It was 1am and Mary had just fallen asleep on a very uncomfortable couch in the waiting area of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. She had the hood on Marshall's hoodie pulled over her head to block out the annoying fluorescent lights above her.

Everyone else had left. Stan got them all hotel rooms since they weren't very close to home. Charlotte was reluctant to leave Mary on her own. Charlotte felt it was a time for everyone to be with family and friends who cared about them. Mary assured her that she wouldn't be too long; she just needed a little time to herself.

Mary lied when she said she would leave soon. Mary wasn't going to leave tonight.

A young nurse was making rounds, just being sure everyone was okay before going back to the desk. When she made it to the waiting area she saw a woman sleeping uncomfortably on one of the vinyl waiting room couches.

"Ma'am," the nurse gently shook the woman. It was a little strange to find family in the waiting room at this time of night.

Mary jumped at the contact, waking immediately. "What happened? Is Marshall okay?" she sat up and looked at the young nurse who was watching her, a little bewildered.

"You're here with inspector Miller?" the nurse asked. She had wondered why he was all alone.

Mary nodded quickly.

"Then why are you out here?" They young woman asked.

"Waiting for visiting hours," Mary stated like 'duh!'

"But ma'am, there really are no visiting hours up here. A lot of the patients up here are so critical we allow family to stay as long as they like." The nurse explained.

That caught Mary's attention. So it was just the doctor who was against allowing anyone to visit.

"So I can see him?" Mary asked hopefully. She hadn't yet got to see her partner and she was anxious to actually get to lay her eyes on him. She wanted to see that he really was alive.

"Yes ma'am," The nurse confirmed.

"Why the hell didn't you lead with that? Let's go, go, go…!" Mary ushered quickly. Mary jumped up off the couch and stuffed her feet in her shoes.

Mary pushed the door open to Marshall's room. She looked at the ground, suddenly afraid to look at her normally strong partner.

When she finally looked at him she could feel the burning of tears in her eyes. He looked so still and pale, like he was dead. The only sign of life was the rise and fall of his chest and even that was aided by a machine.

Mary went around and sat next to his bed. She didn't realize the nurse was still behind her.

"Don't be afraid to hold his hand and talk to him. It's good for patients to hear that their loved ones are around." The nurse quickly checked the machines and made a note on his charts before hurrying off to finish her rounds.

Mary nodded and gingerly took his hand in hers. As hard as she tried she couldn't stop a few tears from rolling down her face. She could help but feel angry at her own emotional state. She cried more in the last twenty four hours than she had in the last five years.

Marshall was hooked to so many different machines and they all seemed to be making some kind of noise. It was all so overwhelming. She was unconscious during this part of her own injury; she could only imagine how Marshall felt. The roles were reversed now. Now she was the one sitting at his bedside keeping quiet watch over her partner. She was torn between being there with Marshall and going out and hunting down the men who hurt him.

There was this feeling deep in the pit of stomach that she just didn't understand. It was almost like her stomach was in knots. It started years ago but she pushed it to the back of her mind and promptly ignored it. When Marshall started seeing Abagail two years ago dread settled in her along with an emotion she never expected, jealousy. She spent more time then she cared to admit trying to figure out who she was jealous of. Was it Marshall and his new found social life? Or was it Abagail getting to spend all that time with her partner?

When Marshall announced his engagement Mary realized it was in fact Abagail she was jealous of, but why? Marshall was her partner; she got to spend every day with him. When Marshall asked her to release him she couldn't believe it. He didn't want to be friends with her, she was sure of it. She had an uncontrollable urge to run home and sit in bed with a gallon of ice cream and cry like a high school girl who got dumped for the first time. She has spent the last six months acting like a petulant child because she had no idea how to handle her own emotions. She had no idea how to express herself without anger or twisted sarcasm.

This unknown feeling was only exacerbated when she thought about the last thing she heard him say, to see you smile, I'd do anything. Why did that one simple sentence suddenly make her want to smile?

When she grasped at some self-control she tried to talk to him. She just let loose a stream of thoughts.

"Marshall, you're gonna pull through this. You have to pull through this. I really don't think I can continue every day at work without you. I need your annoying puns, ridiculous nonstop trivia, and incessant talking. I'm so sorry about how I've treated you in the last few months. I had no right to be so angry at you for trying to have a life." There was no change from the man on the bed.

Mary sighed. "Your mom and dad are in town. Your mom is worried sick. Your dad is too but his worry is manifesting in frustration, not that I could blame him. Your surgeon is a piece of work too. Asshole says you aren't likely to make it through the night yet he didn't want to let your mom come see you. What is it about surgeons that make them all think they are infallible gods? Anywho, he changed his tune when I had a few words with him." Mary smirked.

Mary talked to him for the next few hours. She talked about what came to mind, work, the weather, the nurses, the hospitals horribly out dated elevator music. She finally rambled herself out at four thirty that morning.

"I'm tired Marshall. I want to go to sleep, but I'm afraid you won't be here when I wake up. So I'm going to stay right here. I'm not going to let you go. When I find the guys who did this, they are going to be in for a world of hurt." She laid her head down on the edge of the bed, her hand firmly grasping his.

She sighed. "Good night Marshall,"

TBC