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Chapter 1

"Sorry to get you out of bed for this one Nat but I thought you might want to help" Bo told her as she walked up to the crime scene yawning. It was two in the morning and her uncle; her boss had called her and told her to come here.

"What's going on? You seem to have enough personnel in on this one, why am I here?" she asked watching more and more people walk around the crime scene, the scene that was located right down the alley from the Llanview Hospital.

"Thought you'd want to help cause this guy, the one I now think is targeting Hospital employee's just attacked and almost killed Michael tonight.

"What?" she said a bit shocked, " is he alright?"

"He's not dead like the one from last week but he's in critical condition," he told her and he watched her face, her mind, he even knew what she was going to ask next.

"Do you know how to get in touch with John? Have you called him yet?" she asked after a few minutes, John she thought, wow, it had been a long time since she asked or spoke anything about him, at least a year, at least a year since she saw him last also.

"I'm not sure where he is, but I have a call out to Eve and also to the FBI, I should be able to get in touch with him that way. He told her and she nodded her head.

"Okay, let me go check with my guys and we'll see if we can come up with anything" she told him as she walked away a bit from the scene, she walked closer to the west parking lot and she saw Marcie and her brother Ron walking towards her.

"Nat...what happened? Do you know...I mean... is Michael all right? No one said anything to me on the phone, only he's hurt" Marcie told her losing it, her brother Ron had a grip on her arm to steady her.

"Marcie I just got here myself, he's inside, let Ron take you inside and he'll find out all the information for you, Okay? I'll come in, and check on you in a few minutes" she told her and Marcie nodded her head towards her, Natalie weakly smiled at Ron and he escorted his sister into the hospital. Natalie turned to walk back towards the crime scene when she heard Marcie call out to her.

"Has anyone called John? Found John? He'd certainly come back if he knew his brother was hurt" she asked and told her

"You concentrate on Michael, we've got a few calls out to find John, he'll be here, for his brother" she told her and she had only hoped he would come thru for him now, she stood frozen for a few minutes as she remembered when he left, left her, left Michael, left town even.

Flashback

"I... I can't do this anymore John, its like... you're taking away all my light, I mean... I know that you love me, but...after all this time, you should be able to tell me. I never thought the words were as important but... they are, not having them, not hearing them is making me miserable and making me doubt that they will ever come and that we can ever be more than this. That you'll even let us be more than this. I want things in life John, and we have been doing this dace for years now. We're finally together, we've been completely together for a year now after putting Spencer Truman away for orchestrating your fathers murder and I just can't live with out them any longer."

"I...I... just can't"

"Is that it John, I can't, all you can say to me after this past year is I can't, I've been patient, I've seen you thru everything and patiently, and all I get is a I

Can't "

End flash back

"Natalie" Ron said as he walked over towards her, she came out of her state of remembrance

"How's Michael?" she asked as he approached her, he automatically went to her and put his arms around her.

"Marcie's in with him now, just wanted to make sure you 're alright," he asked and he now kissed her cheek gently, she gently pushed him back off of her.

"Ron, I'm working, " she told him and he looked around to make sure no one was watching them.

"I'm fine, I've gotta get back to work, just let me know how he is alright? And tell Marcie I'll be in as soon as I get a chance to." she told him and he moved away for a second and then came back. He brought his face close to her ear.

"I Love you," he told her and she grinned briefly, "I Love you too" she told him back and he walked back into the hospital.