Ashley raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes.

"Well you don't have to be so dramatic, Honey. It was just a question." Ashley's mom laughed at the face Ashley made. "I think someone needs to go to sleep. Here, let me take that coffee before you spill it and then you'll have scalding burns to go with that gunshot. Won't that be nice?"

"No, no. I want a sip. Sit, mother. Maybe it will help me stay awake and we can talk."

"Okay, Dear. What would you like to talk about?"

Ashley thought this must be some kind of trick question, because every time her mom said she wanted to talk about something, it was usually something bad. Wait, she was the one who wanted to talk. Wasn't she?

"Tyler. Have I told you about Tyler Jackson? She's the one who risked her life to save me."

"Yes, I know, Dear. She was very brave to do that. If it wasn't for her...well, I don't know what I would've done without you."

Ashley heard her mom sniffle and then wipe her nose with the hankie she kept either up her sleeve or in her bra. Yuck! s.h.i.t like that grosses me out. Why do women do that? Keep stuff like that around, isn't that what tissue was made for? Geez. She knew her mother was frugal. It came from a time when she had nothing as a child and an embroidered hankie was a gift to be treasured, her mom told her once. Yeah, but still, it's gross, she reasoned.

"So you were saying about Tyler?"

Raising the cup to her lips, Ashley tried to snake her tongue out and test the coffee, but instead burned the tip of it.

"Ouch."

"Here, let me hold it for you."

Swatting her mother's hand away, Ashley informed her she could handle a cup of coffee quite easily. Resting it on her chest, she continued her thoughts of Tyler. Seeing through the fog of medication wasn't easy, but she willed her mind to focus on Tyler's face. Ashley smiled when she thought about the "new" Tyler. The short hair was very becoming on Tyler. Had she told Tyler that? She couldn't remember.

"She's beautiful Mom. I mean, you know, in that roguish, butchy sorta way." Ashley slurred her words and let her head roll back, her grasp still firm on the coffee cup resting on her chest. "She has this way about her that just makes you want to scoop her up and hug her like a puppy. You know what I mean?" Ashley's eyes still closed, she smiled again as she thought about kissing Tyler's lips. Jerking her head up in a moment of lucid thought, she realized where her mind was going and how easily her body was following.

"Hmm," was all she heard from her mother, her mind once again inching its way through the impending fog. Squinting her eyes as if to see better, she tried focusing on the hand washing instructions on the mirror over the sink in her room. Reading the instructions over and over again to help focus wasn't helping. Then another thought crept into her head. Coffee, coffee, she thought over and over again. Taking a sip, she let the warm liquid soothe its way down, a slight burn trailing behind it. The burn was nothing compared to what her body was feeling as she thought about Tyler again.

"Did I mention she saved my life? Hey," she said in her medication-induced stupor. "How is she? No one's told me how she is or what happened to her. I need to thank her. Can you get her for me, mom?" was the last thing Ashley remembered before pa.s.sing out.

Chapter Twenty-one.

Lying on her side, Tyler faded in and out of consciousness. Tyler was grouchy way beyond her normal cynical att.i.tude. Her a.s.s hurt, the pain in her neck kept her from finding a comfortable position, and her headache pounded with each beat of her heart. Sleep was impossible to find with all the nurses coming in on the hour to chart her medications, heart rate, and blood pressure. Every time she fell asleep, someone, usually a nurse or nurse's aide, flung the curtain, flipped a light on or asked her a question. She needed to get out of the hospital if she wanted to recuperate, so that would be her first question when she saw the doctor again.

As Tyler closed her eyes again she felt warmth cover her hand and stroke her hair.

"Jill?" she said without thinking.

"No champ. Just me," a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

Without opening her eyes, Tyler responded, "Kell."

"Hey, kiddo. I hear you got a real pain in the a.s.s."

"Don't you mean 'I am' a real pain in the a.s.s." Tyler grasped Kelly's hand and kissed the back of it. "Thanks for coming by when I'm awake. I hear you've been here a couple of times."

"Well, you need your beauty sleep, so I didn't want to wake you. Besides, you're not the only person I have to see in the hospital, you know."

"Aw gee and I thought I was your favorite?" Tyler smiled and opened her eyes, finding Kelly squatting next to her bed. The compa.s.sion in her eyes told Tyler volumes. "How is Ashley? No one's said anything and I've been too doped up to really think straight." Squinting her eyes and smiling, she pointed at Kelly, "No straight jokes."

"She's okay. She's got a few bruised ribs, a collapsed lung and a concussion, but she'll be okay. If you hadn't gone in there and saved her, we probably would've lost her, Tyler."

Kelly's voice was serious and Tyler could probably guess what she was thinking. Tyler had a ton of questions, but she wasn't sure which ones to ask first. She had been thinking of Ashley every time she was awake. The other question of why this happened ate at her. She could barely remember the incident, except the urgency of getting to Ashley and getting her out of there. After that, everything was a blur, thankfully.

"Did you catch the guy who did this?"

The question hung there and Tyler could see Kelly struggling with the answer. Kelly seemed to pale as Tyler waited. Something was wrong, and she knew it. Tyler was close enough to see a thin bead of sweat break out on Kelly's lip. Tyler took a deep breath trying to mentally steady herself for Kelly's answer. "Did someone else get shot? Tell me you caught this guy?" Tyler could feel her blood pressure rising at the thought that someone else had been shot. The monitor behind Tyler started beeping faster as both women looked up at it.

"Calm down, Tyler. We got the shooter, but I'm not sure how much I can tell you. I mean, it's complicated."

"Complicated, what's so complicated about someone deliberately shooting me?"

Tyler tried to sit up but the pain coursing through her body was making it impossible to act impulsively. Taking a deep breath, Tyler tried to relax to alleviate the pain shooting through her. The room was stifling and, suddenly, Tyler felt as if she couldn't take a deep enough breath. Anxiety started its evil journey through her head, her body acting in concert with the racing thoughts. A slow deep breath in, hold it and exhale slowly, Tyler told herself. There was nothing Tyler could do about the situation now, but she definitely felt she had a right to know the details of her shooting.

"It's just that..."

Kelly fidgeted with the band around Tyler's wrist, twisting it one way and then back the other. Tyler grabbed Kelly's hand and squeezed it gently.

"What?"

"It was a woman."

"What? You've got to be kidding me? Who?"

Tyler watched Kelly's face as she bit her lower lip. Tyler knew this Kelly. This was the Kelly that had bad news and didn't know how to deliver it. Tyler closed her eyes and slowly pushed herself up from a lying position to leaning on one hip.

"Help me stand, please."

"Tyler. Are you sure you should be standing. I mean, do you want me to call the nurse to help you?" Kelly panicked, reaching for the call b.u.t.ton on the bed.

Tyler stopped Kelly's hand before she could grab the b.u.t.ton. She didn't need the nurse's help. She needed Kelly to tell her what had happened and having a nurse in the room wouldn't help.

"No, I don't need the nurse. Just give me a hand," Tyler said reaching for Kelly's arm.

Slowly, Tyler let her left foot touch the floor, placing her weight on it. She grabbed Kelly's arms for support and pulled herself to her feet. A bit wobbly, but none the less for wear, Tyler smiled and looked at Kelly.

"See, I'm good. I've been up to the bathroom a few times already. So stop worrying and tell me who shot me or I'm going to find Ashley and ask her."

"NO, you can't," Kelly said, stopping Tyler from moving.

"What the h.e.l.l is going on, Kelly?" Tyler said, flinching at Kelly's response.

"You probably should be sitting down for this." Kelly led Tyler to the chair by the window.

"I just got up, I'm not sitting down. Bring me that walker and let's take me for some exercise. I'm sick of this room. Besides, you...will...tell me what's happening, Kelly," Tyler said sternly, grabbing the walker.

The pace was slow, but it gave Tyler the chance to stretch her tired muscles and get a much needed change of scenery. She also knew Kelly was stalling. Whatever Kelly was mulling over in her mind, Tyler could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. Kelly's fidgeting continued as she pushed Tyler's IV stand, playing with the rubber tubing winding its way around and down the moving unit. Tyler cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows while looking at Kelly. Surely, it was enough to prompt Kelly, but she still stayed silent, following Tyler's slow pace.

Stopping at a door that led to a room with a greenhouse, Tyler waited for Kelly to push the b.u.t.ton for the automatic door. The lushness of the room was in stark contrast to the squeaky clean interior of the hospital. Tyler could feel the humidity as soon as she entered. The vast diversity of the vegetation was impressive and gave the room a cool, damp feeling. Leaning against a wall, Tyler looked at a flowering plant, admiring the beautiful blooms that cascaded over the retaining wall.

"Okay, Kelly, spill." Tyler turned and gave Kelly her best I-mean-business stare.

"Look Ty, we haven't had a chance to tell Ashley everything. So whatever is said here is between us. Understand?" Kelly's discomfort was palpable.

"How bad could it be, Kelly? I mean getting shot is pretty bad, but you got the guy and he's in jail, so why all the cloak and dagger?"

"The 'woman'," Kelly said, making air quotes for emphasis then continuing, "was Ashley's ex-girlfriend, Leslie."

Stunned, Tyler tried to wrap her mind around what Kelly had just said. Ashley's girlfriend had just tried to kill them? The shooting wasn't an accidental shooting, it was attempted murder. Tyler couldn't imagine someone hating so much that they would rather kill their girlfriend than let her go. Suddenly, Tyler felt sick to her stomach. Feeling flushed, Tyler reached for an available chair and gently sat on the edge of the seat.

"Are you okay?" Kelly pushed the IV stand closer and bent down to touch Tyler's face. "You don't look so good. Maybe I should call the nurse."

Tyler stopped her. "No, I'm fine. I'm just shocked. Poor Ashley," she whispered, catching her breath. "Is she dead?"

"Who, Ashley?"

"No, Einstein. Leslie."

"No, but we had a heck of a time getting to her. She had the whole place b.o.o.by-trapped. It was a mess. I have to be honest here, Tyler." Kelly sat on the floor next to Tyler and ran her fingers through her hair. Clearly, Kelly was having a hard time with the details of the incident. "For once, I'm glad you decided to be reckless. Leslie was entrenched on that third floor and it took us hours to get her out of there. If we had waited until Leslie was immobilized, Ashley could've died out there."

It was Tyler's turn to comfort her friend. Reaching down she stroked Kelly's hair and then laid a kiss on her head. Tyler didn't know Ashley well, but she was almost certain Ashley was in for a long, drawn out ordeal. Through the investigation, Ashley's personal life would be exposed and everyone would know about her lifestyle, if they didn't already know. The trial, the testimony, and the questions would be intrusive and her choices in partners would be questioned, too.

"You know I couldn't let her sit out there. It was too much like Jill. I just ... I just couldn't sit by and watch." A tear rolled down Tyler's face, remembering once again how Jill died. Would she ever be able to remember Jill and not cry? She doubted it, but this wasn't about her and Jill, this was about Ashley. "So, when are you going to tell her?"

"Well, the captain wants to talk to her as soon as possible. I asked him if I could be the one to break the news to her."

"What happened to Leslie?"

"She had a superficial gunshot wound, but she's already lawyered up. So she isn't talking."

"Did you meet Leslie? What's she like?" The hair on Tyler's neck stood up as she wondered again what kind of person would want to kill someone they professed to love.

"No. In fact, I just learned about her the night of your battery."

"That wasn't a battery. Come on," Tyler said defensively.

"You know what I meant."

"Anyway, what did she say about her?"

"It wasn't so much what she said, but her reaction," Kelly said, gazing off as she thought about that night again. "I've never seen Ashley so upset." Shrugging her shoulders, Kelly continued, "She was nervous, maybe even scared. She said something about burning Leslie's stuff and their relationship being abusive and that's it. Gosh, Tyler. I wish I'd paid more attention, but she just shrugged it off and said it was over. She doesn't talk about her personal life at work. They're two separate things and she likes to keep it that way."

Kelly's body caved as she finished and Tyler reached over, again rubbing her friend's shoulders. Tyler was sure Kelly was beating herself up inside for not being a better friend to Ashley, but Tyler knew it wasn't Kelly's fault. Tyler had lived with someone who kept work at work and her personal life at home. Those two things were paths that never merged for Jill and Tyler had come to understand the need to keep them separate. While they socialized with Kelly and her husband and other officers, Jill never talked shop, period.

"When are you going to tell her?" Tyler asked standing and stretching her back. Sitting or standing, it didn't seem to matter. Tyler couldn't do either for very long without pain shooting down her hip and leg. She had held off as long as she could, but the stress of Ashley's situation was probably to blame for her lack of pain management. Grabbing the pain pump, she pressed the b.u.t.ton and wished it worked faster. She was trying to work through the pain, but right now she just wanted relief.

"Hey, let's get you back to the room. I don't want to have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back when that stuff takes effect."

"Quit avoiding my questions, Kelly," Tyler said, the pain clearly making her irritable.

"Today, after I walk you back to your room, I'm going down to see her."

"Do you want me to come? You know, for moral support." Tyler smiled, her pain had eased slightly.

"I don't think that's such a great idea. Once she has time to think about who did this, I think guilt is going to eat her up when she sees you. Besides, I have to ask her some questions and I can't do that if you're there. Sorry buddy, it's business this time."

Slowly, they started the long walk back to Tyler's room, each woman lost in her own thoughts about the shooting.

Chapter Twenty-two.

Beeping machines, the warmth of the room, and another pump of her pain meds had finally allowed Ashley to sleep for a few hours. The medication also buried her so deep that whatever dreams she might have had weren't remembered. For the first time in a long time, Ashley was able to avoid the nightmares that plagued her on a regular basis. Turning onto her right side, Ashley jerked awake when her ribs protested the new position.

"s.h.i.t."

Rolling onto her back, she slowly opened her eyes and sighed. Her days and nights were a jumbled mess. She tried to maintain some type of schedule, but the medication made it nearly impossible, so she gave up trying. The empty room was a welcome sight. Her mother had finally left late last night after much cajoling and a promise that Ashley would call her if she needed anything. While she appreciated her mom, she was tired of the idol banter she had to engage in as she tried to avoid talking about the shooting. Her mom had been relentless with her questions, but Ashley had a hard time remembering much after Tyler saved her. She hadn't seen who shot her and the few officers that had stopped by to see her didn't say much when she questioned them. In fact, her last visit with Kelly had been embarra.s.sing. She fell asleep just as Kelly was getting ready to tell her who had shot her. When she woke up, Kelly was gone and her mom was sitting in her usual place, drinking coffee.

Ashley knew the peace and tranquility, if that was what you could call it, would end when the nurses did their rounds so she enjoyed the brief respite. Running her hand down her right arm, the stiff hospital gown had been replaced with the soft flannel pajamas her mother had brought. But putting on her pajamas had been an exercise in torture and her shoulder and ribs still ached. Trying to move her shoulder around, she groaned in pain. The nurse had warned her that a frozen shoulder would bring more pain than she was experiencing moving it now. So she had been a good patient and started to make more of an attempt at stretching the painful appendage. A protesting bladder let Ashley know she would see the nurse sooner than she would like.

Lowering the bed as low as it would go, Ashley swung her feet off the bed and inched her way to the floor. Determined to go to the bathroom without an audience, Ashley began the slow process of getting off the bed. Smiling, she looked at the pink footies she still wore since she had been admitted. While she didn't think she was exerting herself, her body said otherwise. She had tensed her shoulder and kept her arm tightly wrapped around her body as she placed more weight on her feet. At least her legs still worked. She couldn't imagine what she would have done had she been shot in her lower body. She had broken her leg skiing one winter and the ha.s.sle of walking with crutches had been almost more than she could bear until she got her walking cast.

A slow shuffle to the bathroom and she had successfully made it when she heard someone come in the room.

"Ashley?"

Startled, Ashley replied, "In here, but don't go away. I'll be out in a minute."

Feeling lightheaded, she sat for a minute longer and composed herself. Why did company always come at the most inopportune times? Finishing her routine, she dried her hands and peaked around the doorframe. Kelly. Finally she would get some answers, as long as she didn't press her pain b.u.t.ton.

"Hey. Are you supposed to be up by yourself?" Kelly asked walking towards Ashley. "Here, let me help you," she said grabbing the IV stand. "I'm getting good with one of these." Kelly grabbed Ashley's elbow and helped her to the bed.

"Thanks. So what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Ashley leaned her b.u.t.t against the bed looking at Kelly. She'd rather poke a stick in her eye rather than crawl into that bed, so she stayed standing, at least as long as her body would let her. "You don't happen to have a cafe latte hiding somewhere on you, do you?"

Kelly smiled and shook her head. Ashley had a coffee addiction in a bad way and loved the icy drink. Often times, it was one of their first stops when on patrol.

"No, sorry. I can go down to the coffee shop in the lobby and get one if you want?"