I hate seeing stories coming to an end...thanks for being here.

Juliet stayed by Lassiter's side throughout the night. Despite wanting to investigate their kidnapping, the Chief ordered her to take the next 24 hours to recuperate and rest, especially since there was less than nothing to go on since they could not take neither Lassiter's nor Shawn's statement for the time being.

Her partner slept peacefully. The bandages around both wrists told a story that Juliet wasn't entirely ready to hear. The graze on his head was bandaged and the lines of pain in his features were smoothed, however, which gave her some sense of comfort. She couldn't even imagine what he had gone through or how his body could even endure the abuse it took. However, she knew that her partner was never one to back down from a challenge. He would go until his body collapsed on him, which, based on the EMT's report, is exactly what he did.

She was relieved to learn that the X-rays only revealed two fractured ribs. The bruising on his side was vibrant and she knew it had to be painful just to breathe. Luckily, after monitoring the detective for any signs of a concussion, the doctor was satisfied enough to give the detective much needed painkillers, which were now swirling through the I.V. concoction of saline and glucose. Even without them, she was sure that his exhaustion would've forced him to sleep anyway.

The same couldn't be said for the detective's kidnapping companion. A floor above them in the ICU, Henry Spencer watched his son's body fight against the fever currently raging through him. Despite cleaning the wound in his thigh, Shawn's weakened state was still struggling to fight off the infection that was present.

Henry refused to let go of his son's trembling hand. He needed Shawn to know that he wasn't alone. He watched as Shawn would experience nightmare after nightmare, waking up hallucinating that he was still trapped wherever the hell he was before they escaped. He felt as if his heart was ripped right out of his chest every time Shawn's unseeing, bleary eyes met his. The fear and confusion radiating behind them was something he had never seen before and it killed him to know that Shawn was expriencing this torment.

The doctor didn't feel like giving his patient painkillers was a safe route. Between the dehydration, high fever, and serious concussion, he settled on giving the injured man a light sedative anytime he was showing restlessness and discomfort. Time after time, Henry watched as Shawn's taut muscles and pained features would slowly relax against the sweat-soaked sheets. The shivers remained, but at least Shawn was ripped free from another hallucination for the time being.

Bruises and scrapes dotted every part of his exposed skin. His shoulder was swollen and turning a mix of purple and blue that crept passed his collarbone. The X-rays showed no further damage other than the dislocation, which, thanks to what Henry assumed was Lassiter, had successfully been put back into place. The X-rays also thankfully showed no damage to his son's spine. He had significant bruising along his back, but that was the worst of the damage. However, the X-rays did reveal a cracked rib as well as a small hairline fracture to Shawn's skull. Despite how awful the state of his son seemed to be, Henry knew it could have been so much worse.

He was lucky to even be alive.

He held his son's hand tighter as the trembles refused to cease. He knew Shawn was fighting hard. He wanted nothing more than for his son to get the rest he deserved. But until the fever broke, his body was going to continue its strain. As the clock slowly crept past 4am, Henry finally fell asleep with his head on his son's bed and his hand wrapped around the prone man's.

Hours later, as the sunlight crested over the horizon and spilled into the white-walled hospital room, Juliet found herself awakening from a sleep she didn't remember falling into. She blinked several times to clear her vision as she straightened her now aching back. She looked across at her partner, only to find two tired blue eyes staring back at her own.

"Carlton?"

"O'Hara."

Without thinking, she sprung from her chair and wrapped her arms around Lassiter's upper body, eliciting a slight groan from him.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just...I'm so glad you're okay." She said as she released him.

"Thanks for finding us." He said as he allowed her to take his hand in both of hers, momentarily ignoring the bandaging on his wrist. He felt much better than he did the prior day. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Over twelve hours. You were pretty much asleep right when you both arrived."

Both.

Lassiter's eye's widened. "Is Shawn here? He wasn't doing good when we got here. I tried...well I tried to stay awake in case he needed me."

Juliet could hear the worry and fear within his voice, which stood in stark contrast to the usual annoyance and irritation that usually spewed from the detective with any mention of the psychic.

"Shawn is still in the ICU, just above us. Henry has been with him all night so I was only able to see him briefly." Juliet explained.

"How was he?" Lassiter asked in a low tone.

"Not great. Still fighting an infection. Last I heard from Henry, his fever still hadn't broken."

"Damn it."

"He's strong, Carlton."

Lassiter allowed his eyes to meet hers. "Trust me, I know." He said with a sigh. His mind flashed back to the treatment Shawn experienced at the hands of their captors. His bound hands behind his back forcing his dislocated shoulder into an even more unnatural position and Shawn's screaming for them to stop as the hits rained down on his defenseless body. He would never forget the look on Shawn's face as the large knife was plunged into his unsuspecting flesh or how the light in his eyes faded out with each drop of blood that left his body. Pulling his limp body to the floor and desperately trying to stop the bleeding would stick with him forever. But what would haunt his dreams was the look on Shawn's face as he was dragged out of the room to his apparent death. The feeling in Lassiter's gut as he realized he failed was something he never wanted to experience again.

What he certainly would never forget was the side of Shawn he'd never seen before. His desperation to protect those he cared about, even if it meant losing his life. His will to fight to survive despite the odds. Lassiter never gave Shawn half the credit he deserved but after this ordeal, he realized there was so much more to the psychic than he ever knew.

If he lost him after everything they went through, he wasn't sure he'd ever recover.

"Carlton?" Juliet asked quietly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Just so you know we have armed security at both yours and Shawn's doors."

"That's not necessary...anymore."

Juliet was quiet for a moment. "What happened out there? One second you were involved in a chase and the next I'm arriving at your totaled and empty car."

"If you're ready to take my statement, I'm ready to give it." Lassiter replied. Juliet dug through her bag to get the proper materials as Lassiter's doctor entered the room.

"How are you feeling, Detective?" He asked as he checked his vitals.

"Much better than yesterday."

"I'm sure of it. All of your vitals look great. I'm going to have some food sent up here because I imagine you're hungry. I'd like to keep you one more day, but since you're improving, I anticipate you'll be able to go home tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, doctor." Lassiter said as he felt his stomach growl at the mention of food.

The doctor left and Juliet was left alone with her partner once again. "Okay, whenever you're ready, just start from the beginning."

While Lassiter gave his statement, on the floor above them, Henry found himself talking to his still son. He'd been given another sedative over an hour before, and it appeared that he was finally getting a sliver of the much needed rest that had alluded him throughout the night. The shivers had died down to an occasional tremble rolling through his exposed limbs. Nurses had checked on him, even while Henry remained asleep for the short time before sunrise, noting the change in his temperature. According to the latest report, it was down to 103 which, although still high, was nothing compared to the 105 temperatures his son was experiencing throughout the night.

He mostly said repeated reassurances to his unresponsive child. He wanted nothing more the to gather Shawn in his arms and tell him it would be okay, however, throughout the past night, Henry found himself doubting it would be. He still knew very little about what his son experienced but he did know that it wasn't good. He just hoped to God that his son would recover mentally from this ordeal.

He grimaced when he watched the nurse change the bandages on Shawn's thigh. The red and puffy skin surrounding the newly-placed stitches demonstrated that Shawn's fight wasn't over yet. Once she was done with her ministrations and adjustments to Shawn's I.V.s and bandages, she left the father and son alone again. It was still early in the morning and Henry felt incredibly lonely without anyone to really talk to. He had spoken to Madeline the night prior and promised he would call with any future updates regarding their son. The good news was that Shawn was scheduled to be placed in a regular room later that day which meant he could have more visitors. Gus was practically losing his mind having to wait but used his time to get so far ahead on work that he could spend the next week at his best friend's side. Henry smiled as he thought about the phone call in which Gus told him his plan. He looked down at his son once again, resuming his vigil diligently for the time being.

Juliet had tears streaming down her cheeks by the time her partner had recounted what had happened to them after the car chase. Although her vision was somewhat blurry, she swore she could see moisture and redness lurking amongst the bright blue orbs of her partner.

Lassiter attempted to turn off his emotions and give his statement in a professional and efficient manner. He felt himself slipping as he explained the events leading up to his escape and finding Shawn in the trunk. By the end of the story, he felt completely exhausted. Neither he nor his partner spoke for several moments but Juliet was the one to break the silence.

"I know what happened is painful to remember but please don't forget that you saved Shawn's life." She said as she wiped away the tears. "You're both okay because of what you did."

"I'm still not sure that Shawn is ever going to be okay." Lassiter said sadly.

"Whatever happens, he has a lot of people that will be there for him. You're not alone anymore." Juliet replied as she squeezed her partner's hand.

A day and a half later, Lassiter had been released from the hospital while Shawn remained. After being moved to a regular room, the psychic experienced a flurry of visitors. Henry remained for nearly the entire time as well as his best friend. The two became permanent fixtures in room 312.

Shawn had made drastic improvements over the last 24 hours. His body temperature was no longer raging with fever and the bruises throughout his body had begun to fade. He'd been awake for a few brief moments but struggled to maintain his grasp on reality as the confusion and headaches caused him to spiral back into the world of unconsciousness. His doctor told the worried duo that it was for the best. The more rest he could get now, the more he could heal.

The daylight faded to dusk and both men felt their own grasp on reality fading. Henry had barely slept over the past three days and Gus felt drained due to the constant anxiety he experienced after learning about his best friend's predicament over two days ago. That's why, when Shawn's eyes blinked open and remained open for the first time, Henry and Gus wanted to celebrate.

"Shawn, you with us? You're safe and in the hospital." Henry said in his most soothing voice possible as Gus pressed the call button. Henry picked up the cup of water and offered it to his son, who gladly sipped at the refreshing beverage held in front of him. He leaned back against the the pillows and Gus and Henry watched as he moved his fingers against the white sheet.

"I feel funny." Shawn said hoarsely as his eyes focused on his fingers which now fiddled with the sling against his chest.

"You're finally on painkillers, kid."

"Oh." Shawn said as a dose of reality seemed to register within him. "S'pose that's a good thing." Shawn said lazily.

"You were in rough shape when you were brought here. You're doing much better though." Henry replied.

"Had us worried sick though!" Gus said a little too loudly. He softened as he looked over his friend's damaged face. "Glad you're okay, buddy."

Shawn remained silent as the two watched his mind process things. Henry knew his son hadn't forgotten anything, except for the parts he may not have been conscious for, and he felt his anxiety rise at the thought of what those memories could do to him. Shawn's doctor came in and calmly explained to the bedridden psychic exactly what the damage was. Henry had already explained to the doctor that his son had incredible attention to detail, so leaving things out would only make him ask more questions. Shawn slowly nodded as the details of his various injuries were explained to him. Most of them he already knew about, however, a hairline fracture in his skull was not something he was expecting. Explains the headache.

After the doctor had left, Shawn processed what was told to him. With each injury came a flash of memory of how it came to be. Shawn was lost in his thoughts when he felt pressure on his left arm. Only then did he become aware of the fast beeping coming from a machine behind him.

"You're okay now." Henry soothed. He knew that Shawn's photographic memory could be the biggest blessing but also the bane of his existence. Shawn's hazel eyes looked up to meet his. What Henry saw wasn't a broken man. Instead, he saw raw emotion mixed with a determination to persevere. Although it broke his heart to know that Shawn would be fighting demons for a while, it was a relief to know that he was facing them head on. There was no denying what happened. There was also no doubt that Shawn would be able to overcome it.

"Where's Lassie?" Shawn's quiet voice asked.

"He's actually here, waiting for you to wake up. I'll go get him." Gus said as he stood up, leaving the two behind.

Shawn refused to let gravity force his eyelids to close. He felt so out of it and he simply wanted things to return back to normal. He suddenly felt uncomfortable about the entire predicament. "Did Lassie give his statement?"

"Yes he did."

"Did you read it?"

"No. If and when you want to tell me what happened, you decide when the time is right. Okay?" Henry said gently.

"Okay." Shawn said as a hint of a smile ghosted across his lips. Yes, his dad was a hardass but he understood Shawn more than anyone else in the world. He'd also go to the ends of the earth just to make sure he's okay. For that, Shawn was thankful.

A few moments later, Lassiter knocked on the door quietly before entering. Henry gave Shawn a reassuring pat on the hand before excusing himself for some coffee. Lassiter slowly made his way over to the empty chair, aching muscles still telling him to take it easy.

"Spencer." He said with a nod.

"Lassie." Shawn replied back.

They studied each other for a moment, allowing to fact that they had come full circle of this experience to wash over them.

Neither of them needed to speak for the time being. Words had no effect on how both men felt. Their lives had been altered and there was nothing anyone could say to change that. But, as blue eyes met hazel, all that needed to be said already was.

They made it.

However, because Shawn always had to get the last word in, he didn't let the moment go to waste.

"Remember what you said out there?"

Lassiter looked at him quizzically. "What did I say?"

The edges of Shawn's lips quirked into a slight smile. "You owe me a smoothie, Detective."

Maybe the stubborn psychic was going to be alright after all.

I hope you enjoyed. As always, my stories grow into more than I could ever imagine. I value your reviews, so whether you've been here since the start or are passing through at a future date, drop a line or two. See you again sometime...