Next chapter!! Thank you to all the kind people who reviewed! Hope you like this one as well!!

Chapter 2

I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while
even though going on with you gone still upsets me

Neela's eyes opened slowly as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. She spotted Abby dozing in the seat next to her bed. She cleared her throat and Abby's eyes snapped open, a smile spread across her face.

"Thank god! You gave me a fright!"

She cried out as pain shot through the back of her head like someone was repeatedly throwing bricks at it.

Abby looked at her sympathetically.

"Honey, I wouldn't try to move much right now." She said soothingly

Neela frowned.

"What happened?" she vaguely remembered being at the rally and then everything was blank after that.

Abby cleared her throat.

"You were at the rally and then somebody set a bomb off…"

Neela's eyes widened.

"No it was just a hoax, but hundreds of people were injured because everyone started running to get out of the building…" Abby continued quickly.

Neela winced at the pain in her ribs and leg as she tried to turn.

"Na-ah missy, remember what I said no moving around for you." Abby ordered sternly.

"Bloody hell…I'm pretty messed up." Neela said with a groan.

Abby let out a soft chuckle.

"Well I better check your vitals." She said.

"You're looking pretty good, considering the situation." She announced a couple of minutes later.

"Really? Because I feel like shit." Neela groaned.

"I'll go and tell them you're awake."

She quickly left the room.

Neela couldn't believe this had happened her life seemed to be going from a high to a low every minute, first Michael had died and she'd pushed the man she loved away from her and then she'd gone and blown it even more with somebody so stupid and trivial like Tony Gates, then she'd gotten her chance and she and Ray had finally shared a kiss of which she thought would have been the first many at the time but what did she do this time? She decided to wait after freaking 2 years she had decided to wait more because she had been too bloody scared and when she finally decided to do something about it the worst had happened...

OOOOOOOO

Flashback

"Tony we need to talk." She said running to catch up to him in the ambulance bay.

"I kicked Mike out I couldn't deal with him anymore, I kept giving him chances and-…" he began ignoring her reason to start the conversation.

Neela couldn't help but groan inside she knew it was the wrong thing to do but she was sick of all him problems. Meg, Sarah, Pratt, Morris and now his own father it was like she was his bloody psychiatrist not his girlfriend and it made what she was about to do much easier.

"I mean I thought he could change but no I gave him 100 bucks for the groceries and what does he do? Fuck the bastard goes and gets himself drunk, my-…" he continued.

"Tony!" Neela said more loudly.

He again didn't hear her.

"And then I come home and there's a bottle of-…"

"TONY!"

He finally looked up at her in surprise.

"What?!" he asked annoyedly.

"Look I don't know how to say this…" Neela started.

"Just say it Neela, I've got enough problems as it is..." he groaned

She glared at him before she took a deep breathe. Here goes nothing.

"I wanna break up…"

Gates stared at her in shock.

"What!"

"Listen I know-…" Neela began but this time it was him who cut her off.

"It's Barnett isn't it?" he stated bitterly.

"Tony look-…" she began.

"No you don't have to say anything, I get it…" he announced turning on his heel stalking into the hospital as Morris came running out.

"Neela! There you are!" he called jogging up to her.

She took her eyes off Tony's retreating back and looked at Morris.

"What?"

"It's Ray…"

OOOOOOOO

And that was the moment when her world hit rock bottom. She'd finally broken up with Gates and the worst possible obstacle had happened.

Her eyes snapped back to reality as the door opened and Abby entered again followed by Dubenko and Luka.

"Neela, it's good to see you're alright." Dubenko stated warmly.

Neela nodded but couldn't look at his face she hadn't been able to look at his face properly since he'd told her his feelings for her were more than just a formal work relationship.

"Thanks, so when can I get out of here?" she asked.

They all looked at her surprised.

"Uh we might need to keep you in a bit longer, run a few more tests on you, the head wound you sustained was quite deep." Luka announced clearing his throat.

Neela felt another rush of pain through the back of her head just at the sound of those words.

After a few minutes they both left leaving Neela alone with Abby again.

Neela decided to ask the question that had been etching her mind.

"Has…uh Ray called?" she asked hoping her voice sounded nonchalant.

Abby looked up at her a knowing look on her face.

"Yeah he did…he saw the news…" Abby told her.

She nodded.

"Did he ask about me?"

"What happened, Neela?

Neela looked up at her started.

"What are you talking about?"

"What happened with you and Ray over at Mercy?"

Neela looked at her friend before letting out a sigh.

"I screwed up big time Abby."

"What happened?"

"He pretty much let me have it; I didn't even get the chance to tell him I broke it off with Gates… but then again I guess that wouldn't have really mattered…"

"Neela, Ray loves you with all his heart, he's just not going to let go of you that easily." Abby said gently.

"But you know what Abby he was right, I always took him for granted, I just assumed he'd be there after I finally got up the courage to break up with Gates…and now it looks like he's moved on with Katey…" Neela said sadly.

Abby let out a huge snort.

"Neela will you listen to yourself, Katey was just a fling to Ray she was just like all those other 'groupies' he's dated in the past he'll never feel for her like he does for you."

"I think you're wrong, I saw them and Katey made it pretty clear to me she wasn't going to back down off him maybe it's better if I just be happy instead of causing him all this pain."

Abby groaned.

"Oh please Neela, I don't mean to be rude but you need to save all this drama for the soap operas, Katey will never measure up to even half of what you measure up to Ray…unless you don't want to fight for him…unless you want Katey to win." Abby said with raised eyebrows.

"Of course not Abby!" Neela exclaimed.

"Then what are you waiting for, when you get discharged you have time off go up there and see him, and heck I'll even see if I can come up with you see that the both of you don't screw it up again." Abby said.

"What? No!"

"I thought you just said you don't want to lose him?"

"I don't but-…"

"No buts you're going, I for one have had enough of Ray and yours 'I'm scared to admit it so I'll telepathically send them a message' affair." Abby scolded.

Neela raised an eyebrow.

"I'm scared to admit it so I'll telepathically send them a message affair?" she asked.

"You know what I mean, you both always assume the other will no what you're feeling for them." Abby said.

Neela grinned.

"Why are you grinning?" Abby asked.

"That's the weirdest and not to mention longest way anyone has ever described Ray and my relationship."

"Shut up! You know it's true with the both of ya'll you just assume."

Neela shook her head with a smile but she couldn't help but feel Abby was right. She didn't know about Ray but she did always assume, she assumed that he'd wait for her and look where that got her, him miles away in Baton Rouge and her stuck in a third floor hospital bed in Chicago. Abby was right she should stop assuming and go up there and talk to Ray, for once she was going to be the knight in shining armour. (Or maybe in her case it was a knightness?)

Well what did ya think??

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