A/N: So when I wrote the original story, I also wrote an alternate ending for just my friends, because I didn't want them to be sad. And as I was cleaning out my folders on my computer, I came across the alternate ending, and thought, why not. So here you are, wonderful people! Enjoy some happiness!
"I hope you're enjoying this," Andy said from the passenger side.
"Yeah, why's that?"
She looked over at Sam, a smirk playing on her face. "Well, me and you, driving fast, chasing bad guys. This really might be the last time we do this together."
Sam sat in the waiting room of the hospital, his foot bouncing up and down on the tile floor. He had heard no word since he'd arrived an hour before, and it was getting harder to sit there as the minutes rolled by. They hadn't allowed him to ride in the ambulance with her, needing all of the available space to work on her. The paramedics had to pry him away from her, only having to fight him for a few seconds before he realized they had to do their job to save her. When it came to Andy, his head was never clear even if she was safe and sound right in front of him, but this situation made it all the more worse.
He felt something nudge his hand and looked up to see Oliver holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee out for him to take. The last thing he needed was more caffeine to make him antsy, but he was going to stay up until they came out with news about Andy. Reaching out to take it, he turned his gaze back to the doors that the nurses were coming in and out of, knowing that's where his answer would be coming from. He vaguely registered that Oliver took the empty seat next to him.
"You know you did everything right today, right?" he asked, trying to comfort his friend. Oliver knew Sam and Andy didn't have the typical rookie and training officer relationship, even in the beginning. Anyone with eyes could see it as plain as day. But now that Andy wasn't really a rookie anymore, he'd seen them get closer and closer until they'd reached this point.
Sam scoffed, his eyes still fixated on the door, bringing the cup to his lips. He hated the burn it gave him in the back of his throat, because it meant that the situation was real. It meant he wasn't in one of his bad dreams where she was in danger, and he could just wake up. It was real, and she was back there, and he didn't know how to stop it. "That's not comforting at all. It means that this was always going to happen, and I couldn't stop it."
"Look, Sammy, bad things happen. It comes in the job description. You both made your own calls today, and the doctors are doing everything they can. Just don't start taking it out on yourself."
"I should've been there."
Chris looked around at the open space. "What about Andy?"
"She's down the road with the victim in the other car," Sam said, grabbing his radio. "Keeping her stable until medics arrive. McNally, you good?"
His radio crackled. "Copy. Yeah. Everything's under control."
He knew if he'd been there, it never would've led to this. Leaving Andy to deal with the victim of the crash alone was his first mistake of that day. You always back up your partner. And he'd just left her. He knew he could trust her to do everything herself, but she couldn't control everything that was happening, only herself. She couldn't have known the jack would collapse as she was pushing Leslie out of the car and pin her beneath the steering column. Leslie had told him that if it weren't for her, she'd have burnt up. Now, it was Andy's life that hung in the balance.
"There was a little boy missing, and you knew Andy could handle it. You couldn't have known the car was going to go up," Oliver tried to reason.
"You three could've handled the search just fine," Sam said, his voice raising as he stood. "I should've gone back for her once you guys got there!"
Oliver stood up, getting eye level with Sam. "You can't start with all this 'should have' crap. We followed protocol to the tee, and someone got hurt—Andy got hurt. But Sammy," he said, trying to get him to see reason, "it was not your fault."
The sight he was met with when he made it back to the road almost made him drop the child he was carrying. The firefighters were still putting out the last few embers of the burnt up car. Handing off the boy for Oliver to take, his mind immediately went to Andy. She wasn't standing around anywhere, and he realized she hadn't made radio contact since he'd last checked on her.
"Andy!" he yelled as he searched for her in the small crowd of paramedics and firefighters. "Andy!" He made his way to the first ambulance, and watched as a pair of feet slid past the door as the gurney was pushed in. "Andy!" He knew his face dropped when he saw it was the victim from the car. "Leslie, where's Andy?"
"She saved my life," she said as they put the oxygen mask over her face. "I would've died if she hadn't pushed me out."
"Hang on, guys," he said, stepping up into the ambulance, slightly removing her mask for a second. "Where did she go?"
Leslie shakily raised her hand to point at the other ambulance as the doors of it shut. He jumped out immediately, making his way over. "Andy!" Tunnel vision set in as he climbed out of the first ambulance and made way over to the other. As soon as he felt hands tugging at his arms, he fought against the hold. He needed to get to her, needed to make sure she was there and real and okay.
"Sir, you have to let them do their job," he heard one of them say.
"You have to let me in there! She's my…" He trailed off as he looked at them wrapping her in gauze, attaching things to her skin and putting an oxygen mask on her. What is she? He knew how he felt, and he knew how they were together. He knew the dread in his heart was the realest thing he'd ever felt, and it was all because of her. "Partner."
"I got this." Oliver pulled him back way from the ambulance and over to his and Andy's squad car. "You can't do this right now. They have to do their jobs, and you have to do yours."
Sam couldn't believe that Oliver was trying to do this now. "Andy's in there, and I can't just…"
Oliver held up his hand. "You can, and you will. Go to the station, file the report, and then go to the hospital. There's nothing you could do but sit there and wait anyway." Sam started to protest again, but Oliver cut him off. "Sam! You can't help her. They can, so let them."
By that time, the sirens on the ambulance were sounding as it drove by the squad car, and Sam watched it until it was out of view. Pushing off the car, he didn't spare Oliver a glance as he got in the car and drove it back to the station. He went through the motions for the next hour, filling out the accident report, not really paying attention to anyone else. He had two things to do. He had to breathe, and he had to get to Andy.
Sam sighed, his shoulders slumping as he sat back down in the chair, his foot tapping against the tile floor again. "If I'd known the car was going to catch on fire…" Even as he said the words, all he could hear in his mind were Andy's words echoing back to him, haunting him.
"This really might be the last time we do this together."
"Yeah. If you'd known, she'd be fine, but you couldn't have known. There's no point in beating yourself up about it now."
"Maybe if I'd radioed her…" He kept trying to come up with a way that he could've changed things. Something he could've done differently to change the outcome of the day. Something he might've changed that would have him having a drink at the Penny instead of hospital coffee. Something he should've done to keep her safe and not in the emergency room.
"You were miles out and never would've made it to her in time." A hand fell to Sam's shoulder, and he looked up. "You can do this all night long, but it's not going to change what happened."
"Is anyone here for Leslie Atkins and Andy McNally?"
Sam shot out of his chair leaving Oliver behind, who gladly stayed seated. It had been almost two hours since the paramedics had taken her, and he was thankful to finally have some news. "Yeah. I'm Sam Swarek. I'm her…" The pause came again, still unsure of what to call himself anymore. "Partner. I'm her partner."
A smile came across her face at his hesitation, but she didn't say anything. "Well, if you'll follow me, I'll take you back to her room." They walked through the doors that led back to the emergency section of the hospital. "She has a second degree burn on her left leg, but it should heal up nicely and just leave a bit of a scar."
Sam took a sigh of relief as they stopped at a door he assumed had Andy behind it. His heart already started to slow down at the thought of her being safe, and that spoke volumes to him. All he'd kept thinking while he was waiting was that he'd lost her before he even had her. He was tired of dancing around whatever they had, and the fact that it took a possible near death experience to get him moving made him realize just how stubborn he was. But not on this. Never on this again.
He opened the door quietly and stepped inside. The doctor was still in the room, telling her how to take care of her wound once she was discharged. Sam took the opportunity to take her in. Her hair was matted with sweat and blood, and he wondered if all of it belonged to her. Her leg was propped up, heavily bandaged, but for the most part, she looked unscathed. He found himself smiling that smile that only she could bring out, and his heartbeat picked back up. He sent the doctor a smile as he walked by him and out the door. He moved his attention back to Andy, who was smiling at him.
"Sam."
He moved to her bedside and didn't bother waiting before his lips were pressed to hers. When she froze at his touch, he started to back away, but then her hand snaked around his neck and pulled him back down to her. The spark between them was even more intense than the first time they'd kissed, and he wished he'd acted on it before. The thought of her leaving him before he was able to have this hung over his head as he pulled back.
Her breath danced over his face as he gave her a sad smile. "I almost thought I lost you. They wouldn't let me in the ambulance with you."
"Yeah, I heard that. Partner," she said, a playful smile making its way up her face.
He sighed and let out a low chuckle. "So, you heard that…"
"Well, you were kind of yelling at everyone. I think the coma patient down the hall heard you," she replied, jokingly.
He let out a happy sigh as his forehead rested against hers. She was making jokes. She was smiling. She was real. She was okay. "You know you're more than just a partner, Andy. We've both known that for a long time. I should've told you from the start that I want this." He shook his head, giving an annoyed laugh at himself. "You know I'm not good this."
"You don't have to be," Andy said, kissing him again. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him expectantly, but there was a sad look behind her eyes. "Now… Can you go get my discharge papers? I have a cat to feed."
He looked at her, confused at first but wasn't going to question her right now. He was going to get her discharge papers, carry her out to his truck, and take her wherever she needed to go. He knew she wouldn't want to be treated like glass just because she was injured, he'd do his best to take care of her at a slight distance. But things had changed. There was no going back to before after this. He had her and he wasn't going to lose her.
"I think I can manage that."