Hey y'all, I got chapter 2! This chapter is quite a bit shorter than the first chapter, and I assume that all subsequent chapters will be closer to the length of this one. I am trying to update on some sort of schedule, but I am officially back in school, and am not sure how much time I will have to spend on writing this. However, the plot starts to pick up a little in this one, so I hope y'all enjoy it.

By the way, a huge thank you to everyone who read, favorited, and followed this story, as well as a HUGE thank you to ImperiumWife, slippingunderneath, BeneathTheUmbrella, AlwaysSandcastles, and cybergirl26 for leaving reviews! Your support means the world to me!

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Thanks y'all!

-January 4th, 2017-

Robin sat up in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Once again, the squeal and crash of bombs in the distance had woken her, reverberating around the outdated hotel room and causing her head to throb. She was currently stationed in Poland, reporting on an extensive government upheaval. Some violent groups of protesters had started attacking local government facilities, which Robin would be reporting on the following day. She was terrified, as she always was when reporting from what was essentially a war zone. This is the kind of assignment that would drive Barney crazy, she thought to herself, and for good reason. When they were married, Barney would become extra paranoid when Robin would travel alone on dangerous assignments, calling her as frequently as he could to check on her.

Robin smiled at this memory. As much as she despised clingy, over-dependent relationships, the knowledge that her husband was concerned for her safety was comforting. She wondered if he still worried, if he still laid in bed at night, unable to sleep due to the pervading thought that he might never see the love of his life again. Her smile slipped away and tears stung the backs of her eyes as she realized that he probably didn't care anymore. They hadn't spoken once in the several months since the divorce. Why should he still lose sleep over the safety of someone he no longer loved?

Another explosion rattled the window frame. Robin's whole body shivered, and she wiped the tears from her eyes as she turned on the bedside lamp and crawled out of bed. It was time for her old stand-by, the only way she could fall asleep and stay asleep. She pulled the ratty teddy bear out of her duffel bag, straightening the deep blue silk tie that she had tied around its neck. She climbed back into her bed, clutching Roosevelt, and reached for her phone. She had a long voicemail saved on her phone, one of the last that Barney had left before the divorce, and she would play it over her phone's speaker to hear his voice as she fell asleep.

Hey, sweet girl. Just calling to check in. I know you're probably at work right now, but it's 2 AM in New York and I can't sleep. You know how I worry about you. If you get a chance, could you just shoot me a text, let me know you're okay? Please? I can't wait for you to get home. This probably sounds ridiculous, but this bed is so empty without you here. Hey, after I pick you up at the airport next Thursday, do you want to swing by Marshall and Lily's place before we head home? We haven't seen them in a while, maybe we could all grab some dinner somewhere. Anyway, if you can, call me back when you get this, or at least send me a message of some sort. I love you so much, darling. Please be safe.

-January 5th, 2017-

"Live from Warsaw, I'm Robin Scherbatsky with World Wide News. Goodnight, America."

Robin shot the camera her signature smile, holding the grin until the cameras cut off. Then she sighed. Her heart was pounding. She reached around her neck and pulled the chain that held her wedding ring from underneath her blouse, rubbing the large diamond. She turned to look down the street behind her, where a large group of protesters had gathered. It was an otherwise beautiful day, the sun beaming from behind the trees, the temperature reaching a high of 52 degrees. Any other time, Robin would have reveled in the sunshine, enjoying the light and warmth after a long week of icy rain, however she couldn't shake the unexplainable sense of dread that sank in her stomach. Her cameraman tapped her on the shoulder, handing her a thermos of coffee, but she refused it. She could taste the bile churning at the back of her throat, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her wool dress pants.

"Do you think we could get closer?" asked Jay, the sound technician who controlled the microphones that they were using. It was just Jay, Robin, and Mike, the cameraman, standing on a sidewalk just a few blocks away from the growing crowd of protesters.

"I'd rather not. I think we're fine here," breathed Robin. Her head was beginning to swim.

Just then, it happened.

Several men had gathered in an empty storefront directly behind the World Wide News crew testing homemade bombs when one accidentally blew, shattering the windows of the storefront. The explosion blasted several feet around them, knocking Robin backwards into the street.

Her ears rang as the world around her sharply faded to black.

-New York City-

Barney was sitting on the couch in the Fortress, flipping channels on the television but not paying much attention to the programs flashing across the screen. He had lost interest in several forms of entertainment after the divorce, yet he kept the television on to provide background noise, keeping him from sinking too far into his own thoughts. If left alone, he would often begin thinking about ways he could have convinced Robin to stay, and how their relationship could have played out differently. Then he would remember that Robin was at fault for the downfall of their marriage, and he would become inexplicably angry. After this sweep of emotions occurring multiple times daily for the first few weeks after the divorce, he found himself exhausted, and would rely on mind numbing reality shows and trashy series to keep his mind occupied.

It was then that he flipped to the evening World Wide News broadcast, catching the end of Robin's broadcast from Poland. He sighed, staring up at his ex-wife on the gigantic screen. She flashed a smile to the camera, signing off, and Barney squinted as he noticed a slight twitch in her lower jaw.

Fake smile, he thought. She's scared.

After years of being madly in love with Robin, whether they were in a relationship or not, Barney had started to pick up on small signals and minute changes in Robin's body language. He was able to sense what she was thinking or feeling simply from watching her closely. He realized that she was broadcasting from Warsaw, a city that had been invading the news recently because of the violence against the government. Barney picked up his phone, dialing Robin's number. He wanted to call her to reassure her that she was okay. His finger hovered over the green Connect button before he ended the call.

She's fine, he told himself. She made it perfectly clear that she doesn't need you anymore.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had opened the photo library on his phone, scrolling through pictures that he had kept from the marriage. Wedding pictures, honeymoon photos, that one naked selfie of him and Robin that had not-so-accidentally been sent to Ted after they had snuck away to his bedroom and had sex in his bed. Barney smirked at the snapshots of him and Robin, sitting in airports, sleeping on planes, visiting famous landmarks across the globe. He had always admired Robin's sense of adventure, and found himself lucky to be able to share these adventures with his best friend.

He scrolled through the photos for quite some time before an unknown number flashed across the screen. Barney's brow furrowed as he hit the Answer Call button.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Stinson?"

"It is. Who is this?"

"Hello, Mr. Stinson, my name is Tanya. I am calling about your wife, Robin-"

"She's not my wife. Not anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Stinson, you are the only number listed as an emergency contact on her file. I just wanted to say that I am with Szpital Medicover here in Warsaw. I am afraid that your wife- excuse me, ex-wife- has been involved in a minor bombing incident. A bomb went off, caused by one of the violent protesting groups, and Miss Scherbatsky has been injured and is currently in critical condition. I wish I could give you more information, Mr. Stinson, but I am not allowed to divulge too much in a phone conversation…"

Barney's mind went blank. His heart was pounding, and he was short of breath. She's hurt. My sweet girl is hurt.

"O-okay, Miss, um… what can I do? Do I need to be there? I can get on the next plane to Warsaw, just tell me what to do, I don't know what to do."

Oh God Oh God Oh God

"Yes, Mr. Stinson, we would like for you to come to the hospital if you can. We need for you to fill out some paperwork so we can perform surgery. When you get here, come to the Neurosurgery Unit. Thank you."

Neurosurgery? That's her brain. Something's wrong with her brain.

Barney ended the call and attempted to stand up on shaky legs. He grabbed his keys from the counter, then dropped them as he rushed to the bathroom and emptied his stomach. He ran into the bedroom, throwing several articles of clothing and other necessities into a bag, calling his Airline Ticket Guy and booking a seat on the next flight to Warsaw. He grabbed his suitcase and keys and rushed out the door, heading to LaGuardia airport.