Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to Lifetime Television

Chapter 1: Distraught

Dr. Luisa Delgado sat huddled in a chair, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She stared off into the distance as if in another world, oblivious to the bustle of activity around her.

"Oh my god, Lu." Lana Hawkins said as she rushed down the hall towards her friend. "I just heard what happened." Lana gave Lu a hug, then sat down in the chair next to her.

"Any word on Marc's condition yet?" Lu continued staring ahead, causing Lana to wonder if she was even aware that she was there.

"Uh...not yet." Lu finally murmured after several minutes of silence.

"I'm sure we'll hear something soon," Lana said, trying to reassure her friend.

"What...what if he doesn't make it, Lana?" Lu questioned, never taking her eyes off the wall.

"Now you listen to Lana, Kid. That boy will make it. He's a fighter. Just like his mama." Lana answered firmly. "He'll be fine. You'll see."

"You should have seen him, Lana." Lu said softly, her voice trembling. "He...he..." Lu's voice trailed off as she seemed to go into a trance, staring at the wall in front of her. Lana gently touched her shoulder, speaking softly. "Where are you, Lu?"

"When Marc was about 8 weeks old....he ended up in the hospital with pneumonia." Lu whispered as the memory came back to her. I went to get him up one morning and he stopped breathing. I...I was 16. I didn't know what to do. So I called an ambulance. I didn't even know how to help my own baby. The doctor told me I had a fighter on my hands."

"And he was right," Lana agreed. "He's just like you."

"Dr. Delgado, I just heard about Marc. Any news yet?" Lana glanced up as Dr. Robert Jackson approached them. When Lu didn't respond, Robert looked at Lana.

"Ms. Hawkins?" Lana shook her head.

"Nothing, Yet."

"Is there anything I can do, Dr. Delgado?" Robert asked. Unable to speak around the large lump in her throat, Lu slowly shook her head.

"Ms. Hawkins, I'd like you to cancel all of Dr. Delgado's patients for the remainder of the afternoon. I know she often has late patients on Friday's. And as of right now, she is off the clock. No patients, no pages."

"Yes, Dr. Jackson." Lana answered as she stood to go. She took one last look at Lu, then headed downstairs to the reception desk. Robert sat down in the chair beside her.

"Dr. Delgado...Lu, are you sure there is nothing I can do?"

"I was only 16 when Marc was born." Lu said softly. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared. I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a baby. I dropped out of school. I didn't know what kind of life I could give my son, with no education." Robert sat there quietly, realizing now that what he could do for her was lend a listening ear.

"It was so hard sometimes." Lu whispered. Robert glanced at his watch, suddenly remembering that he was due at a board meeting 15 minutes earlier.

"Dr. Delgado, I'm late for a board meeting, so I need to go. But I want you to call me if you need anything, anything at all." Lu nodded as Robert excused himself, leaving her alone.

Lu leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes as memories from her son's childhood came rushing back to her. Her son was her life. If anything happened to him...

"Lu?" Dana gently touched Lu's shoulder, not wanting to startle her. Dana could see that her partner seemed to be miles away. "Lu?" Dana said again. Lu slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh. Dana. I...I didn't know you were here."

"Any news yet?" Dana questioned. Lu slowly shook her head.

"No."

"Lu, have you notified Bill?" Lu was silent as she seemed to focus on the doors to the O.R. as if expecting them to open any minute. It was obvioius to Dana that Lu had not heard her question.

"Lu...."

"What?" Lu asked softly, suddenly realizing that Dana was speaking to her.

"Have you called Bill yet?"

"Bill...uh...no."

"Let me call him for you. Where do I find his number?"

"On my desk." Lu answered. Dana patted her shoulder.

"I'll be right back."

"I'm scared, Dana." Lu whispered as Dana started to walk away. Dana turned and went back to Lu, knowing that she couldn't leave her partner alone now. She wasn't a doctor worried about her patient now, but a distraught mother worried about her child.

"I know you are, Lu." Dana put her arm around her, trying to comfort her in some small way.

"You have to believe that Marc will be okay. I'm sure Dr. Ames is doing his best."

"Dana, we are both doctors. And we both know that sometimes doing our best isn't good enough." Dana knew that Lu was right. Sometimes no matter what, even when they did their best, they couldn't save the life of a patient.

"Lu, Marc is a fighter, just like you. He won't give up. So don't you give up either. Just think of all the things that you have fought for and won...all the things that you have survived. How many single women can say that they dropped out of high school to have a baby, then became a successful doctor? You fought your way through med school, and won. You successfully started your own free clinic. You are raising your son alone, and doing a terrific job. He is a kind and caring young man. You survived a brutal rape that almost destroyed you and your career. You fought your way back and won. And you'll win this too."

"Dana, when I got raped, I didn't think anything could be worse. Kilner violated my body and he got away with it. Sometimes the pain was so bad, I just wanted to die. My life was spinning out of control, and I didn't know how to stop it. I was angry. I was hurt. But today when I saw my son lying on that table in the ER...Dana, I may have survived a rape, but I will never be able to survive the death of my son. If he dies, then I might as well too."

"Dr. Delgado?" Dr. Bryce Ames emerged from the O.R. Lu and Dana quickly jumped to thier feet. Dana put her arm around Lu, knowing that she needed the support to stand, as she was trembling and unsteady.

"Yeah?" Lu questioned softly, her voice trembling.