A/N: Alright guys, I know it's been ages since I posted a chapter, and I'm going to go into detail about why for anyone who's interested at the end of this chapter. This chapter starts out in Lauren's POV and switches to Bo's POV and does a flashback so you guys can find out how/why Kenzi was shot. again, I am so sorry for the huge delay on this chapter, I hope this makes up for it! :) (Anything that is italicized is a flashback, a dream, or, in the case of this chapter both!)

Chapter 4:

Lauren's POV

I didn't want to leave her, not in her current state, but when I heard the pager I knew I had to. The look on her face when I turned around nearly broke my heart. Her red, splotchy face, still undeniably beautiful despite the look of despair.

Her hopeful, tear-filled eyes, locked on mine as she thanked me with her raspy, but still beautiful voice. Thanked me for being me, but also for so much more. I hated walking away from her, but I was needed, needed by someone whose life I held in my hands.

Someone who I could see meant the world to Bo, and it was my task to save her. No pressure. I walked down the long corridor to the ER, where Kenzi was being kept. I walked into her room, and saw the on-call General Surgeon, Dr. Penelope Sanders, prepping her for surgery.

She turned when she finished, smiling at me. "Ah, Dr. Lewis, I was just finishing prepping her for surgery. I understand that you were the attending on call when she was brought in?" I nodded, looking at her to continue.

"Good, I was going to ask if you wanted to scrub in on this? I know it's not cardiac-related, but I was hoping to have an extra set of hands in there with me so as avoid complications. And since you are the Dr. assigned to her case, you have a valid reason to be in there.

My students don't get here for another ten or fifteen minutes, but if you're busy, I understand, and she can wait, she's not in critical condition as of now." It only took me moments to picture the possible failures that could occur if students were allowed anywhere near her on the operating table, and I cringed internally.

No way was I letting novice hands get anywhere near Bo's friend. Even if it means I have to leave her by herself for around ten hours. "Of course I can assist you, Dr. Sanders. I'll head down to theatre 1 and get prepped right away."

I approached the bed to check Kenzi's chart, seeing the damage recorded and what I had to help fix. I wanted to inquire about what they had been doing to get Kenzi injured this severely, but I certainly wasn't going to ask anytime soon. I didn't want to upset Bo more than she already was.

Those questions could wait until she knew her friend would make a full recovery. I turned and walked out of the room, heading for the service elevators that would take me down the the operating theaters. As I was walking towards the elevators, a few thoughts were running through my head.

First, why is it that I felt conflicted about taking this surgery? Normally, I wouldn't have hesitated at declining the surgery, since it wasn't in my prominent field of cardiothoracics, but, I accepted almost immediately, not because of the potential failure that could occur if a student was allowed near this surgery, but because of what it would do to Bo if she lost her friend.

That wasn't what was bothering me, though. No, what was bothering me was the thought of not being able to see Bo, to comfort her, tell her that everything was going to work out fine and that Kenzi would be out shortly. I barely know this woman, yet I already feel so much for her.

I want to protect her, comfort her, hold her and promise that everything is going to be okay. I've never wanted to do that for someone that I've known for such a small period of time. surely this woman is capable of taking care of herself, so why am I filled with anxiety, all because I left her on that couch?

What is worrying me the most, though, is what I felt when she walked in the doors of the hospital, before I noticed her distress. The fluttering in my stomach. how my heart rate increased and how I forgot all about where I was and why I was there. Then the feeling of despair when I saw how upset she was.

when I slid to the floor to comfort her, I almost cried myself seeing how devastated she was. I felt as if Kenzi was someone I knew and I cared about deeply, not someone I had never met before. It made my heart ache watching this woman sob into my chest. In those moments, as I sat with Bo, I made a silent vow to her that I would do everything in my power to save her friend.

Sitting with bo, seeing how broken she was, and comparing it to the moment I spent with her earlier this week, I came to the conclusion that she is a strong person, not easily upset, and for her to show me her despair, allow me to be the one to comfort her, made me feel something I had never felt before, and it scared me and thrilled me at the same time.

I barely know this woman, and yet it feels like i've known her my entire life, and that I've loved her for years- wait. Love? am I really using that word to describe how i feel for her? What is it about this woman that has me so captivated?

Not that I mind, its just that I fear that she is already capturing my heart. I stopped walking, realizing what I had just thought. Capturing my heart? Love? I realize that this is in fact a true statement, that I am already falling for the woman, and that realization scares me.

But it excites me more than it scares me.

I've never been one to jump head-first into things, preferring to get all the facts, the information, and then sitting down and planning strategy, but that is definitely not the case in this situation.

I know practically nothing about this woman, yet I feel as if I have known her for years, and I know that I already trust her, trust her to not hurt me, and I dont even know if she feels the same for me!

I shake my head, resuming my walking, seeing my objective, the elevators, come into sight. Now was not the time to sort through these confusing feelings. I have to get my head focused so I can work on saving the best friend of the woman I may have already given my heart to.

12 hours later

I strip the gloves off, sighing heavily. I walk out of the theater, past a mirror where I see a glimpse of my reflection. The weariness in my eyes is blatant, as is the exhaustion. I smile though, because I was indeed successful in saving the life of Ms. McKenzie Malikov.

The surgery went well, except for when we reached the last two bullet wounds, located in her lower abdomen. We realized that the bullets were located in such a way that if we were to remove them laparoscopically, as with the other six, we would end up tearing the liver to shreds.

We were forced to open her up, and we had to work fast in order to save the organ, and her life. It worked out in the end, and she was wheeled to the recovery portion of the ICU, estimated to wake up in about four hours.

Dr. Sanders approached me, smiling at our success. " It was great working with you Dr. Lewis, and I now see why they all call you a surgical genius. Do you want to inform the family, or shall I?" I shook my head, "I'll do it, her friend and I have met before and I think she would want to hear it from me."

Sanders shrugs, and turns to walk away. She stops and turns around handing me a chart. "Oh, I almost forgot, I need you to sign off on the further treatment, and that the surgery was successful."

I take the clipboard, signing it half-assed, in a hurry to go see Bo, and tell her that her friend would make it. Sanders takes the clipboard, and walks away, leaving me to attend to my task. I hurriedly walk towards the elevators, jamming the button repeatedly as if that would make the elevator appear any faster.

I chuckle at myself, marveling at the newfound energy I seemed to possess, all because I know I get to see her in a mere five minutes. As the elevator takes me up to the main floor, I notice that I'm still wearing my surgical gown, which is splattered with blood.

I quickly rip it off, crumbling it up into the smallest ball I could, throwing it in the elevator trash can. I begin to mentally scold myself at my carelessness, but that is soon forgotten as the elevator dings and the doors open. I rush out, walking briskly to the waiting room, and stopping suddenly when i get there.

What I see before me makes my heart flutter, and my mouth go dry. Bo is laying on the couch, one arm tucked under her head, the other clutching one of the decorative pillows that usually sit on arms of the couch. her hair is mussed from sleep, and she is more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen before in my life.

I walk slowly over to her, fighting the urge to stroke her hair, her face, or to kiss her awake. I pull one of the armchairs over to the couch, and sit next to her head, watching her sleep. I notice her eyes are moving rapidly behind closed lids, meaning she is having a vivid dream.

I watch as the sweat starts to dew on her forehead, and the slight tremble start in her lips, and hands. She starts to move her head back and forth, whimpering, and I realize she is having a nightmare.

The smile leaves my face as I reach out to gently and slowly stroke her hair, whispering to her. "Shhhh. It's okay, I'm here, you're safe, shhhhh." she seems to calm a bit from my touch, and I watch as she slowly opens her eyes, and looks up into mine.

x

Bo's POV

14 Hours earlier…

"Kenz, are you sure this is the correct address?" I ask, looking around the decrepit neighborhood as we walked down the filthy alleyway towards the rundown apartment complex our client's brother lives in. I look back at Kenzi, who just shrugs at me. "As far as I know, this is where Mr. Anonymous' brother lives."

She looked at something behind my shoulder, and all the blood drained from her face. She grabbed my arm, yanking me out of view and into the shadows. I look at her, confused and worried, and see she is holding her finger to her mouth, indicating for me to be quiet.

She leans in, and starts to whisper into my ear. " Bo, I want you to slowly lean out and look towards the door of the apartment complex, and tell me what you see." Confused, I do as she asks, and what I see makes my blood run cold.

He was here, and that could only mean one thing. Trouble. Serious trouble. The man who had once been the object of my affections, who once had me convinced that he loved me more than anything, and who had once tried to kill me after I refused to join him in his "business", also known as a drug cartel.

The man who broke my heart, and who was the root of all my nightmares. Dyson Thornwood. I started to shake with anger, as my eyes locked with Kenzi's. She spoke first. "What in the world is that piece of shit doing here, out of all the shitty places that scumbag could reside, it has to be here? really?"

At her words, I come to a chilling realization that this isnt a coincidence at all. no, this is something far worse. "Kenz, wait. Take a step back. So this 'client', he said he wanted us to check on his brother, to make sure he was on the straight and narrow after getting out of jail, right?"

She nodded slowly, confused, waiting for me to continue. "And he refused to meet with us, or give us any information except his phone number?" Her eyes grew wide as she came to the same realization I had moments before. "Oh, no, this isn't a real case is it?" " I don't think so Kenz, I think we've been played."

A minute or two after we had come to this chilling realization, three guys came out of the shadows, two going for Kenzi, restraining her and taking the gun she kept in her pants and throwing off to the side. Thankfully, I had seen this coming and already had a hand on my firearm.

I pointed it at the third guy, who stopped in his tracks, but before I could pull the trigger or issue a warning, I heard a click behind me. "Drop the gun, or Kenzi dies." I heard the threat, and knew that it wasn't an empty one.

I slowly put the gun down and turned to face the man behind the vomit inducing voice. " hello, my dear Ysabeau, long time no see." Oh how I wanted to knock that smug smirk off of his face. He's lucky he has that gun pointed at me. I glared at him, not speaking. "What, no smart remarks, not even a hello?

And I thought we had something special between us." I spat at his shoes, continuing to keep silent. I expected him to drop the pretense of a smile at my actions, but what I wasn't expecting was the swift smack I received. I fell to my knees, the unexpected hit taking me off balance.

He came closer, fire in his eyes as he tsked disapprovingly. "Now, I'd be careful if I were you, Ysabeau. We wouldn't want anything to happen to dear Kenzi now, would we?" I glared up at him as I spat the blood out of my mouth, coming from the gash my teeth had created when he smacked me.

I spoke " Leave her out of this!" His smile returned as he slowly circled me. "Now why would I want to do that?" He stopped behind me, yanking me by my hair to turn me around. He dropped me and walked over to Kenzi, caressing her face as she tried to hold back her fear.

"Such a shame, that I have to do this." He stepped back and quickly fired off eight shots into her stomach. I started screaming, the tears rushing down my face as I watched her drop to the ground, blood pooling under her, her screams of agony filling the air.

I looked up at Dyson, sobbing as I asked "Why? Why can't you just leave me alone?" He crouched down so we were at eye level. "Why? Because I don't feel like it. You my dear Ysabeau need reminding that there are consequences for turning me down.

I will own you, it's just a matter of when you decide to stop kidding yourself into thinking that you are in charge of what happens in your life. I have to go overseas for an undetermined amount of time, and I didn't want you to forget about me. I had to leave you with a little reminder."

He smiled, the look in his eyes making me want to vomit. "You're a sick bastard, you know that? Don't think you can get away with this, Dyson." He laughed at my threat. "I already have." He turned and started to walk away, taking his lackeys with him.

Before he disappeared around the turn in the alleyway, he stopped, turned, and spoke on last time. "Oh and Ysabeau? Have a nice day." He laughed darkly as he continued to walk away. when he was gone, I crawled over to Kenzi, tears streaming down my face as I prayed to whoever was listening that she wasn't dead.

When I got to her, I saw that she was still conscious, and very much afraid. She had a pool of blood under her that was slowly growing larger by the moment. I grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes. "Hey, dont be scared. You're gonna be just fine Kenz."

She laughed weakly, "I know Bobo, I'm too stubborn to let these scrapes take me down. But, uh, could you hurry up and call for help?" I laughed at her ability to make light of literally any situation. I reached for my phone, and went to dial 911 when I saw that I did not have any signal.

I cursed, causing the small smile on Kenzi's face to disappear. I jumped up, running to my car. I pulled it into the small alley as close as I could get it to Kenzi without hitting her. I jumped out, running over to her, taking off my coat and tying it around her waist.

I picked her up, carried her over to the car and put her in the back seat. I could see the worry on her face as we both watched the blood steadily spill out onto my jacket and the back seat. she tried to speak, but I stopped her. " Save your strength, Kenz. I have to drive us to the hospital, but don't worry, you'll be fine."

I wholeheartedly believed my words. I closed the door and jumped into the drivers seat. peeling off into the street and racing towards the nearest hospital. I had my rearview mirror focused on Kenzi's face, and saw that she was growing very pale. She locked eyes with me, and shook her head.

"You're gonna be fine." I said once more, forcing myself to keep believing that statement. she smiled weakly. " I… I know. But I wanted to tell you something regardless. You are the most amazing, kind hearted, hilarious, and poor tempered sister a girl could ask for, and I'm so lucky that I happened to be roofied in the bar you were working in that day.

I will always cherish the time we've had together, and I want you to know that I forgive you for putting Ziggy in the washing machine and ruining him." She closed her eyes. "Kenz! wake up!" she didn't open them.

The tears were pouring out of my eyes and I sobbed. " no, no, no, no! you can't die!" I pushed the gas pedal down as far as it would go, praying to whoever that it wasn't too late, and that I didn't just watch the only person i had left in my life die.

x

I felt the hand running over my hair, and the soothing words being whispered to me. I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself gazing into those pools of hazel, and I knew that no matter what happens next, as long as she was here with me, everything would be okay.

I slowly sat up, reaching for her hand. She gave it to me, moving to sit on the couch with me. I suddenly remembered where I was, and the panic set back in. I gripped her hand tight, and asked the only question that mattered right now.

"Did… did she make it?" I could already feel the tears pooling as I looked at Lauren for an answer. She smiled, and pulled me to her. She held me as she told me the news. "Yes, Bo. She did great in the operating room, and she should be waking up in about two hours."

I looked up into her eyes, relief crashing into me, and before reason could set in, i cupped her cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. When my lips met hers for the first time, it was like the world stopped. She tensed for a fraction of a second, clearly not expecting this, but it didn't take her long to respond.

She leaned into it, her hands coming up, weaving into my hair, and it felt as if my whole body was on fire. She bit my bottom lip, and I gasped, deepening the kiss. my tongue traced along her bottom lip, asking her to open her mouth. She did, and when our tongues met, a surge of electricity shot through my body, straight to my core.

My hands moved along her neck into her hair, and I felt her hands move to my back, pulling me even closer. I nipped at her lip, and I heard her moan softly. The noise, as much as it aroused me, made me see reason.

I pulled back abruptly, blushing profusely as I stood from the couch, looking into the eyes of a very confused and turned on doctor. "I... I am so sorry! I dont know what came over me, but when you told me she was gonna be okay I just…" She stood up, and moved closer to me, causing my words to falter and she grabbed my hands.

"Bo, don't be sorry. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. I dont know why, but ever since I first met you, standing half naked and hungover in my apartment, I have felt this connection to you, and even though I don't understand it, I trust it.

Something about you draws me in, and I feel as if I've known you all my life. I can't stop thinking about you, and I had I had planned on doing this this saturday, but it seems that an opportunity has presented itself two days early.

I was wondering if, Tuesday night, you'd be interested on accompanying me to dinner? I know that with what has happened to Kenzi you may not want to leave her side the entire month she is confined to the hospital, but I can assure you she will make a full recovery.

I would like to take you out and get you know you more, explore this connection we seem to have. For some reason, we were brought into each others lives, and I can't ignore the feelings you've stirred in me, feelings I've never felt before in my life."

She looked in my eyes, a swirl of emotions in hers as she waited for an answer. I was ecstatic. I hadn't been able to think about anything but the blonde since our first encounter. and to hear that she had been just as affected by me as I had been by her, made my day.

I smiled widely at her, and pulled her close, giving her another kiss, but one much tamer than the first. She pulled back, smiling as well. " Is that a yes?" I nodded excitedly. Her smile grew even wider as she pulled me along by my hand. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"I'm taking you to Kenzi's room so you can sit with her while I go get some much needed caffination." I walked with her down the hall, the smile on my face growing wider at the idea of seeing my friend. As we approached her room, I gently pulled on her hand, slowing us to a stop.

I turned to Lauren, wanting to say something. "Lauren, thank you so much, not only for saving her, but for being there for me. I agree with everything that you said earlier. I also feel that connection, and I hope with all that I am that I finally found someone…

Well, lets just say that I can't wait for our date Tuesday, and I can't wait to know all about the amazing Dr. Lewis. I know that you are someone special, and I am so glad I broke into your apartment last week." I smiled as I pulled her into a hug, not waiting for a response.

She hugged me back tightly, before letting go and leaning back so she could look into my eyes. Her hand came up to caress the side of my face, and I could see the happiness as well as the confusion my words brought her.

I wasnt ready to finish that sentence, that I was hoping with all that I am that I had finally found someone who could mend all the damage Dyson had done to my heart. Someone who could heal me, and someone that I could give my heart to and know that it's in good hands.

I had hope for the future, and for once, I was ready to move past my terrible past, and share my life with someone again. My only fear being, what would Dyson do when he found out about this. I quickly pushed that out of my mind as we started walking again, turning into the room my friend was being kept in.

I pulled a chair up to the side of her bed, smiling at her, and then turning to smile at Lauren, who gave my hand a gentle squeeze. I used my free hand to hold Kenzi's limp one, waiting for the moment she would wake, so I could hear her usually witty banter and laugh at her ability to ease my worry with just a few words.

I felt lauren let go of my hand, and I turned to see her walking out of the room, presumably to get some coffee. I debated whether I should go after her, or stay with my friend, when I felt the hand in mine twitch, and then squeeze. I turned around quickly, coming face to face with ice blue eyes.

I felt the grin spread across my face. "Hey Kenz. Long time no see. How are you feeling?" She smiled back at me, and cleared her throat. "All things considered, I think I feel pretty good, well, as good as one can feel after getting shot. where are we?"

I gave her hand a squeeze We are at Saint Michael's Hospital, which coincidentally happens to be the same hospital Lauren works at." I smiled at her sudden change of expression. "Wait. the Lauren you were telling me about a week ago? The one you had this mystical connection with? That Lauren?"

I nodded, my smile growing larger at her dumbfounded expression. "Okay, I wasn't convinced before, but if this isn't Fate's way of telling ya'll to hop on the lady lurve train, then I officially give up on life." She smacked my shoulder.

"So, while moi was getting patched up, did you happen to, I don't know, ask her out on a date?" I shook my head, deciding to let her grasp around for details before I told her what happened. "Did you at least get her number?" Again, I shook my head, watching her expression shift to one of agitation.

"Geeze Bo, I know its been a while, but I didn't think you were completely incompetent when it came to dating. I mean seriously, you had what, six, seven hours at the least and you didn't even talk to her?" Again I shook my head, but before she could blow up on me, I spoke.

"Kenz, I didn't talk to her during your surgery because she was the one performing it. Also, when she came back to tell me you weren't dead, I did something even better than ask for her number." I paused, looking at the confused look on Kenzi's face. "So you did ask her on a date?"

"No kenz… She did. After I kissed her." Kenzi's reaction to the news made my day. Her face went completely blank, and she just stared at me, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Suddenly, she sat up, wincing slightly as she leaned over and pulled me into one of the most fiercest hugs I have ever received from the tiny russian.

"So, when do I get to meet mrs. lady lurve?" She asked as she gripped me even tighter. "I assume you are talking about me?" Kenzi released me and we both turned to look at Lauren who had appeared in the doorway, a smile on her lips as she walked in the room.

A/N: So, I felt that that was a good place to end this chapter. I hope you guys liked it, and I'm glad I was finally able to write again. Anyone who wants to know about my personal life and why I haven't updated in several months, keep reading, and for the rest of you, I appreciate the time you've taken to read this and patience you guys have. Feel free to leave a review, it helps me know that you guys like it and also gives me ideas as to where to take this story. ~Liz~

Okay, so back in July, I went to see my family in Michigan, and found out my grandmother was seriously ill. That the valves in her heart were leaking and that she needed surgery. Well, there was some complications with the surgery and she has been in the hospital fighting off pneumonia and multiple infections for the past six months due to undiagnosed COPD.

It has been a very stressful time, and I have also been battling depression for the past year. I was hospitalized for a week after I told my parents that I was going to kill myself, and after I had sent a suicide note to a dear friend. Thankfully I got the help I needed, and now am on meds and have a support system in place to keep my mental health where it needs to be.

Unfortunately my grandmother is still in critical condition and has recently had her kidneys fail on her. I don't know if she is going to make it, but I pray for the best. I just wanted to let you guys know how much it means to me that you have taken the time to read my story, and that you like it enough to follow it and leave me very nice comments about it.

It is because of you guys that I finally got out of my funk and kicked my writers block to the curb. I couldn't leave you guys hanging anymore. So I really hoped you guys liked this chapter, and just know that I value your opinions a lot.

Hopefully I can find more time to write this week and get another update out soon, but I'm not gonna make any promises. Have a good day and leave a review, they really do help, I promise. :)

~Liz~