Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.

A/N: So I've been working on a couple of Burzek chapters last week because I've gotten a ton of inspiration for them. This one shot is an idea from my friend KateNieman on Twitter that I loved so much that I needed to write it. Hope you like it.

The pain he felt on his ribs was new but it was welcome. It matched the pain Adam's heart was feeling for the child he lost but loved already with the whole of his being. He slipped his arms through the sleeves of his flannel shirt with a vacant stare in the mirror. He was often in auto-pilot these days and with Kim shutting him out, it seemed he was barely holding on. He put a front for the rest of the team and although everyone had offered him an ear or company to help him get through it, the one person he wanted to turn to wasn't available. He grabbed his badge and clipped his gun to his hip and he was out, heading to the district.

"Hey Ruzek, here, now." Adam closed his eyes and huffed, heading to Platt and the front desk.

"Sarge?"

"How are you today?" Platt asked him the same question every day and every day he told her the same thing.

"I'm good, thanks." He tapped the counter once and went up without another word. The bullpen was empty apart from Upton and Voight, the latter in his office like usual. He made a b-line for the break room and poured himself a coffee. He took a step towards the windows and absentmindedly looked out, his thoughts of the baby swirling in his head. He sensed someone behind him and closed his eyes. He was starting to get tired of having to answer the same question. "I'm fine Hailey, you don't have to check on me every single day." He didn't even turn around, knowing that she was the one that kept coming back day after day.

"I know you keep telling us that but you can't go on like this or it will eat you up from the inside.

"Duly noted." He turned around and put his cup in the sink, sinking into his chair and taking a file he had to work on. The rest of the unit slowly trickled in, Kevin patting his shoulder without saying a word. He was thankful for him the most right now because without saying a word, he simply told him he was there for him no matter what.

Adam was aware when Kim walked up the stairs and simply offered her a smile and nothing more, giving her the space that she has asked for. He kept his nose down under the stares of the unit but didn't give them the satisfaction of catching in the act of doing so. She had only been back a few days and she still looked rough around the edges. As much as he tried to keep treating her the same but his heart was still hurting from picking her up in that tub.

"Alright everyone, we got a case." Everyone turned around when Voight came walking through the bullpen. "Atwater, Burgess, you're up." He gave his instructions and Kim went down to the roll-up.

"Cover her."

"Don't worry brother, I got her six." He patted Adam against his chest. He only trusted Kevin right now with her and he knew that he wouldn't let him down.

"Thanks." He let his partner go down to the roll-up before heading there himself to suit up.

The whole team got their instructions and everyone took their positions out in the field, Adam paired with Jay, Hailey with Rojas.

"Adam." Jay was holding his sniper gun against while they waited and looked at his friend.

"Not now." Adam simply said, raising the binoculars, not in the mood to be distracted while Kim was out in the open.

"We're going to be having a talk when all of this is over." Adam rolled his eyes and ignored Jay. "You can't keep going on like that." Adam knew what he was doing. He and Hailey were tag teaming him and that would stop once this case was done.

Kim and Kevin arrived at the destination, both of them posing for drug buyers.

"Everything okay between you and Ruzek?" Kevin questioned her as they waited.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You're tip toeing around each other, you gotta let him in."

"Please Kev, can we not do this right now?" She sighed, really not up for it in the middle of a case.

"Sure." He simply let her be, figuring he'd try to catch her on a quiet night at home so she could at least release some of the emotion she was bottling up right now. A black van came to a stop in the abandoned warehouse they were in and two black males, guns slipped in the front of their jeans came out of it, two large duffle bags in hand.

"Damn girl, who put the beating on you?"

"None of your damn business. You have the product?" She so didn't sign up for this.

"Calm down lady, I got your dope."

"It better be the good stuff." She growled. "My customers are paying good money to get the real deal."

"It's the real deal honey, don't worry." Kevin took a step forward, not liking the way the guy was looking at Kim.

"What the hell is she doing?" Adam could see a change in Kim's demeanor from up there.

"Stay put Adam, Kevin has her back." It took everything in Adam not to go down there but he stayed put for the time being. He continued watching the exchange until Kim's hand reached for the bag of product and the guy doing the trade put a hand on her wrist, squeezing. "Oh, like hell." Jay did nothing to stop him but he knew that the scene would be compromised as soon as he would make an appearance.

"Take your hands off of me." She seethed.

"Gentlemen, let's take a step back and a deep breath, it doesn't have to be like this."

"That little bitch of yours needs to watch her tone with us." One good tug on her wrist and Kim stumbled forward, the guy grabbing her in a choke hold, Kevin raising his gun at him.

"Get your fucking hands off of her." They all turned in Adam's direction when he spoke.

"Who the hell are you?" He raised his gun at him.

"I'm the one that's going to teach you some manners when it comes to treating women." His jaw was set and he was determined to get Kim out of there un-harmed.

"Funny how you shouldn't be the one mouthing off like that considering I got her where I want her." He put the gun to Kim's temple again. Kevin was hoping for a positive outcome but knowing Adam and with Kim being in the line of fire, he was being caution.

"I said let her go." Adam lowered the gun so fast and fired a shot, catching the guy holding Kim hostage in the leg. He relinquished his hold on her with a howl of pain and she went to Kevin, Adam ending up in a scramble with the two guys. The one he had shot in the leg was easy to subdue but the second one gave his body a good workout. He received the butt of the gun to the mouth and a few good punches in the ribs before he managed to get the upper hand and cuff him. The rest of the team came swooping in to grab the two suspects and Adam's first instinct was to go to Kim.

"Hey, are you okay?" He looked her over and saw that she wasn't worst for wear.

"Yeah, I'm good." Both he and Kevin were happy that she was okay but as soon as the ambulance pulled up, Adam was forced to get checked out under Jay's insistence and subsequently taken to Med to get checked out properly. Kim had refused medical attention but she seemed fine but the whole team followed behind to know the official work on Ruzek.

Adam sat on the examination table while Dr. Choi looked him over.

"Am I good to go doc?" He was about to slip his shirt back on when the curtain peeled aside and both Kim and Kevin came barrelling in.

"Hey Dr. Choi, what's the verdict?" Kim didn't miss the bandage that he was sporting on his left ribs.

"A few bruised ribs but he's good to go now." Adam pulled his shirt over his head and hopped down from the table, thanking Ethan with a hand shake and he was out of the exam room and ready to get back to work.

"Adam, wait." Adam wasn't expecting her but he was in a foul mood now. He kept on walking, ignoring her. Now wasn't the place to be doing this. "Adam, stop." She grabbed his arm from behind and turned him around to face her.

"We are NOT doing this here." He pulled his arm away from her and walked in the opposite direction. Adam was in the roll-up alone when Kim made it back to the 21st.

"What's under the bandage Adam?" He continued what he was doing without answering her.

"So now you're giving me the silent treatment?" She continued, visibly upset.

"You know what Kim, that's bullshit." He held his back straight and faced her. "You've done nothing but give me the silent treatment since it happened and you're the one who's mad? You don't get to play that card with me." All the pent-up frustrations he was feeling since that morning he dropped Kim off from the hospital was coming out. "You were really clear that morning that you needed some space and I've given that to you but going out there and being reckless, taunting those sons of bitches ISN'T GOING TO FIX THIS." The rest of the team had heard the commotion and made it down to their friends.

"Than what is? Because clearly you seemed to be able to move one like THAT." She snapped her fingers at him.

"And you know that because you're all knowing Kim, right? You've got ALL the answers, don't you?" His heart was filled with a mix of anger and sadness that was threatening to consume him.

"Tell me what's under the bandage." She knew he was trying to avoid answering that one question. She wanted to know why he had rushed to her aid out there when Kevin was clearly capable of doing so. "You call me reckless and you barge in on a buy because you can't think straight when I'm down there? You have that need to be my knight in shining armor BUT I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP."

"Come on guys, let's take this somewhere else." Jay tried to reason with them but they were too caught up in their bubble of emotions that no one else was registering on their radar.

"You keep me at arm's length all the time but don't you get it? You think that it's your fault for going in there without back-up? Maybe you think I'm going to blame you but I DON'T." He was going on a tirade and the tears in Kim's eyes at his confession wasn't going to slow him down. "I'm blaming myself and I'm hurting too but looking at you, it reminds me that I couldn't protect you or our baby from getting hurt. I FAILED YOU! The two of you." He whispered the last part, his chest heaving from the confession. His eyes were swimming in angry tears but he had finally gotten it all off of his chest.

"Adam." She took a step forward but he stopped her.

"You want to know what's under the bandage?" He raised his shirt and removed the bandage, revealing a brand-new tattoo. It was the date of the fateful day when they lost their baby, angel wings surrounding it. "That's what's under the bandage. It's a reminder that I lost my heart and that it'll never be whole again. Are you happy?"

"Adam." She pulled him into her arms and he didn't offer resistance the two crying in each other's arms. Adam had finally admitted it out loud to the one person that needed to hear it the most and she was now lighter knowing that Adam wasn't blaming her for losing their baby. She had pulled away from him because deep in her heart, her deepest fear was that he would hate her for putting herself in a dangerous situation and that it had caused him to lose his happy ending. "It's okay Adam, we're going to be okay." The rest of the team left them alone and the two of them left separately, heading to Kim's place, finding solace in each other's arms. They talked and they cried, clearing the air between them, getting back on even footing. They would forever share this moment in time and they would do it together.

A/N: SO both Kim and Adam were hurting but trying to hide it from each other because they thought they blamed each other for what happened but they finally got it all out in the open, finally being there for each other and communicating. I really hope you guys like it and please take a few seconds to review before you go, it always means the world to me. - Sarra