Skip rolled his eyes, but she could tell he was enjoying the show.

Thirty minutes later, the waiting room was overrun with HQ detectives who had left the search for Reese in the hands of second and third shift so they could check on Cruz. In the hallway, Gonzo huddled with Christina, speaking quietly to her while keeping a firm grip on her hand. Sam couldn’t say why the idea of the two of them together bugged her so much. It just did. She didn’t like her worlds overlapping. And then she remembered that Nick had stepped out of her world earlier.

Her stomach clenched with dread. This is exactly what she’d been so afraid of—that the moment she allowed him to become essential to her, something would happen to drive them apart. Well, she couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let that happen.

An hour later, Freddie was delivered to a room in ICU. His mother rushed in to see him the moment he was settled. She emerged fifteen minutes later, visibly rattled. “He’s asking for you, Lieutenant.”

Sam swallowed the huge lump in her throat and went into the darkened room where the beep of machines was the only sound. Venturing a glance at Freddie, she bit back a gasp at how pale and sick he looked. God. She rested her hand over his.

His eyes fluttered open. “Hey,” he croaked, fighting to keep his eyes open. “I almost had him. If my phone hadn’t rang—”

“That’s what happened?” She struggled to keep her voice down. “How many times have we talked about that?”

He closed his eyes and swallowed. “Too many for me to forget so easily.”

“And to go in without backup? What the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking.” He kept his eyes closed. “I wanted to get him. For you.”

Sam’s own eyes burned. “Stupid. Totally and completely insane. You’re lucky he only hit you in the shoulder.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’re sure it was him?”

“Yeah.”

“Has Elin Svendsen been chewing on your neck?”

His eyes flew open. “What’re you talking about?”

“Don’t screw with me, Cruz,” she said, glaring at him.

He released a resigned sigh. “How do you know?”

“I’m the best detective in this city. I know everything.”

“Whatever,” he said with a grimace that had nothing to do with his injuries.

“She’s here.”

“She is? Really?”

Thrilled and relieved to have her partner back, she said, “Would I lie to you?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“I would not! She’s in the waiting room with your mother.”

He swallowed hard at that news. “You let her stay? You didn’t make her feel like shit and chase her out?”

“I started to,” Sam said, a bit disturbed to realize he knew her so well. “But I was too tired to chase.”