RJ Nolan - In A Heartbeat

side spoke up. Sam quickly shook those thoughts away.

"So how goes the walking Sam? Don't over do, take it slow and easy. I don't

want to have to put you back together again." Riley smiled to take the implied

criticism out of her words.

"Ok I guess," Sam sighed in frustration. "I'm just disgusted at how weak I am."

"It's to be expected," Riley reassured. "I know it's hard. You're used to being active but trust me, take it slow and allow your body time to heal. If you rush it,

it'll just prolong your recovery."

As they talked they slowly headed back to Sam's room. It was obvious by the

time they reached her room that she'd had enough. Riley stood by as Kim

helped Sam back into the bed. She approached the side and reached out

stroking Sam's sweat dampened hair back from her face. She was unaware she

was even touching her it seemed so natural. "You're doing great," she

encouraged. "I'm on call tomorrow so I'll stop by and check in on you. The nurse

gave me your message that you were ready for your visitor restrictions to be

lifted so I made the appropriate changes to your chart. No parties now." She

warned before heading out.

"What did she mean visitor restrictions?" Jess asked as soon as Riley left.

"I told them I didn't want any visitors. So she set it up that the only one's allowed

to visit were family."

Jess nodded. She and Kim had wondered why none of Sam's fellow officers had

been by to visit. She wasn't surprised by the request. Her sister didn't want

anyone to see her when she felt vulnerable. Jess couldn't blame her she

would've felt the same way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley's Saturday had started out bad and gone downhill from there. She's been

called in at 4am for a MVA involving four vehicles and a total of twelve patients,

six of which required emergency surgery. Even with the backup surgical team, it

had been a marathon. It was now 4pm and she'd been in surgery for the last

twelve hours. She was on call until tomorrow at 7am so decided to head for the

on-call room to grab a couple of hours sleep.

Things remained quiet. It was 8pm when she awoke. Deciding to check on her

patients, she headed for the sixth floor. She had checked several patients and

decided to pop in and see Sam for a few minutes. She heard the laughter

coming from her room from several doors down. She frowned looking up the

clock on the wall. Visiting hours had ended thirty minutes ago. She entered

Sam's room to find several police officers clustered around her bed. They were

laughing and talking to Sam and each other. Riley noticed one of the officers, the

only woman sitting on Sam's bed close to her side. She felt an irrational surge of

annoyance at the woman. Sam looked tired, the lines around her eyes tight,

which Riley knew signified she was in pain. None of her fellow officers seemed

to notice.

Riley strode up the end of Sam's bed and loudly cleared her throat.

Conversation ground to an immediate halt. Sam smiled when she saw Riley.

"Hey..." Sam stuttered slightly realizing calling Riley by her first name might not be such a good idea. "Dr. Connolly." She introduced Riley to the officers

standing by her bed. Explaining she was her doctor. The woman sitting by Sam

turned around when Sam introduced her. She nodded in greeting. Riley decided

right then and there she didn't like the green-eyed blond not one bit. She just

rubbed her the wrong way. She refused to consider just why she'd taken such an

instant disliking to a woman she'd never even spoken to.

"Okay folks," Riley said using her best doctor voice. "Party's over, Officer McKenna needs her rest. Visiting hours were over thirty minutes ago." Riley

remained at the foot of Sam's bed as the officers filed out.

One of the men leaned down to Sam. "Man, you get all the luck... the doc is hot!"

He told her quietly but not quietly enough. Riley heard every word. She tried not

to blush when Sam responded, "You got that right."

Riley noted with displeasure the blond was the last to leave. She leaned over

and squeezed Sam's shoulder in farewell saying something to her Riley couldn't

hear. Sam smiled in response.

Once everyone had exited, Riley approached the head of the bed. "Are you

alright?" She asked concerned at the tired slump of Sam's shoulders. She

placed her hands on Sam's shoulders massaging lightly.

"I'm okay," Sam sighed relaxing into Riley's gentle touch. She was hurting and

exhausted but had maintained a cheerful front to her fellow officers. "It just

hurts," she finally admitted.

"When was your last pain med?"

"Umm I forget, lunchtime maybe."

"Damn it Sam! You need to take the pain meds I prescribe. They won't help you

if you don't take them." She chastised her sternly.

"I know," Sam muttered looking down at the blanket.

"I'm going to get your meds now, I want you to take them and get some sleep."

Riley returned quickly with a syringe instead of pills. Sam raised her eyebrow in

question looking at the syringe suspiciously.

'It's Demerol, I can tell from looking at you that you over did. I want you to rest."

Riley stepped to the other side of the bed and motioned for Sam to roll onto her

side. She pulled back the blanket and Sam's gown just enough to expose her

hip. Sam flinched when Riley injected the Demerol. She rolled onto her back

when she finished. Riley put the syringe in her pocket and resumed her

massage of Sam's shoulders

Sam was soon drifting off to sleep under Riley's gentle massage and the effects

of the Demerol. "That feels so good." She murmured sleepily.

Riley stayed until she was sure Sam was sound asleep. She straightened her

blankets and gently brushed the hair from her face before quietly leaving the

room. She sighed to herself; she just couldn't seem to help the feelings the

beautiful cop stirred in her. No matter how many times she told herself the

woman was her patient and promised herself she would remain professional

with her, her resolve faded with one look into those amazing blue eyes. Only two

weeks, you just have to make it two weeks. Then she'll go back to her life and

you can go back to yours, she told herself as she made her way back to the on-

call room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam was sitting in her hospital bed feeling sorry for herself. Kim and Jess had left to return to LA and work. They had both taken an emergency leave of absence and their time was up. They

assured her they would return when she was discharged. She had tried to convince them she

didn't need any help. Jess had informed her that their younger brother Fra

k was coming as wel with his wife Cheryl. Frank and Cheryl would be staying with her until she got back up on her feet. Cheryl was a nurse and so would be able to keep an eye on her incision and make sure she didn't overexert herself.

Sam hadn't seen Riley all day. She smiled despite her glum mood when she

remembered the gentle massage Riley had given her as she drifted off to sleep

last night. Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to her room swung

open. Sam frowned as a woman sauntered in and stood at the foot of her bed

reading a chart. The woman was dressed in scrubs with a lab coat over them.

Her brunette hair was tucked up under a surgical cap. She appeared to be in her

late 40's. The woman just stood there totally ignoring Sam. She finally looked up

her brown eyes making brief contact with Sam's before looking back to the chart

in her hand.