Marshall was helping his mom in the kitchen when the sputter and cough of a car was heard.
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked concerned.
"Mary's here." Marshall chuckled.
"What do those sounds have to do with your partner?" Elizabeth was confused.
"That would be her piece of junk car that she refuses to get rid of." Marshall couldn't help but smile at his mother's arched eyebrow.
"Well go escort her in. I'll wait in the living room so that you can give her any warnings you may deem necessary."
Marshall rolled his eyes at his Mom. "What warnings? You're perfect." He kissed her cheek before heading out to meet Mary.
Mary saw him coming. "There's no way you're convincing me to leave buster." She poked him in the chest with a finger.
"Please like that'll happen." Marshall answered rubbing his chest where she'd poked him.
"Why are you out here then? You never meet me outside?" Mary usually just walked into the house uninvited.
"Not my idea. It's this thing called manners that my mother insists on, even for you." Mary smacked him in the arm.
Wanting to wipe the smirk off his face she smiled brightly. "I have a feeling her and I are going to get a long beautifully."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Marshall answered back and Mary laughed.
They turned to head to the door when the squealing of car tires was heard. Both marshals turned and saw a masked person leaning out the car window with a gun. Marshall tackled Mary to the ground as the bullets flew through the air, piercing the house and the ground near them. Marshall rolled off of Mary and pulled out his Glock, shooting a couple of rounds into the car before it disappeared down the road.
"Are you alright?" Marshall asked Mary. She nodded and pulled out her phone to call it in.
Marshall turned to look at the house seeing the bullet holes in the living room window. "Mom?" He yelled and bolted into the house.
Mary followed Marshall when she heard him call out for his mother. Mrs. Mann was on the floor with two bullet wounds in her mid section, unconscious but with a pulse. Running into the kitchen for towels Mary, still on the phone with dispatch told them that there was one person injured and they needed an ambulance, while Marshall applied pressure to the bleeding wounds with his bare hands.
Mary forced Marshall's hands up, he didn't want to release the pressure ever for a second, and placed the towels on top of the wounds. Once he realized what Mary was doing he pushed down hard on the towels; his eyes were filling with fear despair. Marshall's deep breathing told Mary he was forcing himself to stay calm, she was concerned about how long that would last.
Marshall began to plead with his Mom, his voice cracking. "Stay with me Mom. Don't leave me. Dad needs you and so do I. You can't leave us too. Please, please Mom."
Mary's heart broke at the grief behind the words while her mind registered 'can't leave us too' and filed it in the back of her mind for later perusal. The wailing of sirens could be heard in the night air, coming closer, but not fast enough for either of them. Looking out the window Mary saw Dershowitz just as the ambulance and several police cars pulled up to the house.
"The ambulance is here." Though she called out loudly wasn't sure Marshall actually heard her. Mary heard Dershowitz calling their names outside and called back.
"We're in here." She yelled back.
Dershowitz entered the living room and saw the older woman bloody and lying on the floor. Moving out of the way of the paramedics who were rushing in with emergency medical gear he gently grabbed Mary's arm and tugged her towards him. "Who's the victim?"
"Elizabeth Mann. She's Marshall's mother." Bobby cursed at her statement. Knowing Marshall didn't need another traumatic near death experience of someone he loved, there had already been too many of those lately.
"What happened?" He asked. Mary filled him in on everything, the surprise visit, the drive by, Marshall's panic and despair.
"Can you get his statement later? I don't think he'll be much use at the moment." Bobby agreed as Stan suddenly entered the room. Elizabeth Mann was being loaded onto a gurney, paramedics crowded around her with Marshall clinging on to her hand, trying but failing, to not be in the way.
Stan looked at Mary expectantly. "What happened?" Mary gave him a brief rundown of what happened since she had arrived at Marshall's house that evening.
"I gave Bobby the full report. Stan; I need to go with Marshall. He shouldn't be alone." Stan nodded his agreement at her statement.
"I'll grab his away bag out of the truck and bring it when I come. He'll want to change out of the blood stained clothes he's wearing at some point." Stan had seen the keys on the table by the door on the way in and went to get the bag. He watched Marshall climbing into the ambulance as Mary backed the Probe out of Marshall's driveway to follow.
"Bobby I need to know everything you find out." Stan reminded him.
"I'm assuming you'll look into it from your end." Stan nodded and Bobby continued. "You'll let me know of any threats to Marshall or leads you turn up?"
"I'll let you know what I can." Stan replied. "I'll be at the hospital if you need me."
Stan walked into the hospital to see Marshall sitting, face in his hands, in one of the hard upholster waiting room chairs. He looked at Mary who mouthed "No news" before sitting at Marshall's right side and squeezing his shoulder. "I'll get us a private room." Stan spoke quietly to the grief filled man.
They had been sitting in silent support in the smaller private waiting room when Marshall started frantically searching his pockets panic written across his features. Mary grabbed his hands to stop his frantic searching. "What's wrong? What are you looking for?"
"Phone. Dad. Have to call." Marshall's voice trembled as he struggled to form his thoughts into words.
"I'll make the call. You wait here and wait for word on your Mom. I'll take care of your father." Stan offered and stepped out of the room.
Mary leaned closer to Marshall straining to hear what he was mumbling. Gently lifting his face up she made him focus on her. "What're you mumbling about?"
Her thumb pad wiped away the tear that slipped from his eyes as his spoke. "He's going to hate me. It's my fault. If she hadn't been here she'd be fine. How do I look him in the eye? I wasn't there again."
Mary couldn't imagine anyone hating lovable dorky Marshall. "This is not your fault. There was no warning that someone was gunning for you. Her visit was a surprise and I doubt your father will blame you for something beyond your control." Mary took a deep breath before continuing. "If she's anything like you, than she's a fighter and a lot stronger than anyone realizes."
She watched as he struggled with what she said. Placing her hand on his back she ran soothing circle patterns while leaning her head gently against his.