Desperation clawed at him as he pulled Chantale to safety behind the couch. He had to figure out how badly she was hit and if there was anything he could do. He knew basic first aid, but that was about it. He felt for a pulse, finding it strong and steady. Then he saw the sleeve of her white sweater turning a dark red.

As carefully as he could, he managed to get her out of the sweater. She moaned when he slipped it over her head and grimaced as he pulled it down her arm, but he knew he had to see the wound.

Her white shirtsleeve was also bloody, but he could also see the bullet hole. He grabbed the top of the sleeve and tugged for all that he was worth. He was startled by how easily the fabric gave. He used the fabric to wipe away the blood. There was a gash across her upper arm and she hissed when he pressed the cloth against it to try to staunch the blood.

"I'm sorry it hurts, Chantale, but I have to do this." He looked at her face which had gone as white as her shirt. "You know, it would be really nice if you said something to me. You know, argue with me. Tell me about another one of your stupid clients..."

Still, there was nothing.

He reached for the blanket, pulling it down over her. His hand was streaked in blood and more than a little unsteady when he used it to push her hair from her face.

"I've never told you how much I love your hair, my glorious Titania. Those curls, those gorgeous dark curls. And your eyes. Deep blue endless pools which I could get lost-"

The pounding on the door matched the pounding of his heart. For a moment he wondered if the shooter had come, but then he heard someone yell.

"Byrne! Open up! It's the police!"

Pritchard, if Declan had to guess, but he didn't care. Help was here and that was what mattered. With some reluctance, though, he let go of the pressure he was applying to Chantale's wound. He scrambled to the door, threw the lock, turned the knob and then went back to Chantale. Only when he had the bandage back against her arm did he feel some relief. He could do this, he told himself. He would apply pressure until medical help arrived.

"How bad is it?"

"I'm not sure. There's a lot of blood, but I think it just grazed her upper arm. She passed out and I haven't been able to bring her around. How long before the paramedics come? And what about Jocelyne? Doesn't she just live around the corner? Did you call them?"

"Declan."

Relief flooded his system when he realized it was Chantale who had said his name. "Chantale, can you open your eyes?"

"Stop yelling," she said. "I have a headache."

Then the panic was back. "Did you hit your head? I mean did I knock you down? I was just trying to get you out of the line of fire, but what if I made things worse and not better?"

"Shush," she said. "Please stop yelling."

"I will if you open your eyes."

"Don't feel like it."

Declan heard Pritchard chuckle. "I think she's going to be okay. Seth and Jocelyne were in town at the movies. I called them and they're on their way. Fire department is two minutes out."

"Fire department? There's no fire," Declan assured him.

"Out here, they're usually our first on scene. Paramedics have further to come, but they'll be here."

"Declan?"

Chantale's voice was barely a whisper, so he leaned close. "Yes, Chantale."

"Tell Colton to stop yelling."

"I'll tell him, but I think he and I have the right to be loud, because I don't know about him, but you've got me a little scared."

Now her eyes did flutter open. "Big guy like you scared? It's just a bit of blood, although it hurts like a son of a bitch." Then her lashes fluttered shut.

He didn't know if pain was a good sign or not and was debating such an issue when he heard the distinctive wail of sirens.

"I'm going out to greet the newcomers," Colton said, and then he was gone.

"Titania, you have to hold in there just a little bit longer. My fairy queen, you have to stay here with me."

"Wasn't planning on going anywhere," she slurred, "but I am a little tired."

"Well, you can't go to sleep right in the middle of our date because that would just be rude." He needed to keep her conscious, he thought. He needed to keep her with him for as long as he could.

Declan heard the footfalls as several people entered the room at once.

"Step back, Byrne, and let them work on her."

With great reluctance, Declan moved away as two firemen knelt down by Chantale.

The first one asked, "what's your name?"

"Her name is Chantale." He felt Colton's hand on his arm.

"You need to let them talk to her, why don't we go to the kitchen?"

"I'm not leaving her Pritchard."

"I could make you."

Now the two men were facing off.

"You blame me for this."

"Hell yes I do."

"Well, I blame myself. I thought I could keep her protected."

"Great job you did, with that. Now she's been shot. Funny how you're okay."

Declan goggled. "You think I shot her?"

Colton rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know what to think. I just know she was okay before she met you and now she's not."

Declan found he couldn't argue with that.

Suddenly, there was a fireman between them, a smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Finn."

Since the man was looking at him, Declan nodded a greeting.

"So this is Doc's sister, right?"

Declan had never thought of Chantale as 'Doc's sister', but he guessed that must be how people in town saw her. Now, he could see why she tried so hard to get out from under Jocelyne's shadow.

It was Colton who answered. "Yes, Chantale is Doc's younger sister."

"Pretty thing, too," Finn said with a lot of cheer. "Beautiful enough to have two guys arguing about her, but they're not helping her out much." His look sobered. "Take it elsewhere."

Declan was about to argue when he heard more sirens. Colton pointed to a spot clearly out of the way. "Stand there and don't get in the way. I'll go get there paramedics."

Knowing better than to speak, Declan watched Colton stalk off. Wouldn't he be just as angry if he were in the same position? If he thought Colton was responsible for causing harm to Chantale then there was no telling how he would react. Even now, his heart was still pounding in his chest.

"I'm fine," he heard her say weakly. "I want to be left alone. Just get up and go because you're tracking mud into the house and that's going to make Declan mad."

"Oh it will, will it? Well, I'm sure Declan will survive," Finn said. "Now stop struggling or we're going to have to tie you down."

"Look, Mr. Fireman, my brother-in-law is a policeman and he has a gun and he'll make you let me get up."

Finn's face broke into a huge grin. "Oh really? Well, I have to tell you I was there the day your sister met Seth. I was there to watch your sister save someone's life. Seth's partner's life, to be precise. Something tells me he'll side with me on this one."

"Jossie's a good doctor, eh?"

"Now I've never heard anyone call Doc by the name of Jossie. I'll have to try that one out on her."

Declan could hear giggles.

"Merde. Jossie's going to be so angry with me."

"I think she'll forgive you," he said, too quietly to be heard. He was pretty sure Jocelyne would forgive anything as long as Chantale survived and since no one seemed panicked yet, he felt it was a good sign.

Then Colton was back with two paramedics. Finn's partner stepped back to make room. "Chantale, my name is Rory and this is my partner Sawyer. I'm going to ask you a few questions."

"Well, I'm not answering them until you let me sit up."

Finn chuckled. "She's been making that demand for several minutes now."

"Well, I...hey, cut that out."

The female paramedic was flashing a light in Chantale's eyes.

"I'm going to tell Jossie you are all really mean people. She's not going to be happy."

Rory glanced at Finn. "Did you give her a shot of something?"

Finn only shook his head. "She's been a little loopy since we got here."

"Has she been drinking?"

"She better not have," Colton spat out. "There's not supposed to be any alcohol in this house."

"And there isn't," Declan shot back. Then he looked frantically at the first responders. "I think maybe she hit her head when she fell. She's been...loopy...since the shooting."

Sawyer pulled back the dressing then pressed a bandage against the wound. "It's mostly stopped bleeding and there doesn't seem to be too much blood loss, so maybe it is head trauma."

"Va te faire-"

"Chantale!"

Everyone's head swivelled to face the newcomers who had entered into the fray. Jocelyne elbowed her way over to her sister. Now it was Finn who moved aside.

"There are too many people in here," Jocelyne said. "Everyone one out except for Rory and Sawyer. Seth, if they give you any trouble, pull your gun on them."

"Yeah, sure, Jocelyne. That would be fine except that off duty cops don't carry guns."

Declan had to stifle a laugh when he saw the look Jocelyne shot Seth. Instinctively, as if he could ward off the daggers she was shooting at him, Seth held up his hands. "Right, Doc, am herding everyone into the kitchen."

The next moment the radio went off. It sounded garbled to Declan, but he did make out the words 'car' and 'fire'.

"Since Doc's got everything in hand," Finn said, "we'll just head out." He and the other fireman didn't wait for a response, nor did Jocelyne offer them one.

The room only felt marginally less crowded.

"Jossie, they ruined my only shirt. What am I supposed to do? They just keep ruining my things."

Declan couldn't see what Jocelyne was doing, but he heard a sharp intake of breath. "I'm sorry, chère, I know it hurts."

"Bull-"

"Chantale, we really need to talk about your language."

Everyone in the room turned to Declan as he had been the one to speak.

"I told you he was bossy," Chantale told Jocelyne in an exaggerated whisper which everyone could hear. "He doesn't like people in here but there are a lot of people here. And anyway, I just really want to sit up."

"I'm sure you do, but I need to make sure there's no head injury."

"Nope. My noggin is solid rock. You used to say that when we were young. You were so pretty when you were small. Now you're not small anymore. But you're going to have a little one soon."

Jocelyne looked at the paramedics. "No one has given her any shots?"

Rory shook her head. "Finn said not and the civilian says he didn't either. He reported that she's been acting strangely since the incident."

"And no alcohol?"

"No alcohol," Declan and Colton said at the same time.

"Tell them to be quiet, Jossie, they're so loud."

Jocelyne looked at Rory and Sawyer. "I want her transported to the hospital."

"No way." Chantale took advantage of the momentary conference about her care to push herself up. It took very little effort on Rory's behalf to lay her back down.

"Chantale, if they want you to go to the hospital, then you need to go," Declan said.

Chantale shook her head. "I'm not leaving Declan alone." Her voice was still an exaggerated whisper. "I have to protect him."

"Considering you took a bullet for him," Colton pointed out, "I think you've done enough defending."

"Are we sure that the bullet was meant for him?"

Declan and Colton both turned to Seth.

"What were you doing when she got shot?"

Feeling a little silly, Declan considered prevaricating, then he realized the jazz was still playing. "We were dancing."

"And I would assume that it was..." Seth made some kind of gesture which Declan read to mean close.

"Yes, we were dancing together. She was in my arms, then there was a gunshot and I pulled her down to the floor."

Colton followed the general direction of Declan's movements and stepped towards the wall. He squinted and then pointed. Seth came over to join him and there was some kind of unspoken communication.

"What are you thinking?"

"That this bullet could easily have gone through the glass, you, Chantale, and a wall," Colton replied. "One shot with the two of you together and that should have been the end to both of you."

Cold dread enveloped Declan. "You think he was aiming for both of us? How did he miss?"

"Or ask the reverse question," Seth said. "How did he succeed? We'll call in a forensics team, but I'll lay even money that he was more than fifty yards away."

"Maybe more," Colton said. "Probably from the line of trees by the road."

There was that pesky feeling again. "Why not come closer?"

"There's always the chance of being caught. He had no way of knowing where your security perimeter starts or what alarms might be triggered," Seth said. "Still, he's more than just a weekend hunter. Even though the bullet only grazed Chantale, it could have killed you both."

Declan saw movement out of the corner of his eye. "I swear to God, Jossie, if you don't let me sit up then I'll tell everyone that you used to go to preschool without underwear!"

The room was suddenly very quiet.

Seth broke the silence with a chuckle. "That's my wife. Going commando at age four. She was smart even back then."

Declan was unsure if not wearing underwear to school was smart or not, but at least Seth's comment brought the tension down a notch.

"All right, Chantale, Rory and Sawyer are going to help you sit up."

He watched as the two paramedics placed their hands under her shoulders and helped Chantale into a sitting position all the while supporting her neck and head. Jocelyne was crouching in front of her sister, a look of concern furrowing her brow.

"How many fingers, Chantale?"

Chantale rolled her eyes. "Three, Jossie. It's always three. You never vary your routine."

Still, Declan thought, there were three fingers.

Now, for the first time, he was able to look at Chantale without having people hovering over her. She was still deathly pale and her shirt was in tatters, but she seemed able to sit on her own. Now, for the first time, she was able to look up at him.

"I'll go to the hospital if Declan is allowed to come with me."

"No," said the two police officers in unison.

"Never going to happen," Colton added, for good measure.

"Then I'm not going and you can't make me."

Man, she was stubborn, Declan thought, with no small amount of admiration. She'd been shot and the silly woman thought that she could protect him.

"Look, guys, I can stitch her up here and run an I.V. If she isn't better in a little while then we'll take her in." Jocelyne looked between the three men. "Although she's a little woozy, I think that's from the blood loss and not a head injury. And, just for the record, I only went to preschool one day without my underwear." She turned back to Rory and Sawyer. "I'll sign off on this and take over her medical care."

"If you say so," Rory said. "Sawyer will prepare the paperwork and I'll help you with the suture kit."

"And we'll take Declan into the kitchen for questioning," Colton said. When Chantale looked like she was going to argue he held up his hands. "We left the rubber hoses back at the Detachment, I promise."

That seemed to mollify her and then she turned to Declan. She held his gaze and then gave him a quick nod.

For the first time since he'd heard the shot, he felt a measure of relief. She was going to be okay, he told himself. If she wasn't, then Jocelyne would have no compunction of having those two paramedics and two cops force her into the ambulance.

So he followed Seth into the kitchen with Colton bringing up the rear. As soon as he hit the room, though, he felt like he hit a brick wall and his knees nearly buckled.

Colton was there, with a hand on his back, propelling him towards the sink. "Wash your hands, man. I'll put on some coffee. I think it's going to be a long night."

He wanted to argue against the cop's highhandedness, but he found that he couldn't. His hands were covered in Chantale's blood. So much blood, he thought.

"Shouldn't she go to the hospital?" His voice was barely a whisper.

This time, it was Seth who slapped him on the back. "If you think my wife would take any chance with her baby sister then you don't know this family. If Doc says she can treat Chantale here, then she can."

Declan looked into Seth's eyes and saw the truth of the statement. "Finn said that Jocelyne saved your partner's life."

Seth nodded. "By the side of a highway, she told Rory how to stick a really long needle into my partner's lung. I'll be honest and say I was scared out of my mind, but even then I knew Doc was something special. Stubborn, though. Family trait, I think."

Declan wasn't going to argue with that assertion. Instead, he turned to the sink and ran the water as hot as he could while he scrubbed as hard as he could. Slowly, the soap worked its magic and the water turned to brown as it ran down the drain. Slowly, Declan began to feel better. Inch by inch, the tension began to ebb.

When he'd done the best job he could, he shut off the water, grabbed a tea towel and allowed the coarse fabric to take away the remnants of the blood. Then he tossed it in the garbage. He wanted no reminders of tonight.

He was turning back to face the men when the kettle boiled. Inordinately touched that Seth had remembered his preference for tea, Declan set about making a pot while the scent of coffee permeated the room. As soon as it was finished, Colton poured two cups then the three men sat at the kitchen table.

It was Declan who broke the silence. "Did you speak to the person who was following Chantale this afternoon?"

Colton shook his head. "The owner is a little old lady who hadn't even realized it had been stolen. As far as we can see, there's no connection to the case, just bad luck."

"And that car's been torched."

The three men turned to see Dorrie standing in the doorway. She pointed to the coffee and Declan gave her a signal to feel free.

"When the fire department was called to a car fire, I got suspicious because we don't see too many of those. They got there and did a pretty good job at putting out the fire. The preliminary identification is that it is the same make and model as the stolen car. It's possible it's a coincidence, but I don't think any of us actually believes that." She joined the men at the table as they all shook their heads. No, none of them believed it was a coincidence.

"I take it that was the only lead."

"We're pursuing several angles," Seth told Declan. "We've started with family and friends of the victims, but there's a chance it's just some random guys who're mad you got out of jail." He paused, then continued. "We want to move you and Chantale to a safe house."

"My bail conditions say I have to stay here."

Colton shrugged, "that won't be hard to be changed, given the circumstances."

"I want my bail revoked."

There was general shock and disbelief at the table.

"If I'm back in jail then you'll only have to protect Chantale. Surely that will be easier than having to protect both of us."

"You would willingly give up your freedom to protect Chantale?" There was a note of wariness in Colton's tone.

"Is it so inconceivable I want her safe? I don't want any more of her blood on my hands."

"We're staying."

All three men surged to their feet at the sound of Chantale's voice.

Declan was about to admonish her for being on her feet, but the set line in her chin told him it would be an argument in vain. He held out his chair and watched as Jocelyne led her sister to the chair and then took the one next to her which Seth held for her. The two sisters' hands were linked. Chantale was still wearing the ripped and blood-stained shirt as if in defiance of what had happened to her.

"Chantale, we need to move you to a safer location and if Byrne wants to go back to jail, I don't think anyone's going to argue." Colton gave a grudging look at Declan. "Believe it or not, his safety is almost as important to us as yours is."

Declan noticed that his safety was only almost as important, but in no way considered quibbling. Chantale had to be the primary focus.

"Do any of you really believe the guy's going to come back?"

All of the cops exchanged glances.

"Probably not," Dorrie said grudgingly, "especially if we leave an officer on site at all times."

"That takes up a lot of resources," Colton argued.

"Wouldn't you need someone at the safe house," Chantale argued.

Declan could see she'd pegged the situation perfectly.

"We'll have to talk to Greg about this," Seth said, "but I can see him agreeing to this." He looked between Dorrie and Colton. "We could each take an eight hour shift."

Chantale shook her head. "No, Seth, that's not going to work. You guys are good at what you do. We're better off with you in the field trying to catch these guys and finding the real rapist. You can't do that if you're here."

Seth considered her assertion. "As much faith as you have in us, I'm not a corporal and I don't do investigative work. I'll agree that Dorrie and Colton's time would be wasted here. I like the idea of being here for a good portion of the time since Doc's going to be here too."

"Now wait a moment," Jocelyne sputtered. "No one said I'm staying here."

"Well you're not staying alone at our place. I'll drive you to and from the hospital, but you're staying here until we catch the guys responsible for this. Are we clear on this?"

The two sisters exchanged one very long look which Declan found impossible to interpret. He'd grown up an only child with no really close mates. He had no concept of how to communicate that deeply without words.

"All right," Jocelyne said, "I'll stay. For now. I'm not on shift until Friday night anyway, so I'm happy to stick close to my baby sister in the meantime."

"Does Chantale need watching," Declan asked. "I thought you said she'll be okay."

Jocelyne chuckled. "My sister will be fine," she asserted, "but she's a bear with a thorn caught in her paw when she's in pain. Consider yourself warned. I've given her a shot for the pain, but that arm and those twelve stitches are going to hurt tomorrow. Now that it seems everything has been arranged, I need to get her into bed."

That Chantale didn't argue told Declan just how tired she was. Instead, she stood and then swayed. Without thought, Declan scooped her into his arms. "I'll take care of her. You guys do whatever it is that you're going to do."

With that, he strode from the room and was headed for the spare bedroom when Chantale spoke. "Take me to your room, Declan, don't make me sleep alone tonight."

It was the first request she'd made since being shot that he felt capable of fulfilling. "Okay, Titania, we'll do it your way, although I suspect there's going to be some blowback."

"Don't care," she mumbled. "Jocelyne said it was okay as long as you kept a close eye on me."

Declan had every intention of doing just that.

So he took her into the bedroom and sat her on the bed. "Let me get you out of those clothes and into one of my t-shirts. It'll swamp you, but it will also allow you to keep your modesty."

"I don't care about my modesty," Chantale asserted, but Declan already had the t-shirt in hand. Slowly, with great care, he unbuttoned the shirt and eased it from her right arm. Chantale glanced down. "They ruined my favourite shirt. They've ruined every piece of clothing I own, the bastards. Don't they know how important a woman's wardrobe is to her?"

"Maybe that was the point," Declan said. "You know...hit a woman where it really hurts." He was trying to keep the mood light as he removed her bra and then peeled the blood-streaked jeans down her hips. They might be salvageable, he thought. 'Might' being the key word. With great care, he manoeuvred her into the t-shirt and then lay her on the bed, pulling the blankets and covers over her.

"Please, Declan, I need you to hold me. I need you to help me get warm. I'm so cold."

She'd felt cold to his touch so, heedless of their interlopers, he locked the bedroom door, stripped naked and slid in behind her. Mindful of her arm, he slid his around her waist, pulling her back against him. Her cold back was a shock against his warm chest, but he hoped soon there would be a transfer of warmth.

"I'm scared, Declan. I'm scared for you and I'm even scared for me."

His queen, he thought, stripped down and vulnerable. He'd never seen her as such and it scared him. "Why won't you let me go back to jail, Chantale, at least for the time being?"

"Because you might never come back to me and I need you to come back to me."

Probably as strongly as he needed to come back to her. She'd become a part of him, despite his best intentions.

He was about to tell her such when he felt her letting go of the tension and sliding into sleep. It was a long time before he joined her.

sa8~3R-m