A/N: the usual disclaimer: the team's not mine, all others are fictional (and mine), any similarity or resemblance with real-life persons is a coincidence, though places, streets, buildings e.g. and presented facts are existing (checked to the best of my knowledge and abilities, but correct me if I'm not).

Furthermore: this story will sometimes contain elements of angst, degradation, shocking situations. Ratings will be adjusted when necessary and listed above the chapter involved.

Despite all this: enjoy, please R/R

Nightwatch by Rembrandt

oOo

Saturday

The tall, pretty brunette made her way through the crowd. It was hot inside the club, at least she felt how her cheeks glowed. The music was loud, louder than usual it seemed and more intense. She felt a little thirsty and she decided to freshen up in the lavatory, her clothes were in desperate need of rearrangement. She spun round when someone tapped her shoulder.

Her friend leaned closer, her mouth near her ears. 'Where are you going?'

The brunette stroked back a strand of hair and nodded towards the lavatory. 'I think I'm going to refresh. I look trashed.' Her friend mustered her. 'You look okay', she barely managed to get her message across over the pulsating beat of the music.

'What time is it?'

'One PM', her friend responded. One PM and I'm already feeling tired. She gestured to her friend. 'You still have your hit of V?', she asked.

'You want some?' The brunette nodded, her friend handed her a little pink pill.

'You sure it's okay? They said you could only take one, no more.'

She shook her head. 'No problem, I had mine a couple of hours ago. I'll be fine.'

oOo

Inside the lavatory she rested over the sink, her hand on the side. She looked in the mirror. 'Jesus, you look awful.' Self disgusted she let the tap run and plunged her hands into the water. She splashed some water over her hot cheeks to cool down. Carefully she applied her make-up again, combed her hair. Then she took the little pill and swallowed it down with some water.

She didn't feel well. A throbbing feeling inside her head made it really hard to focus straight. She blinked a couple of times with her eyes, but the blurry vision didn't go away. She felt how her movements became less controlled, her fingers tingling, she couldn't see things clear anymore. People around her seemed to be in different colors. A bright blinding halo around someone dancing close to her made her squeeze her eyes together. Staggering backwards, she swayed and nearly lost control.

'Ashley?', the voice of her friend seemed far away, metallic and kept echoing through her mind. The throbbing feeling had become a pounding in her head. Frantically she began to massage her temples to get rid of the pain. She grew afraid.

Her breath came out uncontrolled and it felt like some had her heart in a vise and was turning it shut. Music was not longer music, the sharp sounds pierced through her brain like hot needles, she cringed with every peak and every beat. She gasped for breath, fighting against the uncontrollable, hostile and foreign forces that overwhelmed her body.

An intense pain shot through her stomach and spread through her body, her head shivered, the pressure inside became too much. The last thing she saw was a white flash blinding her sight and then everything went black. She crashed to the floor.

'Ashley!...'

GWU Hospital

900, 23rd street Washington DC, 02.15 AM

The ambulance stopped at the ER entrance it's lights painting flashes of red, blue and white on the walls. The medics got out and rushed the stretcher inside.

'Move her to ER one', the doctor said. 'What's the diagnose?'

'Caucasian female, 22 years old. She collapsed in a club, unconscious ever since, her pressure is 140 over 90, heart is racing over 165. Possible O.D.'

The doctor nodded and placed his stethoscope on her chest. 'I want a ECG and EEG, get a tox-screen.' They moved her over to the table. 'Get ready to intubate her, IV with Narcan. What's her name?', the doctor asked the medic. 'Ashley.'

'Okay, Ashley, stay with us...'

GWU Family room 4, 03.00 AM

Anxiously they sat on the benches, not knowing what was happening. The mothers face was wet with tears as she looked for comfort in her husbands arms. Her other son and daughter had just arrived, crying and upset. They hugged each other.

The door opened and a doctor came in. 'The Weavers?', he asked softly.

They nodded. 'I'm doctor Sterling. We are trying to stabilize Ashley.'

'How..how is she', the mother asked trembling.

'She's suffering from a mayor drug overdose. We ran a toxicity test of her blood. It contained high levels of Dextromethorphan, pseudoephidrine and other chemicals. She's having Tachycardia which means her heart is racing out of control also her blood-pressure is extremely high. We have her on an IV with Naloxone also known as Narcan, a counterdrug to fight the overdose.'

'Will she be okay?', the father asked. Sterling raised his hands and shoulders a little.

'She's in a very critical stage right now. We'll have to wait if the counterdrug works, and whether we can bring her tachycardia under control.'

'All we can do is wait...', he repeated softly.

Emergency Room 1, GWU, 03.25 AM

Suddenly her oxygen levels dropped, and her blood pressure too. The monitor began to scream. 'She having a stroke, get a CAT-scan ready', Sterling yelled.

The CAT-scan revealed a severe hemorrhage in her brain. Then the ECG screamed once more and revealed a flat line.

oOo

Ashley Weaver. 1984-2006