run but one look at Sam's determined face quelled that idea. She sighed in

defeat putting back the chart and walked slowly toward Sam. Sam slowed her

headlong pace when she realized Riley wasn't going to run. Riley's eyes ran

over Sam as she approached; her expression softened and she forgot all about

trying to avoid her.

"Hi Sam. How are you?" Riley greeted when they met halfway between Sam's

room and the nurses desk.

Sam stared at the doctor in amazement. Riley greeted her as if nothing was

amiss and she hadn't pulled a disappearing act. Sam couldn't stop the anger

that crept into her voice. "Where have you been Riley?" she asked angrily.

That was the wrong tact to take with Riley. She'd felt bad for avoiding Sam but

now her own anger rose at Sam's accusing tone of voice.

"I do have other patients besides you to take care of Officer McKenna." Riley

responded angrily. "Was there something you wanted? I'm very busy." As soon

as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them.

Sam's shoulders slumped in defeat. She had been right all along, Riley only

thought of her as another patient. The kiss had meant nothing to her and that

had been why she was avoiding her. Sam had thought it was because she didn't

want to be involved with a patient, now she knew better.

"No there's nothing Dr. Connolly. I'm sorry I bothered you." Sam turned and

started to slowly make her way back to her room.

Riley watched sadly, as Sam turned and walked way. She felt terrible for what

she'd said to her leading her to believe she was just another patient. It broke

Riley's heart to see the defeated slump of her shoulders but she knew it was for

the best.

Sam was almost back to her room when she stumbled her injured leg giving out,

one of her crutches started to slide out from under her. The rush down the hall to

catch Riley had placed more of a strain on her leg than she'd realized.

Riley saw Sam stumble and heard her gasp of pain. She raced down the hall to

catch her before she hit the ground. Being so much shorter than Sam Riley did

the only thing she could and wrapped her arms around Sam's waist from behind.

She supported as much of her weight as she could until Sam could get the

crutches under her again.

"Are you all right?" Riley questioned. She still had her arms wrapped securely

around Sam's waist her body pressed tightly against hers from behind.

Sam had known the second the arms came around her they belonged to Riley.

She tested her leg gingerly and sighed happily when it held her weight.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just gave out on me there for a minute. Thanks."

Riley reluctantly released her hold on Sam coming around to face her. "Come on

I'll help you get settled back into bed."

Sam still felt the sting from their last conversation. "That's ok; I'm fine I can make it on my own." She said trying to be as polite as possible and not let Riley know

how much she'd hurt her.

Riley could see the hurt in Sam's eyes and cursed herself for being such a

coward. This woman had saved her life the least she could do is have the

courage to tell her the truth.

Riley reached out and lightly touched Sam's arm. "I'd really feel better knowing

you're really okay and settled. I'd like to make sure you didn't damage your

incision." She said softly making eye contact with Sam and hoping she would

read the sincerity in her eyes.

Sam didn't respond but she didn't move either.

"Please Sam," Riley tried again her expression pleading.

Damn it, Sam thought, how am I supposed to stay mad at her when she looks at

me like that!

"OK."

Riley smiled up at Sam moving to her side she placed a hand on her back. She

walked with her back into her room keeping her hand in place in case she

stumbled again.

When they reached the side of the bed, Riley gently took Sam's crutches from

her resting them against the bedside table. She then stepped behind Sam and

started to help her remove her robe. As the robe came off Riley's eyes widened.

Sam's hospital gown had come untied and she had a prime view of Sam's broad

shoulders and muscled back. Her eyes drifted down to her trim waist and tight

gluts. She found herself staring unashamedly at Sam's ass. The compulsion to

reach out and touch was almost overwhelming. She swallowed loudly squirming

slightly at the sudden damp feeling between her legs. Damn this woman is

dangerous, Riley groaned. She'd never reacted to a patient like this before. Hell

she'd never reacted to anyone like this before.

When the robe was removed, Sam realized she felt a decided chill. She glanced

back to see her gown gaping open in the back. She wasn't able to see Riley

because of their height difference and where she was standing. Her face flamed

with embarrassment. This woman always seemed to see her at her most

vulnerable. She dropped her head to her chest. "Just kill me now," she muttered.

Riley grinned when she realized Sam couldn't see her and hadn't known she

was ogling her. She reached up and pulled Sam's gown closed tying it shut.

"Don't worry about it Sam. It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." Riley

immediately slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she'd just

said. This was why she had to avoid Sam, her mouth seem to become

disengaged from her brain every time she was around her. She blushed hotly.

Sam turned in time to see Riley's face flush red. "Oh really?" She purred.

Riley felt like her face was on fire. She'd never been so embarrassed in her life.

"I just meant I'm your um... doctor and um... and I had to take your clothes off in

the ER. I mean, um... the nurses did and..." Riley's stuttering voice trailed off.

She glanced up at Sam. Sam had that little half smirk on her face she'd seen

before. She was learning to be wary of it. Riley growled at Sam. Sam busted up

laughing.

Riley reached out and lightly backhanded Sam in the stomach. "I always knew

you were a troublemaker McKenna. Now get your butt back in that bed so I can

examine your incision." Riley playfully demanded.

Once Sam was settled in, Riley bent to examine her incision. It looked great and

the sutures were ready to come out. "This looks good Sam let me go grab a

suture removal kit and I'll take your sutures out."

While Riley was gone, Sam tried to figure out Riley's changed attitude. She'd

avoided her for several days, and then in the hall told her she was just another

patient. Now she was acting as she had before teasing her and acting friendly. It

all suddenly made sense. Riley did have feeling for her but was fighting against

them. She was so hung up on Sam being a patient she refused to let herself feel

for her. Sam smiled. She just had to bide her time until she wasn't her patient

anymore.

Riley came back into the room with the suture removal kit. Sam pulled back the

blanket and as she'd done before Riley positioned her gown for her. Her back to

Sam she began to gently remove the sutures from the first incision line. That

finished she started on the second suture line that ran down the inside of Sam's

thigh. She removed several stitches her wrist resting on Sam's mound. Sam

tried hard not to think about where Riley's hand was resting.

"Spread your legs for me." Riley requested.

Sam bit her lip as Riley's innocent words caused a flash of arousal to rush

through her body. She spread her legs slightly and tried to keep her hips in place

as Riley gently spread her leg further open and turned it so she could reach the

sutures. The last three sutures where quite a way down the inside of Sam's

thigh. When Riley reached to get them, her hand brushed hard between Sam's

legs. Sam's hips bucked up into the contact. Riley was oblivious to the true

cause of Sam's distress.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked with concern. She was totally focused on removing

the sutures.

"No." Sam assured her in a strained voice. "You didn't hurt me."

Riley glanced up from her work. Sam's voice had sounded strange. Sam refused

to meet her eyes. Riley figured she'd hurt her and she didn't want to admit it.

She gently set about removing the last of the sutures.

Sam fought her growing arousal praying Riley would finish quickly before she

humiliated herself. Sam almost groaned in relief when Riley said she was

finished.

"Everything looks great here. You will have a scar but it shouldn't be too

prominent." Riley assured Sam.

Sam finally regained her composure once Riley removed her hands from

between her legs.

"I'm not surprised, I had a great surgeon." She smiled at Riley.

Riley gathered up her instruments and prepared to leave.

Sam's expression grew serious as she met Riley's smiling eyes. "I missed you

these last few days," she confessed softly.

Riley felt her chest tighten at Sam's honest declaration. She mentally squared

her shoulders vowing silently to herself to tell the truth.

"I missed you too Sam." Sam smiled brilliantly. "But..." Sam's smile faded as quickly as it'd appeared. "You're my patient and I can't get involved with a

patient, it's unethical. It goes against everything I've been taught to believe.

Please understand." Riley was almost pleading.

"I do understand." Sam assured her.

Riley didn't know if she was disappointed or happy. She knew she should be

happy that Sam was so easily accepting they couldn't be involved. But in her

heart of hearts, she felt a piercing sense of disappointment.

"You do?"

"Yes, I understand you can't get involved with me while I'm your patient. I won't

be your patient forever." Sam replied with a smile.

"No then you'll be my ex-patient. It's the same thing Sam. I'm sorry believe me I

am. If we'd met under different circumstances..." Riley was near tears. She

cared for this woman and had for a while no matter how many times she told

herself she shouldn't. It just wasn't fair.

Sam had turned away from Riley not wanting the woman to see her hurt

expression.

"I'm sorry." Riley said softly before quietly making her exit.

Chapter Five

Sam sat in a chair in her hospital room waiting to be discharged. It felt good to

be back in her own clothes again even if it was only a pair of sweats and a t-

shirt. When she had gotten the message from Riley through one of the nurses

that she was going to be discharged, she'd asked one of her fellow officers to

get her some clothes from her locker. Her uniform had been a total loss. She'd

called her brother and let him know she was being discharged. They were due to

come directly from the airport and pick her up. As she waited for Frank and

Cheryl to arrive her thoughts turned to the subject never far from her mind, Riley.

She just couldn't believe she was willing to throw away something that seemed

so strong between them over a misplaced sense of ethics. Sam had admitted to

herself that she already cared deeply for the charismatic doctor. It thrilled and

scared her at the same time. She'd dated and enjoyed a lot of women but had

never felt as strongly as she did for the little redhead. It just didn't make sense

they hadn't even dated. At first, she tried to convince herself it was just physical

attraction and gratitude for saving her life. However, as time passed and she

saw more of Riley she knew it wasn't true. She was drawn to her in a way she'd

never been to any other woman she'd ever met. The thought that Riley was

willing to throw that away without even trying infuriated her. She knew the doctor