February 25th, 10:30 AM

      "Here it comes, guys!" Wiley called out to Ashley. "We'll give 'em time to land and get her checked in, and then we can go up and see her."

      They were standing in the parking lot of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, watching the air-ambulance helicopter land on the hospital's helipad. After allowing several days for Briar's condition to fully stabilize, Wiley, with the aid of Lieutenant Sanger and Chief MacDevitt, had arranged for her to be transferred back to Los Angeles. He and Ashley had researched several hospitals in the city, and finding that the orthopedic department at Cedars-Sinai worked with three of the city's major sports teams, had chosen to have Briar moved there as soon as she was able to travel. The fact that Sanger's wife also worked there as a surgical nurse had also helped to expedite the process, as the lieutenant was acquainted with several of the hospital administrators, and was able to convince them of the need for the transfer. 

      Ashley, who had graduated from the wheelchair to crutches just the day before, shifted his grip and prepared to enter the hospital. He had returned to LA the previous weekend, when no one had been able to stay in Solvang with him any longer, so he and Briar hadn't seen each other for nearly four days, and Wiley had been forced to leave even earlier, to reopen the garage and allow Cody to return to school. Liz and Carmine, as well as several of their older children, had taken turns spending time at the hospital to make sure that she wasn't alone, and both Ashley and Wiley had spoken to her on the phone, but they were still eager to see her in person again.

      They entered the building, making their way to the cafeteria, since they had been told that someone would come to find them there as soon as Briar had been admitted and settled into a room. They found a table near the door, and Ashley took out his wallet, removing a bill and handing it to Wiley, "Since you're not... encumbered, I'll buy drinks if you'll go get 'em. Sound fair?"

      "Yeah, I can live with that," the larger man responded. "What'll ya have? Coffee?"

      "Oh, hell no! I've decided that hospital coffee is actually just a tool for them to generate business. I'll have iced tea if they've got it, and if not, just grab me a Diet Coke."

      "Oh yeah, like you need diet anything!" Wiley snickered. 

      "Maybe not, but I also don't really like to stuff myself full of a bunch of sugar, either," Ashley replied.

      "That's cool, I'll take your share, then."

      Wiley walked across the room to get their drinks while Ashley checked his phone, replying to a few texts, and confirming a physical therapy appointment for the following afternoon. He laid it down when a large styrofoam cup was placed on the table in front of him, and Wiley announced, "Here's your Diet Coke, man. The tea was presweetened, so I figured this was probably the better option."

      "Thanks, dude." After replacing the phone in his jacket pocket, and taking a sip of his drink, Ashley looked across the table at Wiley and inquired, "So, has she talked to you about it yet?"

      "Very little, to tell ya the truth. I kind of persuaded Cody to prod her a little the other day, since she's less likely to get pissed off and blow up at him, but it didn't do a lot of good. He told me that all she'd really say about it was that she was adjusting to the situation, and that she'd basically prepped herself for something like that when she started working the movies, since you never know when a stunt might go wrong. How about you?"

      "We haven't actually discussed it at all," Ashley admitted. "I didn't want to press the issue while she was in the ICU, and she's managed to find a way to avoid the topic since then. I was thinking I might try to talk to her about it sometime today. Do you want to help?"

      "Nah, I don't think that would be a real good idea. If we do that, she might feel like we're ganging up on her. So what I'm thinking is that maybe when I go pick Cody up from school, you can sort of broach the subject, and see what happens. Then if she won't talk to you, I'll give it a try later on."

      Before Ashley could reply, a voice came from behind him, saying, "Good morning, gentlemen. Ms. Malveaux has been taken to her room, so you can see her whenever you like."

      They both turned to look, and saw a petite woman with pale-blonde hair, wearing a set of brilliant-pink scrubs, standing near Ashley's chair. Wiley quickly stood up, holding his drink in one hand, and asked, "Are we allowed to take these with?"

      "Oh, absolutely!" she replied, as she moved Ashley's crutches from their position against the wall, and offered them to him. "Here you go, Mr. Purdy. Now be careful standing up, people spill things on the floor in here all day long, so it could be either slippery or sticky. And I doubt that you want to end up back in your chair because your shoe got stuck on somebody's spilled Pepsi."

      As he reached for the crutches, it occurred to him that the woman looked rather familiar, so he queried, "Excuse me, but have we met?"

      She favored him with a brilliant smile, and said, "I'm Nora Sanger, Garrett's wife, and yes, actually we have. Since it was rather chaotic that evening, I suppose it's understandable that you might not remember clearly, but I'm the one who helped to remove the glass and splinters you accumulated when the restaurant was bombed. And I have to tell you, Mr. Purdy, you managed to deliver some of the most creative cursing I've heard in my entire career."

      He flushed as he levered himself from the seat, and mumbled, "Yeah, I apologize for that, but in my defense, that stuff you were soaking me with felt like somebody had dumped a nest of bees over me. And call me Ashley, or just Ash, okay?"

      "Completely understandable, Ash. Now if you two will follow me, I'll show you to Ms. Malveaux's room."

      Wiley scooped up Ashley's drink, and they fell in behind Nora Sanger, following her to a bank of elevators. She pressed a button, and as they waited for the doors to open, she told them, "Now, just so you're aware, we'll most likely have to interrupt your visit for a bit sometime in the next hour or two. I'll be helping one of the other nurses take your friend to the physical therapy department, where they have the facilities to allow us to give her something a bit more thorough than just a sponge bath in bed. It shouldn't take long, so you can just remain in the room until she gets back, if you like."

      They nodded their understanding, and stepped into the elevator, riding it up to the fifth floor, where she led them down a lengthy hallway until they reached a door marked with the number "533". Pushing the door open just enough to stick her head into the room, she said, "Hello, Ms. Malveaux, have they made you comfortable? There are a couple of gentlemen here to see you, should I let them in?"

      "Well, I'm pretty sure I don't know any gentlemen," they heard Briar retort. "But if their names are Ash and Wiley, then hell yes, they can come in!"

      The blonde nurse opened the door, stepping into the room and holding it to let them enter. Wiley, who could move faster, had reached the bed before Ashley had fully cleared the doorway, and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Hey there, hon. You didn't have any problems with the chopper trip, did you?"

      "Nope, it was all good. And did you notice that there's not as many gizmos now? They decided I don't have to keep my leg up in the air anymore, and my kidneys have healed up enough that they took the damn bag out yesterday."

      "That's great, it seems that you're both making progress, then," Wiley responded, waving his hand to indicate Ashley, who had nearly reached the opposite side of the bed. She turned her head, and a huge grin spread across her face as she registered what she was seeing.

      "You're upright!" she exclaimed delightedly. "When did they let you get rid of the chair? And how does it feel?"

      He carefully lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, setting the crutches to the side and dropping a kiss on her cheek before answering. "They sprung me yesterday. I thought about calling and telling you, but I decided to let it be a surprise when you got here. And it's still a bit tender, but they said that's normal. I have to be careful how I bend it when I get out of a chair or something like that, and I still can't do stairs, but it's improving. I had my first physical therapy appointment yesterday, and I'm scheduled for twice a week, so hopefully that'll help it get better a bit faster."

      Wiley pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down, and both men sat with her as Nora Sanger approached and began checking her vital signs, then lifted the sheets to inspect her surgical incisions. "Well, you seem to be doing quite well, young lady. Your heart rate and blood pressure are good, and your temperature is normal, so I don't think we need to be too concerned with any infection. And your doctor will have to confirm, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to have your stitches removed soon."

      Briar looked at her for a moment, and when her eyes dropped to the nametag dangling from a lanyard around the older woman's neck, she said, "Sanger. You're the Lieutenant's wife, aren't you? I thought you looked familiar. You were with him at Detective Whitman's funeral."

      The other woman's lips tightened momentarily, and then she replied, "Yes, I was. Lena wasn't just Garrett's co-worker, she was one of my dearest friends. And I'm sorry that the two of you had to deal with what that bastard put you through, but I'm glad that they caught him, and that he'll have to pay for what he did to her, and everyone else."

      Before any of them could think of a response, the door opened, and another nurse entered, holding several bundles in her arms. "Oh good, you're already here!" she said. "I've brought the covers, so we can put them on and take the young lady down to PT."

      Briar cast a confused glance at the two women, so Nora explained what they were planning to do. "Oh, hallelujah!" she blurted. "Do you think we can wash my hair, too? Liz brought in some of that dry shampoo a few days ago, but there's only so far that'll go."

      "I think that can probably be arranged," the second nurse responded. "We just need to get these covers put over your casts, and then we'll call in the attendants to help move you down there."

      They proceeded to open the packages, revealing what appeared to be oddly-shaped bags of sturdy plastic attached to rubber-lined blue rings. Nora Sanger picked up the largest one and began carefully working it over the cast on Briar's leg, while her colleague worked to cover the casts on her hands. Once this was done, the second nurse stepped out of the room, returning in a short time with two muscular young men wheeling a gurney. Wiley came around the bed to help Ashley move out of the way, and then the men carefully removed Briar from the bed and placed her on the gurney, wheeling her out the door with the nurses close behind.

      "You guys just sit tight, we should have her back in around thirty minutes or so," Nora Sanger called back over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. The two men just looked at each other for a moment, then Wiley picked up the remote control and pointed it toward the TV.

      "Well, whaddya say we see if there's anything on besides soap operas and talk shows?" he questioned. Ashley simply shrugged, and the other man began to channel surf. They settled on a sports-commentary program, and began bantering about the teams that were being discussed, but after only a few minutes, Wiley's phone rang. He glanced at it briefly, then tapped a button and said, "Hey, buddy! You're not using your phone in class, are you?"

      They both heard Cody reply, "No, I need you to come and pick me up. Some jackass ran into a power pole over by the gym, and the whole block is basically dark, so they're kicking us out early."

      "Okay, I'm headed that way. This actually works out pretty well, since Briar got here just a little while ago, so you'll have a bit more time to hang out with her today."

      "Sweet! Hurry up, so we can get back quicker. I'll wait for you out here by the library."

      Wiley rose from his seat, and said, "When she gets done, tell her we'll be back soon. Do you want me to stop and grab some lunch on the way?"

      "Nah, probably shouldn't. We don't know if she can have outside food, and it wouldn't be fair if she can't."

      Wiley hurried out, and Ashley turned part of his attention back to the program, while still listening for the sound of the gurney moving down the hall. Around ten minutes after Wiley's departure, the door opened, and Briar was wheeled back into the room. He turned to look at her as they placed her back into the bed, and instantly knew that something was wrong. 

      When they had arrived, she had been cheerful and talkative, but now she appeared distracted and unsettled. He waited until everyone else had left the room, then returned to his place on the edge of her bed, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "What's wrong, Tink? Do you want me to call them back to bring you some medicine or something?"

      She didn't reply to the question, but looked up at him after a moment, and he was stunned to see tears rolling down her cheeks. He repeated the question, but she simply shook her head before bursting into deep, racking sobs that he could feel through the mattress.

      Remembering her broken collarbone, he carefully slid his arm around her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder as she wept, stroking her arm and dropping kisses on the top of her head until the storm of tears eased. When it had diminished to merely sniffles and hiccups, he reached across the bed for the tissue box, and removed several of them, handing them to her as he reached for the water pitcher.

      She dabbed at her reddened eyes as he poured water into the glass on the table, then held it to her lips. She took a drink, and he set it aside, looking into her eyes and pleading, "Please, tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if I don't know what's bothering you."

      More tears trickled from her swollen eyes, and her voice was a hoarse whisper as she said, "You can't help, anyway. Not with this. I didn't realize until just now exactly how bad it really was. I look like fucking Frankenstein, and I'm basically useless now, there's no way I'll ever be able to go back to work!"

      "Stop right there!" he ordered, earning a startled look from Briar. "Don't ever let me hear you call yourself useless again, because it's totally fucking untrue! Once you get out of these casts, you can start rehab, and get fitted for a prosthesis, and people do just about everything in those now. They even go to the fucking Olympics, so who's to say that you can't go back to work?"

      "Oh, sure, I'm gonna be able to jump off of buildings and shit like that with a fake leg!"

      "Maybe you can, and maybe you can't. But even if you can't do your old job, you'll find something else, just as good or better. And you know what else? You'll be fucking awesome at whatever it is, because you're not the kind of person who's gonna settle for anything less. And we'll be with you every step of the way, so you won't have to do it by yourself."

      She glanced up at him, her expression somewhat uncertain, and her voice was uncharacteristically hesitant as she murmured, "Ash, you..."

      "What, darlin'?"

      "You don't have to stick around if you don't want to," she whispered. "I mean, it's not like you're obligated to deal with my problems. If you want to just walk away, I totally understand."

      He was too stunned to respond for several seconds, but when he did, she winced at the hurt in his voice as he questioned, "Is that really the kind of person you think I am? If our positions were reversed, is that what you'd do?"

      "Of course not! But if our positions were reversed, are you going to tell me that you wouldn't at least offer the option?"

      He considered the question, and replied, "Yeah, I probably would, at that. I wouldn't want anyone to feel obligated to stick around out of guilt, or because they pitied me, and I guess I do understand why you said it. But you've offered me the choice, and I'm not going anywhere. Because no matter what else happens, we're friends, and friends look out for each other. Like you looked out for me out in the woods that day."

      She nodded, and leaned into his shoulder, gradually regaining her composure. Then, when she had calmed down a bit, Ashley asked, "We're being totally honest here, right?" She nodded again, and he continued, saying, "I had a conversation with the guys that first night, and they asked me about our relationship, about whether we might have just gotten caught up in the circumstances." 

      "And what did you say?"

      "I thought about it, and it is a fair question, so what I think is that we should take this time while you're recovering to actually get to know each other better. I know I want you in my life, as a friend if nothing else, but I honestly think that we should get to know each other under normal circumstances, instead of taking the risk of damaging our friendship. Are you okay with that?"

      "Yeah, I can see your point, but I'm not sure that there's any such thing as 'normal' in either of our lives anymore. At least not now," she replied.

      "Well, I guess we're just going to have to find a new normal, then," he told her. "And we both have a lot of things to learn, about ourselves and each other. I mean, it just occurred to me that I've seen you naked on multiple occasions, but I don't know some of the most basic things about you, like your favorite color. Hell, I don't even know how old you are!" Pasting a fake look of shock onto his face, he put a hand to his chest and gasped, "Ohmigod! You are legal, aren't you?"

      They both broke into giggles at his lame attempt at humor, and when they faded, she snuggled closer to him. He reached out to stroke her hair with his free hand until she began to drift off to sleep, exhausted by her outburst. They remained in this position until Wiley and Cody entered the room, their expressions becoming alarmed as they noticed the tearstains on her face.

      "Dude, do we need the doctor?" Wiley inquired anxiously. "Is everything okay?"

       Ashley looked fondly at the young woman sleeping on his shoulder, and gently brushed her hair out of her face before he replied. "No, it's good. I think everything is gonna work out just fine now."