Donovan Rocker looked around the crowd that had formed while 20 David squad got into the house to get the family out of it. The natives to the street were getting a little restless with all of the activity, and Donovan was just not sure what the hell to do that could calm them down. All of their tactics had flown out the window.

"50-David, how are we doing?" Hondo called out over the radio.

"We are getting hairy," Donovan said.

"We are coming out with the family now, converge and cover."

The sound of gunfire from a neighboring house had Donovan turning to look. He had his men stay behind to protect Hondo and his team, but he went to see what was going on. He was careful. Then he saw it. Five men were running toward them. He called that in, as well as what he thought was a dead person in the alley. Hondo and his team needed to stay in cover. This was nothing like what they were prepared for.

Donovan called over the radio for backup, and they needed it fast. It didn't matter who it was. He just settled in and made sure that he could try and slow down those headed for them as much as he could, so his team could get into place. He heard them getting set up, and he waited to fire the first bullet to give the guys advancing the chance to stop.

"LAPD SWAT. Drop your weapons and leave!" Donovan called out.

The men did neither.

Donny raised his gun to fire again, blocking part of his lower vision, but through the scope, he could see at least a little bit of what he was waiting for, but it didn't come. He was about to fire again when pain ripped through his shoulder. He felt his arm give up, and while he was trying to fight through the pain, his team came behind him. The pain was getting worse, and his body realized it was shot. He didn't know what was going to happen next, but the firing of bullets had him settling down. He breathed through the pain and tried to get himself to stay awake, but the bullet had done its damage, and he was in so much pain that he was afraid it was going to win.

He was covered by his team, and the firefight was massive. He handed over his extra munitions when his team started to run low on what they had at the moment. They had their own, but it was easier to give up his. Then something hit his helmet, and it was something that made a dent in it, and the pain from that was enough that he lost consciousness.

---

Molly paced in the waiting room as she waited for news of what was going on with Donny. Donny's team was in the room along with Hondo's team. She looked at where Deacon was talking to a nurse. She wasn't sure what that was about. She wanted to change out of her clothes, but her father wasn't there with the bag from Donny's place yet. Her place was further away from the hospital, so it was easier to grab her bag, which she kept at Donny's, and Donny kept a spare key in his locker. She was sure that she was going to get it for having her father go into his place, but she had just wanted him here as quickly as possible.

"You need anything?" Deacon asked as he got close.

"No, nothing that you can give me. Dad's getting me clothes so I can get out of my work clothes and shoes."

"Drink?"

"Oh, I could do with something slightly sweet and fruity but not like pop."

"I'll get something. I'm taking Hondo down with me to get stuff for Rocker's team. Be back soon."

"Thanks, Deac," Molly said. She turned back to start pacing again. She was worried as hell. They had told her all they knew. He had taken a bullet to the shoulder that had ripped through a lot of muscle, and then there was the one that blew up his helmet. There had been no penetration of the bullet into his skull, but it knocked him out.

The people who had attacked had been ready to kill a cop by blowing up his helmet. If they had gotten more than a glancing blow when he had pushed up against the pain, they could have killed him.

She didn't know what was going to come of this injury, but she would support him and make sure that he got back to work if that was what he wanted.

"his place is not what I expected," Dad said as he came up behind her.

Molly turned around and took the backpack from him. She slung it over her shoulder. "What?"

"It's...got no life."

"Yeah, we don't stay there much. He couldn't take staying in the house when she left him, so he ended up renting it for a while until he sold it to the couple. It had been in just his name and had been since he had bought it years ago, so it wasn't really part of the divorce since she left him and was proven to be cheating. I think that he never thought he would be in the apartment for long, so he never cared to do anything with it. He likes my place, but it's not big enough for a family."

"You are thinking about a family?" Dad asked.

"It's something that we are both thinking about. We aren't getting any younger, and we also know that we both want one. So, we talk about it when we talk about the future."

Dad looked like he really didn't like that, but he kept his mouth shut. Molly kissed his cheek.

"Deacon's bringing me back a drink. I'm going to get changed."

Molly found the bathroom she had been told she could use when her clothes arrived. She quickly changed and looked at herself in the mirror. There were no tears, not yet. There had been in the back of the car that her father had sent to get her from work before the news had reached her. She wasn't sure what had been going on since the cop hadn't been allowed to tell her anything other than to call her father. She called her father as soon as she could, and he told her over the phone.

Deacon was back, and there were more SWAT people in the waiting room. She knew that Rocker was well-liked by a lot of them. Annoying as he might be, he was the kind of person the whole station needed. She could see the fun that he put in when it was needed, but he could be serious as fucking hell. She had watched him when he was in charge a few times during training, and he was as stern as Deacon when he needed to be. She paused when a man came into the room.

Donny's team jumped up, but they left a hole for her to come forward.

"Molly?" the doctor asked when she got close.

"Yes, that's me. Molly Hicks."

"He's being put into recovery. There was no damage beyond a bruise that is forming on his head. So we aren't worried about that, and the bullet did less damage to his arm than we thought. We have it all fixed, and now we're just waiting to see how he recovers. I don't see a reason why he can't get back to where he was with time and healing."

"Work?"

"I've seen his notes from previous injuries. I can't see why, after a few weeks, he can't work inside the station with things. That will allow him to have something to do, so he doesn't do something stupid."

Molly laughed because she could see that. She could see Donny climbing the walls. Maybe he could work on wedding planning. She knew that he had a ring for her, but she hadn't pushed on it. There was a lot between them that made them both hesitant to take that next step. So, she would settle in and make sure that he was happy with what they were doing. Her wedding had never been something she had wanted to be big. Something in a backyard was more than enough. She could be happy with him at a justice of the peace, but she knew that it wasn't what he wanted. So, he would be the one to plan with her help when he asked for it. Then they could start with the next phase of their work, which was babies.

The doctor was talking to the team about what had happened with the bullet, which was more than she needed to know, but she listened so she could know how to take care of him.

"There was not a lot that she felt like was going to be an issue for them. So she settled in to wait to be allowed to see him. The team would stay, and Hondo's team would leave now that he was fine and out of surgery. There were a few things that she felt like she needed to do. Of course, there was a lot that she was going to have to do in her place to make sure that Donny could stay there. The first couple of weeks, he ended up taking it easy. She turned to her father and waited for him to hug her. She settled into his arms and took the comfort.

"I have a list of things that you need to do, or he's going to end up doing them before he's ready."

"Text it to me and I'll take care of it. The doctor thinks he'll be home in the morning, so I'll make sure that one of the two vehicles gets here along with groceries at your place. Text that lists to me as well. I might get some help there from his team, but we will take care of making sure he rests when he's supposed to."

Molly nodded. She wanted to be in the room with him, but that was a couple of hours away since they didn't allow anyone in recovery at the moment.

"Why are you wearing a LAFD shirt?"

"Oh, this was left by his brother at his place one time, and I took it."

"His brother works for the LAFD?" Dad looked like he felt really confused.

Molly couldn't help but laugh at that. She knew that he had never really paid much attention to the extended family of most of the people under him unless they were injured on the job and needed to be called or something like that. The last time, it had been Val; now it was her.

"Dad, it's his twin brother. He works flying helicopters and water tankers."

"I..."

Molly watched a few emotions wash over her father's face, and she waited to see what he was going to say next.

"I think I need to look at his file again. Twin brother as in..."

"If they weren't a little different in the way they act, I would not know who to kiss if they were beside each other. Identical twins."

"I need to look at that folder. You need anything else?"

"No."

"I'm going to wait with you and his team, and then when we get to see him, we can figure out how to get you a vehicle and make sure that there are groceries at your place. I'll put them up, not leave the team to go through your things."

Molly kissed her father's cheek before she headed over to sit down and talk to Donny's favorite team member. She needed to settle in and calm herself down. She rolled the drink between her hands and tried not to focus on the man she loved.

---

Donny felt the spike of pain, but he didn't move because there was something pinning down his arm. He tried to remember where he was, but he wasn't sure. He looked to the side to see the machines. He was in the hospital. He had no idea who was in bed with him, but given that they were stretched along his body and fit so perfectly, it had to be Molly. He wanted to know how she had talked them into letting her stay with him overnight.

The door opened, and the light from the hall was enough to give him the chance to see the nurse who came into the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore but mostly from sitting still for so long. What's she doing here?"

"You were waking up but not fully, and you were acting like you would try to get out of bed. She climbed in with you, and you've been pretty still for a while. We got one of the bigger beds as well, so that she had room to sleep with you. Not normal, but you are SWAT, you could do damage to anyone who tried to stop you, even with an arm down. So the doctor chose what was best for you and for us. And that's her sleeping in bed with you."

Donny couldn't fault their logic.

"Do you need to do any tests?"

"No, you are fine. I'll mark that you woke up fully and were talking to me in the file. The doctor will do rounds in the morning, and you'll probably be discharged then. How are you feeling now that you are awake a little more?"

"I'll take more of the good stuff, but I think that mostly I just need to sleep."

"I'll hit that button, and you can pass out again. Glad to see you awake, Rocker."

"Thanks."

Donny relaxed again, and he looked at where Molly was. She was curled into him like she was afraid of letting go. He let himself drift as the pain medication filled his veins from the IV, and then he was asleep again.

There was more pain when he woke up again, and Donny felt that Molly was still asleep on him, but his good arm was freed from under her body. He hated it and loved it. He was able to reach over the mediation, and when it hit him this time, he knew it wasn't nearly as strong as the other had been, which was good, as he needed to get used to pills and that kind of stuff. He would have just to make sure that he was pretty good off. There were new voices in the room, and so far, they hadn't noticed that he was awake.

Donny couldn't place the one voice, but the second was Hicks.

"He's awake," the first voice said.

"How do you know?"

"Because he hit his pain pump."

"Rocker," Hicks said.

Donny turned his head to look at him. He got a good look at Molly, who was in the shirt she had stolen from his brother, which was hilarious. He didn't mind her wearing it because it seemed more intimate than her wearing one of his shirts. She accepted his brother in his life, even if he and his brother weren't as close as they had been as children.

"Commander," Donny said.

"The doctor will be doing rounds in about half an hour. We figured that we could get her downstairs for breakfast after that and bring up something for you."

"That would be great. Do I have clothes?"

"I packed something from the top of your dresser to wear home. Not the most flattering, but you don't need anything more than the shorts and the shirt, along with shoes. Your team took care of your gear and got it off you in the field while they waited for the paramedics to get to you. So you don't have any of that to worry about. Your guns were taken care of by Hondo, and Deacon serviced them before getting them put into where they belong."

Donnny looked at the other guy to see that it was JP. Donny had only met him once, and it had been a little stiff because JP hadn't been happy with Molly dating another member of SWAT. He had softened a little bit. It was good that he was there.

"JP is willing to drive you home. We brought your car over here with him driving my car. Then I'll pick him up later. He will help, not hinder."

"That's good."

Molly moved, and she stretched out in a way that told Donny she was more awake than she seemed. He kissed her forehead where he could reach it, and then she was smiling. "Morning. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good. I have already been dropped to the step-down stuff. I'm sure that once I get home and this stuff wears off before my pills kick in, I'm going to be in pain, but how can I be in pain with a beautiful woman in my arms?"

"You are injured, stop flirting with me."

"Never," Donny said.

"No, please do stop," Hicks said.

Molly jolted and looked at her father. She started to blush. "You ass."

"I'm sorry, I assumed you knew they were here. We were talking, and I thought it was what woke you up."

Donny couldn't help but smile at her when she glared at him. She looked like she was going to get him back, but that would come later when he was better off.

"What about the suspects?"

"The entire crowd was questioned. They realized that what the gang had told them was not the truth when Hondo and his team got the victims out of there to protect them, and the others started to try to shoot them again. You were the only one who was injured, which was good. They saw them trying to go after you again, and then things calmed down. The crowd at least knew how to duck before they ran for cover."

Donny snorted, and he regretted that as it moved his shoulder. He looked down at the sling. He was going to be in that the entire time the doctor wanted him. He had learned the hard way with a knife that Molly didn't play with that kind of stuff. She would make sure that he did what he was supposed to, and she would make sure that he knew he had no choice.

"Molly, once the doctor has talked to him, we will go down and get breakfast for us all, then I'm sure that you guys will get out of here. I'll drive you, and Dad will pick me up later once we've made sure that things are set up the best for Rocker."

Molly looked at Donny, and she had a question in her eyes. He nodded that he agreed with it. He would do what the Hicks family wanted because it meant that he was accepted. Which was all he wanted. He knew that Hicks was still wary about him being with Molly, but he hoped that with time, the man would be okay with it. There was a lot that he could do to make it better, but Molly didn't want him to concede anything, and he was with Molly.

That was the biggest thing that Donny had to get used to. That he had to please Molly over Hicks when it came to their personal lives. When it was work, Donny followed all commands.

Molly and Hicks' pissing match had gone on for months, and it had hit a point where Hicks hadn't seen his daughter in person for a month when he finally conceded that Molly was more than old enough to make her own decisions. Even if they were ones that he didn't like. It wasn't like she was out there doing drugs. It was hard to see them fighting because they did love each other, and he didn't like being in the middle of it.

In the end, it had worked out for them so far. Donny wasn't Hicks' favorite person, but he at least tried to be civil.

"Wait, that shirt was at my place."

"Yes, Donny. I asked Dad to get me clothes," Molly said with a laugh.

Donny thought about Hicks in his drawers.

"She told me where to find things for you, and I didn't need to know anything else. I don't need to know the things that my daughter or her boyfriend gets up to." Hicks looked like Donny had personally shown him a picture of them in the middle of a sex scene.

"There is a crowd out here who would like to see you," the nurse said as she stuck her head into another room.

"I'm staying, but you guys can head down and get food. The doctor will be here soon, right?"

"Getting you out of the room was the goal," JP said.

"I was asleep most of the time. I'm going to be fine, JP. Just go and get food. Stuff that he can eat with only one hand. He loves breakfast sandwiches. I'll text you."

JP made a noise, but he left with Hicks on his heels.

"I love you," Molly said as she pressed a kiss to Donny's lips.

"I love you too. Maybe I could move in with you over this, or we can see how it goes. Then we can start to think about the house that we want, take our time, and live in our place until then."

Molly smiled and she pressed a kiss to his cheek again, getting as close as she could in the bed.

With her with him, Donny felt like he could do anything. It was all he wanted. Forever.

The End