Thanks to Bujyo for Betaing the story for me.

The characters still don't belong to me just borrowing for fun.

The Bitter Truth

Mary, Raph, Brandi and Peter were sitting on the couch watching a movie while eating popcorn. Jinx had gone out earlier in the evening on a date and they were not expecting her back. The movie was coming to an end and it was well past midnight. They were getting up to go to bed when Mary's cell went off.

"Is this Mary Shannon?"

"Yes it is."

"This is Sergeant Frederick of the Albuquerque Police Department."

"How can I help you?" Mary asked hoping one of her witnesses wasn't in trouble. She had talked to Marshall about ten minutes ago, he and Stan just landed and she could tell by his voice he was tired and hoped she wouldn't have to send him to fix something.

"We have a Jinx Shannon who is at Presbyterian Hospital following a drinking and driving accident. She requested that we call you and ask you to come to the hospital," the sergeant stated.

Mary closed her eyes and pinched her nose as she could hear the disgust in the officer's voice. "Is she injured?"

"Nothing major; mostly some cuts and scratches," he replied in a disapproving voice.

"I'm on my way and should be there in the next five to ten minutes," Mary replied knowing there was more to the story by the tone of the officer's voice.

"Where do you have to go?" Raph asked unhappily.

"The hospital. Jinx was involved in a drinking and driving incident." Mary couldn't keep the displeasure from her voice.

"Is she hurt?" Brandi asked worriedly.

"Cuts and scratched mostly," Mary replied.

"But?" Peter asked, sensing there was more.

"The disgust in the officer's voice makes me think there is a lot more to this." Mary grabbed her coat.

"We're coming with," Brandi stated, and Peter and Raph both nodded.

"Fine let's go."

They arrived at the hospital and were shown to her mother's room where they noticed her arm was cuffed to the bed.

"Mary, you have to tell them to get this thing off of me," Jinx stated with a heavy slur while pulling at the handcuff. "They're treating me like a criminal."

"Is she under arrest?" Brandi asked fearfully.

The officer standing in the room looked at her. "And you are?"

Mary moved forward to step in. "We're her daughters and I believe my sister asked you a question."

"She is definitely under arrest for the minimum aggravated DWI but it could escalate to vehicular manslaughter," the arresting officer stated.

"What?" Brandi asked upset.

Mary knew that meant she injured somebody badly at the least. "How many people were injured?" She ignored Jinx and Brandi's gasp.

"I'm not allowed to reveal that information to you," the officer replied back.

"I'm a U.S Marshal," Mary stated, becoming irritated and showing her badge.

"Then you can request a copy of the report, but until the victim's next of kin is contacted I can't release their name or condition," the officer answered back.

"Mary, how bad is this?" Brandi asked as Peter wrapped his arms around her in support.

"At the minimum she's looking at a felony charge and it depends on what happens to the victim," Mary stated, not wanting to get into the jail time.

"Could she go to jail?" Raph asked concerned.

"Yes. How long would depend on the trial." Mary answered. Brandi was about to ask another question when Mary's cell phone rang again. She pulled it out and saw it was Stan. "Stan?"

"Mary, where are you?" Stan questioned, knowing she wasn't at home since he tried to stop by and pick her up before heading to the hospital.

"I'm at Presbyterian Hospital. Why?" Mary asked, concerned.

"The police called you too?" Stan was surprised that they would've. Usually he got all the calls.

"They called you about what happened with Jinx?" Mary was totally confused at the moment.

"Jinx? No, not her." Stan was caught off guard. "What happened to your mother?"

"She apparently hit someone while she was drinking and driving." Mary stated angrily.

"Did they tell you who the victim was?" Stan asked cautiously, getting a really bad feeling.

"No. Stan, what the hell is going on?" Mary asked, frustrated when she heard the worry in his voice.

"Marshall was hit by a drunk driver tonight and is being transported to the hospital. They had to use the Jaws of Life to get him out of the truck," Stan informed her.

Mary felt sick. "I'll meet you at the entrance to the emergency room." She hung up the phone as she was putting it all together in her mind, and it was adding up to something she didn't want to believe.

"You're leaving me?" Jinx asked, shocked.

"Mary, why didn't you tell him you were in the middle of a family crisis?" Raph chastised while Brandi nodded in agreement.

Peter had noticed the way Mary's face lost color and had a feeling things were about to get worse. "What is it?"

Mary looked at the police officer. "Was the person she hit a U.S. Marshal? Don't tell me you can't tell me because I know there is a marshal being transported to the hospital right now from the scene of a DUI."

The police officer swallowed and decided since she knew that he could confirm her question. "Yes, it was, and how did you know?"

"Because that was my boss and he mentioned it. Was the vehicle a black GMC truck belonging to Marshall Mann?" Mary asked and the room became deathly silent.

"The vehicle was a black truck but I can't tell you the victim's name. His contact needs to be called," the officer stated.

"I'm one of his contacts." Mary and Marshall had listed each other as emergency contacts to ease notification efforts whether on the job or off

The officer signaled for her to wait a minute and Mary wanted him to hurry up because she needed to get to the E.R. He stepped back in and looked at her and the people in the room.

"The victim was U.S. Marshal Marshall Mann," the officer confirmed.

Mary suddenly felt like her world was falling apart and she glared at Jinx with pure hatred in the moment. "I have to go." She turned to leave but stopped. "You better pray he doesn't die, because I swear I will testify to get you the maximum amount of time that you can spend in jail."

They were all too stunned to say anything as Mary rushed down the corridor.

Stan saw Mary storming down the hallway and could see the lack of color in her face. He knew that she had found out her mother hit Marshall.

"Mary?" Stan asked, concerned.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

Before Stan could answer, the gurney carrying Marshall was being brought in and he heard Mary gasp before heading down the hall towards it. Marshall's face was cut in several places with streaks of blood running down it. He had an oxygen mask on his face while he was lying on a straight board; unconscious.

"Marshall, fight for me; you hear me? There is no leaving me. You're strong and will survive this. It's not your time either." She kissed his cheek before being left standing in the hallway and looking up towards Stan. "How is he ever going to forgive me for this?"

"Because it was Jinx's fault not yours. Marshall will know that," Stan said. "Let's go sit down before you collapse."

Mary just nodded, her mind numb from everything that happened tonight. "What do you know about the accident?"

"Not a lot. Marshall had dropped me off and was headed home, that much I do know. When they called to tell me he'd been injured, they mentioned it was a drunk driver and that Marshall had been pinned in his truck. They were going to send me some information, but I suspect Dershowitz will meet us here later and tell us what we need to know."

Mary looked confused, and then she remembered if Marshall died than Dershowitz would become completely involved. "He's not going to die. He wouldn't do that to us." Her voice was shaky.

Stan knew there was nothing that could be said, so they waited in silence for the doctor to come out and tell them how badly he'd been injured in the accident.

Raph had left Jinx's room to find Mary; they were taking Jinx to the police station and he decided that she needed to get her priorities straight and take care of her mother. Jinx needed help in order to get released on bail, and since Mary was law enforcement she would know what to do. He saw her sitting next to Stan with a look of fear plastered all over her face.

"Mary, it's time to go. They're taking your mother down for booking." Raph stated firmly.

Stan cringed when Mary's head snapped up with a look of fury on her face.

"I'm not leaving and I sure as hell am not helping her," Mary hissed out.

"She's your mother!" Raph stated in disbelief.

"Not after this she's not," Mary stated venomously.

"Mary, don't be ridiculous! She is your own flesh and blood. Marshall is just your partner." Raph couldn't believe the way she was acting.

Stan expected Mary to rip Raphael to shreds as she sprang to her feet.

"Marshall is a hell of a lot more than just my partner. He's the only person who has never betrayed me. He's been there for me whenever I needed him, and that is more than Jinx or anyone has ever done. She caused all of this mess with her choice to live in a bottle. Because of her habit, Marshall is now in that room fighting for his life. I don't give a damn what happens to her right now. She needs to accept responsibility for her actions and finally become an adult. I want no part in helping her. I should've made her grow up a long time ago. Whatever sentence they give to her will not be enough to excuse this." Mary's voice continued to rise and the gap between her and Raph was getting too close for comfort.

Stan stepped in between the two, knowing this would get ugly if he didn't.

"Mary, that's enough. The last thing you want to do is get the hospital staff and security in an uproar. Raph, for now it's better if the rest of you go with Jinx while Mary stays here waiting for word on Marshall." Stan used his authoritative voice in order to change the focus of their attention.

"You're staying here instead of going with your own mother. This is what you really want?" Raph asked

"Duh!" Mary stated like he was stupid.

Raph threw his hands up in disgust and walked away shaking his head. "Unbelievable!"

"They're acting like she's the victim," she fumed, sitting down again.

Stan decided it was safer not to answer, and once again they were sitting waiting for information from the doctor. Mary's leg was bouncing up and down in frustration and worry and it was driving Stan insane. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and forcefully pushed on the knee.

"I know the waiting sucks, but you need to stop that before I end up shooting you," Stan stated semi teasingly.

"Sorry, but it's taking them forever," Mary complained.

A doctor came out and was pointed in their direction, causing both Mary and Stan to stand up and wait for him to approach.

"I'm Dr. Avery. Are you here for Marshall Mann?"

"Yes, I'm Chief Inspector Stan McQueen, his boss, and this is U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon, his partner."

"Why don't you have a seat?" the doctor questioned as he sat down.

"How's Marshall?" Mary's voice trembled as she asked.

The doctor took a second before starting, knowing the news would be difficult to hear to the people who were obviously very close to the victim. "Mr. Mann suffered a multitude of injuries during the crash. The least of the injuries being a broken left arm, which we splinted, several lacerations to his face and hands and extensive bruising along his left side at the point of impact. He also had a grade one laceration to his spleen from the seatbelt. We didn't need to remove it, but it bled enough to need a blood transfusion." He paused before he got to the next part.

"So he'll be fine with a couple weeks of bed rest and as soon as his arm heals?" Mary asked hopefully. She felt fear creep into her veins at the doctor's grim expression.

"I can't say that for sure."

Stan had a bad feeling about what was coming next. "What can you say for sure?"

"Mr. Mann is currently in a coma, he suffered a traumatic brain injury," Dr. Avery finished and watched as the woman turned sheet white.

Mary had felt the panic rise when he mentioned a coma but it escalated into full fledged fear at the traumatic brain injury part. She wanted to ask questions, but couldn't form a coherent thought and was currently fighting to stay in control of her emotions in front of Stan or Dr. Avery.

Stan was stunned. "What happens next?"

"We monitor his recovery and keep an eye out to make sure there are no complications."

"What kind of complications are you talking about?" Stan questioned worriedly.

"There are several possibilities some of which would be seizures, respiratory effects, nerve damage, cognitive difficulties, personality changes, and sensory problems." The doctor listed them.

"No! NO!" Mary raised her voice. "He will wake up, talk and be our Marshall. I won't accept anything less." She hadn't realized her body was shaking in a combination of fear and anger.

"Mary, we don't know anything yet. Marshall will fight and we'll be there every step of the way." Stan promised

"I want to see him. When can I see him?" Mary needed to touch him and hold his hand. He would make everything better when he woke up he just needed to be told to.

"He is currently being moved to ICU, where we will continue to monitor his condition. I'll have a nurse let you know when he's settled into his room." Dr. Avery stood up and headed back toward the emergency room.

Mary felt her control slipping and quickly dashed down the hall and into the bathroom. She threw up everything she'd eaten tonight and was now dealing with the dry heaves. With a trembling hand she wiped her mouth before getting up and washing her hands. She looked in the mirror as she watched the first tear drop fall, and then leaned against the tile wall letting her body slide down as the tears overwhelmed her; sitting on the floor until the tears stopped. Getting up, she looked in the mirror and splashed water over her face trying to get herself back in check. Marshall needed her to be the strong one now and she would.

Stan was debating on barging into the women's restroom to see if Mary was okay, but just as he was about to get up she entered the room. Her eyes were red from the tears she'd let go but he knew better than to say anything.

"Dershowitz," Stan called as he saw the detective over Mary's shoulder.

"How's Marshall?" Bobby asked as he came near them and cast a quick worried glance at Mary.

Stan relayed what the doctor said while Mary sat in eerie silence. "What do you have?"

Mary saw Dershowitz look questioningly towards her. "Don't you dare try and keep me out of this. I need to know what that woman did to my partner," she hissed, refusing to acknowledge Jinx as her mother.

"I have the pictures from the scene and they're not pretty. The camera from the traffic light caught it all on tape also. He didn't even have a chance. Marshall was driving through the intersection when the other vehicle slammed into him. It's a miracle the truck didn't flip over," Bobby stated and handed the photos to Stan.

Stan cringed when he saw the damage to the truck and Marshall's blood on the side of the window. "You sure you want to see these?" he asked Mary.

"Yes. Stop trying to protect me from what happened. Nothing anyone can say or do will make this better until Marshall is okay and he will be okay," Mary insisted, because nothing else would be okay if he wasn't.

Raph, Peter, and Brandi were waiting at the precinct while they booked Jinx on the DWI.

Raph was still angry that Mary was at the hospital with her partner rather than being with her family when they needed her. "What would possess her to stay at the hospital?" he finally asked Brandi.

Brandi looked at Raph like he had grown a second head. "What parts of the fact that it was Marshall that Mom hit did you not understand? He could die. Mary isn't going to leave his side until she knows he'll be okay."

"How can you be okay with this?" Raph asked, stunned.

"How can you be so blind?" Brandi shot back, exasperated.

"What does that mean?" Raph questioned.

Brandi was about to answer when she saw the detective Mary knew; she moved over towards him. "Excuse me, but do you know how Marshall is doing?"

Bobby realized who she was right away; she'd been at Mary's place the one day he stopped over to ask her a question. "Depends on why you're asking," he replied defensively. There was no way he'd answer if it was just concern over the charges being brought against her mother.

"Marshall has been a really good friend to Mary and I know she won't be okay if he's not and he's a nice guy, and doesn't deserve what happened to him." Brandi still couldn't say that it was her mom's fault; it was too difficult to believe.

Bobby studied her face and decided she wasn't playing games as he noted the two men approaching. "He's in a coma with a traumatic brain injury and a broken left arm."

Brandi gasped. "Will he be okay?" she asked in a meek voice.

"The doctors don't know and they are waiting to see what complications arise, if any, from the injury," Bobby relayed and excused himself so he could write up his report.

Brandi began to cry, and Peter pulled her into his arms to comfort her. Raph was stunned into silence once again.

Mary was about to start searching ICU bed by bed to find Marshall when a nurse came out to them. "Are you the party for Mr. Mann?"

"Yes," Stan answered.

"If you would like to follow me, I can take you to his room."

Mary and Stan followed the nurse as she led them to the room with Marshall in it. Mary froze in the doorway at the sight of him. His head was bandaged and she guessed it was from where he hit the window. His face was full of cuts and the left side of it was showing bruises; his arm was in a cast, but the part that bothered her most was the ventilator that he was attached to. She knew it was helping him breath and remembered how much she hated it.

Stan noted Mary stopping, and waited to give her a few minutes as he knew it was a lot to take in, especially when it was Marshall. Her partner had reacted the same way after her shooting.

Mary realized she was being stupid, and finally moved after she felt Stan squeeze her shoulder. Grabbing a chair, she pulled it up to the bed on his right side, reached out for his hand and held on for dear life.

"Stan and I are here, Marshall. Everything will be okay as soon as you wake up. We'll help you get back up and moving again. I'm so sorry, Marshall." The tears poured down her face as she leaned her head against his hand and cried harder than she ever could recall doing.

Stan felt awkward and didn't know what to do. Marshall was the one Mary turned to for comfort.

"Don't give up on him. Mary. He didn't give up on you," Stan whispered as he lay a hand on the small of her back in what he hoped would be a soothing gesture.

"His mother didn't put me in the hospital," Mary reminded him in between shaky breaths.

"No, she didn't, but if she did you wouldn't blame him anymore than he'd blame you. It's not your fault," Stan reassured. "Do you want to check on Jinx or stay here?"

"I don't trust myself enough to be around her right now, Stan. I just want to stay with Marshall," Mary replied honestly.

"Do you need anything? Coffee?" Stan knew she was in for a long night and he'd stay for while, but one of them had to go into work tomorrow and he knew it wouldn't be Mary.

"A book or one of those weird magazines he likes to read. I could hear him when I was unconscious, maybe it will help." Mary hearing Marshall's voice through the fog in her brain after her shooting. She didn't always know what he was saying, but his voice was soothing and made her feel safe.

Stan smirked. "I'll go see what I can get and I'll bring you a coffee."

Brandi, Peter and Raph had all been led down to where Jinx was being held as soon as the cops had finished processing her in.

"Brandi, thank goodness you're here. They are treating me like a common criminal. Is Mary pulling strings to get me out of here?" Jinx's voice was still slurred.

Raph spoke up before Brandi could, "Mary is still at the hospital with Marshall." The phrase left distaste in his mouth that he couldn't get rid of.

"What happened to Marshall and why is she with him when I need her? Does everything have to be about her job?" Jinx complained.

"How is this about her job?" Brandi asked confused.

"Well why else would Marshall be in the hospital?" Jinx looked exasperated, but when she looked up she noticed that they were all looking at her with an expression of shock. "What?"

"How much did you drink tonight?" Brandi asked in disbelief.

"What? They're making a big deal out of nothing. It was a fender bender, no major damage done and I have only a few scratches on me." Jinx didn't get why everyone was so upset.

"Really?" Brandi blew up after sending quick thanks that Mary wasn't here or she'd have shot their mother. "No big deal? The police seem to find it a very big deal when you speed through the city swerving all over the road, running a red light and smashing into another vehicle so hard that it crushed the driver side door and they had to use the whatever they are called to get the driver out of the car. Oh wait, that's not the only part. The driver is in the hospital in a coma with traumatic brain injury." She saw the look of horror on her mother's face but decided the woman might as well get the full story. "By the way, the driver of the other vehicle was one Marshall Mann; you know the one that has helped us on several occasions and happens to not only be Mary's partner but her best friend? Why the hell do you think Mary is infuriated with you? Never mind, until you sober up you won't get it." She turned and walked away frustrated, knowing she wouldn't completely turn her back on her mom but knowing her mother's poor choice could be the final blow that destroyed their family.

"It was an accident." Jinx insisted to Raph and Peter. Peter nodded sadly and followed after Brandi.

Raph stared at Jinx unsure of what to do. "I'll see if I can get in touch with an attorney for you."

"Why hasn't Mary pulled some weight to get me out of here? I can't stay in prison." Jinx reached out to grasp Raph's hand.

"She's at the hospital. I'm sure she'll come around as soon as she gets over the shock of what happened." Raph smiled. "I'll see what I can do in the mean time."

"Thank you, Raph." Jinx stated happily.