Chapter One:

Gunnar raced through the hospital doors and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the room. He frantically scanned around trying to find someone, anyone that he could talk to but his rising panic wasn't helping. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he acknowledged that he was squeezing Scarlett's hand too tightly but he couldn't make himself stop. He turned to Scarlett when he felt her tug on his arm. She was peering down the hallway and pointing, "There's Luke."

Luke was pacing slowly back and forth with his arms folded across his chest, his eyes burning a hole through the floor as if it alone held salvation. Gunnar pulled Scarlett along as he ran forward yelling "Luke!" Luke looked up when he heard his name, and Gunnar stopped in his tracks when he saw the grimness in his eyes. "We came as soon as we heard the news. Is it true?"

Luke averted his eyes as he unfolded his arms and placed his hands on his hips. He cleared his throat before stating, "Yeah, it's true."

Gunnar squeezed Scarlett's hand even tighter. "How is he?"

"He's in surgery." Luke kept his eyes averted as he shook his head slightly. "It doesn't look good."

Gunnar shut his eyes as he felt his heart plummet into the pit of his stomach. "What happened?"

Luke shook his head again as he crossed his arms back over his chest. "Will and Kevin were outside Cynthia Davis' studio with the other protestors when…" Luke couldn't continue, and Gunnar realized that Luke was struggling to hold it together.

"Will and Kevin were together when it happened?" Gunnar asked.

"Kevin helped us pull the protest together." Luke snorted as he smiled ironically. "You know the real kicker of this whole mess? Will and Kevin decided to give their relationship another shot right before it happened."

Gunnar turned to Scarlett when he heard her softly whimper, "Oh God." Scarlett turned her face away and stared across the hall. She tilted her chin at something before turning back to Luke. "He in there?"

Gunnar realized for the first time that they were standing outside a waiting room. When Luke nodded in confirmation, Gunnar asked, "How is he?"

Luke finally met Gunnar's eyes dead-on. "He's a wreck. He'll be real glad to see you."

Gunnar nodded as he felt Scarlett squeeze his hand before saying, "I'm gonna go make some phone calls. I'll be there in a bit." Scarlett squeezed his hand one last time before turning and walking away.

Gunnar took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as he pushed the door to the waiting room open and walked in. As the door softly swished shut behind him, his heart broke at the sight of the crumpled figure sitting there. Gunnar wasn't sure if he had ever seen someone appear so desolate although he was reminded of the time he had found Scarlett in the hospital chapel just before her Mom passed. He walked further into the room and said softly, "Will?" Will looked up at him and Gunnar grimaced at the bleakness in his eyes. He tried to smile in reassurance as he stepped closer. "How are you doing buddy?"

Will regarded him imploringly. "It's all my fault."

Gunnar quickly slid into the chair next to Will. "What do you mean it's all your fault? How can it be your fault?"

Will turned in his chair so he was facing Gunnar. "I was so Hell bent on getting onto Cynthia Davis' talk show. I didn't think about the consequences. All I thought about was that I was right and she was wrong."

"Okay but what does that…?" Gunnar said quizzically.

Will continued to stare at him, his eyes filling with tears. "The gunman was one of her followers."

Gunnar gaped at Will in disbelief. "How do you know that?"

"The police were here earlier." Gunnar watched as the tears started rolling down Will's face. "It's all my fault."

Gunnar reached out and placed his hands on Will's shoulders. "No, it's not…"

"Yes it is!" Will interrupted. "If I had never gone on that damn talk show, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have…" Will's face crumpled as he broke down.

"Hey, come here." Gunnar wrapped his arms around Will and pulled him close as Will broke down.

"I just got him back and now I've lost him." Will choked out.

Gunnar pushed Will away and grabbed his shoulders shaking him slightly. "Stop it. Stop it right now." Gunnar said as Will gawked at him in surprise. "You haven't lost him. Kevin is strong and he just got you back too." Gunnar's face softened as he continued. "Kevin loves you. He's going to fight to come back to you. You can't give up hope."

Will shook his head dejectedly. "There was so much blood."

Gunnar gripped Will's shoulders harder. "Don't you dare give up on him. If you love him, you won't give up on him."

Gunnar stood up and twisted his upper body trying to work the kinks out of his back. He had been in the waiting room with Will for hours and there was still no word on Kevin. Gunnar had convinced Will that it was a good sign. At least that meant that Kevin was still hanging on. However, Gunnar himself was becoming less and less convinced as time wore on without any word.

Gunnar glanced over at Will who was still sitting in the same chair. Scarlett had assumed Gunnar's place on Will's left side holding his hand and stroking it softly. Scarlett had phoned both Layla and Avery, and they had shown up within minutes of each other. Layla was sitting on Will's right side with Will's head lying on her shoulder. She stroked his hair while she spoke to him softly in a continuous dialogue. Gunnar wasn't sure if Will even heard her. He was staring into space lost in grief. Avery was sitting a few chairs away lost in his own misery. He couldn't help but notice the angry looks Avery directed at Layla or the coldness between the two. But it wasn't the time or place to ask about it.

Gunnar felt helpless as he thought about both of his dearest friends. Both of them were on the precipice of losing the love of their life. Gunnar had sensed something was wrong with Avery almost immediately. When he finally got the chance to get Avery alone, Avery had admitted to him that Juliette's plane was missing. Gunnar had told Avery that he didn't need to stay but Avery had just shrugged his shoulders. There was nothing he could do except wait and he could do that here with Will just as well as anywhere else. At least they were both with friends which made the waiting a little bit easier.

Gunnar suddenly felt claustrophobic so he wandered out into the hall. As he twisted his neck back and forth to work out some more kinks, he noticed Luke leaning against the wall a few feet away. Gunnar stepped over to him and said, "You look exhausted. If you want to go and get some sleep, it's okay. We'll stay with Will."

Luke smiled slightly. "Thanks. I'd rather stay though." Gunnar nodded as he leaned against the wall next to Luke. They both stood in silence for a few minutes before Luke said quietly, "Kevin's a good guy." Gunnar nodded in agreement but kept silent. "I introduced them to each other." A few moments passed before Luke finally sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't help thinking that I put this whole crazy ball into motion."

Gunnar glanced over at Luke with a small smile. "Now you sound like Will. Luke, this isn't your fault any more than it is Will's. Let's put the blame squarely where it belongs. With that homophobic scumbag."

Gunnar watched as Luke's face hardened. "I would love to have just five minutes alone with that guy."

Gunnar leaned closer to Luke. "Can I hold him down while you pummel him into oblivion?"

Luke snorted in laughter as he peered over at Gunnar appreciatively. "Done." The word was no sooner out of Luke's mouth when his eyes shifted causing him to stand away from the wall. Gunnar followed his eyes down the hall and noticed a doctor in scrubs walking towards them. A glance back at the apprehension on Luke's face told Gunnar that Will's wait was over.

As Gunnar stepped back into the waiting room behind Luke, Scarlett met his gaze. Gunnar knew he was an open book when it came to Scarlett so he wasn't surprised when she stood up with a resolute look in her eye. This caused both Avery and Layla to glance up as well. By the time the doctor finally entered the room, everyone was standing including Will who stepped up to him and said anxiously, "Kevin?"

The doctor took a moment to remove his surgical cap before answering tiredly. "He survived the surgery."

Will's relief was palpable as he swayed and nearly fell over. Fortunately, Layla and Scarlett braced him on each side as Avery came up and held him from behind. While Will regained his composure, Luke asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "How is he Doc?"

The doctor stared down at the surgical cap in his hand as he said, "I'm afraid his condition is critical." Gunnar shared an anxious glance with Scarlett as the doctor continued. "He lost a considerable amount of blood, and the surgery was…more complicated than we expected." The doctor finally looked up and met Luke's eyes. "He's extremely weak."

Luke nodded then cleared his throat. "So, what does that mean, exactly?"

The doctor replied, "It means that we'll have to wait and see. I wish I could be more optimistic."

By this time, Will had recovered enough to speak. "Can I see him?"

"He's being moved to ICU now. Once he's settled, I'll have a nurse come get you." With that, the doctor turned around and walked back out the door.