SM owns.

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"Don't move."

Jasper pressed a small white towel to the bleeding gash just below my rib cage as he radioed for a medic. I placed my hand over his and sucked in a sharp breath. Now that the adrenaline had worm off, the pain had become excruciating.

"Son of a bitch," he cussed, glaring towards the cuffed bastard in his patrol car.

"It's really not that bad," I lied, wincing as he applied more pressure.

"Leah, what were you thinking? Why didn't you wait for back-up?"

"He would have gotten away," I contested, staring down at the now blood stained towel.

Jasper shook his head disapprovingly. I hated when he looked at me that way, as if he thought I was an insolent child rather than a seasoned cop... or worse yet, a rookie. I didn't care, though. That bastard would have disappeared had I not tackled him to the ground when I did. And I was more than capable of taking down any man twice my size. It's what I'd trained for practically my entire life. He'd just caught me off guard, pretending to surrender before pulling a blade from his sock.

"Where the fuck is my medic?" Jasper growled into his radio, then turned another disapproving scowl my way. "Had you been wearing a vest-"

"Stop. That's the last thing I need right now."

He opened his mouth to speak, when a patrol car pulled up in front of us. McCarty and Newton quickly approached.

"Clearwater, you okay?"

"Never better," I replied with blatant sarcasm, wincing again.

Emmett chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course-Newton, push this perimeter back," he ordered. His rookie flashed me a look of concern, and I suddenly felt slightly embarrassed. I hadn't frisked my perp for weapons before purposefully trying to piss him off. I'd been in a bad mood. And it was inexcusable. He could have easily slashed my throat instead.

A crowd had gathered, some onlookers snapping photos, while others watched with horrified expressions at the blood trickling steadily through Jasper's fingers, forming a growing puddle on the sidewalk. It couldn't possibly be that bad. How deep had that motherfucker cut?

"Where's the goddamn medic?" Jasper seethed. "I can't get it to stop."

"There was an accident on Moore. They had to take a detour. Five minutes at the most. Just keep the pressure on it-Fuck, Clearwater, that son of a bitch got you good."

"Well, you can say he was a little pissed that a girl busted his lip and pinned his face to the ground."

Emmett looked back at the bleeding perp who was screaming expletives and spitting at the car window. "That's my girl," he laughed, handing Jasper another towel.

"Don't encourage her," Whitlock chided.

I suddenly felt a strong urge to slap my partner upside the head, but before I could do so, my vision became spotted. Closing my eyes and drawing in a breath, I grasped desperately at Jasper's sleeve.

"I-I need to lie down," I stammered weakly. And he immediately began calling my name with frantic urgency, his voice now sounding more like a distant echo. Emmett's tone became panicked as well. He yelled into his radio, trying to pinpoint the medic's exact location.

I knew I was losing consciousness, the blackness pulling me in with unrelenting force. Jasper's hand was now gently palming my face. "Leah, stay with me, please," he pleaded.

The remote sound of sirens was the last thing I heard before I found myself surrounded by a more peaceful and cooler atmosphere. I knew I was at the hospital, the smell unmistakable. I'd been here so many times, though never for myself. I exhaled, thanking God I hadn't bled out.

My hand instinctively rose to a bandage covering my abdomen. "Ow!"

Warm lips unexpectedly pressed against my cheek, and my eyes fluttered open. Edward's dazzling smile beamed back. "Easy, love. You have a pretty nasty laceration there and lost quite a bit of blood."

"Ugh," I complained, "That mother-"

"Don't worry about him. Attempted murder of an officer-Of my officer, will have him rotting in a cell for the rest of his useless life."

I covered my face with my hands. "How could I possibly be so stupid?"

"This could have happened to anyone. But yes, you should have waited for back-up-"

"Edward, if I hadn't caught him, he'd probably be planning his next robbery as we speak." I eased up to a sitting position, biting down on my lip as pain shot across my side. "Please, don't do that. Don't treat me like I'm breakable. Like I'm a civilian or some weak-ass chick that can't take care of herself. I'm a cop. I did my job, and now that bastard is locked up where he belongs. This just comes with the territory. It's what you would have done and you know it."

His green eyes softened as he leaned forward to place a kiss on my lips. "I know; I just can't stand to see you hurt. When I received the call... Leah, I imagined the worst."

"And that's why it's a not a good idea to date a cop." I grinned, pulling him closer.

"Good point," he agreed with a snigger before kissing me more deeply.

Edward and I had only been dating five months, but in that relatively short period of time, I'd already met his parents and sister and, vice versa, and we'd traveled overseas together on two occasions. However, I had to admit that it did scare me a little: the way he looked at me, the things he'd say. Some days I felt as though we were moving slightly too fast, and I didn't know that I was completely ready for what seemed to be looming in the near future.

"Hmm, now I know what you've been busying yourself with after your shift," I stated, playfully squeezing his bicep as he lowered me back onto the bed.

His muscles were certainly more pronounced. I couldn't help but notice as he'd held me in his arms the entire time I freshened up in the small bathroom, insisting I shouldn't bear weight on my feet. My legs are fine, I argued relentlessly. But he promptly accused me of not taking my injury seriously enough, then went on to explain how the weapon had been rusted, and how it had pierced right through a rib, missing my lung by just a hair.

"Emmett's been helping me put some extra work in at the gym. How else am I going to defend my girl against the bad guys?" he teased, trailing kisses along the side of neck.

"How about that .38 special you've got strapped to your waist, Detective Mason?" I purred, sliding a hand towards his belt and suggestively giving it a tug. He groaned into my hair. "Besides, don't let this one, inconsequential incident fool you; I can slay my own dragons."

"And that's what makes you so damn sexy," he murmured, slipping his tongue inside my mouth.

"I'm starving," I whispered over his lips.

"Let's remedy that, shall we." Edward gave me one last kiss before pulling out his cell and quickly dialing the number to my favorite Thai restaurant. I grimaced, the craving for a greasy pepperoni pizza suddenly making my mouth water. Sure, Thai was my fave, but it wouldn't have hurt to ask what I was in the mood for first.

"Babe," I called, hand at my rib cage. He turned, signaling with his finger for me to give him a second. I nodded, resigned, and he flashed me one of his most alluring smiles before walking towards the window, trying to decide between noodles or rice.

"Glad to see you made it!" Emmett's booming voice reverberated within the walls of the small hospital room as he stormed inside. Jasper followed, white lilies in hand.

"Was there ever any doubt?" I asked jokingly, smoothing a hand through my hair. I probably looked like hell.

"I don't know; for a minute there, you turned as pale as Edward's white ass!"

My boyfriend rolled his eyes, shaking his head at his cousin's crude remark. Jasper walked around the side of the bed and set the small vase on the windowsill.

"How are you handling the pain?" he asked, expression etched with anguish. It was a look I certainly wasn't used to coming from Jasper. That contagious, beaming smile of his was definitely one of his best attributes.

"Oh, it's not too bad, you know, as long as I don't move or breathe."

"Right. Of course," he laughed. There it was. I smiled in response, trying to stifle a laugh as the pain threatened to surface. I grabbed for the railing, bracing myself, finding my partner's hand instead. "I'm sorry," he whispered, frowning again and placing his other hand on top of mine. Jasper's soothing touch quickly relieved the tension in my abdomen.

"No, no. It's okay. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, that was all you, Clearwater. Always trying to be bad-ass!" Emmett jeered.

"Trying? And that's not what I was talking about you cheeky bastard." I smirked, mouthing a fuck you in his direction. Before he could shoot back, Edward interrupted our bantering.

"Emmett, I'm glad you're here; I have some paperwork for you to look over," he said, shoving his cell into one of his back pockets.

"Shouldn't Whitlock-?"

"No, nothing to do with Leah's assault."

Some unknown conversation seemed to drift between them, as though they were somehow reading each other's minds. I was too emotionally exhausted to ask, though I made a mental note to question Edward later. Emmett nodded, wishing me a fast recovery, then exited.

"I'll be back in a few," Edward whispered over my lips, kissing them gingerly. "Jas, if you're sticking around, don't let her try and get up. I shouldn't be long."

Jasper nodded.

"I don't appreciate being treated like a child."

"It's not about that, love. You're just so damn stubborn."

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed, waving him off. Edward closed the door behind him with a soft click.

"I plan on following through, so don't get any ideas."

"Of course you would," I sulked, rolling my eyes.

Jasper suddenly sat at the foot of the hospital bed, expression grave. "I'm sorry, Leah," he murmured, "for not being there when you needed me. He could have killed you, and I wouldn't have been able to live with that."

"Stop." I outstretched my hand, silently pleading for him to take it. He looked at my extremity for several seconds before accepting, then scooted up to sit beside me. "It's nobody's fault but mine. And I did what I had to do in order to catch this guy. Why are you and Edward insisting on-?"

"I don't doubt your ability as a cop, Leah. You're... amazing and strong," he smiled, "I just... care." He gave my hand a squeeze, and what felt like a sizzling electrical current shot up my arm, nestling in the pit of my stomach, and leaving me momentarily breathless.

Strange.

Instinctively, I leaned forward, pulling him into a hug, biting back the pain. He carefully wrapped his arms around me, nose to my hair. "Careful," he breathed, close to my ear.

Jasper and I had been partners for a little over four months, two weeks after he'd transferred from Dallas, taking Edward's place. Edward wasn't too keen on the idea of a guy like Jasper spending so much time with his new girl, but a promotion to detective was a position he just couldn't refuse. It had been his dream. And it didn't take long for him to become good friends with Jasper, anyway. The man just possessed a special aura, charisma that was impossible to resist.

"Thank you for that. I needed the ego boost."

He chuckled, pulling away just slightly, his eyes now trained on my face. I suddenly became a tad self conscience, not because I was the type of woman to have low self-esteem or anything, but simply because Jasper was a beautiful creature, and I'd just literally been through hell and back.

He suddenly shook his head, moving a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "No," he said, confusing me for a second, as I hadn't recalled saying a word in the last few seconds.

"No?"

"Whatever it is your thinking."

"Oh, you're a mind reader now, Whitlock?" I grinned.

"Unfortunately not. What I wouldn't give to get inside that head of yours," he said, slipping out of my grip and quickly moving back towards the foot of the bed. I pulled the thin blanket up across my chest, suddenly feeling cold, and smiled.

"Ha! You couldn't handle this, Texas," I taunted, referring to the crazy place that was my mind.

My smile instantly faded as I watched Jasper's jaw set tight upon my words. His steal blue irises smoldered with concentrated intensity, boring into me with an almost demonic defiance. The chill I'd felt just seconds ago was irrefutably gone. He'd never looked at me that way before. My throat suddenly became dry. I attempted to swallow, aspirating my own saliva in the process, which sent me into a violent coughing fit. My hand closed over my side, against the bandage, as the pain racked my body. Tears began to well in my eyes.

Jasper lunged forward, one hand over mine, while the other pulled me into a gentle embrace. "Just breathe, Leah," he crooned, stroking my back. "Relax. Breathe."

It took me another minute or so to settle the cough, the pain subsiding only slightly. I lay my head on his shoulder, regaining my composure, when I mistakenly took in the scent of his after shave, the same one he'd been using since we met, and became unraveled. A spark ignited deep within the pit of my stomach, causing me to draw in a shaky breath, as I was overcome with emotions I had never felt before.

What the fuck was wrong with me? Maybe I had lost too much blood.

"Can I get some water?" I croaked, my voice raw.

Jasper nodded, hastily pouring me a cup of iced water from a small pitcher on the windowsill. I took the white Styrofoam cup, careful not to meet his gaze, afraid of the uncertainty he'd see in mine.

"Should I call a nurse?" His voice was laced with concern and, even then, it held a smooth, velvety tone that I'd never acknowledged before. And that Texan drawl...

"No, no. I'm fine," I mumbled into the cup, taking a long swig. It must have been the pain meds, the anesthetics, or the near-death experience... something. Jasper has never been anything more than my partner, a friend. Today, however, something had changed. Drastically.

My mind began to race, confusion clouding my brain as the events from this morning replayed in my thoughts. I remembered storming off, leaving Jasper inside that damned coffee shop. With her. Disappointment. Anger. Jealousy.

Jealousy.

"Leah," he called, putting a hand on my arm. His warm fingers burned where they touched, yet managed to send a shiver down my spine. "Is there something wrong?"

Yes.

"No. I'm just... tired," I lied, still unable to look him in the eye, in shock as the pieces were slowly falling into place.

His thumb gently caressed the skin on my forearm. "I'll call you in the morning." Jasper started to get up. I grabbed his wrist, finally meeting his stare. The universe then unexpectedly shifted. I could feel my heart rate accelerating as utter joy and sheer terror rippled throughout my body. I forced myself to look away, afraid I'd do something I'd later regret.

"Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful. I know Emmett must have ragged on you for that." Jasper chuckled. "And thank you. If you hadn't gotten to me as quickly as you did, who knows what would have happened."

"Don't think about that; just get some rest. I need you back. Who else is going to kick my ass everyday?"

I smiled in response, daring a glance, and watched as his lip pulled into my favorite lopsided grin...

And I was officially fucked.