Chapter 25

Addison cried out as she watched Pete crumble to the ground in front of her. She fell to her knees, desperately trying to turn him over so she could see his face. His body was still and his eyes were closed. She started pulling open his jacket, looking for the wound. She felt the sticky liquid seeping through his shirt and knew he had been hit. She grabbed his wrist and felt for a pulse. It was faint but still there. Relief rushed through her as she saw he was still breathing. Paramedics rushed in before she could do anything. They had been on stand by at the request of Stevenson.

Addison stood up, "I'm a doctor. Please, I need to be with him." They put him on the stretcher and started to wheel him away. She started to follow them but stopped short; Amber. "The baby! Where is the baby?"

Stevenson walked through the front door holding Amber. Her cheeks were flushed and she was rubbing her eyes. "I found her in Jessica's car out back. She must have put her there so she could make a quick get away."

Addison reached out and took Amber from his arms. It felt so good to hold her again. Addison kissed her chubby tear stained cheeks and hugged her tight. "Its okay sweetie pie; you're safe now." She brushed the curls from the baby's face. "Now lets go and see daddy okay?" Stevenson signaled one of his men, "I need you to take these two to the hospital and notify Pete's sister where they'll be so she can meet them there." He reached over and touched Addison's shoulder, "You did a good thing. Try not to worry too much about Pete, he's a tough guy."

She looked over at Jessica. She was seated on the floor in handcuffs, her head bowed down as if she were praying. She looked up at Addison passed by. The hate in her eyes had been replaced by defeat. Addison was relieved that Mindy was forced to stay home and wait because she's sure she would have finished her off if given the chance.

Chapter 26

Addison waited for what seemed like eternity. The doctors had come out earlier letting her know that Pete was in surgery to remove the bullet in his chest. It was too early to tell what to expect. She wasn't allowed in the OR because she was too emotionally involved. All she could do is sit on the sidelines and wait it out with Mindy and Amber. Rose, Naomi, Sam, Coop, and Violet all showed up to lend their support. There was nothing that could comfort her. Nothing anyone could say to make her feel better. She paced back and forth in the halls waiting for word to come. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

The doctor finally came out to me them. It had been almost four hours since the last update, "The surgery went well. Its all going to be up to him now whether he comes out of this or not. He lost a lot of blood but we were able to do a transfusion and his vitals are strong. I can let only one of you in to see him."

Mindy pushed Addison forward, "You go. Something tells me that if anyone can bring him out of this, you can."

Addison hugged her and followed the doctor to Pete's room. As she entered the room, she felt her chest tighten. She walked over to his bed and looked through his chart. The waiting game, it was all up to him now. She grabbed his hand, lifting it to her lips and kissing him softly. "Pete, it's me Addie." She choked back her tears, "I want you to listen to me. I need you to come back to me. It's not your time to quit fighting, do you hear me? You have people here who need you. I need you, Amber needs you and Mindy needs you." She wiped away the tears that were flooding her cheeks and sighed, "We haven't had enough time together. I can't lose you. Please come back to us. I love you Pete. I am so in love with you and I have been since we first met. I am sorry it took me so long to admit it and I promise if you come back to me I won't ever hesitate to say it again."

She felt his hand move. "Pete?"

He took a deep breath, and turned his head towards her. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled weakly as he whispered, "Are you my guardian angel?"

Addison shook her head and smiled, "No Pete, you're mine."