Author's note: Thanks for the reviews so far, guys! It means a lot to know this story is being liked. I was kinda nervous stepping into a new fandom but you've made me feel welcome and at home. Enjoy the next chapter.


II.

She was used to the buzz of a hospital ER, having worked in more than one herself. It was a long time ago, before she became the Chief Medical Examiner but there had been a time in her life where she had been part of a team of skilled doctors who fought to save people's lives. Even as she sat at Megan's bedside with only a thin curtain separating them from the madness that was the ER, Kate realised she didn't miss it. The adrenaline rushing through her body, the despair written across people's faces when they knew they were in a fight they couldn't win. Although many cases in the ER came to a good end, many also didn't. The work of a doctor was a fine line between life and death. Kate had crossed over from one side to the other years ago.

The soft beeping of Megan's heart monitor roused her out of her musings and Kate's eyes were drawn to the bed. Megan was still unconscious but she looked a lot healthier than she had done an hour ago. The greyness of her skin had faded but she still looked pale. Her dark red hair lay sprawled out across a crisp white pillow, creating a sharp contrast. The doctors had managed to change her into one of the standard hospital gowns and Megan's clothes lay in a brown paper bag at Kate's side.

Every imaginable scenario had run through Kate's head ever since she found Megan. Brain haemorrhage, blood clots, an undiagnosed heart problem… The options were endless and the next one was perhaps even scarier than the one before. She'd watched as the doctors took blood samples and rushed them off to be analysed. Megan had a CT scan which came back normal and although most of those horrific things she'd thought of now seemed to be disproven, Kate was still worried.

She jumped when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She knew cell phones weren't allowed in the ER but right now, at this moment, Kate didn't care much for the rules. "Talk to me, Curtis," she said when she answered.

"How's Megan?" was the first thing he asked.

"Still unconscious but stable. They did some tests and most of them came back clear. I'm waiting for her blood works. Did you call Lacey?"

"Her dad picked up from school and they're on their way," Curtis answered.

Kate heaved a sigh. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with Todd but she knew she didn't have a choice. This was about Megan and not about the relationship she'd had with Todd. She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked back at Megan. She looked strangely peaceful, Kate thought. It was as if all the worries and stress had fallen away from the older woman.

"Did you do the autopsy?" Kate asked. She had to take her mind of what was happening here and she only knew one way. Work.

"The bullet lodged itself into the back of his skull. Strange, considerin' it was a close contact shot. It's a little damaged but I'm runnin' it through ballistics right now. Nothin' yet," Curtis replied. "Ethan found some blood on the victims clothing though. It doesn't look like it came from the gunshot wound."

Kate frowned. "Secondary transfer? Maybe the killer was injured too?"

"He's testing it now. There ain't much but it might be enough for DNA."

"Run whatever tests you need. How are they getting on with actually finding out who killed him?"

"I haven't seen Adam and Tommy yet but Tommy called to ask about Megan."

"I bet he did." Kate's eyes snapped back at Megan. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Megan and Tommy Sullivan had some kind of history. Kate knew enough about Megan's life to speculate that it probably wasn't a very nice history either. She'd seen the way Megan looked at Tommy, with anger in her eyes. Megan wasn't much of a people person and she was blunt at the best of times but her reaction to Tommy Sullivan had been off the scale. "If he calls again, just tell him she's doing allright."

She hung up and at that same time the curtain was pulled aside. The attending that'd been looking after Megan since she arrived came back in, clutching a clipboard with some paperwork. His name was Doctor Ecklestone. He looked at Kate and they had a silent understanding that she would just listen without challenging him too much. Kate smiled to herself, knowing that if the roles were reversed Megan would have hunted down every available doctor in this hospital by now.

"Any change?" he asked as he walked up to the bed and double checked the IV's and heart monitor.

Kate shook her head. "Nothing." He nodded and Kate noticed how he fumbled with his clipboard containing the results of Megan's blood tests. A sense of irritation welled up in her. He seemed uncomfortable, as if he wasn't sure about how to deliver the news. "Look, whatever it is you've gotta say, just say it. We're both doctors here and if there's something wrong with Megan then I want to know."

He studied her face for a couple of seconds and then took a deep breath. "You mentioned you could smell alcohol on her breath when you found her."

Kate nodded. "Her daughter has type 1 diabetes. It was only diagnosed late last year and I just wondered…. When I saw Megan this morning, the first thing that came to mind was diabetic ketoacidosis."

Doctor Ecklestone seemed to hesitate. "We tested Megan for diabetes after you mentioned her daughter was diagnosed but the test came back negative. This also rules out diabetic ketoacidosis. What we did find however…" There was a pause and Megan knew from her own experience that this was usually because he was trying to find the best words to explain to her what he knew. "… Megan's alcohol levels were through the roof."

Kate's eyes widened. "You mean she was drunk?!"

"When we tested her, the blood alcohol level was still 0.21."

"That can't be right," Kate answered and took a step forward. Doctor Ecklestone seemed to understand that she wanted to check the results for herself and handed her the clipboard. Kate's eyes flew across the pieces of paper and her heart sank as she saw the words printed, black on white. The tests didn't lie. Megan's alcohol levels were sky high. She lowered the chart and turned back to the bed.

"Megan is a doctor. She knows the dangers of consuming that much alcohol," Kate said softly. "Besides, I found her in her bed, face down, wearing a t-shirt. There is no evidence she came home in this state but I didn't see any bottles anywhere in the house."

"I know you're not going to like me saying this but is there a possibility that your friend has a drinking problem?"

"No."

Kate spun around when she heard Lacey's voice behind her. The teenage girl had appeared at Megan's bedside, dressed in her school uniform and with her backpack on her shoulder. Tears glistened in her eyes as she took her mother's eyes. Pleadingly she looked up at Kate. "Tell him that she doesn't, Kate. You know she doesn't."

"Lacey's right," Kate answered. "There is no way in this world that Megan struggles with alcohol." She looked up again when the curtain was pulled aside a second time. Todd appeared and for a moment they looked at each other. Kate waited for him to say something, anything, but he just weakly smiled before walking over to Lacey. He kissed his daughter on her head before letting his hand trail across Megan's cheek. Something jolted inside Kate's stomach and she realised with a shock that it was anger.

"A blood alcohol level over 0.20 can cause loss of consciousness. It can affect the body's heart rate and cause motor impairment. There is a high chance that when she comes round, Megan will not remember what happened. Black outs after this much alcohol are not uncommon," Doctor Ecklestone answered. His eyes found Kate and he jerked his head towards the curtain, signalling for her to follow him.

Once they stood outside the cubicle Kate's blue eyes snapped up to meet the doctor's brown. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Do you know how long it takes for alcohol to leave the body, Doctor Murphy?"

"Alcohol is metabolized at the rate of .015 of blood alcohol concentration every hour," Kate answered. In her head she was beginning to do the math and what she came up with wasn't good. "She has a long way ahead of her."

"Megan's BAC was still 0.21 when we tested her, which was an hour after you found her. It's safe to assume that the levels would have been higher originally, probably closer to lethal. It explains why she hasn't woken up yet."

"BAC can still rise sometime after the last drink was consumed," Kate said and Doctor Ecklestone nodded. "We're never going to know for sure how high it was." She heaved a sigh and glanced back at the curtain behind which Megan lay. "How much did she have?"

"Hard to say. It depends on what drinks she consumed. Does she drink at all?"

"The occasional glass of wine. Megan doesn't like the feeling of being drunk. In her time as an attending she saw too many results of drunk driving." Kate's blue eyes met those of the attending she was talking too now. Every doctor working in the ER at some point would be confronted with the devastating consequences of alcohol. "As I'm sure you have too. Trust me, Megan wouldn't do this to herself."

"I'm afraid the test results don't lie," the attending answered. "You might want to talk to her when she wakes up."

"I will," Kate said softly. "I will."

She watched the young doctor walk away and felt the burden of having to explain everything to Lacey and Todd grow heavier on her shoulders. She took a couple of deep breaths before pulling the curtain aside and stepping back into the cubicle. Just as she was about to speak, one of the nurses appeared and she looked apologetically from Kate to Todd and then Lacey.

"Sorry to interrupt but we'll be moving her to a room of her own now." She looked back at Kate. It seemed most people in the ER had realised they were dealing with another doctor. "Someone will come and find you once she's all set up." She removed the brakes on the bed and the three people inside the cubicle stepped aside as a second nurse came in and helped her colleague wheel Megan's bed away.

Kate looked at Lacey. The girl looked terrified and she watched how Todd's arm slipped protectively around his daughter's shoulders. A part of her felt like an intruder, like she shouldn't be here. This was a family thing. She wasn't family but she was Megan's friend. Sometimes Kate guessed she was the only friend Megan had.

"Do either of you know where Megan went last night?" Kate asked softly and Lacey's eyes snapped in her direction.

"You don't believe that she's an alcoholic, do you?"

In a flash Kate could see just how much Lacey was like her mother. She shook her head. "No, Lacey, I don't. I also don't believe that Megan would go out and get this drunk. She knows better. She warns people about the dangers of alcohol all the time. As a doctor she's seen more than her fair share of alcohol related traumas."

"She said she was going to meet someone she hadn't seen for a very long time," Lacey answered and stared down at the floor. Her shoulders dropped. "I spoke to her just before she went out. She sounded happy."

Kate's eyes narrowed. "Did she tell you who this person was?"

"What are you suggesting, Kate?" Todd asked. He sounded cold and distant. "You think someone did this to Megan?"

Kate made a helpless hand gesture. "I don't know, Todd. I don't know what to think. But the Megan I know wouldn't go out and do this to herself."

His eyes met hers. "Maybe you don't know her as well as you think."

"Or maybe you just never knew her at all."

It had come out so sharply that Kate even surprised herself. When she caught the puzzled look Todd gave her she quickly composed herself. "I'll go and have another word with the doctors." She turned around, pushed the curtain aside and stepped out of the cubicle. She walked across to the ER, to the only window that she could get to, and rested her head against the surprisingly cold glass. She felt like she was suddenly losing grip and she had no idea how she could get herself to hold on.

~()~

Warm golden sunlight poured in through the hospital room window. Megan blinked once, twice. Slowly the room regained its shape. Her brain was scrambled and it took her a little while to process what her senses were picking up. Bleak walls, hospital standard issue sheets and the distinct smell of disinfectant. As she tried to move she became aware of the pain. Everything hurt. Her throat burned raw and her muscles ached with sheer exhaustion. The light hurt her eyes and the headache throbbing at her temples felt like someone had drilled into her skull.

"What the hell happened?"

"Megan?"

Suddenly they were all there at her bedside. Blurred faces, voices she struggled to recognise. The room started spinning and her eyes fluttered shut again. The darkness was a far more comfortable place to be right now.

"Megan?" Someone touched her face. A soft, warm hand. "Megan, can you hear me?"

"No need to shout," Megan groaned. "I can hear you just fine." A small pause followed and a vague hint of a smile tugged at Megan's lips, as if she knew the person at her bedside was waiting for her to recognise their voice. "Kate."

Kate smiled. It had been a little over two hours since Megan had been transferred from the ER to her own room. "Welcome back."

"Where have I been?"

Lacey hesitantly approached her mother's bed and leant in, reaching for the hand that didn't have the IV in it. "Mom?"

"Lacey?" Megan whispered and her eyes opened again. She immediately flinched against the brightness of the room but managed to turn her head and look at her daughter. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at school?"

Kate turned to look at Todd. She could tell he was about to answer. She placed a hand against his shoulder and pushed him back. "The doctors said this could happen. She doesn't remember how she got here or why. Give her some time. She's probably afraid and confused. The last thing she needs is you making accusations." Piercing blue eyes met his. This was a man she had once had feelings for but the longer she looked at him, the more she realised that they really were gone. "She needs time, Todd."

She turned away from him and walked over to Lacey, briefly putting her hand on the girl's shoulders before letting it drop down to Megan's arm. There were no words to describe the relief she felt now that Megan was awake. Although her voice was weak and raspy, she'd regained her normal colour. The soft beeping of the monitor was the only sound in the room for several minutes as everyone just stood there, remembering how close they had been to losing everything.

"Kate?" Megan whispered, cutting through the silence. Her green eyes found Megan's blue and Kate felt her heart break when she saw the confusion and despair. She had never seen Megan scared before, until this very moment. "What happened?"

"We're trying to find that out," Kate answered and her eyes darted to Todd in warning. He wasn't to tell Megan what the reason was she ended up here. "The doctors will be glad you woke up though." She leant over the bed and pressed the alarm button. Somewhere on the other side of the ward a light went on. Kate looked back at Megan. Their gazes locked and Kate was suddenly transported back in time, to the events from a year and a half earlier where it had been her lying in a hospital bed and Megan had been the one sitting at her side.

Megan had done everything she could to safe her life and when she opened her eyes to see Megan standing next to her, Kate knew their friendship had taken another turn. She smiled and rubbed Megan's arm. "It's good to see you, Megan."

A nurse poked her head around the door and everyone looked up. "She's awake?"

"Yeah," Lacey answered with a beaming smile. "She's going to be ok now, right?"

"I'll get one of the doctors," the nurse answered and she disappeared again.

Kate's phone vibrated in her pocket and she dug it out. Curtis' name flashed across the screen and she smiled at Megan before quickly leaving the room. She looked back in through the window. Lacey climbed on her mother's bed but Todd still kept his distance. She heaved a sigh and answered. "What is it, Curtis?"

"Any news?"

"Megan just woke up."

"Say what?"

Kate smiled. "Megan just woke up."

The pitch of Curtis' voice shifted when he spoke again. "You may wanna keep that quiet for a little while longer."

"Why?" Kate asked and a strange feeling settled in her chest. She stared through the window into Megan's room. She caught Megan looking back at her and her stomach tightened into a knot before she averted her eyes. The sudden rush of blood to her cheeks made her turn a slight shade of scarlet and she mentally chastised herself. "Curtis, what's going on?"

"Remember the blood Ethan found on the victim's clothing?" Curtis asked. In the background Kate could hear people talking. Curtis had to still be at the lab. "The blood you asked us to test?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"We got a match on the DNA."

The back of Kate's mouth became dry and she turned away from the window. "So…"

"Kate, the DNA belongs to Megan."