It took Jamie nearly an hour of watching Jenna work on various cases for him to finally get up the nerve to start seeking out Laurel.  He had never been afraid of confrontation before, but then he had been able to speak for himself and, if needed, fight for himself.  But if he went to Laurel now there was no way he would be able to protect himself from her panic, and no way to stop the tension of fear and uncertainty that raced through his body.  He couldn’t delude himself into thinking that the fact she had been able to see him that evening had been some kind of fluke.  There was simply no chance.  If he went to her, she would see him, and neither of them would be happy about it.

Consciously he knew that he had no choice if he wanted to try and protect Laurel from whatever Derek and Jenna were scheming.  Not that he knew what he could do, but he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he stayed away from her.

All the same, he was held in place by a very un-Jamie-like uncertainty.  He didn't know what to think about any part of this situation, yet he couldn’t even have a day to adjust.  But he could have another minute.  And another.

Finally, though, the waiting began to gnaw on him just as heavily as the idea of going.  Once again, he had to make a decision.  Either go, or don’t go.  The indecision was tearing him up.  Still uncertain, still frustrated, Jamie began to search for Laurel.  He could always leave if being there proved to be too much.

But finding Laurel again, now that he was looking for her across the entire city of Los Angeles rather than within the walls of a single hospital, turned out to be much harder than he had been anticipating.  Maybe he hadn’t needed to agonize over the decision so much.  Now that she was free to roam the city, and he may never be able to find her again among the ten million people that called the City of Angels home.

Just as he was about to give up, though, he found her.  She was standing outside the door of her apartment, about to enter into the small, brown room.  Jamie felt his soul tighten.  It was now or never.

Without a further thought Jamie grabbed onto Laurel, and heaved himself across the distance between Jenna and her.  He was staring at the inside of her door, waiting for it to open.  He couldn’t feel any of the normal sensations of fear.  There was no tightness in his chest, no sweaty palms, no racing heart, but he was undoubtedly afraid, and he could feel it.  He didn’t want her to see him, but there was no helping it.

What was he going to do when she opened the door?