Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Angela began to gasp for air as she felt a sharp pain by her upper shoulder. She couldn’t immediately tell if she had actually been hit or if the vest had caught it. The pain was immense, but not something she hadn’t felt before. She was trying to remember the hours of pain during labor and thought this was nothing in comparison. Just as that thought had come to mind, the pain began to rise. She felt a sudden shiver down her spine that made her rethink the severity of her injury. She began to reach around her vest for any signs of blood and that’s when she knew, the vest hadn’t protected her from all the shots.

“Go help Lopez!” Aaron yelled as he ran by her.

“Hey, you okay?” Celina asked.

Angela slowly lifted her hand as she and Celina both realized she was in fact the least from okay, a bullet managed to evade her vest.

Celina’s eyes widened, “It’s okay, you’re going to be okay. 7-Adam-19. Officer down. I repeat officer down. Requesting R.A. for a 37 year old female, gunshot wound to the shoulder. Conscience and still breathing.”

Celina began to apply pressure to the wound and Angela let out a pained scream. One she was unfamiliar with as her chest began to feel tighter than usual. She tried to control her breathing as the pain had become quite extensive. Angela was never one to shy away from a gun fight, but she knew this time she wasn’t walking away unscathed. She closed her eyes as she imagined herself to be elsewhere, with Wesley and the kids.

“Angela! Hey, keep your eyes open,” Celina said as she tapped her face, “I need you to stay with me, the EMTs are almost here. You’re going to be okay.”

Both of Celina’s hands had become quite bloody as she had been holding pressure. She had a bad feeling about today, but she didn’t think it would affect someone she cared about, someone she had looked up to since the beginning of her rookie training. Angela’s breathing began to slow down as her eyes became tired.

“What happened?!” Bailey exclaimed.

Celina kept her hands on the wound as she explained to Bailey what she had seen and Angela’s condition.

“Alright, let’s move. We need to get her to the hospital,” Bailey stated as they moved her into the ambulance. “I’ll call you as soon as I can, but you should notify Wesley.”

Celina quickly nodded and pulled out her phone.

“Her blood pressure and heart rate is lower than we’d like,” Bailey said worriedly. “She’s barely conscious right now. Push it, Greg.”

He nodded and sped up as the sense of urgency increased.

“Come on… pick up, pick up,” Celina mumbled. “Please…”

“Hello?”

“Wesley! It’s Celina,” she responded shakily.

“What’s wrong?” Wesley asked with a more serious tone.

Celina exhaled, “It’s Angela… she was shot and they had to take her to the hospital.”

The line went silent, Wesley’s heart dropped and his worst nightmare had become true. In all the years they had been together, Angela had always been careful and of course had luck on her side… but this time it seemed to have been absent. He could feel his throat begin to feel lump as he felt the need to suddenly catch his breath.

“Wesley?” She asked, “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling but she’s going to be at St. Stephen’s hospital. I’ll come pick you up from the D.A.’s office and we’ll go see her.”

“Okay,” he said in an almost whisper.

Tim and Lucy had just stopped the wild car chase as other officers came to help with the arrest. They were both out of breath from the encounter as they stood outside his vehicle.

“Where’s Lopez?” Tim noticed. “I thought she would have been here.”

Lucy hesitated, “I don’t know. Last we heard from her was when the three guys outside the laundromat started shooting.” That’s when Lucy’s face went pale, did Angela get hurt?

“What is it?” Tim asked still panting.

Lucy pulled out her phone and that’s when she saw the missed calls from Celina and a couple messages. She opened to read what they said before giving her a call back. That’s when she saw it, “Angela was shot and I’m picking up Wesley, headed to St. Stephen’s hospital. Let Tim know and you guys should come as soon as you can.”

“We need to get to the hospital,” Lucy answered as she opened the driver’s door. “Now.”

Without question Tim hopped into the passenger seat as Lucy speedily buckled up and hit the gas.

Before Celina was able to properly park the shop, Wesley had already unbuckled his seatbelt and ran out. Celina didn’t bother stopping him as she knew the urgency of this situation, reminding her of how she had felt when they had to rush her sister to the hospital all those years ago.

“My wife, detective Angela Lopez was brought in not too long ago,” Wesley cried out.

The nurse looked up, “Yes, we have her. She’s currently in surgery and the doctor will be out as soon as possible. Please, have a seat in the meantime and we will keep you posted.”

Celina had caught up to Wesley as she saw him with his head down by the nurse’s station.

Wesley exhaled, “She’s in surgery… they’ll notify with updates when possible.”

“Come on, you need to take a seat,” Celina said as she guided him. She saw the look on his face and tried her best to remain strong until the others arrived to better comfort him. “Listen, I know we don’t know each other well, but I know Angela well enough to say this. She will make it through this.”

Wesley had his head down as he nodded then slowly moved his hands to cover the sides of his head.

“Celina!” Lucy called out.

“Hey, good, you guys got here quick,” Celina responded as she moved from Wesley towards her.

“How is she?” Tim asked frantically.

“Not sure, but she’s already in surgery,” Celina frowned. “Wesley isn’t doing so well, but I didn’t want to leave him here all alone.”

Lucy walked towards Wesley as Tim continued to bombard Celina with questions on how this even came to be. She knew someone had to be by him as he was going through the unimaginable.

“Hey Wesley…,” Lucy said softly. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now, but I called James and he should be here soon. Celina, Tim, and I need to head back to the station for a bit, but we will be back as soon as we can. I won’t leave until James gets here okay?”

Wesley nodded silently as his head remained down.

“Do you need anything? Water? Coffee? Tea maybe?” She offered.

He shook his head.

Lucy gently put her hand on his shoulder, “Angela is the strongest person I know, she will be okay.”

“Hey, I told Grey what happened, he doesn’t need us back immediately but he doesn’t want Wesley here alone,” Tim stated. “Do you know if his mom is coming? Where are the kids?”

Lucy shrugged.

“My mom has the kids, I called her right after I got off the phone with Celina,” Wesley mumbled.

Tim walked towards Wesley and exhaled, “She’s going to be okay, I know it.”

Wesley finally sat up as he met Tim’s gaze, “I know…but —“

“No buts. This is Angela we’re talking about, she’s a survivor,” Tim said sharply.

“Tim,” Lucy scowled.

“What? I’m telling him the truth. He needs to hear it.”

“Maybe say it in a nicer tone,” she suggested.

“He’s right,” Wesley defended. “She’s going to be okay…she’s gotta be.”

James had rushed into the emergency room as he noticed the group of them standing near Wesley. He saw the look on their faces and was hesitant to ask about how Angela was doing. The only thought that crossed his mind in this moment was being there for his friend in his time of need.

“Hey guys,” James greeted, “Sorry it took a while… there was an accident and then traffic hit.”

“As much as I don’t want to leave, we should head back now since James is here,” Tim suggested. “The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be back.”

Lucy nodded, “We’ll grab some food on the way back.”

James gave her a thumbs up as Wesley sat in silence with his eyes closed. He knew his friend well enough that he wasn’t interested in speaking to anyone until an update concerning Angela came. The emergency room didn’t have its usual buzz as they sat there. Minutes turned into hours as the two of them remained as still as statues.

“I’m going to grab us some water and something from the vending machine,” James spoke. “If you don’t want to eat, at least stay hydrated.”

Wesley nodded as he stood up to stretch his legs. It had felt like he’d been sitting for days waiting for the doctor to show… what was taking so long? Did the bullet pierce an artery and complications arose? The thought of losing his wife sent him spiraling. He knew he had to be as strong as Angela had been when she was in the same position as he was in now. He took a deep breath in, then out. No, he told himself. She is the strongest person he’s ever known and will pull through this.

“Hey,” Tim said. “Any updates?”

“No.”

“Sorry it took a while for us to get back,” Lucy apologized. “We got you a sandwich and some tea.”

Wesley reached for the hot beverage and baggie, “Thanks.”

Celina watched as Wesley put both items down by the corner table. She didn’t want to say anything, but it had been hours since he probably last ate. The last thing they needed was for Wesley to start feeling faint.

“You should eat,” Celina pointed out, “You won’t have any energy later.”

Both Lucy and Tim turned their heads to look his way as he began unwrapping the foil.

“Oh hey, you guys made it back,” James noticed as he made his way towards them. “I had just gone to get us some snacks… it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, we got him something small so at least he’s eating that,” Lucy smiled faintly.

Tim sat with his arms crossed as he began to tap his foot. He was never one to show emotion, but his emotional armor was breaking down with each minute that passed. This was Angela he thought, she was family to him and couldn’t imagine the station without her. She had just been there for him when he was dealing with that asshole from his past even though she knew how dangerous it could have been. There was nothing that was going to pull him away from the hospital a second time. The job had always been a priority, but this eclipsed whatever may come towards the LAPD.

Lucy took a seat next to Tim as she noticed his impatience, “Stop.”

“What?”

“You should take your own advice,” she grinned. “You’re letting the intrusive thoughts takeover.”

Tim frowned, “How did you know? Are you some kind of mind reader?”

Lucy chuckled, “You forget I was a psychology major before this.”

He rolled his eyes, “Of course, how could I have forget.”

“Do you know how far out Harper and Nolan are?”

Tim sighed, “They’re still in the air and won’t land until tomorrow morning. Nolan was shot as well.”

Lucy’s eyes widened, “Wait, what?”

Celina gasped, “Is he okay? Shot where?”

Tim grinned, “Relax, he was shot in the ass, the bullet grazed him.”

“Are you laughing?” Lucy mocked. “That’s not funny.”

“If you think about it, it is,” he replied as his smirk widened.

Celina and Lucy gave each other a shrug as their faces began to form a light smile. James had heard as he gave Tim a look, but Wesley remained silent as he sipped his tea.

“Can this plane fly any faster?” Nyla asked while pacing.

“Faster? No, we’re already going at the maximum speed,” Garza answered. “Are you in a rush to be somewhere else?”

Nyla sighed, “As a matter of fact I am, Angela was hurt during the raid and I need to get back to Los Angeles.”

Nolan stopped questioning Blair as he heard her, “Hurt? How bad?”

“Surgery bad.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re already on our way… but you know we can’t exactly expedite how fast we get back,” Nolan frowned. “I’m sure the others are all at the hospital with Wesley.”

“Yeah… I know James is there,” she replied, “But I should be as well.”

Nolan walked towards her as he put a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t do that, we all had our assignments and couldn’t have foreseen this. We will be back soon and by then receive the good news.”

The sun had already set as the room was filled with even more family and friends. Patrice had even made her way to the hospital after persuading Sydney into some generous overtime as she wanted to stop by. Damian and Emilia were seen mumbling a prayer in the corner as they patiently awaited the doctor. Sergeant Grey sat with Luna by his side as the worry on his face remained ever so adamant. Aaron and Celina had been mindlessly scrolling through their phones as the hours seemed to drag. Even Smitty was lurking around the corner as he munched on a donut.

Tim eventually stood up, “I’m going to take a lap.”

“Wait, I’m going to join you,” Lucy declared as they walked out.

Wesley watched as they walked out, he could use the fresh air as well but he didn’t want to risk not being here when the doctor came. He stood up and made his way towards the nurses’ station. He knew there was no rushing the process, but to not have gotten a word since earlier this afternoon was driving his mind insane.

“Hey,” his voice a bit raspy as he cleared his throat, “I’m sorry to bother, but is there an update on Angela Lopez?”

The nurse looked up to meet his eyes as she began typing on her computer. It was a moment later that she responded, “her chart was just updated, the doctor should be out shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Before Wesley could make his way back to his seat, he heard someone call out for him.

“Mr. Evers?”

The speed in which his head turned, it was probably the fastest reaction anyone had ever seen.

“Yes? I’m him.”

“I’m Dr. Walters, the surgeon on your wife’s case,” she began, “It was touch and go for a brief period, but we got the bullet and she’s been stable since. We do want to keep her for the next couple days for observation to make sure no complications arise. She should make a full recovery.”

A breath of relief passed through Wesley’s body as a slight smile formed, “Thank you Doctor.”

She nodded, “I’ll have a nurse come escort you once she’s ready for visitors.”

Everyone had stood up from their seat as they waited for the news Wesley was just told.

“The surgery was a success and she should make a full recovery,” he said.

“That’s great news,” Patrice remarked as she hugged her son.

Emilia mumbled something under her breath, “Thank god.” Damian had his arm wrapped around his mom as he gave Wesley a nod.

“Something happen?” Tim asked as he noticed everyone standing.

Grey spoke, “Angela’s surgery was a success and Wesley should be able to see her soon.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Tim said with some joy as he embraced Lucy.

Lucy was the first to release from their embrace, “We should get stuff from the gift shop.”

“I’ll join you,” Celina added.

“Let’s go buy out the gift shop,” Patrice winked.

Lucy chuckled as the three of them walked off.

The nurse had come to escort Wesley to Angela’s room first as the rest of them remained in the waiting area. It felt like he hadn’t seen his wife in ages, but the reality was he had, less than 12 hours ago. He knew the worst part had passed, but no words from a doctor could reassure him until he saw her. They had reached her room as the nurse slowly opened the door for him. The sight of her made his heart race. She was alive and breathing, still fighting her way back to him.

“She hasn’t woken up yet,” the nurse said, “It should be soon, but we don’t have an exact time frame.”

Wesley nodded as he removed his suit jacket then grabbed the nearby chair and settled down by her side. He gently reached for her hand as he could feel the tears begin to form in his eyes. He sat there quietly hoping she would miraculously wake up right at this moment, however he knew that was wishful thinking. All he needed was for her to speak his name.

“Angela…baby,” he sniffed, “I’m here… no matter how long it takes for you to open those beautiful brown eyes of yours.”

No movement.

He exhaled, “Please come back to me, to our kids.”

Celina, Lucy and Patrice had made their way to the room. They knew it had been unlikely that Angela had woken yet, so they silently placed the snacks and flowers by the window. Patrice could see the tears that had dried on her son’s face as his eyes never left Angela.

“Honey, we brought you some snacks and drinks,” Patrice said softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t forget to munch on something when your stomach is growling.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“We should um —, let everyone else know she’s still not up yet so they don’t bombard you guys,” Lucy suggested. “Tell them to go home until she does, give you some space and time with her.”

Wesley turned his head, “Thanks Lucy, that’s a good idea. You guys should go home and rest as well. I’ll let you guys know when she wakes.”

They all nodded in agreement as they waved goodbye and closed the door behind them.

Wesley’s eyelids began to feel heavy as he sat there watching his wife. She hadn’t moved since he walked in and the helplessness began settling in his mind. His grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly as his thumb began to move in comfort circles. It didn’t take long before Wesley’s head found the side of Angela’s bed. His drowsiness had beat him but his hand remained with hers as the hours began to go by.

Suddenly he felt a twitch. His head bolted up as looked for any signs of movement. Her eyes remained closed, but he was sure he felt movement.

“Angela?” He pleaded as he advanced closer towards her face.

A smirk began to form at the corner of her mouth, “Wes…My hand hurts.”

Wesley let out the biggest sigh of relief as he chuckled, “I’m sorry,” as he quickly released his grip and moved his hands to cup her face. “You scared me today.”

She met his gaze, “I know… and I’m sorry,” as tears began to fall down her face.

He gently brushed them away as he stared into those brown eyes, “You’re here and that’s all that matters. You came back to me and our family.”

Before another tear could make its way down her cheek, Wesley’s lips gently brushed hers as she used her free hand to pull him closer to signal she could withstand a more vigorous kiss. A smile formed on his lips as they continued until the both of them had to pull away for air.

“Maybe you want to take it easy,” he grinned. “You just had major surgery.”

Angela winced.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to call the nurse?” Wesley panicked.

She lifted her head and began to snicker, “Gotcha.”

His jaw dropped a little, “That’s evil. Even for you,” as he held the cup of water for her to sip.

She chuckled, “What? Had to make you laugh after all the hours of worry.”

Just like that, his eyes softened as his wife knew exactly how to lighten the mood, no matter the method. The smile on her face was exactly what he needed as she looked his way.

“Hmm.”

Angela squinted, “What is it?”

He took a seat as he reached for her hand, “I just — , I just fell even more in love you,” he smiled warmly, “The selfless love you have even when you’re the one lying in a hospital bed. You continue to amaze me.”

She took his hand and slowly guided it towards her chest, to her heart. She was trying her best to hold in the tears that began to form.

“You feel that?” She asked, “You make my heart skip a beat.”

Wesley’s face lit up as he closed the distance between them and leaned delicately on her forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you more,” she grinned as she pulled him in for round two.

Wesley slept on the couch that was less than comfortable, as there was no way he was going to leave his wife’s side until she had been discharged from the hospital. He took a look at his watch as it read 7:30AM. Angela was still sound asleep as he quietly tip toed out the room. He had told the others he’d let them know once she was awake, but he needed the night alone with her. He sent out messages as quickly as his thumbs allowed him to do so and called his mom shortly after.

“Wesley, is Angela doing better?” Patrice asked.

“Yeah, she woke up late last night,” he answered, “Sorry I didn’t call sooner. How are the kids?”

“Don’t be silly, she’s your wife… you two needed the time alone,” she jabbed. “The kids are still asleep and I’m sure you can’t wait to see them.”

Wesley chuckled, “Yeah. Do you mind keeping them until Angela is discharged from the hospital? I just want to make sure she’s all good before we come get them.”

“Don’t you worry about them, gives me more time with my grandkids.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Bye darling, I’ll see you soon.”

He leaned by the door entrance and took a breath. His stomach began to growl as he hadn’t eaten in well over 12 hours, that’s when he heard his name called.

“Wesley, hey,” Nyla greeted as she approached him. “How is she? I got back not too long ago and my phone died so I haven’t been able to check my messages.”

He smiled, “She seems to be out of the woods and was in good spirits. Nurses had come to check on her not too long ago and she went back to sleep.”

“Here, this is for you. I’m sure you haven’t had time to eat or get decent coffee,” Nyla said as she handed him breakfast.

“Thanks Nyla, appreciate it.”

“Of course. I just want to see her before I head to the station.”

Wesley nodded as they entered the room.

Nyla saw the monitors and let out a sigh of relief, at least her friend was doing well that she was breathing on her own. The image of Angela being intubated haunted her during her flight back. She slowly walked towards her friend and held her hand.

“You just had to outdo Nolan huh?” She joked.

“You know it,” Angela mumbled.

Nyla slapped her hand, “You faker!”

The two women laughed as Wesley watched joyfully from behind. “She got me too.”

Nyla rolled her eyes, “Of course she did. But in all seriousness, how are you feeling?”

Angela groaned, “Still have some pain, but nothing I can’t handle. Doctor and nurses say I’m doing well, but they want to keep me for a couple days to be sure.”

“Good, I wasn’t sure if you were able to eat so I didn’t get you anything… but from the looks of it, you’ve got quite the selection here,” she pointed out.

“Yeah,” Angela smiled. “Besides, if I have any food cravings, Wesley can get it for me.”

“Uh-huh,” Nyla smirked. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.”

There was a knock on the door as it slowly opened, Tim stood with Lucy not too far behind him.

“You’re up,” he said with the faintest smile.

Wesley took a sip of his coffee, “Come on Nyla, let’s give them a minute.”

“I’ll see you later,” Nyla grinned, “Take it easy.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Nyla gave Tim a head nod as she followed Wesley out closing the door behind her. Her eyebrow raised as she noticed Lucy, “Did you spend the night with Tim?”

Lucy blushed, “What?! No! I slept on his couch because I didn’t want him to be alone.”

“Right,” Nyla smirked as Wesley turned his head to chuckle. “I’m not judging you, get yours girl.”

Wesley choked on his coffee as he avoided eye contact.

“Shut up, both of you,” Lucy demanded. “Just because we broke up… it doesn’t mean we stopped caring for each other.”

Nyla shrugged, “Whatever you say. I’m going to head home to take a much needed shower. Wesley, James should be here later to check on you guys and to bring you a fresh set of clothes.”

“Thanks,” he responded, “I’ll keep you updated on her progress.”

“I’m relieved Angela is awake and doing well,” Lucy noted.

“Yeah, thanks for being there yesterday and now,” Wesley replied.

Lucy smiled, “Of course, you guys are family. No matter what happens between Tim and I.”

“How is that going?” Wesley queried. “Not to pry, but I only know what Angela and Nyla have said.”

She sighed, “I don’t know yet…I mean it’s not weird anymore… but we’re far from being back to the way things were.”

“Hmm.”

“Some insight?”

“I can’t speak for Tim, but I know he really cares about you,” he paused, “I think he needs to heal himself before he can fully commit to you.”

“Interesting.”

“Are you just going to stand there?” Angela stared. “I’ve been told to take it easy.”

Tim scoffed, “I’m making you wait just like the way you made me.”

She rolled her eyes, “Okay, but I’m the one that was shot.”

“Always a competition with you I swear,” he replied as he shook his head.

She smirked, “I like to win.”

Tim slowly made his way to the seat as he examined her.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m just looking to see if you sustained any other injuries.”

She chuckled, “Well I’m sure the doctors and nurses who checked on me were more than thorough.”

“Yeah well, better safe than sorry,” he countered.

“Timothy.”

He stopped moving his eyes as he met her gaze. She could see the worry in his eyes even though he could see that she was in recovery. He had always been very protective of her and she knew that. Even with four older brothers, Angela somehow managed to find another one.

“I’m okay,” she finally said as extended her hand. He took it and held it tighter than she had expected. Tim was not one to share his feelings but she knew how he was feeling with just the look in his eye. They sat there silently as she waited for him to speak.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he finally spoke.

Angela grinned, “I’ll try my best.”

Tim’s expression yielded as it turned into a crooked smile. He knew he didn’t have to scold her about how she was really feeling anymore since she had Wesley for that. All he wanted was to see that she was in fact doing well and still had her fiery personality intact.

Lucy knocked and opened the door, “Hey Angela, I’m so glad you’re up and doing well.”

“Hey Lucy, thanks,” she winced.

“You alright?” Tim noticed.

“Yeah, just a minor pain in my shoulder.”

“Uh-huh,” Wesley said as he raised his eyebrow following Lucy into the room. “Your definition of minor isn’t the same as the rest of us.”

“I’m fine,” Angela said assuringly. “If it gets worse then I’ll ask the nurse to up the morphine. Anyway, did you two come together?”

Tim’s eyes widened as he shot a look at Angela.

“Here we go…,” Wesley muttered as he watched them.

“Umm, no. I mean yes, but nothing happened,” Lucy explained defensively.

“Oh?” Angela asked amusingly as she sipped her water.

“Nothing happened. She stayed on my couch for the night because we were worried about you,” Tim glared. “We should head out, Grey let us make a pit stop but we’re needed at the station.”

Angela chuckled, “Sureeee, run away Bradford.”

“Uh —,” Lucy started but Tim rushed her out the door, “We’ll continue this later.”

“I’ll be here waiting!” Angela teased.

Wesley laughed, “You’re terrible you know that?”

“And you love me for it,” she winked.

“That I do.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t understand why we had to rush out of there?” Lucy asked. “Grey isn’t expecting us to be back anytime soon, they’ve got it covered.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tim huffed. “Besides, we’ll check on her during lunch and she has Wesley by her side.”

“Okay…”

Lucy quickly buckled her seatbelt as she continued to study his face.

Tim had been too absorbed with his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed her piercing eyes staring at her from the corner of his eye. He was trying to mend his relationship with Lucy and the last thing he needed was for Angela to tease him about them getting back together after he was the one to end things with her. No one except Angela understood his reasoning, but with her in the hospital… it wasn’t exactly going to be easy to chat with her about it.

“Tim! Red light!”

“Oh shit.”

“Pull over right now,” she demanded.

Tim sighed as he unwillingly did so. He put the shop into park, unbuckled his seatbelt and speedily exited the shop. He felt uneasy as he leaned against the hood of the vehicle, an unfamiliar feeling rising in his chest along with his hands trembling. The last time something like this happened, it had been during the takedown of some asshole he had to pin down. This wasn’t that he thought… he felt as if he was in uncharted territory.

Lucy watched from the shop as the worry in her eyes only grew, this wasn’t very much of the Tim she knew. Over the past few weeks he’d been through a lot, with his past and of course their break up, but he made himself to seem fine. She knew better than to push now him since she wasn’t going to get any truthful responses.

“Are you okay?” She inquired anxiously. “You —“

“I’m fine.”

“Tim, you’re not fine. You just blew past a red light and now you seem to be having some sort of anxiety attack.”

Tim looked up, “I don’t have those.”

She had her arms crossed as she watched him, “You didn’t used to, but it seems like you do now.”

Tim let out a deep breath, he didn’t want to argue as he knew she may have been right. With everything he had been dealing with, it seemed to have finally caught up to him. He knew couldn’t just let it all build up and have it suddenly explode while on duty. Maybe it was time for him to get some professional help.

“Look, I’m fine now,” he began, “I just need some food and water.”

“I’m driving.”

“Fine.”

“How’s Angela doing?” Aaron asked.

“Awake and well,” Nyla answered. “You haven’t gone to see her yet?”

He hesitated, “I just —, well I look up to you two… and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to see her battered and bruised in a hospital bed.”

“It comes with the territory,” she remarked, “As you know.”

“Yeah… I’ll probably go see her now before lunch since I’m sure it’ll only get even more crowded with friends and family by noon.”

“Good call,” Nyla smiled slightly, “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

“I’ll be sure to bring her something to eat.”

“Nyla!” Lucy called out. “You’re back.”

“Hey, yeah… got in earlier this morning,” Nyla responded.

“You must be exhausted, Grey couldn’t give you the day off?”

Nyla shrugged, “He insisted, but I just came in to check on something.”

“After the whole Blair fiasco, we all deserve a break,” Lucy said as her eyes looked to Tim.

“What’s wrong with you?” Nyla asked while observing Tim.

“Nothing, I’m fine… just tired like everyone else.”

“Well, I’m headed home for some much needed rest.”

Lucy quickly hugged Nyla unexpectedly before she could reject it. Nyla let her shoulders down and returned the embrace. She was never one to initiate a hug, but this was something she needed with everything going on.

“I’m glad you and Nolan made it back safely,” Lucy stated.

“Yeah, me too. Be safe out there.”

Tim simply nodded at Nyla as she walked away from them. He was feeling like himself again, although he still couldn’t shake the feeling of some annoyance with how his body chose to react earlier due to recent events. He’s always managed the stressful events in his life well, however as of late… it seems like it was all unwrapping without his consent. The only person he felt comfortable speaking to was Angela, but she’s still in no condition to be burdened with his ongoing issues. There was no way he was going to put her under anymore stress while she was recovering.

“What is it Bradford?” Grey asked.

Tim had been deep in thought that he hadn’t realized he walked into Grey’s office. He stood there, still as a statue as Grey’s expression turned into confusion with a hint of worry.

“Tim.”

He finally snapped out of his thoughts as he came back to reality, “Oh, sorry. Just a lot on my mind. Uhh — , I was wondering if I could take the day today.”

“Yes of course,” he responded without hesitation. “You never ask, so I can only assume you need it.”

Tim nodded as he made his way out.

“Wait! Tim!” Lucy exclaimed. “Did you not hear me calling you?”

He exhaled, “Look, I’ll be fine. I know you’re worried but I just need the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I — Uh okay,” she quickly responded as he practically ran towards the lockers. She had seen him shut her out, yet this wasn’t that. She wanted to be there for him, even with them being newly broken up…. perhaps maybe it was best she’d give him his space and question him later.

“I don’t think you should do that,” Wesley noted. “The nurse said it’s necessary.”

Angela scoffed, “I can manage better without it.”

“You’re not supposed to be managing anything right now.”

“I’m not completely helpless you know, I wasn’t shot in the leg or something,” she rebutted.

“I’m not saying that… I know how you get, nevertheless you were shot and needed surgery,” he pouted. “I don’t want you to set your recovery off course.”

Angela stopped fidgeting with her sling as she met his gaze, she knew he was being serious and the worry in his eyes made her submit to his concerns. She didn’t like the idea of the this despite being told it was needed. Growing up, she was always getting banged up by her brothers, so this wasn’t something new to her. Then again, none of those instances ever landed her in the hospital. She had more to lose now, her own family. The love of her life standing a couple feet away and her kids… she already started to miss them even though she had seen them yesterday.

“How are the kids?”

“They’re with my mom and they miss you,” Wesley smiled, “I spoke to Jack and he said he wants to see you…”

“Patrice is bringing him here?”

Wesley pulled the chair from the side as he set it next to her bed and sat down, “I wasn’t sure if you’d want him here so I told him that I would ask you once you were feeling better.”

Angela sighed, “I don’t know, the pain is still bothersome and Jack might jump on me.”

Wesley smirked, “Oh you know he will.”

They both let out a small chuckle as they both nodded in agreement.

“He’s basically a mini you.”

“Uh-huh…”

Wesley shrugged, “It’s a compliment babe, I’d like to think Emmy takes after me.”

He reached for her hand and smiled warmly at her, “We’ll see them once you’re ready. There’s no rush… we need you to get better at your own pace.”

She nodded, “Okay.”

“Are you hungry?”

“A bit.”

“What would you like?”

“Hmm… maybe some soup from that Mexican truck, you know the one I’m referring to?”

Wesley grinned, “Yeah, I’ll be back in 15.”

He gently kissed her forehead, but Angela wasn’t settling for that as she pulled him back in for one on the lips. She wanted nothing more than to be home with him, but she knew the road to recovery wasn’t going to be as easy this time. She hesitantly waved goodbye as she was left alone in the room for the first time. The room was quite spacious and she had been able to stretch her legs when needed, even with Wesley closing in on her each time. He really couldn’t help himself when it came to her, a truly selfless wonderful man.

Just as she had closed her eyes for a brief moment, she heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Aaron opened the door and walked into the room, surprised to find Angela alone. “Wesley’s not here?”

“He went to get me some soup.”

Aaron smirked, “Right, well I brought you some freshly squeezed juice.”

“Thanks,” as she happily accepted and began to sip from the straw. “Glad you didn’t come empty handed.”

He chuckled, “I think I knew better than that.”

“You are giving me the same look Tim did when he saw me,” she noticed.

“I —, I’m sorry. I’m just not used to seeing you like this.”

Angela smirked subtly, “Trust me, it’s not as bad as you may think.”

“You’re actually feeling okay?”

“Yeah, they’ve been checking up on me every few hours to make sure and there hasn’t been anything alarming.”

Aaron sighed of relief as he stood nearby. “I’m glad you’re okay…”

“How are you doing?”

“Huh? I’m good.”

“Are you?”

Aaron shot her a puzzled look, “I’m not the one in the hospital bed.”

“Yeah, but you’re also dealing with the Blair aftermath,” she attested, “I know she was helping you… with —“

“Yeah,” he cut her off. “I’m coping with it… and I am seeing my own therapist about it all. Just when you think you can trust someone…”

“Hmm, never liked therapists.”

Aaron laughed, “She was just the one bad apple, don’t knock it until you try it.”

“I’m good for now,” she snickered. “Though Wesley may suggest a physical therapist if the doctor deems it necessary.”

“Doctor’s orders should be followed.”

“Yeah yeah…”

He smirked, “As stubborn as you can be, I know you would do what’s best for you and your family.”

“How are you and Celina?”

“We’re good now, awkwardness is mostly gone,” he remarked, “I had the wrong impression and we’re better off as friends.”

She frowned, “Don’t fret, life has a funny way of giving you what you want. Have I ever told you about how Wesley and I met?”

“No, I just know your mom didn’t have to set you up.”

“He ran into me while he was chasing a suspect who had stolen his briefcase,” she grinned, “We instantly started arguing, but you know… the hot kind of way.”

Aaron laughed, “That’s like —, one in a million.”

“Yep.”

“Man… lucky for you it worked out.”

“Oh hey Aaron, how are you doing?” Wesley asked as he entered the room, quickly placing the soup on the over-bed table. Angela smiled as her stomach continued to growl in protest.

“Hey, I’m good. Thanks for asking,” he replied. “Just came by to make sure Angela was good.”

“I’m sure she’s grateful you did,” Wesley responded as he noticed the juice. “You know her well enough to bring some sort of food or beverage.”

Aaron laughed, “Yeah. Well, I’m going to head back to the station. Take it easy Lopez.”

Angela rolled her eyes, “Thanks for the juice.”

Wesley made his way back to chair by her as he watched her sip the juice. At least she had an appetite he thought, some of his worry began to fade as he continued to watch her eat.

“You don’t have to watch my every movement,” she spotted.

He simply smiled, “I know, but…”

“But what?”

“I just… love you.”

“Careful Evers, I’m in no position to do anything right now,” she teased.

Wesley let out a soft chuckle, “I’m well aware, but being here with you is enough.”

“You keep smiling like that, I may just take off the sling and risk my recovery.”

His smile quickly turned into a frown, “No, please don’t.”

“Too easy,” she smirked as she pushed the table aside and made room for him, “Come here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He carefully got into the bed with her as it wasn’t your typical small hospital bed. He gently laid one arm over her head and faced her as she turned to meet his dreamy blue eyes. She noticed the bags under his eyes as he hadn’t slept too well the past night, she wanted him to go home and sleep on their bed… however she also wanted him by her side.

“You’re tired,” she remarked.

“I’m okay.”

Angela shot him a look.

“Okay, I’ll admit I’m a little tired,” he confessed. “It’s nothing sleep can’t fix.”

“Let’s try to get some now.”

Tim remained seated in his car with the window slightly opened as he suddenly felt dazed. Why did he suddenly feel this way he thought? Never during his years in service did he felt off, but now on a regular day… he can’t seem to feel steady. He didn’t want to start driving as the last thing he needed was to be involved in some sort of car accident. He took a deep breath in and out to attempt to calm his nerves.

There was a sudden tap on his window. Luckily it wasn’t who he expected it to be.

“You okay there Bradford?” Nyla asked.

Tim turned off the car and signaled for Nyla to move away so he could step out.

He sighed, “I don’t know what I am.”

Nyla slightly taken aback by his honesty frowned, “Do you want to grab some food?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll drive us, come on,” she replied as she patted his back.

They were already a couple coffees in as the silence continued between them. Nyla had devoured her breakfast platter as Tim had barely finished half of his. Talking about things wasn’t exactly Nyla’s forte, nevertheless she did promise Angela she’d keep an eye on him. She wasn’t given much detail on what was bothering Tim, however a promise is a promise.

Nyla took a sip of her water as she glanced Tim’s way. He remained as stoic as ever as she was staring into his glass of water.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Nyla offered. “I know we’re not that close, but with Angela out of commission… she made me promise to look after you while she was still in the hospital.”

Tim smiled faintly, “Of course she did… even when she needs to be looking after herself she still manages to think about those around her.”

“Just the kind of person she is,” she shrugged.

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Wherever you think you’ll be most comfortable.”

Tim took a deep breath, “I’m surprised Angela didn’t tell you about what happened a few weeks ago with an old colleague of mine.”

“When it comes to you, she only seems to share the details with Wesley,” Nyla remarked.

“Hmm.”

“I’ve been known to keep a secret or two, so if you have your doubts… you’ve got a friend in me,” Nyla reassured.

“An old war buddy of mine resurfaced from the dead,” Tim started, “He was confirmed KIA, so you can imagine my surprise when a friend of mine came into town to notify me of his presence.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

Tim let a breath out, “I was doing constant surveillance on him, Lu — Lucy got involved along with Tamara — “

“Wait hold up, were they hurt?” Nyla interrupted. “I mean I don’t think they were, but were they Tim?”

“No. They were left unharmed but he somehow managed to get her address and she ended up showing up when I was at Angela’s screaming at me.”

“Which you had coming, I mean you put her and Tamara in danger,” Nyla accused.

“I know. At least Wesley and the kids were away when Angela invited me over.”

Nyla scoffed, “Well thank god for that because if anything happened to Wesley… or her kids. Angela might just kill you herself.”

“I’m well aware of that,” he chuckled. “Anyway… I needed to make things right with Dave and with Angela’s help I was able to do so. Know that I didn’t want her involved, but she forced her way into it.”

“That’s why you were kicked out of Metro…” Nyla realized. “I didn’t want to ask Angela because I knew she wasn’t going to tell me and furthermore I didn’t want to appear nosey as it seemed pretty serious. Little did I know how much so.”

Tim put his head down, “Yeah, not my proudest moment but it was worth it. One less bad guy out there.”

“Wait, hold on,” Nyla said while putting her hands up, “Is that why you broke up with Lucy?”

He hesitated, “No —, it wasn’t just because of what happened. I — I’m just not as put together as I thought I was. I’m not ready to be in a committed relationship if the ghosts of my past keep haunting me.”

“You put one down.”

“Yeah, just one… but others have emerged and I can’t deal with them while with her. I’m not willing to drag her into the mess I’ve put myself in.”

“Tim, you know that’s also part of being in a relationship with someone right? Maybe you forgot, but you were married once… I’m sure before Isabel fell off, you were happy,” she remarked.

“Yeah… I just feel a little lost right now.”

Nyla put her hand on his shoulder, “Even you deserve to be happy.”

“Haha, very funny,” Tim chuckled.

“It’s true, we all have our demons. I mean, look at me… all of those years doing undercover really did a number on me until I came to the realization that not being in Lila’s life was not something I was not willing to lose.”

Tim smiled softly, “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

“As am I.”

“Thanks for doing this… we should do this more often,” he joked, “The crap we’ve gotten ourselves into… the others wouldn’t understand it as well.”

Nyla nodded in agreement, “That is true.”

“I’ve got this,” he offered as he waved for the check.

“Thanks,” she replied, “let’s get home for some much needed rest.”

“Wes,” Angela whispered.

He was still asleep with one arm around her head as she called for him.

“Wesley…” she nudged this time.

His head shot up, “Yeah? You okay? What happened?”

She chuckled, “I’m fine. The nurse just needs to check my vitals and take some blood.”

“Oh. Okay no problem,” as he quickly got up.

“Sorry to disturb your nap, but we’ve got to keep to the schedule,“ the nurse apologized.

Wesley smiled faintly, “No worries, do what you gotta do. As long as she continues to trend in the right direction.”

“That’s what these tests will tell us,” she replied. “Do you mind giving us a few minutes?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll be right outside Ange.”

“Okay babe.”

He made his way towards the door, looked back at her once more and closed it behind him. The blinds were down so there was no way he could see what the nurse was doing and that was probably for the best. Even though he was the husband… it’s always better for the closest person to maybe not be in the room when the person they love the most in the world is at their most vulnerable. Angela wasn’t completely out of the woods just yet, however Wesley wanted to remain optimistic as that was just who he was. He began to slowly pace in front of her hospital room as the minutes began to pass by. There was a moment where he felt the urge to knock on the door, however he knew better than to rush the nurse. It will take as long as it does he told himself, she’s conscious and breathing on her own and that’s not to be taken lightly.

Then suddenly there it was, the door quickly jerked opened and the hospital bed they were just in wasn’t as homey as it looked not 10 minutes ago.

“What’s going on?” Wesley asked.

“I’m sorry Mr. Evers, but there seems to be signs of an infection and we need to take her back into surgery to make sure it doesn’t spread or worsen,” the nurse responded. “I will keep you updated once the doctor gets a better look.”

“Sorry sir, we need to get in here,” another nurse said.

Wesley moved immediately as he kept his eyes on Angela. Her eyes were closed and body seemed motionless.

“Is she breathing?”

“Yes, but it’s not as stable as it was. Which is why we need to take her into surgery immediately to rectify the problem.”

“Okay.”

Wesley stood there frozen in place as he watched the nurses take his wife into surgery once again. No one was ever fond of going to the hospital, but Wesley was always the one to remain calm here. Yet this visit had him spiraling on all cylinders. He wanted nothing more than to take Angela home… however the universal had other plans.

Chapter Text

The nurses had rushed Angela away from the her room nearly 15 minutes ago, however you could still spot Wesley right outside pale in the face. He had already gone through the restlessness of waiting for her to wake up from her first surgery and now he may have to do it all over again. Trying to stay optimistic was hard enough, but when it came to his wife… it was going to take something more. Wesley knew that he needed to garner the strength for not only himself, but the kids as well. He took his phone out and called his mom.

“Hello darling, how is Angela?” Patrice asked.

Wesley paused, “They had to take her back into surgery. There were signs of infection… and they didn’t want it to worsen.”

The line went silent.

“Oh honey…”

“I know she’s going to be okay, but mom… I —“

Patrice remained as buoyant as she could, “I’m going to stop by with the kids. Sydney is still here so she can help me with them if anything comes up.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Of course dear, I will see you soon.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. He felt as if he were living his worst nightmare over again, the idea of never holding his wife again crossed his mind once more. There was no one that could make him feel better, since the only person with that ability was whisked away from his side.

“Daddy!” Jack cried out as Patrice opened the door.

Wesley smiled as much as he could, “Hey buddy.”

Jack had made his way to his lap as Patrice came in with Emmy in her arms.

“Sydney is just parking the car,” she grinned gently. “Did you eat yet?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Nonsense, I’ll grab something as soon as she gets here.”

“Where’s mommy?” Jack asked.

“Mommy is… getting some help right now and should be back with us soon,” Wesley replied. “I know you miss her.”

Jack nodded as he continued to play with his toy car.

“How’s Emmy been?”

“Oh you know, an angel. She fell asleep right before we left the house so I suspect she’ll be out for a couple hours.”

The room fell silent.

Jack seemed oblivious to the silence in the room as he was happily playing with his toy as Wesley tried his best to hold his composure in front of his family. He knew Angela if the roles were reversed, therefore he had to put on his brave face once again. No one had her will, he knew that… but he had to give it his best, for his family.

“Hi Wesley, hope you’re doing okay,” Sydney greeted, “Had to park a bit further in the lot than expected.”

Wesley looked up, “Hey, hanging in there thanks.”

“I’m going to grab us something decent from the cafeteria,” Patrice spoke as she handed Emmy to Sydney, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Thanks.”

“Daddy,” Jack said.

“What’s up bud?”

“Why are you sad?”

“I’m not… not exactly, I’m just a little worried about mommy,” Wesley admitted. He never liked the idea of lying and he wasn’t going to start with his kids even while they were still very young.

Jack put his toy in his pocket as he flapped his arms around his dad, “It’s okay to be sad.”

Wesley smiled softly, “You’re right Jack.”

“Mommy told me.”

“Did she now?”

“Yeah,” he beamed, “She said grownups do that.”

“Well, mommy is very smart and brave.”

“I miss her.”

“Me too bud,” Wesley reassured as he kissed Jack’s forehead.

“Did you call your brothers?” Emilia asked.

Damian sighed, “I did, I texted them to meet us here.”

“At what time?”

“I told them 6:00PM sharp.”

“Never on time I swear…”

He chuckled, “Why don’t we head in first? If we wait out here, who knows when they’ll get here.”

“I like the way you think.”

“Here we are…” Patrice addressed, “Thought some smoothies and chocolate milk would do.”

“Thanks mom,” Wesley nodded.

“Jack, honey,” Patrice started, “Come sit here while you have your chocolate milk.”

“Okay grandma,” he replied as he jumped off Wesley’s lap.

“Wesley, Patrice hey — Where’s Angela?” Damian noticed.

“Damian, hey,” Wesley stood up. “Let’s talk outside.”

He gently closed the door behind them as he spotted Emilia walking towards them.

“Emilia, hey. I wasn’t expecting you guys so soon,” Wesley said nervously.

“What’s going on?” Damian asked.

Wesley exhaled, “There was a slight complication post surgery, so they’ve taken her back in to make sure it’s nothing serious. They haven’t come back with an update which is why I haven’t called you guys. Didn’t want you to worry until I received some news.”

“Oh, my baby,” Emilia whispered.

Damian took a deep breath, “How are you doing?”

“Better, my mom just brought the kids. It’s been a lot,” Wesley confessed.

Damian put his hand on Wesley’s shoulder, “We’re here for you, anything you need. Benny and Cruz should be here soon to help with anything you may need.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Of course, what’s family for right?”

“Seems we’re kind of short handed today,” Celina commented. “Not counting Angela of course.”

“I know Harper went home… Bradford was here? But I haven’t heard him,” Aaron replied. “Maybe he needed the day.”

She huffed, “Leaving me to front desk duty.”

“Beats being out on patrol with Smitty.”

“I think I would rather be out there with him,” she said.

“I don’t know… you say that now, but if and when it actually happens, you may regret it.”

“The front desk is so mundane.”

“It’s safe.”

Celina’s eyebrows raised, “Are you worried about me?”

“No — yes, but also no. I just want all of us to be safe,” he cleared his throat. “I’m good with us being friends, just to be clear.”

“I know, relax,” she chuckled softly.

“I know we’re police officers, but the thought of us not being able to go home at the end of the day never came to mind until our incident.”

“We survived it together, I don’t think I ever apologized for making us go into that alley.”

Aaron frowned, “No, it wasn’t your fault. We’re police officers, it’s in the job to be curious.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

Celina mumbled a prayer under her breath as Aaron’s eyes remained closed.

“Thorsen,” Grey called out as he approached them.

“Yes sir?”

“You went to see Angela earlier?”

“I did.”

“How was she doing?”

“She seemed to be in good spirits, they’re keeping her for a couple days just as a precaution.”

Grey nodded, “That’s good.”

“Are you going to see her?”

“I will after shift, too swamped here to be able to move… and we’re short today,” he answered. “If the detectives need help, feel free to assist them.”

“Oh — yes sir. Thank you,” Aaron replied.

“Lucy,” Celina addressed, “Are you okay?”

“Huh? I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Lucy met her gaze, “Yeah… why are you asking?”

“Maybe because a lot has been happening these past couple days and I want to make sure you’re actually okay. We live together, but we haven’t really been talking,” she explained. “And with —“

“Stop. No we’re not talking about that here,” Lucy interrupted. “You’re right, a lot is going on and I just need to focus on work.”

“I’m just saying, I’m here if you need anything.”

Lucy exhaled, “I know, I’m sorry for snapping. It’s just —, everything is complicated at the moment.”

“I get it.”

“Thanks for asking. I’m going to head to the hospital in a bit to check on Angela actually, get some air,” Lucy smiled softly, “I’ll let you know how she’s doing once I’m there.”

Celina nodded as she looked around the station and noticed it didn’t have its usual buzz. She knew what the job required, even so… this was beyond what she expected. The dangers of the job were always a given since it’s to protect and serve, however the thought of being hospitalized never came to mind.

“Where are you going?” James asked. “I thought you were going to take it easy today.”

“I am taking it easy, took a nap and tidied up a little here and there,” Nyla protested.

“All I’m saying is… I thought we were going to talk today since you’re home.”

Nyla exhaled deeply, “James. I don’t want to do this today… not with all the things we have going on.”

“Then, when?”

That’s when the silence hit and anger rose in her eyes. He should know when not to push her yet here they were having another argument. Why were men so irritating at the worst possible time?

She quickly grabbed her keys and stormed out the door leaving him no chance to say another word. She hopped towards her car as she took a moment to gather herself. Why was she always running? Was it the fear of losing something she held dear to her? Or was it because it was just easier?

Nyla turned her head back towards the house to see if James would come out and stop her from leaving.

A minute passed.

Then suddenly the door swung open.

James exhaled, “I don’t want to fight, and you’re right. There is a lot going on… and we don’t need to discuss work.”

“Thank you.”

They both stood there staring into one another’s gaze as words seemed to be lost in that very moment.

“I know I can be a lot, I don’t mean for it to happen — I just, I can’t help it and I hope you know me well enough to know that,” he said breaking the brief silence. “I love you Nyla.”

“I know.”

“Since you’re up and Leah is still with my mom… why don’t we go see Angela and Wesley at the hospital?” He asked.

She nodded.

“They sure know how to take their time when it comes to updating the families,” Cruz complained. “I know we can’t rush them, but come on.”

Benny nudged his brother, “Be quiet. We don’t want them rushing either.”

“Well duh, but geez, would it be so much to give us some sort of update?”

Damian sighed.

“Benny, take your brother for a walk,” Emilia suggested.

“I’m not a dog mom.”

“Then stop acting like one.”

Benny chuckled underneath his breath, “She got you good.”

“Man, shut up. I’m going to get a snack,” Cruz huffed.

“I’ll come with you,” Damian spoke, “Need to stretch my legs anyway. Mom do you want anything?”

“Just a coffee please.”

Damian nodded as he shifted his gaze towards Benny.

“Same, I’ll take it black.”

“Wesley, you should eat something,” Patrice advised.

“I’m fine.”

“Honey — “

“I said I’m fine mom, I’m not hungry and I just had some coffee,” he remarked. “It’s getting late… maybe you and Sydney should take the kids home. Jack’s already asleep and Emmy — she should be in the crib.”

“Okay.”

Wesley sighed, “I know you mean well, I just — I want the kids here, but I don’t know when the doctors will be back and there’s no use with all of us being here.”

“Let us know once you have an update,” she smiled softly.

“I will.”

“You’re staying Emilia?”

Emilia yawned, “For as long as I can.”

“Or when Wesley kicks you out,” she jabbed.

“If he can,” she challenged.

Wesley gave the women a look as they chortled underneath their breath.

“What’s going on here?” Nyla queried as she entered the room. “Where’s Angela?”

“Nyla — hey,” Wesley said eyes widened, “I was just about to call you cause I didn’t want you worrying… but they had to take Angela back in for emergency surgery. We’re just waiting to hear back from her surgeon.”

“What?!”

“I know.”

“How long ago?”

Wesley hesitated, “A couple hours.”

“Nyla…” James mumbled.

“I’m fine James, I’m just surprised you didn’t call Wesley.”

“I meant what I said, I didn’t want anyone else to worry without having some concrete news to share,” he explained, “It’s out of our control and I didn’t want to add anymore stress to your load.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked defensively.

“Nyla — you know what I mean,” he responded sternly. “I’m not saying you can’t handle it, but this is my wife.”

She swiftly crossed her arms as noticed all the eyes on her.

Patrice smiled gently, “He means well dear, why don’t you walk us to the car?”

“Sure.”

James met Wesley’s gaze as he attempted to signal sorry.

“Angela’s got a lot of people that care about her,” Emilia said.

“She does,” Wesley acknowledged, “Which makes this even harder for me, I know they’ll understand why I chose not to update them when I myself know absolutely nothing.”

“I agree, why stress others out when all we can do is wait?”

Emilia noticed James standing there awkwardly, “Benny, let’s go find your brothers and that coffee.”

“When’s the last time you ate something?” James questioned.

“I’m good.”

“I figured you would say that, so I brought some protein bars,” he replied as he handed Wesley the brown bag.

“Thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes?” James answered unsure.

Wesley chuckled, “Are you asking me or telling me?”

“I’m confused as to why you’re asking me since you’re the one with the wife who’s in the hospital.”

“You seem tense.”

James shot him a look, “I am not.”

“You saying that is just proving my point.”

“I hate it when you notice everything.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, mostly my own doing.”

Wesley put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Just talk to her and don’t raise your voice. That will get you nowhere and will only escalate things.”

He ducked his head.

“We both know how Nyla can get, but you love her enough to resolve this conflict right?”

“I do.”

“Then you will find a way to put this to bed.”

The two sat in silence as minutes turned into hours and soon the room once filled with family and friends turned back into only Nyla and Wesley. James had insisted on staying with Wesley, but Nyla wanted him to pick up their daughter and for him to get a good nights rest while she stayed behind. She still felt guilty for not being there when this incident happened even though she knew there was absolutely nothing she could have done to prevent it from happening. Angela was the toughest person she knew and Nyla had to have faith with her pulling through again. She was not going to lose the best damn partner she’s ever had.

“You asleep?” Nyla asked hoarsely.

“No.”

“Figures, but thought I’d ask anyway.”

Wesley’s eyes remained closed, “Did you get any rest?”

“Luckily I slept earlier, otherwise I think I’d be out.”

“Hmm.”

“I wanted to ask… about what you said earlier,” she began, “Were you talking about the conflict between James and I? I mean I’m not surprised he spoke to you about it.”

He opened his eyes to meet her gaze, “Nyla — “

Nyla sighed, “I just — I want to know what he’s said.”

“Nothing incriminating or offensive.”

“That I know, what I meant was — “

“I know what you meant, but I don’t want to feel like I’m overstepping,” he clarified, “This is between you and James.”

“But also, you not calling me about Angela. I know you mean well, but I hate being left out in the dark. I think you know me well enough to know that doesn’t work with me,” she elaborated.

“It wasn’t intentional, I didn’t want to add to your load — sincerely,” he frowned, “You’re family Nyla, I know that.”

“If the roles were reversed, I would call you,” she stated, “Just so you know.”

“Noted.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve called Tim yet?”

“No I haven’t.”

“Good, he’s got… enough on his plate as well,” Nyla remarked, “We’ll call him once we get an update.”

“Fine by me.”

“I guess now is a good as time as any to tell you how Angela hid an injury from you?”

Wesley’s eyes flew wide open, “What? When and where?”

Nyla chuckled, “Her right hand, have you noticed anything abnormal?”

“Uhh… no?”

“I guess she really did get away with it.”

“Nyla.”

“She didn’t get shot or anything, but the cut was fairly deep and she had to get stitches,” she revealed, “I’m not sure how she did it, but I guess it healed quickly since you didn’t notice it.”

“How — how did I not see this?” He questioned.

“She’s a great detective,” she smirked, “I think this must have been around the same time you had that big trial… which explains how she got away with it.”

Wesley pouted, “Angela tells me everything, the good and the bad.”

“Like you said, she didn’t want to add to your load,” Nyla grinned.

He laughed softly, “Using my own words against me, could have been an attorney.”

She chuckled, “Why don’t you take a nap and I’ll take the first watch.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t look as exhausted as you do.”

He took one last look at the door before the room became blurry at its edges and turned into a void.

Chapter Text

The hospital room remained quiet as the hours continued to slowly tick by as Wesley and Nyla continued to battle the uncomfortable bed settings they were in. Neither one of them wanted to leave even if it meant a much more comfortable sleep accommodation. Wesley had managed to get an hour’s worth before he woke up and insisted Nyla get some since his body refused to do so. He hadn’t been had without Angela by his bedside for this long ever so, sleeping was not going to be an option for him. He sat up from couch as he took a look at his phone.

It read 10:00PM.

It felt like it had been days since Angela was taken away, but in reality… it was a mere couple hours. He wanted nothing more than to be able to hold his wife again, even if it wasn’t in the comfort of their home. Deep down, he knew what he had to do however with the hours passing by with no update… it felt like pieces of him were being chipped away unwillingly. Maybe he was overthinking it, but going into emergency surgery warranted the uneasy feeling stirring within him.

Wesley discreetly made his way towards the door as he gently closed it behind him. He needed a break from being in there without Angela present, but also to stretch his legs since that cramped couch wasn’t doing him any favors either. The halls were dimly light as the night sky’s were apparent from the window view. The clouds had come and gone which seemed to bode well for some hopeful news soon. Wesley wasn’t the spiritual type, but he was often reminded of how free Angela would be when they would go on their dates. She’d sometimes wander off happily without a care in the world with Wesley not too far behind her. The smile she held had him from the start.

The warmth he felt from just the sheer thought of her managed to bring some joy to his heart. He wasn’t going to lose her, he wholeheartedly knew that. All he needed was to see her to make his body believe it.

Then suddenly a voice spoke to him.

“Mr. Evers?”

Wesley looked up to see Dr. Walters standing before him.

“I’m sorry it’s taken this long for an update, but I wanted to be the one to deliver the news to you,” she apologized.

“Is my wife okay?” He cautiously asked.

She nodded, “The original repair was done perfectly, however a part of her nerve was sitting in a tight space and when we went back in to repair it, we had to make a larger incision to free the nerve from the scar. It’s nothing too concerning, but I’m glad we caught it in time and were able to run the proper tests to ensure she will not need to go under again.”

He let out a sigh of relief.

“I can’t imagine how it’s been for you, but I hope it brings you some relief to know that Detective Lopez will make a full recovery,” she comforted. “The nurses will be bringing her back to the room shortly.”

“Thank you Dr. Walters.”

“You’re welcome.”

The worst part of this nightmare seemed to finally be over.

Ding Dong.

“Lucy?” James yawned, “What’s going on?”

“Hi James, sorry for coming by so late… I lost track of time and the hospital doesn’t allow visitors this late,” she began, “I also wanted to check in on Nyla since she hasn’t responded.”

“Oh, she uhh — she’s staying overnight at the hospital with Wesley.”

She shot him a confused look, “Wait, why? Did something happen?”

“Look, Wesley didn’t want more people worrying without an update, but they had to take Angela back in for an emergency surgery,” he spilled.

That’s when his phone dinged.

“Well, looks like she’s going to be okay. They’re bringing her back to the room, so hopefully she’ll wake up soon,” he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Geez, that’s great news,” she commented, “Does Tim know?”

James’ eye wandered elsewhere and that gave Lucy her answer.

“From what I was told, he’s got enough on his plate which was why we as a collective haven’t said a word to him.”

“Yeah — but Angela is like a sister to him.”

He shrugged, “I just went along with the consensus. Are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine. There’s just a lot going on. I went to see Nolan earlier and he seems to be doing well, bullet only grazed him so he’ll be back to work soon.”

“That’s good, can’t imagine anyone else getting hurt.”

“What about you?”

“I’m good, no bullet wounds here.”

“No. Not physically… but mentally,” Lucy indicated.

He dipped his head, “I guess I shouldn’t surprised that some of you guys know. It’s — it’s going.”

“Cops talk, not Nyla… but you know how it is,” Lucy spelled out. “Don’t take it personally and know that we’re not all like that nor were we directly a part of the corruption.”

“I know… but it hurts the mutual party.”

There’s a moment of silence as they lock eye contact.

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Lucy insisted, “We’re all just doing our jobs.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Nyla,” Wesley said as he gently shook her.

“Huh?” She said as her eyes opened.

“The doctor just updated me, they should be bringing her back to the room soon,” he replied, “I already texted James to come and take you home so you can properly sleep on your own bed.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“I know you don’t, but one of us should sleep on a proper mattress tonight and we both know it’s not going to be me.”

“I’ll stop by Tim’s house on the way home to break the news to him, better he hear it from one of us than from someone at the station.”

“Good luck.”

“Bradford!” Nyla shouted as low as she possibly could. “I know you’re still up, open up.”

She had rung his doorbell a couple times and he still hadn’t managed to open up. His car was parked in his driveway and there was no way he’d be anywhere else at this hour. What was he doing?

“Geez, quiet down,” Tim objected, “What are you doing here? I’m fine.”

Nyla rolled her eyes as she made her way into his house, “I’m not here about you.”

“Huh?”

She noticed Call of Duty was on his tv screen. “You three and this game…”

Tim shrugged, “It’s fun and reliefs some stress.”

“Sure, because I’ve seen you guys yell excessively at the screen,” she mocked.

“We all have our own methods.”

Nyla chuckled, “Anyway… I’m here to let you know that Angela had to be taken back into surgery — “

“What?!”

“Let me finish…”

“Go on.”

“She’s going to be okay, I just left the hospital and Wesley’s by her side,” she concluded, “We thought we’d let you know tonight before you heard it from anyone else.”

“Why didn’t you call earlier?”

Nyla shot him a look. You know why.

“Right.”

“You seem to be doing better,” she observed.

“Mostly yeah,” he nodded, “The time off from work helps.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to your game. Going home to sleep on my comfortable bed.”

“Nyla — “

She stopped in her path and met his gaze.

“Thanks,” he smiled faintly.

“You’re welcome.”

“I just realized, you drove to get me from the hospital… where’s Leah?” Nyla questioned.

James snickered, “That’s how I know you’re worn out. I thought we could just take it easy this weekend. I know I haven’t been the best husband lately, so I thought I’d start with this.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want me something to eat?”

“No, I just want to take a shower and sleep.”

That’s when she noticed the blankets on the couch and pointed at it as she turned towards him.

“You were sleeping here?”

“I wanted to be closer to the door… in case I had to run out or something,” he stated causally.

“Uh huh…”

“I’m going to stay up for a while longer, I’ll come up once I’m tired.”

“Okay.”

Nyla felt too out of it to even say anything else as she took one last look at her husband. She felt this was his indirect way of giving her space from the arguments they’ve been having lately, nevertheless she didn’t want him out the room. Her pride was getting the better of her in this moment as she continued upstairs.

They had brought Angela back to the room about an hour ago and Wesley’s eyes have not left her. She was once again breathing on her own, so there was that. Vitals from what the nurses told him were good and they would continue to periodically check on her during these next 48 hours. He continued to pace around the room as he attempted to calm his mind from wandering elsewhere.

She was here. This was a step in the right direction.

The problem with being in the hospital was almost everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He’d close his eyes for what felt like an hour if not two and when he reopened them, only 30 minutes had managed to pass.

1:30AM.

Wesley was still somehow wide awake as he sat across the couch looking over at his wife. She seemed so angelic, (no pun intended) sleeping on that hospital bed. The sight of her seemed to have calmed his woes as he pulled out his phone to see a flood of messages wishing both him and Angela well.

Then there was a knock.

Wesley practically jumped up from the couch as he made his way towards the door.

“Tim? What are you doing here?” He asked in an almost whisper.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he responded, “How is she?”

“Still asleep.”

“I guess we could speak in here.”

“Sure,” Wesley replied as he closed the door behind them.

Tim sighed, “I’m not upset you guys didn’t tell me, matter a fact… I think I’m glad you didn’t because I would have spiraled even more than I could have imagined.”

“I know you’ve got a lot going on as well Tim,” Wesley acknowledged, “I know I haven’t really checked in on you — “

“No, it’s fine. You’ve got more than enough on your plate,” he interjected, “That’s why I’m here actually. I thought since I couldn’t sleep and I had a feeling you’d be up… maybe I would tell you a story or two about the early days when Angela was crazy about you.”

“Oh,” Wesley responded amusingly.

“Yeah… she’d kill me if she knew, but hey, “he shrugged, “I think it’s about time.”

“By all means.”

“I remember when you guys first started seeing each other, she was over the moon with you,” Tim smiled, “I knew something was happening before she finally told me.”

Wesley smiled proudly.

“She wasn’t always open about sharing her love life, but as soon as she started to see you. Something shifted. The way she’d smile to herself when she thought no one was looking… I have to say, I caught her doing that a couple times.”

“I’ve only told her, but I guess since we’re sharing… I fell for her the moment I laid eyes on her. I didn’t know just how much then, but now I can’t imagine life without her,” he confessed as he looked towards Angela.

“She’s stubborn, she will wake up soon and you guys will be back to normal before you know it.”

“Yeah, strong and stubborn,” he laughed softly.

“Anyway, I used to tease her about you being a lawyer and questioned if it would even work.”

“I think a lot of people did.”

“She was so sure about you that she shut it down before I could even come up with anything else to say.”

Wesley smirked, “That’s my wife.”

Tim nodded as he chuckled, “She goes hard for her people, only right we do the same for her.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

There was a brief moment of acknowledgment and appreciation between the two men as they watched her.

“You know I never meant to drag her into my mess. She somehow figured it out and managed to dig her way into my problems and wouldn’t let me handle it by myself.”

“I know, she told me you tried to steer her away.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed, “You guys really don’t keep any secrets from each other huh?”

“None, wouldn’t dream of it.”

“That scared?”

Wesley grinned, “Terrified.”

Both men let out a bellow laugh.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Tim spoke as he stood up, “I’ll be sure to come back in the morning.”

Wesley nodded, “Drive safe.”

“Get some rest, if you can.”

The sun was beginning to rise as some light managed to find its way into the hospital room. Wesley was sound asleep on the couch as the sound of light snores echoed through the room. He put up a good fight to remain up during the night, however his drowsiness soon overcame him. The nurses had come and gone during the late hours without him noticing. That’s how bone weary he was although he would never admit it.

Angela woke to the image of Wesley sleeping on the nearby couch, unsurprisingly. He could be in the middle of something big at work and that still wouldn’t pull him away. She was again reminded of how great she had it, the man, the kids and everyone around them. She wouldn’t dare think to leave this behind, not now… not ever.

She continued to lay there smiling at her husband who was completely unaware of her watching him. There was never a doubt that Wesley would leave her side, yet she still felt guilty for having to put him through something like this again. They both knew the possibility of this happening was always there, but still… never imagined it happening to them.

His back had been turned towards her and she saw the clock read 7:40AM. Visiting hours were to start soon except she wanted to speak to him first.

“Wesley,” she said hoarsely.

No movement.

Lucky for her, the nurse had left a cup of water on the nearby nightstand as she carefully reached over.

“Wesley,” she spoke again, this time slightly louder.

This time she sees him move, just not in the direction she had hoped for.

“For the love of god…” she muttered. “Wesley!”

He instantly turned his body as he caught himself before completing falling down onto the hospital floor. Somehow he forgot he wasn’t on an actual mattress as he caught sight of Angela giggling at him.

“Geez,” he groaned, “Of course you’d wake up when I managed to fall asleep.”

Angela smirked, “Sorry?”

He smiled as he made his way towards her, “I’m glad I was able to make you laugh at first sight.”

“I love you,” she grinned.

“I love you too,” he replied as he leaned in.

“You were tired.”

He pulled the chair closer as he gently grabbed her hand, “I was, but I’d wait forever for you.”

“The nurse came by earlier and told me what happened…”

“What matters is you’re here now,” he remarked, “You had me worried I’m not going to lie… I just had to remind myself that you’re too stubborn to just let go.”

“Fair enough.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Shoulder still stings a bit, but nothing too painful.”

“Let me know if you need anything,” he eyed, “I mean it.”

“I know…” she rolled her eyes, “I won’t do anything I shouldn’t.”

“I already took time off work.”

She chuckled, “Of course you did.”

“Time for me to be the bossy one,” he teased.

“Can’t wait to see that.”

That’s when the first knock occurred.

Grey and Luna opened the door with flowers and a tray of smoothies in hand.

“Angela!” Luna said cheerfully, “Glad to see you’re up and doing well.”

“Hey Luna,” she greeted, “And thank you for this.”

“Told you it was a good idea to come with some sort of beverage,” Grey pointed out.

Wesley chuckled, “Thanks for coming by.”

“Of course. I don’t expect to see you at work anytime soon… you make sure to take your time with recovering,” he ordered as he shifted his gaze from Angela to Wesley. “I expect you to see that she does.”

“Yes sir,” Angela replied.

Wesley nodded as he took a sip of the smoothie.

Another knock soon followed.

Celina and Nolan made their way into the room.

“Oh,” Nolan noticed, “Didn’t think you’d be here this early.”

Grey’s eyebrow raised, “That’s why we’re having an afternoon roll call. We were about to head out anyway, just wanted to check in on Angela.”

“See you later sir,” Celina smiled.

“Take it easy Angela,” Luna said as she waved goodbye.

“I will,” Angela replied.

“You guys want a smoothie?” Wesley asked, “Grey brought one too many.”

“Won’t say no to a free beverage,” Celina remarked.

Nolan shook his head, “I’m good thanks. Sorry I hadn’t had the chance to come see you…”

Angela smirked, “You were shot too… only in the ass.”

Both Wesley and Celina turned their heads as they snickered.

“It still hurt like a son of a bitch,” Nolan objected.

“I’m sure it did, but seriously. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too.”

“Had us worried there,” Celina commented, “Vest should have protected you —“

“It happens,” Angela interrupted, “Thanks for tending to my wound.”

“Of course.”

Nolan sighed, “If you guys need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thanks John,” Wesley nodded.

That’s when the third knock came.

Somehow Angela knew exactly who it was.

“Come in,” she called out knowing he wouldn’t open it without her say so.

Tim slowly opened the door as he was met with all eyes being on him.

“Why are you guys staring at me? I’m not the one in the hospital bed,” he protested.

Angela snickered, “You might as well be with the way you look.”

“Shut up.”

Celina and Nolan tried their best to hide their amusement as they were met with Tim’s death glare.

“Don’t you two have somewhere to be?”

“Right,” Nolan said as he stood up, “Bye you guys.”

Celina waved goodbye as she abruptly pushed Nolan out the room quickly.

“You seem better.”

“I am.”

Tim took a step closer as he observed her and the machines around. He was no doctor, but the numbers displayed seemed to be on par with someone who was doing well.

“Not going to do anything you shouldn’t?”

“No promises,” she smirked.

Wesley exhaled, “Angela…”

“Fine. I promise I won’t.”

“I’ve taken the next couple days off… so maybe we could catch up at either one of our houses,” Tim suggested.

“Oh, are you doing okay?” She asked with a voice of concern.

Tim took a seat as he met her eye-line, “Better. With the time off… and even some advice from Nyla.”

“Hmm.”

“Always the caretaker.”

Angela grinned, “Since I was a little girl.”

Chapter Text

Four weeks later.

“Are you really still keeping an eye on me when I use the bathroom?” Angela asked.

Wesley turned his body as his arms remained crossed, “Fine, but I’m standing right here. I’m not straying too far away this time around.”

“Dear lord…” she muttered, “Nothing serious even happened…”

“I heard that.”

“Good, you were meant to.”

“Are you done?”

“Does it sound like I am?”

He fell silent, maybe he was being a little too much… but he didn’t care. If this was what it took for her to take him seriously, he wouldn’t hesitate to continue down this path.

“Okay, I’m done,” she said as she walked past him.

He instantly took her by the arm as he guided her back to the bed. She huffed in protest as she knew there was no stopping him when it came to taking care of her. Especially when she was on maternity leave ready to pop, he would be there so expeditiously that it even caught her off guard. Not even during her childhood when her mom would tend to her wounds did it feel like this. Wesley was really something else, in the best way possible which warmed her heart.

“You comfortable?”

“Yep.”

“Water?”

“Wesley.”

“Okay, I’m sorry but I can’t help it,” he remarked, “I want to make sure you’re doing okay.”

Angela rolled her eyes, “My legs work just fine.”

“I know, but that’s not what concerns me…”

“I can move it more without it hurting as much if that makes you feel better.”

Wesley tilted his head as he watched her, “Okay.”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t. I know you don’t want to be home and you’d rather be on the job… but I think it’s good timing as well since we both get to spend some more time with Jack and Emmy.”

“I know,” she nodded, “I can’t exactly hold Emmy right now either…”

Wesley nudged closer as he took her free hand, “This is just temporary, you know that.”

A tear managed to escape her eyes as Wesley wiped it off her cheek.

“I just — I hate feeling like this,” she confessed. “I’ve been hurt before, but not like this.”

Wesley grinned faintly, “Happens to the best of us unfortunately. Angela, you’re the most resilient person I know, nothing can deter you.”

The slightest smile appeared on the corner of her lips as she met his gaze.

“Doesn’t mean I’m not scared.”

“We’re all allowed to be a little scared, we’re only human.”

She squeezed his hand slightly as she exhaled.

“Why don’t you get some rest,” he suggested as he stood up, however Angela’s grip remained firm.

“I can manage a couple things…” she winked.

“Uh-huh…”

She smirked, “Oh come on… it’s been weeks.”

He let out the faintest smile as he shook his head.

“The doctor cleared me last week, but I waited an extra week,” she revealed, “If that helps.”

“Hmm.”

“Well? Are you really going to make me beg?”

He grinned, “Maybe just a little.”

“Thorsen? What are you doing here?” Tim asked as the door swung open.

Aaron smiled, “Hey Bradford — I mean Tim? I think. Just checking up on you.”

“Who sent you?”

“No one?”

Tim crossed his arms, “You know you shouldn’t lie to your superior.”

“Well, we’re off duty so I don’t think I’m obligated to admit to anything,” he countered.

Tim sighed, “Come in.”

“Thanks, nice place man.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Look man, I think we can be upfront with one another right?”

“I guess.”

“As cliche as it may sound, but I consider you guys to be family and I would do anything to help,” Aaron began, “If you feel like you need professional help I can foot the bill for you. For you to see someone who excels in their field.”

Tim shot him a look, “What — How? Why?”

“Because it looks like you’ve been handling a lot lately,” he frowned. “Truthfully Tim, no one said a word to me… all I saw were the looks and just the unspoken words in between. I know it can get rough and people don’t talk about mental health enough at work. With the job we hold… it may never get easier, nevertheless that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to learn how to find the balance in between, so we don’t spiral because we’re not given the time to.”

Tim stood there silent as he took in Aaron’s words. He knew he was right, there’s just no way out of this one. Even with him attempting to be subtle, somehow the ones closest to him knew before he did.

“Okay,” he nodded.

“Let me know when you want to go and I’ll book it for you,” Aaron offered, “Don’t worry about the bill and I won’t say a word to anyone.”

“Thanks… you want a beer? The game is about to start, we could order some pizza and you can tell me all about how therapy has helped,” he said sarcastically.

Aaron chuckled, “You jest, but I hope you know I’m fully prepared to.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Nyla questioned.

Lucy shot her a confused look, “Huh? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know… you’re not being very you right now.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she shrugged.

“Oh please…”

“It’s not that.”

“It so is,” she smirked.

“No it’s not.”

Nyla scoffed, “Keep telling yourself that if it helps.”

“Why is everybody on me about this? It’s not like I’m the one who broke it off.”

“True, however you’re the one that would tell us the details of what actually transpired,” Nyla raised her eyebrow, “If any of us were to ask.”

“There’s really nothing else to say, nothing you don’t already know.”

“Look, I’m not defending him or trying to take sides… but maybe you should cut him some slack right now.”

“I did.”

“Maybe continue to do so for just a little longer.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed, “Since when are you a Tim defender?”

“I’m not.”

“Right and I completely forgive him,” she mocked.

“Lucy.”

She held her hand up, “Okay, geez… it was just a joke.”

“What are you doing with my daughter’s hair?”

“It’s pretty don’t you think?”

“Uh… I guess.”

“Harsh…”

“I found it! The missing doll!” Celina exclaimed as she entered the living room.

“Yay!” Leah screeched.

Lucy held her ears, “Geez.”

Nyla let out a laugh, “Wait until you have some of your own one day.”

“James is building a tree house for Leah?” Celina asked.

“Yeah, he just started,” Nyla answered, “Leah’s been big on climbing so he figured a tree house would be something she like.”

“That’s sweet,” Lucy commented, “Where did James go anyway?”

“He went out to get some more ice cream for us.”

“He really is a good guy,” Celina said.

Lucy’s eyes quickly shifted from Celina to Nyla.

Celina mouths sorry silently as they awaited on Nyla’s next words.

“You don’t have to speak in silence,” she spoke.

Celina smiled nervously, “I didn’t mean anything by it… just that — “

“I know what you meant.”

“Anyway…” Lucy began, “We can look after Leah whenever you need some alone time with James.”

Nyla raised her eyebrow, “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, why don’t you take her now and come back around — let’s say 8 o’clock?”

“Wait what? Are you being serious?” Lucy asked unsure.

“As serious as your offer.”

Celina beat her to it, “Of course! We will do whatever we can to help, where’s her go bag?”

“I’ll be right back with it.”

Lucy waited for Nyla to disappear as she locked eyes with Celina, “Why did you agree so quickly?”

“Because you offered help and she needed it immediately?”

“Yeah, but —“

“Unless you were kidding around…?”

“No. I don’t mind helping, but I didn’t think she’d take me up on the offer right after,” Lucy explained. “I mean I guess that’s a good sign?”

Celina shrugged, “I hope so. Plus I think Nyla needs a reset, I can’t imagine the back and forth she has to endure with him.”

“Glad to be single,” Lucy said.

“True that.”

“Can we please go somewhere?” Angela pleaded. “I’ve barely been out the house and my arm isn’t hurting as much.”

Wesley was met with her puppy eyes, “Angela…”

“It’s like you’ve got me on house arrest.”

“Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

Angela scoffed, “It’s what it feels like, going out on the patio does not count as going outside.”

“You’ve been in pain and doctor’s orders have been bed rest,” he said softly, “I’m just here to make sure you actually follow the rules of recovery.”

“Ugh…”

“Maybe if you went to physical therapy, you’d be outside,” he mumbled.

Angela looked up, “What was that?”

“I said, maybe if you went to physical therapy… you might be better off than you are now.”

“I hate therapy.”

“I know, but this isn’t the same as a session, it’s to help you get better to your old self quicker and I’m sure you want that don’t you?” He asked. “I know you’re still wearing the sling to avoid going.”

Angela huffed in protest. She knew he was right, of course he was… she wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smile off his face, but this wasn’t a battle worth fighting anymore. She wanted nothing more than to be out this house for even a moment and of course back to work as soon as she possibly could.

“Fine.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t have to gloat about being right.”

He simpered, “I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Do you want to get dressed?”

“Are you going to help me?” She questioned.

“Only if you want me to.”

He stood up from her bedside as gently moved the comforter off her and moved her legs to the side of the bed. She was watching his every move and noticed how careful he was being even though it was just the shoulder injury that bothered her. He proceeded to carefully unbuckle some of the clips holding it all together as he swiftly removed it from her arm.

The relief in which she felt from being sling free was something she hasn’t expected. It was almost as if she regained the limb that had been rendered helpless these past few weeks. She couldn’t have asked for a better man to be forever hers, he never hesitated or showed any frustration with how stubborn she had been, even though she knew deep down he only wanted what was best for her. Anything to help you, he would say… he really meant it and showed it through his actions. It brought back flashbacks of when she was concussed a few years ago and lucky for her, Wesley was already around. She couldn’t imagine dealing with this without him by her side.

“Angela, you okay?” He asked concernedly.

“Huh? I’m okay.”

“I asked if you felt any pain?”

She shook her head, “Nothing right now, if anything it’s lighter without the sling.”

“Okay.”

“You’ve always been good at this.”

He smirked, “Being right?”

“No,” she rolled her eyes, “Taking care of me.”

Wesley smiled that annoyingly righteous smile that would either make her roll her eyes again or melt Angela’s heart. She kept her eyes on him as she was deciding on which to go with.

“Make a decision yet?” He asked smugly.

She tugged his shirt and left a couple inches of space between them as she spoke, “You are the best man I’ve ever known and the way you just do everything without making a fuss about it. Most people would want some kind of balance between duties… but you — you’ve never complained once.”

He smiled warmly, “You’ve been nothing short of spectacular Angela, I mean — our two beautiful kids? The way you had to endure being pregnant while being until duress? I know I wouldn’t have been able to handle it as well as you did had I been in your shoes. You deserve to be taken care of and I’m here for you, always.”

Angela pressed her lips against his as the first touch of his mouth on hers sent a familiar ripple through her chest — one that was slow, warm, and so terrifyingly right. He kissed her like a promise — firm, unshakable, filled with things he couldn’t say out loud.

Chapter Text

Twelve weeks later.

“Come on Jack!” Wesley called out.

Angela chuckled, “You know he’s just a two and a half year old.”

“Yeah well… he’s never too young to start learning how to be organized and on time.”

“Mmhmm.”

Jack suddenly came stumbling into the living room with his Superman backpack and mismatched socks. He nearly tripped as he made his way towards Angela.

“Of course he runs to you,” Wesley said with a hint of jealousy.

She smirked, “I’m his favorite — and not the one yelling at him.”

“Mommy, I put socks on… see,” he said pointing at them.

“That’s my boy,” she cheered on, “Now go put on your shoes.”

Jack nodded as he ran towards the shoe rack.

“Emmy’s still sound asleep,” Wesley remarked.

“She definitely gets that from you.”

“And Jack gets his wildness from you.”

“Touché.”

Wesley rounded up the bags as he took one last look at her, “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, physical therapy surprisingly has been helpful and I almost feel like my old self again… I think a couple more weeks and I’ll be able to really wrestle you.”

Wesley let out a laugh, “I can’t wait, now let’s go drop these kids off at Tim’s and have ourselves a day.”

“So, Emmy is still asleep… Jack is well rested so you’re going to have some fun today with that,” Angela smirked.

Tim smiled nervously, “I’ve got my nephews today as well, I’m sure they’ll be some help with that.”

Wesley snickered, “Well, you guys have a great day. You’re dropping off the kids later?”

“Yeah, around 8 o’clock?”

“Make it 9,” Angela grinned.

“Thanks Tim.”

“Jack, be good for you Uncle Tim okay?” She proposed.

Jack nodded as he ran off towards Kojo.

“Buddy, go easy on Kojo,” Wesley noticed.

Tim smirked, “He’ll be fine, he likes Jack. You guys go enjoy your day.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice, see you later.”

Wesley briskly wrapped his arm around Angela’s waist as he opened the door for them. He caught the brief hesitation in which she couldn’t take her eyes off the kids. Leaving them when they were infants was always hard, even with the second one. That was their little girl and toddler.

He gently squeezed her waist as she turned to meet his gaze. This was her life, the perfect man by her side and of course the little bundles of joy they made. And she would not trade it for anything in the world.