I'm serious about this no updating till I get enough reviews thing, people. I appreciate the favoriting(sp? lol) and the adding to alert lists, it makes me happy, but I really want reviews. They make me all warm inside, and help me know what I'm doing good on and what needs work. So, I'm upping the ante. There will be no chapter five.... until I get 4 reviews for THIS chapter. dun dun dun... Anyway, this chapter is like... uber action/dram filled. Enjoy!! =]


Mary kept a tight grip on Connie's arm as she led the woman through all the chaos in the courthouse. People were running and screaming. Alarms had started going off, making Mary's ears ring slightly. Glancing back, she could see Marshall trying to calm a crying Katie.

One of the other Marshals went outside first when they reached a side door, to make sure that there wasn't an ambush waiting. A few seconds later, he deemed it safe for them to go out.

Luckily, they were parked close to the door they had just left out of, so they were able to get to the SUV quickly. There didn't seem to be anyone in the small side alley, as far as Mary and Marshall could tell.

Mary looked over her shoulder cautiously as she pushed Katie towards the SUV. "Get in, hurry!" she said sharply.

Marshall followed the frightened girl, and Mary put a light hand on his shoulder as he climbed in. He paused for barely a second to look at her, his serious expression showing worry and fear. Not fear for himself, but for her. She had learned to recognize that look by now.

She turned and pulled Connie to the SUV by the collar, and Marshall pulled the woman inside. Mary turned to look around quickly once more before they left, to make sure they weren't being seen or followed.

She never saw it coming.

The gunshot rang out and the bullet tore into her right shoulder, the force of it causing her to spin 90 degrees on the spot. Through the pain, the only thing her brain could process was shock. Then she began to fall, but was caught by a pair of arms and pulled into the SUV.

"Mary!"

Was that Marshall screaming her name? She couldn't tell. It was hard to discern anything through the veil that seemed to cloak her thoughts.

As the seconds passed, the veil slowly lifted. She realized that the SUV was moving quickly, and someone was next to her, holding her waist tightly and saying her name repeatedly. As the veil lifted, so did the shock, and the full force of the pain hit her.

"Oh my god! Fucking son of a bitch, that hurts!" She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, tossed her head back onto Marshall's shoulder, and tried to breathe.

"Mary, where is it? I can't tell with all the blood. C'mon Mare, you gotta tell me where you're hit!" Marshall said frantically.

"Shoulder. Think it might be dislocated." she said through gritted teeth, still not opening her eyes.

"Let me take a look at it, I-"

"Oh god, no! Just don't, don't touch it! It hurts so damn bad!" she could feel small tears stinging her eyes, but she didn't care.

"I know, Mary. I know it hurts. But you have to let me look at it." Marshall said gently, pushing some hair out of her face.

She opened her eyes and gasped for air, before shutting them tightly again and nodding. "Fine."

She could feel him prodding, trying to get a better look, and hissed in pain.

"Sorry." he muttered, his tone desperate.

"So, what? Are you gonna put a little tube in my shoulder?" she asked, trying to laugh.

"Actually, that would probably help, but I can't get to it right now. We're sort of in the middle of a high-speed chase." Marshall said, brushing more hair out of her face.

"Aw crap." Mary groaned.

"Yeah. I don't know how they found us, I couldn't see anyone, but now they're after us." Marshall said as he poked around her shoulder.

She opened her eyes, gasped in pain and yelled "Jesus fucking Christ! How did you handle this so well?!"

Marshall chuckled bitterly. "Hey, I'm the suffer-in-silence type, remember?"

Mary didn't read too far into his words. She couldn't handle that at the moment.

Marshall quit prodding, right on time for the SUV to turn violently, throwing her back into the seat. She cried out in pain as her shoulder hit the seat, hard.

"How sure are you that it's dislocated?" Marshall asked loudly, over the sound of squealing tires behind them.

"Positive." she grunted.

"Okay, that's only going to cause more problems with the wound. You have to let me fix it."

"What? Oh hell no! This shit hurts bad enough!" she protested, attempting to move away.

He moved so that he was kneeling in front of her, and held her in place. "Mary. Mary, honey, listen to me! I know it's going to hurt. But it has to be done. Trust me on this."

She looked him in the eye, and she could tell from the anguished look on his face that he was just as reluctant about this as she was. "Fine. But quick, like a band-aid."

She shut her eyes and braced herself for the pain, but Marshall didn't do anything, seeing as another sharp turn had thrown him off balance, nearly knocking him over. God, just when she had been ready for it.

Marshall regained his balance, and braced her shoulder against the back of the seat.

"You ready?" he asked grimly.

"As ready as I'll ever be." she groaned, bracing again.

He hesitated, and just as she was about to yell obscenities at him, he crushed his lips onto hers, surprising the hell out of her. While she was still frozen in shock, he jammed her shoulder back into place.

The surprise dulled some of the pain, but it didn't stop her from screaming against his lips, which stayed firmly planted on hers, muffling her pained cries. The scream faded and became shallow breaths, and Marshall pulled away slowly, looking at her apprehensively, as if afraid she might hit him.

"Better?" he asked breathlessly.

Mary honestly wasn't sure. It still hurt like a bitch from hell, but now that her shoulder was back in place it felt… well, back in place. And that was a plus, right?

"Your methods, Dr. Mann, are unorthodox, yet effective." she joked, still attempting to breathe normally.

Marshall let out a relieved laugh, and moved back to his spot next to her.


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