Undercover Mother Ch. 02

It wasn't her first time in a hospital, and in her line of work it wouldn't be her last, but it was the first time she cared about the person on the other side of the curtain. The doctors had run Karen out despite her insistence that she wanted to wait by Ronnie's side while they did their work. She sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair in the waiting room head resting on her fists staring off into space.

Charlie had been picked up by a unit from the precinct, and they were bringing him to the hospital, but until then Karen was alone with her thoughts. That this kind of danger was a possibility had always been inherent in what she did for a living, but the consequences had never been more driven home than now. Ronnie was in there fighting for his life, and it was all on her. She winced at the memory of Ronnie's body jerking at the impact of a bullet.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Karen looked up torn out of her train of thought. Howard Mannix stood over her looking tired and a bit ragged after their violent run-in with the assassins earlier.

"Sure," she replied in a dead voice.

He settled his bulky frame in the chair next to hers joining in the vigil.

"Any word?"

"Nothing so far their still working on him."

"I'm sorry, Karen. It's always a shame when a civilian gets caught in the crossfire."

"He was trying to protect me."

Howard raised an eyebrow, "Then he was a brave kid. I'm glad we got the fuckers that did this to him."

"They're both dead?"

"The girl is, but the guy is apparently in a coma. They don't know if he will pull through or not. You clocked the hell out of him."

"I should have hit him a few more times."

"I would have turned a blind eye," chuckled Howard.

"I guess it's better if he lives. I would love to add attempted murder of a cop to Kessler's sentence."

"You and me both."

"I'm glad you caught on back on the porch," said Karen looking over at Howard for the first time.

"Well, I admit for a minute there I thought you were finally succumbing to my charming personality and good looks. Then I remembered who I was dealing with and that idea went right out the window."

Karen smiled and reached over to pat her partner's knee, "You're not a bad guy, Howard. Just not my type."

"I get it. Would you like some coffee?"

The request went unanswered at the appearance of the emergency room doctor through a pair of double doors at the end of the short hallway. He spotted Karen and walked toward her. She couldn't tell anything from the blank expression on the young doctors face.

"This guy should go to Vegas he would be hell on wheels at poker," she thought absently.

"Detective Troy?"

"Yes," she replied as she stood with Howard joining her.

"The young man you brought in, um...Mr. Foreman. We got him stable. The bullet went through and nicked his lung, but fortunately didn't do any major damage. He is going to be o.k."

Karen almost sagged against her partner but fought off the show of weakness.

"Can I see him?"

"He's pretty weak right now, and we have him sedated..."

The look on Karen's face must have intimidated the doctor.

"but if you make it quick," he added.

Ronnie looked like hell. His normally swarthy skin was pale, and he had tubes running into both arms. The monitor above his bed recorded a steady heartbeat, but even to Karen's untrained eye, it looked too slow. She stopped at the side of his bed looking down at his young face. Ronnie's eyes opened slowly, struggling to focus.

"Karen?" he said softly.

"I'm here..." she replied reaching down to take his hand.

"We're not dead," said Ronnie sounding surprised.

"No...We're not...I'm not thanks to you."

He managed a smile, "I always wanted to save the damsel in distress."

"Saving people is my job. Don't you ever do anything like that again," she admonished him quietly.

"I couldn't let him hurt you."

Karen tried to fight back the tears, but this time they started to come whether she wanted them to or not.

"You're going to be o.k. I talked to the doctor. You're going to walk out of here."

"Good...Then you will have to nurse me back to health...I like my chicken soup nice and hot...like my women."

"There a lot of hot women in your life, Ronnie?"

"Just one..." he replied squeezing her hand.

Karen glanced around to make sure no one was looking then leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"I should let you rest. I will bring Charlie by to see you later, o.k."

Ronnie's eyes were starting to close again, and she released his hand turning to go.

"Karen..." he muttered faintly.

"I'm still here."

"I'm glad we...didn't die...I...wasn't ready...to...be without...you. I lov..."

His eyes fell closed, and he drifted off back into a drug-induced slumber. Karen reached down to brush the back of her hand across his cheek before wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Ah shit, Ronnie. I feel the same way, and this just got a lot more complicated."

She stood over his sleeping body until the nurses came and chased her out once again. Howard and Charlie were waiting in the chairs when she returned after stopping in the restroom to make sure it wasn't apparent that she had been crying. Karen didn't know what the future would bring, but she realized her relationship with Ronnie meant far more to her than she had ever thought it would.

With more questions than answers in her heart, Karen went to tell her son that his friend was going to be o.k.