Title: Last call
Author: Cindy Ryan
category: post ep one shot

Officer Oliver Shaw groaned as a familiar sound woke him. He blinked against the darkness of his bedroom and fumbled for the cellular phone that was somewhere on the nightstand. Oliver had no idea what number ring the phone was on could be six or two. No wait at six it went to voicemail. His left hand closed around the familiar object and Oliver pressed it to his ear after hitting the talk button.

"Shaw."

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir, but this is Matt Benson from The Penny."

"Who?"

"I'm a bartender."

Oliver struggled to focus on the red numbers of his alarm clock. Just past two thirty in the morning.

"How did you get my number?"Shaw asked trying to shake the sleep induced fog.

"Found it in your friend's phone. I tried calling him a cab but he's refusing to budge and we need to start closing."

Damn so much for a full night's sleep. The only blessing was that his wife and daughters were at her parents and weren't getting woken up also. Sitting up in bed Oliver flipped on the light.

"Which friend?"

"Sam Swarek."

Of course...

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Don't let him have any more."

"Last call was twenty minutes ago."

"And?"

"He requested the whole bottle."

"Thanks for calling. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"No problem... part of the job."

When Oliver arrived at the Penny he expected to find Sam slumped at the bar. Instead the bar was empty. He looked at Matt and the bartender motioned to the left side of the room near the back. Oliver nodded his thanks and headed towards the small table. With each step Shaw grew more concerned. It'd been awhile since Sam got this drunk.

"Hey, Sammy."Oliver greeted as he slid into the seat across.

"Come for a drink, Ollie?"Sam asked as he took a swing from the large bottle.

In the dim light Shaw couldn't tell what the dark amber liquid was. "Next time, Sam. Need to get you home."

"Why? Just havin' a drink."

Oliver stood and gently took his friend's left arm. "You've had more than a drink, buddy. Bar's closin'."

"Call you?"

"Yeah. Come on these nice people want to go home."Oliver urged as he got Swarek to his feet.

Sam shook off the grip. "I'm good."

"Okay."Oliver replied doubtfully as he watched Sam take a step towards the front door.

Swarek made it two steps before he toppled forward nearly taking out a bar stool in the process. Oliver grabbed him by the arm before he hit the floor.

"Easy."

"Floor's tilted."Sam mumbled.

Oliver smothered a laugh as he glanced at the bartender. "He pay his tab?"

Benson nodded. "Yeah."

"Sorry for the trouble."Shaw apologized as he gently ushered Swarek out the door.

The fresh air sobered Sam up a bit. "What time is it?"

"Nearly three."Oliver replied with a yawn. "Come on you can stay at my place. Family's out of town."

Sam said nothing as they made their way to Shaw's vehicle. Oliver took that as a yes. He helped Swarek into the passenger seat.

"Just don't barf in my car."Oliver ordered gently as he closed the door and made his way to the driver's side.

The rest of the trip to the Shaw home was in silence.

Once home Oliver let them in through the garage and into the kitchen. He flipped on the lights and motioned Sam over to the kitchen table.

"Have a seat. I'll make us some coffee."Oliver stated with a yawn as he walked over to the sink.

"Thanks."Sam mumbled as he sat down.

The coffee took a few minutes to brew and Oliver was grateful Sam hadn't passed out yet. Once the coffee was done Oliver poured it into two mugs and made his way over to the kitchen table. He placed one in front of Swarek and sat down across from his friend.
Sam winced at the strong smell but took a sip anyway.

"You want to tell me what's going on?"Shaw prompted quietly.

Swarek was silent for so long that Oliver thought he wasn't going to talk at all. Just when Oliver was going to try again Sam spoke.

"Nixon almost killed Andy because of me."

"What?"

Sam leaned back in the wooden chair and rubbed his face with his hands. "I thought she was trying to hang onto Callaghan by making good on his case. We had an argument and I went back to the barn. I let her search those storage units on her own."

"There's no way you could've known Nixon was going to show up, Sammy."

"With McNally's luck?"Sam countered darkly. "I should've backed her up. If she hadn't gotten a hold of Callaghan, Nixon would've killed her.

Oliver studied his friend. "Is that what's bothering you? That she called Callaghan instead of you?"

Sam shrugged. "It's his case."

"You're her partner."

"I didn't give her a reason to call me."Swarek stated quietly. "Thought she knew she could come to me no matter what."

"We all make mistakes."Oliver replied as he took a sip of coffee. "She made one by going there without backup. You made one by letting your personal feelings interfere with an investigation. The fortunate thing is you get a chance to make up for those mistakes. I know you care about her, Sam, but you're going to have to figure this out. It's dangerous enough out there without knowing if your partner's going to be there."

"I know."Sam admitted as he fiddled with the handle of the coffee mug.

Shaw stood and stretched. "When you're sober, talk to her. Until then you're not going to figure anything out tonight. Sofa bed's in the basement I'll grab some sheets and a pillow. Do you want aspirin in the morning or the usual hangover remedy?"

Swarek stood with a wince. "Both."

Oliver grinned. "Figured."

"Ollie?"Sam called as Shaw made it as far as the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Shaw nodded in understanding. "You owe me breakfast."

"Deal."

As Oliver gathered the bed linens he hoped Andy and Sam would take advantage of this second chance. Second chances didn't come very often Knowing Andy and Sam Oliver had a feeling it wasn't going to be a smooth road.

end