Columbia Mercy Hospital

Roxanne Peters.

Her fingers trembled as she held the phone close against her ear, trying to calm her breathing, trying not to look at Evan who looked terrified, his face a mirror of everything she felt inside, threatening to drag the barely concealed emotions out.

The phone was answered.

"Who's this?" a female voice hissed.

"Roxanne Peters. I'm the head of plastic surgery at this establishment and the police are here with me. We're stood outside the door." Roxanne restrained from biting her lip. Had she said too much? Not enough? Though her voice was steady, her mind was racing with possibilities.

"Where did you get this number?" The voice sounded panicked, in an irrational, out of control sort of way. Roxanne looed questioningly at the police officers but they offered no suggestions, probably barely able to hear the call. Roxanne pressed the buttom for loud speaker.

"You called this phone earlier," Roxanne reasoned. "I want to help resolve this situation. First, I need you to tell me if anyone's badly hurt. Can you do that?" She looked to the door, wishing she could catch a glimpse but it was impossible.

"Don't patronise me," the voice sneered. "I'm in control here and I make the decisions."

"Okay," Roxanne agreed readily. "Tell me what you want."

"Ask her if she'll speak with the police," the oldest officer mumbled, watching as another wrote quickly across a small pad.

"Who's speaking in the background? What are they saying?" the female voice demanded. "I've got a gun... don't try anything."

"It's one of the police officers," Roxanne said. "He wants to know if you'll speak with the police." There was a pause as this was considered.

"No," she said. "No. I don't think so. Tell them my first demand is for you to move away from this door."

Rebecca

Jeremy placed Rebecca on the bed, her leg was bleeding loads and the blade was sticking out. ''Get It out of my leg!!''Rebecca shouted. She was screaming so much, it killed. ''OMG!!, how could have happened, the worse day of my life so far and then I have a razorblade in m,y leg!!!'' Rebecca was over reacting and she knew it. She kinda liked the atention, but that freaked her out.

Sydney Parker

Sydney sighed a bit. Her lips were a bit blue, to say the least, but she was still leaning up against the wall. She glanced over to Emily and then to Isabella, who was just now moving back her direction from Sugar-Beth, who was apparently fine.

She heard the woman on the phone near the door. The phone volume was up loud enough that Sydney could tell it was a female voice, but nothing more--she was too far away. Everyone in the room was getting a one-sided picture of the conversation, hoping for the best.

It was an odd thought Sydney would've never thought she'd have, but she really hoped the woman on the phone was her mother. She figured it must be that or a cop, as Des was the one in control of CMH and would jump at a chance to control such a large situation. She wondered just for a moment what Des was thinking, what she knew, and what she had planned. She wondered for another moment where Evan was, if he was okay and if he knew what was going on.

But her thoughts were quick as she tried to pay attention to the woman on the phone, ""Tell them my first demand is for you to move away from this door." There was an awkward pause inbetween sentences as the woman waited for an answer and took quite awhile to formulate another response, "All of you." another pause, not comforting, "I want a way out, front door, no one stops me."

Sydney wanted to smile and chuckle a little, wondering how in the world the woman expected to get away with that or have that secured in any way, but she suddenly realized she was no longer looking at the woman and was, instead, listening to the conversation with her eyes closed and could do nothing about it. She could feel her breathing getting shallower and could barely feel her own heart beating anymore. Syd could only hope the situation would come to a close soon.

Roxanne Peters

"I want a way out, front door, no one stops me," the woman demanded. Roxanne half nodded and then scowled as one of the officers shook his head, vehemently.

"Let me discuss it with the police," Roxanne said firmly.

"Don't take all day," the woman spat back. "I might get bored and shoot someone." Roxanne's eyes flew wide at that and she hoped very much that the woman was bluffing. She trembled a little as she put a hand over the mobile. They were standing in reception now, two officers huddled around Roxanne and the others guarding the entrance to the hallway. Evan and Daniel weren't far away, both slouched against the wall looking like helpless babes.

"That's more than my job's worth-" one of the officers began to speak, his voice sounding a little whiny as Roxanne fixed her stare on him.

"And what about their lives?" Roxanne asked quietly. "I understand that we can't just let her walk free but we have to reach a sensible compromise."

"Here's how it's going to go," the senior officer murmured. "Bargain with her for the release of the injured and other hostages first. Let her keep one or two and then we'll talk details." Roxanne grimaced at the casual way he threw that last part in. As if her colleagues and her friends were pawns to be used. But she nodded reluctantly. Afterall, they were much more experienced than her.

"You've got to let the injured go first," Roxanne said.

"And why would I do that?" Roxanne could hear the sound of pacing in the background and the faint murmur of voices.

"A sign of trust," Roxanne replied, doubting her own words but then she strengthened her voice. "Take it or leave it but I need to know that we're not dealing with murder." She half regretted the words but stumbled on, knowing it was all or nothing now and wishing that someone else, anyone else was standing in her place. "Look, I don't think you want to kill anyone or you'd be storming out of here, leaving bodies in your wake..." Way to give her ideas, Roxy... "And this can only work in your favour. If someone's seriously injured-"

"Okay," the woman cut in. "I'm going to lift the blind and if I see anyone outside this room, someone is going to pay for your mistake."

"And then you'll send them out?" Roxanne pressed.

"Yes," she said in a small, frightened voice before repeating it more strongly. "Okay, some of the doctors are bringing the patients out." Roxanne shuddered in relief, the knuckles of her hand white from gripping the phone. She heard the opening of a door, the sounds of footsteps and then the click as the door was shut again. Both Evan and Daniel stumbled to their feet, staring down the hall as two doctors Roxanne knew only vaguely carried a profusely bleeding Sydney through and Isabella followed behind with an unconscious, female intern.

"Shit," Evan mumbled in shock, rushing towards Sydney. "Is she alright?" he demanded angrily. Dan hung back, his face suddenly ashen.

"Worse shape than me," he joked half-heartedly. The phone started speaking again and Roxanne pressed it tighter against her ear, listening shakily as the others hurried towards a patient room, Evan paging the surgeons with Roxanne's pager.

"Now I want my way cleared," the woman said.

Evan Kensington

I followed close to the others, watching Sydney fearfully.

"Is she okay?" I demanded repeatedly, getting no response. "Answer me!"

I noticed that one other doctor, Isabella, was talking, and listened to what she was saying.



Isabella Milan

I carried the limp form of Sugar-Beth in my arms, following close behind those that carried Sydney.

"She's been shot," I said to the first person who even bothered to listen to me. "Someone needs to get that bullet out and get her patched up. She needs blood, badly. Her heart beat is weak."

The person I was talking to nodded quickly.

"Same thing with this girl here, only she isn't nearly as badly wounded. The only chance she would possibly have of dying would be if she lost too much blood."

**I'm gonna do something to maybe spice it up a little***

Sugar-Beth

I left my head up a little, glass chimed some of it was in my hair, wow I must have been at some kind of wilde party. I saw a woman next to me, but.... she was in a pool of her own blood. I opened my eyes and saw a women with a gun and about three doctors clearing the way for her.

"What the hell?" I whispered so silently. I moaned when I tried to get up... i looked at my shoulder... it was.... bleeding? I saw a little tiny round bullet hole. I had been shot? Me? Oh.... who was I again? Where was I?

A male's eyes looked at me, one of the doctors.

"Sugar-beth! It's me, Evan!" He said.

I began to sit up. "Sugar-beth how's Sydney doing?! Check if she has a pulse."

There was a long pause.... no one move.

"Sugar-Beth!" He was staring at me, he was kinda cute. "Sugar-Beth!" He yelled.

I turned my head at him in cunfusion. "Who the hell is Sugar-Beth." I said.

All the doctors mouths dropped open.

"Well what are you all looking at me for?" I asked. Who was I? Where was I? Why and the hell was i bleeding????

Emily Jane Darcy.

Emily listened to the conversation silently. Watching as the woman stood, the gun still pointed squarely between Emily’s shoulders, and walked toward the crooked blind. She was still talking into the phone as she lifted the blind. There was no one in the pale corridor, and the blind snapped back with a shuddering rattle.

"Okay, some of the doctors are bringing the patients out." The woman clicked the phone closed. “All right. Get these people out of here.” She was looking at Emily, but didn’t seem to be speaking to her at all. “You!” The gun was thrust in Isabella’s direction. “Get these people out!” Aaron stepped back and started ushering patients together with the interns. Making sure each patient had someone with them.

Isabella stood and hoisted Sugar-Beth up under the shoulders, half carrying, half dragging her to the door. Sydney was in front of her, being carried by Billy and Kelly. She was pale and Emily could hardly see the movement of her chest.

As the room cleared, Emily watched Aaron clear the room of as many people as he could. The gun was back to pointing at her, the hand holding it never wavered. The room was almost completely empty. Aaron motioned toward one of the interns, Lily, the last person in the room besides themselves, just as the woman turned her gun on him.

“uh uhhh, mister. I know you’ve let non-patients go. That’s fine, I’ll deal with it. Less people to worry about anyway. But you two are staying.” She swung the gun between them. “and you.” The gun stopped on Emily. “Close the door.”

Emily strode toward the door, looking out and watching as the doctors looked after the patients, a small group had gathered near Sugar-Beth and Roxanne looked supremely stressed next to the police. But everything looked like it was fairly ordered, which meant that all Emily had to worry over were the other two in the room with her.

She clicked the door shut.

Sydney Parker


Sydney did not feel Billy pick her up. She didn't hear the commotion of people leaving the room or the yelling in the hallway outside it. Her lungs had ceased to fill, her heart barely beating if at all. She had faded, but she had fighting power still in her lifeless body waiting to be called on--she could pull through.

Billy placed her on a gurney. There was yelling around, and she somehow felt Evan's presense but couldn't hear his words. It was all quiet for Sydney, as she rested somewhere between life and death in a deafening silence. Certain scenes ran through her head, filling the quiet with pictures; her sister Katie, my mom, her dad, her last kiss with Evan, the end of her relationship with Daniel. It didn't slow down, and the memories flooded like she was reliving them in ultra fastfoward.

Still, though their words fell on deaf ears, conversation went on around her as Isabella worked quickly, glancing up to Evan, "What blood type?"

Evan shook his head a bit looking down to Sydney in silence, his eyes wide and scared.

"Evan! Type?!"

Evan snapped back up to Isabella and shrugged, "I...I don't know." It wasn't like it was a normal conversation to have with someone you've been dating this short of time, it's not like it was a light dinner conversation: honey, I love the chicken. oh, and by the way I have an X blood type. But, at this moment Evan felt like a failure for not knowing the answer, like he should have known to ask.

"AB negative." A voice from behind. Daniel, who stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and watching in stillness.

Daniel

"AB negative," Daniel said, standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame and watching in stillness. His heart was thudding steadily, as if he didn't have the energy to be terrified. He barely had the energy to stand.

"Are you sure?" Isabella asked. Daniel nodded silently, his eyes watching the rise and fall of Sydney's chest and the paleness of her lips that didn't suit her beautifully tanned complexion. The perfect curls all framing her head, the flicker of her eyelids as the doctors rushed her towards surgery.

Daniel followed slowly, knowing the way even after they were all out of sight. He stopped frequently, leaning against the wall to catch his breath, vaguely aware of the other doctors and patients moving around him, vaguely aware that most of the hospital was returning to normal.

But not for Daniel. If there was anything normal about this day, I'd be the one in surgery, Daniel thought wryly, recalling all the times that Syd had held his hand as he was taken down the halls. And now he couldn't even do the same for her.

And even if he had kept up, it clearly was no longer his right. The way Isabella had turned to Evan, the way he in turn was worrying, the guilty horror on his face when he couldn't answer. Daniel knew what it all meant and his heart ached.

Daniel paused once more, mere steps from the surgery waiting area, bent double and breathing heavily.

"Dan?" Isabella approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Daniel gasped, letting her help him to a seat not far from where Evan sat, his head bowed and hands clasped tightly in his lap.

"The surgeons are with her," Isabella said. "So you've met her before?" Daniel forced a laugh through his fatigue and nodded.

"We dated," he said. "But I made a mistake." The memory cut through his mind and he thought of that tiny gold ring with its bright diamond, still tucked in its case somewhere amongst his belongings. The ring had been as hard to throw away as the memories were.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Isabella said encouragingly, sitting beside him and looking a little disappointed but still hopeful. Then suddenly she turned professional on him: "But you should be in bed. Whatever you have it looks serious and the doctors should be taking better care of you."

"They do," Daniel said. "The best. Or I wouldn't keep coming back, would I?" he grinned and his breathing started to calm as he looked to the double doors of surgery, trying to ignore the heavy thudding of his heart.

Tyson Cromwell

Tyson had hard of the commotion, but hadn't really kept up with the happenings. He wasn't really sure he had a right to, as a new intern. He had stayed in the lounge upstairs, doing his best not to get in the way or ask too many questions. He could easily recognize a tense situation.

He has a sudden wondering where Lily West was, as they had come back in together, but had split on the ground floor. She hadn't come back to the lounge earlier when others did, and although it wasn't as if his life would end without her just yet, he needed something to do so he took off in search of her.

The door swung closed as Tyson headed out into the hall, heading down towards the elevator. At the end of the hallway he noticed several hospital personal sitting ourside the surgical corridor and raised a brow, wondering what was up.

He headed down the hallway and stood before Isabella with a smile, "Hey Isabella Milan." He had a thing with last names.

She glanced up to him with a smile that seemed almost forced, but Tyson had a sneaky suspicion it has nothing to do with him as he glanced to Daniel and Evan close by. He took a seat beside her and leaned her direction, wanting to ask questions but trying to be quiet about it in the silence of the waiting room, "What's going on?"

Isabella sighed and glanced towards the doors, "One of our doctors was shot."

Tyson's eyes grew a bit large, that wasn't supposed to happen in a hospital. He caught himself quickly and looked away, "Who?"

"Sydney Parker." It was quiet, and Isabella was avoiding the eye contact as well as if lying to someone.

He thought for a minute, remembering her from that morning. She wasn't his resident, but he remembered that she was, infact, a resident. Pretty woman, but he hadn't really met her. But, the situation didn't really call for him having known her. He turned back to Isabella, "Is she okay?" It was a dumb question, but he was at a loss for words.

Isabella pointed in the direction of the double doors with a small, barely noticeable shrug to avoid giving an answer around the other two men, "In surgery."

Tyson sighed and leaned forward, pulling off his beanie--it just seemed like the right thing to do. He glanced at the floor beneath him as he spoke, "I'm sorry." He hadn't just meant the sympathy for Isabella, but also for the others around that needed it, and he would take up permanent residence in the corridor to wait with the others.

Kelly

I almost followed into the surgical room, just to be sure Sugar Beth and Sydney would be okay, but then I remembered that they were in the hospital's hands. I walked over to the waiting area to regain my self-control. I could still feel myself shaking a bit.

Walking in I found Dr. Milan, a male patient and another male doctor. I sat down, and through my head back in the chair, breathing through my mouth as though I had run a marathon. Somehow, I couldn't quite calm my nerves and breathing got harder and harder. I started panicking. This hadn't happened since I was seven.

"Help... me!!" I gasped, unable to breath.

"Oh my God, she's having some sort of athsma attack!" Dr. Milan cried leaping to my side. "Do you have an inhaler with you?"

I shook my head, gasping and coughing.

Daniel

"Good thing we're in a hospital," Daniel joked. "You'd better take her to the asthma ward." Isabella arched an eyebrow, as if surprised that he was telling her what to do but he barely saw, his gaze still fixed on the hands clasped in his lap.

And he was only partially aware of Isabella ushering the woman away. Then it was just the new guy, him and Evan. Daniel stole a glance at the latter and grudgingly admired his physique and the cute little button nose, the smile lines around his mouth... he sighed.

Evan caught the sound and turned his head, startled to find that he had company. He'd clearly been lost in thoughts.

"Syd will get through this," Dan said awkwardly. There was a moment's silence and then Daniel couldn't help himself. "I can see why she likes you," he said. "You've got a real cute little button nose and you look like the sort of guy who laughs a lot. Probably not the serious type."

Evan's eyes opened wide and Daniel smiled, rushing forwards with his eagerness to talk. "I mean, Syd isn't the serious type you know. That's where I went wrong. I'm too serious for her." He chuckled at that. "Me. Serious!" And he laughed a little more though it faded to a wheeze that brought him back to the realisation that he was sitting outside of surgery and that Sydney was in there. And that the other guy probably thought he was a complete idiot. Daniel flashed a smile in his direction and was rewarded with a rather blank stare.

"She didn't tell me much about you," Evan said cautiously, his eyes fixed on the double doors of surgery as if he thought he might catch a glimpse of her.

"Oh." Daniel tried not to sound dejected, tried to shrug it off. "She didn't tell me about you at all actually, but then we've not exactly been speaking..." Daniel attempted to smile but he could feel his good humour sinking. And suddenly he didn't want to sit there with Evan but neither did he want to miss any information the doctors might bring. He was trapped. And he was so incredibly tired.

Daniel sat back in his chair and his head lolled to his shoulder, his eyes flickering, only half concentrating on the surgery doors as he slipped into an uncomfortable sleep.

Isabella Milan

I ushered the woman, who's name tag said Kelly, toward the Asthma ward worriedly.

"Nurse, this woman needs help!" I called to the first nurse I saw. Out of everything I knew, I had no idea how to handle an asthmatic patient. So instead I called for help, and ran to get Kelly's file from our main cabinet.


Evan Kensington

Silently I wondered how Daniel had known about my relationship with Sydney. We were so careful to keep it quiet. It was her idea, to keep it on the down low for a good length of time.

My pager went off.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have a plastic surgery patient waiting for me." Daniel and Tyson both nodded understandingly as I rushed off toward where my patient would be waiting.

Ava-patient

I had my eyes closed my iPod headphones in my ears. I heard someone walk in, I opened my eyes.

"Finally!!!" I sang.

Evan had walked in looking pale.

"Took you long enough I heard gunshots and I was thinking omg what if my plastic surgeon had been shot then my edding would be ruined."

"Cut it out Ava." Evan shot back.

"What's got your panties in a bunch? Oh and where's my sister I need to talk to her, that spoiled brat hasn't even bother to come in and see how I was doing. Whatev."

Evan Kensington

"Ava, Sugar-Beth was shot..." I replied. I hated to be so blunt, but she really was oblivious.

Ava's jaw dropped.

"What? What do you mean...?"

"The gunshots. One of them hit Sugar-Beth in the shoulder."

Ava didn't speak for a long time. When she finally did, her voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Is she...alive?"

"Yes. She should be fine, in due time," I replied, quick to assure her that her sister was fine. I could see that, despite the obvious tension of their relationship, Ava really did care.