem with, she told ... "She'd either tell Nicky or Linda," Danny admitted in realization.

"Or Jim," Jamie added. Danny looked at his brother. Jim wasn't a new name and Danny knew his brother meant one of Anna's oldest friends but why would they talk about people she didn't like; Danny didn't realize they were that close.

"Are they close?"

"Every time she comes home she sees him." That was also news to Danny.

"Nothing more?" Danny asked. If his girl was seeing someone in New York, it had to be something special as long-distance relationships rarely worked. His marriage had hit a rough patch when he had taken a leave of absence from the department to serve in Fallujah twice but somehow they had worked it out.

"No. I don't ask and she rarely says. Again, Nicky or Linda," Jamie told him.

"There's Nicky," Danny said.

"Why don't you talk to Linda? I'll see what Nicky knows," Baez suggested.

Danny looked torn. While he wanted to know what else Linda knew, he also knew his daughter was more open with Nicky. "Danny, Nicky won't open up if you're here," Jamie said gently. Knowing his brother had a point, Danny went down to the ER to talk to his wife.

As Nicky approached the room, Baez stopped her. "I'm not sure we've ever been introduced, I'm Detective Baez."

"Yeah, you're Uncle Danny's partner. Is everything alright? Do you know who did this to my cousin?" Nicky asked.

"I'll let you two talk," Jamie said.

"Why don't we have a seat?" Baez suggested, motioning to a bench. Nicky nodded and followed as Jamie went back to Anna's room. "How long has it been since you've seen Anna, in person?"

"May, I think. She came home the week of the Diego Perez shooting, but we text and facetime a lot."

"Would she tell you if she was having trouble with anyone?"

"Besides her father?" Nicky asked skeptically.

"Friends? A boyfriend maybe? A stalker?"

"She hasn't mentioned anything. Her friends that I know are good people. Boyfriends ... She's dated a bit but nothing serious. The only thing she mentioned that could be serious is Jim but though the feelings are there, the time isn't. He's here, she's in Miami."

"What is their relationship like?"

"They're good friends. There's no way he could have done this. He cares about her and he's a—" Nicky stopped and looked down.

"He's what?" Baez asked gently.

"Don't tell Uncle Danny."

"I won't if it's not important." Baez could tell this was important to the young girl and while she didn't want to keep things from her partner, this could be the break they needed.

"Jim's a ... he's a paramedic. My family tries to be open but rivalry runs deep in them. They'd dislike him on principle alone. It's why Anna's never told them."

"How long has she known him?"

"She was 12, he was 13. They played baseball together until he graduated."

"What about any other trouble? Was someone bothering her?"

"Don't get me wrong, my cousin is a deeply friendly person and doesn't often meet someone she doesn't like, but she's also very private and protective. Could she have a stalker? I mean it's possible. Someone could see her on campus or at the diner where she works and fall for her or maybe they saw the pictures she did for the university and became obsessed but if they did, she never knew about it. And if she did know about it, she never told me."

"Would she tell anyone?"

"Maybe her mom. Uncle Jamie? If not, maybe Jim?" Nicky shrugged.

"She didn't tell you anything else?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Ok, thank you." As Nicky walked off, Danny walked back up.

"Anything?" Baez asked.

"No. They spoke a few days ago but Anna wasn't worried about anything here or in Florida. She's never used her code word and she didn't mention anything. Did you get anything from Nicky?" Danny asked.

"Same thing. Anna wasn't worried about anything and hadn't mentioned any trouble. If she was worried, she'd tell Jamie and Linda ... or Jim."

"Then it's time to talk to him," Danny said.

Baez nodded and went to get Jim. He reluctantly sat on the bench and looked up at Detective Baez. "Do you talk to Anna a lot?" she asked.

"We text a lot. We both have important jobs so we talk when we can."

"And when was the last time you saw Anna?"

"Before here? Day before yesterday. We met for lunch. Near Washington Square Park. It's not where we normally meet but I had to deal with some business there."

"Cut the crap. Where were you last night?" Danny pressed.

Jim swallowed but looked at Danny full on. "Last night? Until 5:30, Coney Island. It took me until 7:30 to get home. You think I had something to do with this? The only time I have ever put your daughter in danger, Detective, is when I turned 18 and let my idiotic brother take me out for dinner. She is my best friend. I don't even own a gun. On top of that, I work in health care. I save lives. I don't take them."

"Danny," Baez warned. "Who were you with in Coney Island?"

"My 10- and 8-year-old nieces and two-year-old nephew. Turns out my nephew gets ride sick. He's fine in a car and on the subway but you put him on one kiddy ride, he spews like a geyser. I spent from 4-5:30 with him in the office making sure he was okay. I'm sure there's footage of it. Once his stomach was better, I took them to dinner then home. After dropping them off, I went home and went to sleep. I worked a shift this morning until I heard what happened."

"And they will confirm that?"

"Paper and a pen and I'll give you my brother's and sister's numbers. They will verify what time I got back to their places."

"Was Anna having problems with anyone lately?"

"You mean other than her father?" Jim shot a look at Danny. "Nothing that she told me about. She's really sweet and kind. She really didn't say anything about trouble." Jim looked down at his hands for a moment or two. "I know I wasn't raised by cops like Anna and I much prefer sports over cop shows but have you considered that very few people actually knew Anna was coming to New York? I didn't find out about this trip until the day before we had lunch."

"He's right, Danny. You said it yourself, you didn't even know she was here until she got shot."

"Then again, maybe this isn't about Anna at all. Maybe they were using her to get back at someone in her family."

"We'll let you know if we need anything else," Baez told him. Jim nodded and went back to Anna's room. Danny leaned back against the wall unwillingly thinking about what Jim had said. "We don't know that he's right," Baez said. "Don't get ahead of the investigation. Why don't you check on her while I talk to Mike?" Danny reluctantly agreed and sent Mike out as he entered. His daughter looked much the same as she had the night before.

"Any leads, Detective?" Mike asked, approaching Baez.

"Nothing more than what we knew yesterday. We ran her phone records."

"That's legal in New York?"

"When she's the victim and with her parents' consent because they pay the phone bill," Baez said. "Most of the calls and texts were family and friends. There were however four numbers we couldn't trace. Burner phones. Do you know who she could be talking to?"

"Does your partner ever tell you "just trust me" and expect you to not ask questions?"

"A few times, usually when he gets a hunch he can't or doesn't want to explain. Often it pays off."

"Anytime I can get Anna to talk about her father, she tells me people say she's a lot like him. Now that I've met the guy, I agree. Usually, she doesn't mind telling me who she's on the phone with but there are times when I ask after she's hung up and she'll only ask if I trust her. I do trust her and if she won't tell me then I can't tell you."

"So, you can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her?"

"No. A few people got violent with her during their arrest but M.P.D. has tracked down all–most of them."

"Most?"

"There's one, Mario Rodriguez. He tried to break her nose when she arrested him the first time."

"They can't find him?

"He's on parole but his P.O. can't find him," Mike told her. "Detectives are looking though."

Baez looked around and, not seeing any Reagans, she asked a question she knew they wouldn't like. "One in 10 people are touched by addiction."

Mike looked at her. He didn't want to tell her, but it was another lead they could follow. "I wouldn't say she's addicted, Detective. I would say it's more like a habit. I don't know about the laws in New York but it's not illegal for cops to gamble in Miami. I'm not talking about sports, dogs, or horses, she plays poker and is, apparently, really good at it. Poker games at casinos are completely legal but Detective Kim is looking into it. To be honest, the only trouble I know of is when they ban her from a casino."

"How many times has that happened?"

"From what I know, she's been banned from six."

"Six Casinos? In a month?"

"No, in the two years I've known her. She doesn't go often but when she does, she rotates three different ones. Never visits the same one twice in a row. Says it's bad luck."

"So, you don't know anyone who would want her dead?"

"No, I don't, and that's the truth." Mike sighed. "Detective, if there was any way I could help you solve this case, I would. Like you though, I'm banging my head against a wall and have nothing for it."

"How long before she left did you know she was coming to New York?"

"Four days. I found out when she dropped the bomb in the most casual way that I'd be riding a with someone else for about a week. I know she doesn't talk about going home much. I'm not sure how many other people knew."

Baez asked him a few other questions but none led to an answer. It was starting to look more and more like a random shooting.

Hmm, wonder what you guys think, other than Danny should not being working this case, even if Anna wants him to.