The sensation of a hand on her shoulder and something digging into her wound made her jerk awake. She forced her eyes opened and found a doctor leaning over her with a group of surgeons around the table. The idiot was increasing the pain in her body and she tried to get away from him. A nurse held her down as he jerked the bullet from her shoulder and she bit her lip. Then he dropped the metallic object into a tin on a table and started examining the wound for splinters.

When he gave up, she let her breath regulate and he said, "You took a nasty shot."

She looked at the ceiling and said, "Took you long enough to remove the blasted object."

He looked at her and she shot him a cold look. The nurse let her up and she sat up. Even with her body retaliating she got to her feet and walked out of the room. When she stepped into the hall she saw Mags waiting for her and she sighed. The woman walked up to her and handed her a jacket to cover the stained shirt.

She took it without a word and started walking to the hospital exit. When she stood in the lobby she heard a commotion behind the front counter and listened.

A tall lady said, "Doc says the man's rather broken. Doubt's he'd pull through."

Her friend said, "But if he did, he'd hate the recover he'd experience."

Her jaw tightened as she listened and then a doctor approached them. He handed them a chart and one nurse followed him back to the ER. She looked at the front counter and found the nurse at work with book keeping. When she found Mags nowhere near, she turned and made her way into the ER. Security stood near her destination and she slipped into the doctor's lounge.

The small room was empty and she found a clean spare of scrubs. She snatched them and slipped them on without a second thought. Then she searched for a tie and bound her hair up to finish blending in. When she was set, she left the lounge and headed to Trauma One. The doctor from earlier stood in her way and she watched him work on the hidden patient.

She slipped into a nearby restroom and waited. When she could hear the doors open to Trauma one she listened for the two to walk past. It took them five minutes to go by and then she slipped into the room. Her eyes studied the dimmed lights and then she walked to the curtains. Without a sound she pulled them back and her eyes narrowed.

The man was totally broken and she looked at a monitor next to the bed. Then she pulled out her cell and dialed Mags's number. When the woman answered, she told her his location and hung up. Then she put her cell up and started an examination of possible recovery. It took five minutes of gory examination before she quit and let a sigh.

True she resented him for not explaining his mysterious past, but it hurt to see him like this. She took a deep breath and then she spotted something metallic hanging out of his jean's pocket. Slowly she removed it and found her old necklace covered in his blood. She had always thought she had lost it on a mission, but actually she had left it behind the last time they were together.

'He must have been waiting to give this back when I returned. Huh, must have been a mind blower to know I wasn't coming back.'

With some carefulness, she ran her hand along his face and brushed his wild hair off. A low moan came from deep inside him and she looked down at him. Slowly his eyes started to move and she just waited. When he looked up at her, she knew he wasn't focusing just from how cloudy his eyes were. Then he surprised her by smirking and eying the necklace she had found.

She sighed and asked, "Were you planning on giving this back?"

"I was and still am."

She smirked and slid it back into his pocket. He looked at her and she knew he needed to get more rest.

Her hand brushed more hair from his face and she said, "I notified Mags. She'll come to get you."

He sighed and asked, "How the hell did I end up in a hospital again?"

Before she could answer, the door behind her swung open and a nurse walked in. She saw the woman spin around and call for security.

Then she sighed and said, "Mags's should be here no later than tomorrow to get you."

He nodded and said, "She better. I won't stay in this place again."

With a smirk, she nodded and said, "Catch you around, Ter."

Then she turned and slipped out the door with the nurse watching her.

PGS