As Spike wove through the late afternoon traffic Sophie sat staring out the window of the SUV watching downtown Toronto flying past in a haze of flashing lights and blaring sirens. Finally finding the courage to speak she turned to Spike, feeling her looking at him, he momentary took his eyes off the road to return her gaze trying to keeping her voice as calm as she could even though it was tearing her up on the inside Sophie tried again

" Spike please I can't take this, I need to know, how bad is it and don't tell me you don't know because if this was something trivial Greg could have dealt with the paperwork he is also Ed's emergency contact and I would have found out about when Eddie got home instead we are speeding towards St Simon's as if Eddie's life depends on it"

And then with that one sweeping statement Sophie Lane's world came crashing down around her with the realisation of how true her last words were.

"Oh my god Spike it does doesn't it...Ed's life depend on it...it's that bad" Sophie looked at Spike with hurt and confusion in her eyes.

"Why...why won't you tell me...unless...unless...unless" Sophie totally crumpled wrapping her arms around herself as if to protect herself from some invisible enemy she started to sobbed uncontrollably.

Spike quickly pulled the SUV to the side of the Highway, releasing his seatbelt he lent over and took Sophie in his arms trying to offer her some form of comfort.

"Soph I'm so sorry Greg said it was his place to tell you what had gone on this morning when Eddie got split off from the rest of the team and I volunteered to come and get you and bring you to the hospital before you saw the news on the TV" at the last part of his confession Spike stopped he could have physically cut his own tongue out.

Jumping out of Spike's embrace as if an electric current had passed through them she pushed herself back as far as she could in her seat as if trying to disappear.

"Before I saw the news? he was on his own? I don't believe this am I the last one to know?...then again I don't really know anything, only that my husband is at the hospital in god knows what condition and Greg asked you not to tell me!" Sophie screamed at Spike.

Taking the brunt of her anger Spike just sat and let Sophie direct it all at him, when she fell silent he tried to speak

"Sophie I" was as far as he got before Sophie looking like a cornered wounded animal held up her hands to stop him.

"Please don't...just don't...no more... just take me to the hospital" Sophie whispered before drawing up her defences and looking straight though Spike and out the windscreen to the world busily going on around her and was oblivious to the fact that part of hers may already have gone.

Spike fully understood Sophie's reaction and he couldn't really blame her, but it hurt all the same, he put the SUV into drive and pulled back into the flow of traffic and continued on their journey to the hospital in silence.

Pulling up at the front doors of the ER entrance Sophie mumbled her thanks opened the door and disappeared inside not looking back. Spike sat for a moment his head resting on the steering wheel trying to get his emotions back into some sort of order before he went and parked the SUV and ventured back inside the hospital to find Greg and Sophie and get an update on Ed's condition.

Sophie walked up to the reception desk and cleared her throat to gain the nurse's attention.

Not bothering to look up at the person standing in front of her the young nurse ask if she could help.

"I believe my husband was brought here a while back, I've only just got the news, I need to know what happened, I need to know how he is" Sophie answered trying to keep her fear under control and her tears at bay.

"Ok Name?" asked the nurse in a matter of fact tone

"Edward Lane, I'm Sophie Lane, Sophie replied wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket.

Upon hearing the name the nurse finally looked up from her computer "I'm sorry, your husband is the SRU Officer that was shot today? I'll find someone to come and talk to you straightaway" she said with pity in her voice.

Ed had been shot oh god shot not again, it was the only part of the conversation that Sophie's brain registered as she stood at the reception desk trying to think of what to do all the time not noticing that Greg was standing beside her putting his arm around her to stop her from falling as the ground rushed towards her and she swayed on her feet.

"Hey Soph just breathe, just slow it down its gonna be alright, come on let's find you somewhere private to sit down and get someone to have a look at you" Greg said gently walking Sophie to a family room just off the main corridor, helping her to the nearest chair Greg went back and asked the nurse that when the rest of his team arrived would she tell them where he was and would it be possible for a doctor to have a look at Sophie when one was free. Returning to the room Greg stood on the opposite side of the door and listened to Sophie softy crying, what was he going to say to her, where would he start he wasn't even sure himself how they had come to this situation, while waiting for Spike to bring Sophie to the hospital he had run the events over and over in his head and he still couldn't remember Eddie getting separated from the rest of the team in the heat of the chase. The only thing he clearly remembered was his heart stopping at the sound of gun fire and the silence that followed felt like an eternity when he was asking Eddie to update him on his status, but for the time being he needed to give Sophie as much information he could.

At the sound of the door opening Sophie looked up and watched as Greg walked towards her, as he drew closer the more her fear levels rose until finally she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Greg tell me is Eddie still alive, tell me I'm not to late please" she begged

Greg covered the distance between them in a few short strides and crouching down in front of her he told her that Eddie had made it into surgery but was in a critical condition from two-gun shot wounds to the abdomen which had caused extensive damage resulting in major internal bleeding and blood loss.

Sophie listen without saying a word and closing her eyes she held on to the knowledge that Eddie had made it this far it was the only thing she had that gave her the strength to continue her conversation with Greg.

"But he could still die couldn't he Greg?" Sophie asked keeping her eyes closed hoping that by doing so it would make this whole nightmare less real.

"Yes" came Greg's softy spoken response

At Greg's truthful admission Sophie's the defences that she had put up in the SUV broke down and the total reality of the situation hit her with full force, she could lose him still and she was powerless to stop it, but how would she tell the kids that their father wouldn't be coming home anymore, how do you explain to a child of Izzy's age that her daddy would no longer be there to tuck her in at bedtime and kiss her goodnight or chase the monsters out from under her bed when she had a nightmare how would she explain to Clark that he was now the man of the house when he was still only a 14-year-old boy himself.

Ever since Eddie had been on the force she had lived in fear of this day and now it was here and she had no idea how she was going to deal with it, she didn't even know if she was strong enough to if it wasn't for the children she didn't even think she would want to not without Eddie. She knew that they had their problems but they had worked through them together and now that could all change in the blink of an eye because Eddie had been shot doing a job he loved, protecting the public from harm, keeping them safe but when it came down to it and Eddie needed protecting there was no-one there, even his team hadn't kept him safe and he had faced it entirely on his own and that was one of the things that broke Sophie's heart the most.