Who Protects The Protector?

Arriving at the medical center Mary made a direct beeline for the elevators and the Surgical Intensive Care. Unit.. Her instinct told her that there was something being left out of what Dershowitz had been saying and she sure as Hell wanted to find out what.. Still going full steam she marched off the elevator and nearly ran down the detective who'd wisely positioned himself by the elevators. Felling her arm grabbed she stopped in her tracks and hissed, "Let go of me!"

He shook his head and replied, "I can't do that until I talk to you first."

"Well, hurry und get it over with! Marshall wants to see me!"

He pulled her aside and said quietly, "Marshall thinks you're dead."

"Why would he think that? What the Hell did you say to him, Bobby?" Mary demanded her eyes widening in shock.

"You need to quiet down," Dershowitz warned. "I asked Marshall what the last thing he remembered. That he was driving somewhere with you and now he's in the hospital. So now he thinks there was an accident and you died and I was here to tell him."

"Oh, God," she murmured.

The neurosurgeon walked over to Mary and said, "The detective here thinks your presence will have a calming effect on Mr. Mann."

"I hope so," Mary replied. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Please take me to see him."

"Come with me," Dr Featherstone said and led into the SICU and to the soon to be familiar room. "If you can't get him to calm down quickly I may still have to sedate him and I really wouldn't have to do that. Because when he wakes up he'll still have unanswered questions and could get upset all over again."

Entering the room she approached the bed and reached out to touch his shoulder softly feeling it shaking from his sobs. Putting a smile on her face she looked down at him saying, "Hey, Doofus, you're quite the sight for sore eyes."

"Mary?" Marshall asked, his voice questioning, unbelieving his tears slowly subsiding. "Mary…"

"Who else calls you that? I'm not hurt. Look at me—see not a scratch," she said trying to get him to focus on her.

Mary," he said again his mind reaching out to grasp onto the voice and the name as though they were a lifeline holding his sanity together. Slowly turning to look at her he reached out to grasp her hand wanting the physical reassurance she was there and okay.

"Marshall, there was no accident. You were hurt trying to help someone.," she said firmly carefully grasping his hand back. It was the closest she could to giving him the reassuring hug he needed without fear of hurting him.

"Can't remember." he replied slowly, frustration in his voice.

"It doesn't matter," Mary said reassuringly. Reaching for a tissue she daubed at the tears still on his cheeks. "Only thing that matters is that you get better."

"So…tired…" he murmured his eyes fluttering closed.

"You need to sleep. I'll stay here with you for now." she said softly and gently stroked his hand watching in relief as he slowly drifted off into a healing sleep.

Dr. Featherstone had been watching from the doorway at the almost intimate scene. Taking note of the fact that the monitors readouts were settling back into more or less acceptable levels, she stepped forward to say, "I think we need to let him rest now."

"Can I stay? At least for a few minutes?" Mary asked quietly.

"You can. stay as long as you need to," the neurosurgeon replied as she turned to leave.

Dershowitz was still waiting by the Nurses' Station when he saw Dr. Featherstone approaching. Since she didn't seem to be out for blood, he guessed that Mary's presence had had a calming effect on Marshall. "Well?" he asked.

"You were right that she'd work just as well as any sedative I could have given Mr. Mann. How did you know?" the woman asked.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders and replied. "They work together ; trust each other with their lives. Marshall believed he was responsible that she'd died in an accident and nothing you or I could say would make any difference. She had to be the one to show him he was wrong."

The neurosurgeon nodded and was about to say more when her pager went off. Taking a quick check she said, "I'm being called to the ER." Even as she was speaking she was moving quickly toward the elevator.

Drawing a chair close to the edge of the bed Mary sat down and rested her arms on the bedrail as she watched Marshall sleep. He had to get better; she didn't want yet another partner. A temporary one while he was out on medical leave she could accept but not another permanent one. Unbidden her thoughts drifted back to the question he'd ask her when they were stranded and still thought they had a witness to protect. Do I look like a hero to you? He hadn't then but there were times he struck her as being the quintessential Old West lawman minus the horse and the hat. It was sometime later that she finally stood up and leaned over to softly say, "sleep well Doofus." Giving his shoulder a gentle pat, she turned to reluctantly leave the room

Dershowitz hadn't left the SICU yet having decided to talk to Mary before he did so. Seeing her slowly approach he asked, "How is Marshall?"

"Sleeping. Don't you ever go home?" Mary asked in return.

"Not when I'm working. I have a homicide and an attempted one to solve, remember?' The detective reminded her.

"Still think they're connected?" the marshal asked.

"Looks like it. I suppose your guys did you own checking to see if it was related to his work.," Dershowitz replied.

"Yeah. But its classified.," Mary said and sighed. "I want to be angry with you for getting Marshall so upset but I really can't. since we had no idea he'd react that way. Just do me favor, Bobby. Keep all mention of any living witness out of the news."

"Since the girl's fingerprints came up empty I will probably be releasing her photo or a sketch to the media in an attempt on an ID. But any mention of a second person named or unnamed will not becoming from me or the PD. We don't work that way," he replied.

"I'm holding you to that ," Mary said and yawned.

"Go home and get some sleep, Shannon," Bobby said tiredly. "You can come back in the morning."

"Yeah, the last thing Marshall need sis me falling asleep while I visit him," Mary agreed. Moving over to the Nurses' Station she said, "Please inform me if there is any change in Marshall Mann's condition," leaving her name and cell number.

The nurse quickly wrote down the information and replied, "I'll let Dr. Featherstone know your request."

"Thank you," Mary said as she headed for the elevator. Knowing somehow that the doctor wouldn't turn down the request;. After all they both had Marshall's recovery in mind.