Chapter 47: Chapter Forty-Seven

"Oh, Fallon, before you go, your detective is in here, you should check on him."

"Ian?" Her mind raced to what DeVane had said. "What happened to him?"

"Don't know," Clay said. "All they said was he's lucky to be alive."

"I have to see him." She swung her legs over the side of the bed. When her brothers stepped in front of her, she glared at them. "Get out of my way."

"Do you love him?" Clay asked.

"Yes, I do. I love him." Fallon watched as her brothers all looked at one another.

"Then go to him, Fallon," Clay said. "Go be there when he wakes up."

Smiling at her family, Fallon kissed them all, slipped out of the small area, and headed towards admittance. She saw a bunch of cops hanging around and was about to go up to one when a voice behind her grabbed her attention.

"Fallon?"

Turning around, she found herself face to face with Ian's partner. The man looked much older than she remembered him appearing. "Detective O'Neill, right?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." His eyes skimmed over her newly bandaged shoulder. "You okay?"

"Bullet just grazed me. Where's Ian?"

Bill licked his lips and held her gaze. "Let's go sit down over there," he said, pointing to a row of chairs that were partially full.

She didn't want to go, she wanted to find Ian and see for herself if he was okay or not. Somehow, she made her feet follow Bill over to the plastic chairs. Fallon sank into the end seat and Bill settled his lanky body right next to her, allowing their knees to touch.

"What's going on?"

"I don't think there's really a way to say this other than to just come out and say it. Ian's in a coma."

She would have fallen to the floor if she hadn't already been sitting. "What happened?" Fallon hardly recognized her own voice.

"Someone blew up his car."

She gasped and Bill reached for her hand, holding it tightly in his. Someone blew up his car? Oh sweet Jesus.

"He wasn't in it, but he was hit in the back with a piece of flying metal. I wasn't that long in getting to him, but by the time I got there he was already unconscious. He woke up briefly in the ambulance but hasn't regained consciousness since. His shoulder is sprained and he has a gash in his leg from something slashing into him, but otherwise he's okay. He just won't wake up."

Her mouth was dry. She licked her lips a few times before she said anything. Fallon took a deep breath and asked, "Can I see him?" Every instinct she possessed screamed for her to not ask, just go. Nevertheless, she refrained.

Bill stood and waited for her to join him. "I'll do my best to get you in the room."

She felt like it was a funeral procession as she walked beside Bill, heading up the hall to the room where Ian lay. Officers and detectives lined the walls, their gazes sharp and assessing as she moved past all of them. Their expressions were somber.

A guard was at the door and Bill held out his hand toward her. "Let me see if you can go in." She was chomping at the bit but she nodded her head. It didn't take Bill long before he was back beside her. Fallon lifted her gaze to his expectantly. "The doctor says you can have a few minutes with him."

Worrying her lower lip with her teeth, Fallon dropped her gaze to the floor, slipped past Bill, and entered Ian's hospital room. A single nurse was in the room checking the machines and making notes on Ian's chart. Without a word, Fallon met her eyes and then headed to the bed.

Ian lay there, unmoving. His skull was wrapped with gauze and there were tubes sticking out of him everywhere, it seemed.

"Ian," she said on a long sigh. Nothing, not even a flicker. With her good hand, she reached out to touch him. "Come on, Detective, open them gray eyes and look at me."

She fell silent and just stood there holding his hand, the beeping of the machines the only noise in the room. When the doctor walked back in, Fallon reluctantly released Ian's hand and stepped back. I'll be back, Ian. "Thank you for letting me see him," she said softly.

Fallon remained quiet as she walked back down the hall to where her brothers waited. She didn't hesitate, just moved into Shawn's arms and let him hold her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ian's parents hurrying past toward the room.

"Let's go," Fallon whispered. "We have a brother to bury."

The four remaining Maddoxes walked in stoic silence out of the busy emergency room and into the early morning hours of the day. It truly was Black Friday.