Chapter 2

Jim was on the floor trying to reach out and grab someone... anyone. Khandi took his hand and tried to keep him still. The EMT's got there and tended to him quickly. "Ma'am, you'll have to move and give us some room to work." one paramedic said.

"I'm not leaving him." Khandi said with tears falling from her eyes.

Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Khandi, let them help him." Sam said pulling her into his arms.

Jim had been hurt bad before but this was the first time Khandi was there to witness it and it terrified her. She pulled out of Sam's arms and looked down at her hands. She saw Jim's blood all over her and started to cry harder.

The EMT's had finally loaded Jim onto a stretcher and Khandi followed them out of the hotel room. They rolled the stretcher onto the elevator and made their way down to the lobby. Khandi looked at Jim. He had a tube down his throat to help him breath. She knew something like this was going to happen the minute Jim stepped foot into that room. Why did she let him go in there unarmed? Why did she let him go in there at all?

They reached the ambulance and loaded Jim into the back. Khandi hopped in the back with him and held his hand. Sam and Cosmo jumped in Jim's Charger and followed the ambulance to Desert Palm Hospital.

//Desert Palm Hospital//

The paramedics rushed Jim into the ER. Jim was semi-conscious and watching everything flash before him. He saw lights, the paramedics, there were even officers there and they looked terrified at the sight of their fallen Captain.

Jim moved his head again and saw Khandi. She looked so worried and she had tears streaming down her face. All Jim wanted to do was take her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay but he felt himself slipping away.

He tried everything in his power to stay in that moment with her but the darkness that kept calling him was so peaceful and there was no pain there. The paramedics pushed the stretcher through the ER doors and Khandi was left standing helplessly on the other side of them.

"Fifty-five year old male. GSW to the right anterior chest. Entering at the level of the deltoid and AC joint. Minimally responsive. He's a cop. Tachycardic is in the 120s, BP's 86 over 40 and dropping, 02 stats in the 80s with assisted ventilation..." the paramedic informed the doctors as they transferred Jim from the stretcher to the ER table.

"Okay, we're losing a lot of blood here. We need two large-bore IV's. Run the fluids wide, he's extremely hypotensive."

Khandi was watching the whole time through the ER doors. All she could do was pray that Jim would be okay. Then suddenly the monitor beeped and Jim flatlined. Khandi screamed as Sam and Cosmo came up behind her. "NO! JIMMY!"

Cosmo pulled her into a hug while they watched the doctors work on Jim. "He's in V-fib!"

"Paddles!" the doctor called and zapped Jim. There was no response. "Three hundred!"

"Three hundred." a nurse repeated.

"Clear!" he zapped Jim again but still there was no response. "Come on, come on! Come on. Three sixty!"

"Three sixty!"

"Clear!" he zapped Jim one more time.

Just then the monitor started to beep again and Jim moved his head. "He's out of V-fib."

//Flashback//

Jim and Khandi were sitting on the deck of their new house. It was bigger than the last one they had and since that one was burned down by the Chinese mafia they didn't really have a choice about moving.

Khandi looked at Jim and knew that he had something on his mind. "You want to share?" Khandi asked.

"Hmm? What?" Jim said jolted back to reality.

"You seemed bothered by something. Want to share it?"

"I was thinking about Ellie."

"Ellie?"

"I never told anyone about the time I went to L.A. Ellie called me to help her find her friend Dakota. So naturally I went out there to help her."

"Of course you did, Jimmy, I know you love her."

"I do. But I found out some things that a father would never want to know about his daughter."

"What happened, sweetie?" Khandi asked moving closer to him and taking his hand.

"I know how Ellie spends her time. The kind of company she keeps. I know what she does to get by. I mean I was in L.A. and sitting in my car watching her work a corner on Hollywood Boulevard. But I don't see it. All I see... is a six year old little girl with pigtails, playing with crayons and singing a little tune to herself." Jim said as he got tears in his eyes.

"I know, honey. You look at her through a father's eyes. You only see the little girl you want to see. Not the young woman she's become."

"The thing is, if anything happened to me, I don't think Ellie would... uh... would care."

"I know she would, Jimmy. She loves you. But she's too stubborn to show you. I wonder who she gets that from?" Khandi said smiling at Jim.

"I want to believe that. I really do, but everytime I see her, it always ends up in an argument. And then we're worse off then before."

"One day she'll realize what she's missed by not being with you." Khandi said and took Jim's face in her hands. "I couldn't ask for a better man to be the father of my children."

Jim leaned in and kissed her. "That's why I need you to do something for me."

"I'll do anything for you, Jimmy."

"I want to give you my power of attorney." Jim said and stood up. He walked over to the table and picked up the papers and a pen and brought them back to Khandi. He handed her the papers and sat back down. "There's no one in this world I trust more with my life. Or my death."

Khandi took the papers and looked at them. "Jimmy, I really don't want to think about your death."

"It's more for medical decisions, in case anything should happen. I mean we've both had some close calls."

"Yes, we have." Khandi stared down at the papers and finally signed them. If Jim trusted her with his life, she wasn't about to tell him no. After all she was his wife, she should have the final decision in a medical situation.

//Present - Desert Palm Hospital//

Khandi was in Jim's room holding his hand. She was determined about not leaving his side. Sam didn't want to disturb her and decided to talk to the doctor himself. He and Under-Sheriff McKeen were standing outside Jim's room. Cosmo had gone home to inform Stacey about what had happened.

Dr. Stewart approached them and filled them in on Jim's condition. "Captain Brass was shot twice. The first bullet hit him in the vest. The second entered through his axilla, hit an artery and is lodged near his heart. He has internal hemorrhaging."

"Any neural damage?" Sam asked.

"We won't know until we stop the bleeding. If we stop it. Have next of kin been notified?"

"His wife's with him now. She has his power of attorney." Sam informed the doctor.

"Well, she may have a decision to make. I'll let you know." the doctor said and walked off.

"How is Khandi holding up?" McKeen asked.

"As well as can be expected. I mean given the circumstances."

"I've known Jim a long time. He'll pull through." McKeen said as his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it. "McKeen." He listened for a minute and then replied. "Alright. I'll be right there." He hung up and turned back to Sam. "Burdick wants to see me."

"Go. I'll keep you informed of any changes." Sam said as McKeen walked off down the hall.

Just as McKeen was leaving, Grissom showed up and walked up to Sam. "How is he?"

"He's lost a lot of blood and is still on a respirator."

"Has anyone called his daughter?" Grissom asked.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Someone has to tell her. After all she is his daughter. I'll call her." Grissom said. He pulled out his cell phone and walked a little ways down the hall.

Sam walked over to the window of Jim's room and watched Khandi with him. He tapped on the glass to get her attention. She looked up at Sam and waved him in. Sam walked into the room and stood beside Khandi. "How's he doing?"

"He still won't wake up. I've been talking to him since they put him in here but he hasn't responded."

"Keep talking to him. I know you don't think it's helping but it is." Sam said giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Gil's here and he's trying to get a hold of Jim's daughter."

"Ellie?"

"Yeah, he thinks she should know what's going on."

"She should. Jim would want her to know." Khandi said and turned her attention back to Jim.

Sam decided to leave her alone with Jim and made a quick exit from the room. He ran into Grissom. "So, did you talk to her?" Sam asked.

"I got the answering machine. I left a message." Grissom said as his cell phone went off. "Grissom. I'll be right there." He hung up his phone and looked at Sam. "DB on the train tracks in Henderson." With that Grissom walked off.

//The Cavalry's Home//

Cosmo walked into the house still not believing what had happened. Stacey had heard the door and walked out to the entry way to see who was there. "Hey, honey, what are you doing home early?" Stacey asked and then noticed the grim look on Cosmo's face. "What happened?"

Cosmo sat down on the couch. Stacey sat down beside him and he slowly turned his head toward her. "We had a hostage situation and Jimmy went in to talk him out and... and..." Cosmo was choking back the tears.

"What happened, honey?" Stacey asked.

"The asshole shot Jimmy." The tears were now falling from Cosmo's eyes.

"Oh my God, is he okay?"

"No! I saw him lying there on the floor bleeding. The blood was coming out of his mouth and it was like seeing Newman all over again. Jimmy can't die. I can't go through that again. I can't lose another person I'm close to."

Stacey put her arms around Cosmo and hugged him. Just then Little Jimmy walked into the room. "What's wrong, Uncle Cosmo?" he asked.

Stacey and Cosmo looked up at Little Jimmy and Cosmo wiped his eyes, placed his hand on Little Jimmy's head and ruffled his hair. "Nothing, buddy, everything's going to be okay."

//Desert Palm Hospital - Jim's Room//

Dr. Stewart walked into Jim's hospital room and walked over to Khandi. "Mrs. Brass, could I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course." Khandi said letting Jim's hand go and standing up. They walked out into the hallway and stopped just outside the room.

"Mrs. Brass, we managed to stop the bleeding but his condition is critical."

"What can you do to help him?" Khandi asked, worried and could feel tears stinging her eyes.

"We could try to remove the bullet."

"What are the risks?" Khandi asked.

"If we go in, the vertebral artery could be impacted. He could bleed out or stroke out. Permanent incapacitation."

"And if you don't operate?" Khandi asked the tears now running down her face.

"The bullet could migrate into the artery and, again, cause a stroke or kill him. Or it could stay there for years and do nothing. He might never wake up."

"What are the odds?"

"Mrs. Brass, this isn't a casino. I don't give odds. It's your call."

Khandi didn't even hestitate with her decision. "Do it. I want you to operate. Just save my husband, please."

Dr. Stewart left Khandi alone and she went back into Jim's room. She sat down by his bed and took his hand. "The doctor's are going to help you, Jimmy. You're gonna be okay and back home with me and the kids before you know it." Khandi leaned in and kissed Jim on his forehead. "I love you, Jimmy. Please, you have to come back to me."

A few hours later Khandi was still in Jim's room but now she was sitting next to an empty bed. Sam came back and was standing in the doorway. "Hey." he said.

"Hey. They took Jimmy into surgery." Khandi said standing up.

"Come on. Let me buy you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks I think I need it."

As they were walking down the hallway they heard an argument at the nurses station. "I want to see him. He's my father. He's a cop."

"I understand that, miss, but he's in surgery. You'll have to wait until he's out."

"No, I want to see him now!"

At that moment Khandi walked up behind her. "Ellie?"

TBC...