Sally was right. Waiting for news of Rosie was slow and torturous. Blaine bobbed his knee, paced the floor, bought himself a drink from the vending machine. His thick hair began to stand on end as he continually scraped his fingers through it.

He texted Nate to check in, then called Kellan for an update and something to do.

Matt was holding out in a cell, refusing to say anything without a lawyer. The Brookvale PD had been alerted and were picking up Detective Monroe for questioning before dawn. They didn’t want him slipping away. As soon as he heard news of Billings, he’d probably split.

A full investigation would be underway by week’s end, and hopefully they would be able to close this case and charge the people who were responsible.

Nate and Cam would pick both Riley and Bianca up in the morning. Once they found out Matt had been arrested, they’d no doubt open up and spill all. As soon as they felt safe, the truth was more likely to tumble free.

It felt good.

But then it didn’t, because Rosie was lying on an operating table, getting stitched back together.

She might not make it, and Blaine’s fantasy-turned-reality would soon be a nightmare.

Scrubbing a hand over his growing whiskers, he tapped his foot on the linoleum and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

“Hey, man.” He nearly jumped out of his skin when Lucas appeared beside him. He’d been staring into the abyss and hadn’t even heard his friend come in.

“What are you doing here?”

Lucas plunked down in the hard plastic chair. “Kellan called me. Question is why didn’t you?”

Blaine huffed out a sigh and mumbled, “I thought about it. Didn’t want to wake you.”

“You’re an idiot.”

Leaning back, he shot Lucas a wry smile and gratefully took the cup of coffee his friend was holding out to him. “McDonald’s?”

“Don’t look at me like that. Their coffee is awesome.” Lucas took a big gulp as if to prove his point, and Blaine had to concede that his friend was right.

The coffee was good…and exactly what he needed.

“So, any updates?” Lucas asked after a long beat of silence.

“Nothing yet. I just have to wait.”

“Painful.”

Blaine choked out a laugh and then closed his eyes, suddenly feeling sick. Exhaustion was covering him like a thick blanket.

What if she didn’t make it?

“Don’t go there, man.” It was as if Lucas could read his mind. “Just wait. Talk to me. Tell me what happened. I want details.”

After a reluctant pause, Blaine gave in to Lucas’s request and walked his friend through the night. Together they unpacked the mysteries and came up with a few theories.

“I wonder if Billings visited Riley in the hospital after her OD. Maybe he threatened her with something bad.”

“What do you bet he showed up in his uniform and said all the right things to shut her up?”

“Asshole.” Lucas shook his head. “That’s why Bianca wouldn’t trust you guys.”

“What’s going to happen with her? You still on the case?”

“Actually, I’m going to call her parents tomorrow. It’s time they took things into their own hands. They need to get their butts up here and have a one-on-one with their daughter. They’re so afraid of losing her or pushing her away, but maybe they just need to give it to her straight. Sure, she’s an adult now and she can make her own choices, but if she keeps making stupid ones, then they should withdraw their financial support.”

“She’s going to love that.” Blaine sipped his coffee while Lucas snickered.

“It’s tough love, man. If nothing else, it’ll at least make Bianca sit up and think about priorities. I think Riley’s overdose and the other death really spooked her. She’s close to coming around.”

“I hope so, man.”

Lucas finished his coffee and set the cup down between his feet. “And I hope I can get some better cases.”

“Student stalking not your style, huh?”

Blaine won himself a warning glare, but Lucas’s lips soon twitched. “I miss the force.”

“You could always come back.”

“At a desk?” Lucas made a face. “Kill me now.”

Blaine went silent, sensing the underlying seriousness to Lucas’s jesting. He wished so badly for his friend that he’d never been wounded.

But life’s shit could not always be prevented.

His thoughts immediately jumped to Rosie.

The way her body jerked and then fell would be burned in his brain forever. The images flashed through him once more, strong and debilitating.

“Blaine?” Sally’s voice broke through and he startled, quickly spinning for news.

Her soft smile said it all and he sagged with relief, tears burning his eyes when he closed them.

“She’s still fragile and will spend the night in ICU. The doctor will be out to chat with you in a minute.”

“Can I see her?”

“Technically family is supposed to take priority, but since hers aren’t around…”

“Has anyone called them?”

“We don’t have their contact information.”

“Rosie would probably want Louanne before them anyway.”

Sally’s expression was pained. She came from a close-knit family so would never truly understand what it was like to be distanced from parents or siblings.

“When can I see her?”

“She hasn’t woken up yet, but I’ll see if you can sit with her while we wait.”

“Thanks.”

Sally walked away and Lucas’s hand landed on Blaine’s shoulder. “She’s alive, man.”

“Yeah.” He still felt heavy and wrung out.

Only a few minutes later, Sally returned, beckoning him forward. Lucas took his leave after making Blaine promise to call him with an update.

Blaine raised his hand in farewell and chased after Sally, who led him through to the ICU where he found a porcelain Rosie asleep in a large hospital bed.

She had tubes in her slender arms, but other than her extremely pale complexion, she looked like she was sleeping.

He skimmed his knuckles over her forehead and gently kissed her skin before taking a seat beside her. All he could do was hold her hand and start a new waiting game.

But this one wasn’t so painful.

He could watch her chest rise and fall, knowing she’d wake up soon and everything would be all right again.

It took another hour before a soft moan came from her lips and her eyes fluttered open. Blaine bolted upright, standing over her so he’d be the first thing she saw.

She blinked a few times as if struggling to focus. Then a soft smile tugged at her lips.

“You’re here.”

He grinned. “Always.”

She shut her eyes again, relaxing as if that was good enough.

For a second, Blaine thought she had fallen back to sleep, but then she asked, “What time is it?”

Blaine checked his watch. “Around four.”

“Long night.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve been here the whole time?”

“Yeah.”

“You should rest. Sleep.”

“I’d rather be here with you.”

Her eyes crept open again and she reached for his hand. Gently threading his fingers through hers, he raised their hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes telling him that those two words held more meaning than she could ever express.

“It’s over now, sweet Rose. You did it. You don’t need to run or hide anymore. You’re safe.”

“Safe.” Her smile was soft and dreamlike as she closed her eyes again and murmured, “Home.”