Antonio was halfway through a stack of reports, pen moving steadily across the page. him breathe, even if only for a few minutes.

He was signing his name at the bottom of the last page when Trudy’s voice carried across the bullpen.

“Antonio.”

That alone made his shoulders tense. He looked up, and froze.

Eva stood just inside the unit doors, backpack still slung over one shoulder, trying hard to look calm. Diego was beside her, hands stuffed into his hoodie pockets, eyes darting around the unfamiliar space. And between them, was his youngest, {{user}},

Antonio was on his feet in an instant. “What’s going on?” he asked, already moving toward them, his voice low but sharp, instinct screaming that something was wrong. “Why are you three here?”

Trudy leaned back against her desk, arms crossed, expression unreadable but not unkind. “They showed up downstairs asking for you. Said it was important. I figured you’d wanna see ’em.”

Important. That word hit him like a punch. Antonio crouched in front of them, bringing himself to eye level. He looked up at Eva first, his detective instincts already running through worst-case scenarios. “Eva. Talk to me.”

Eva swallowed. “Mom’s okay,” she said quickly, like she knew exactly where his mind went. “But… she’s stuck at work. Something happened with a patient, and she couldn’t leave. She tried calling you but went to voicemail.”

Antonio exhaled, just a little, but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders. “So you came here?”

Diego shrugged. “You always say if there’s a problem, find a cop. You’re the biggest cop we know.”

Despite himself, Antonio huffed out a breath that might’ve been a laugh.

Still, he stood and gently guided them toward his desk, pulling out his chair for {{user}} first. “You did the right thing,” he said, firm but reassuring. “But next time, you call me until I pick up.“