They had been sitting in the waiting room for what felt like an eternity but had actually only been four hours and they still had not heard anything. Sheldon kept trying to use his influence as a doctor to get some information but so far he was not having any luck.

Flack was on the phone with Mrs. Messer giving her an update, even though they did not have any news. Even though Danny had been gone for over two years, Lindsay and Mrs. Messer were still extremely close. Lindsay was more like a daughter than a daughter-in-law to her. She had decided to stay home, in case she needed to pick Bella up from school, but she told Flack that she expected hourly updates. Flack closed his phone and sat down beside Mac.

"I cannot believe this is happening." Flack mumbled as he glance over at Mac, who was now wearing a pair of surgical scrubs.

"I cannot lose her." Mac stated plainly, to which Flack was shocked.

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Flack asked realizing that they were now alone. Stella and Peyton had gone to get coffee, while Sheldon was on another quest for information.

"Yes she does. Lindsay is like a daughter to me. Claire died before we could have kids and it was always the one thing that I regretted." Mac paused, taking a deep breath. "I was always to busy at work. I put my family second. That has always been my greatest fear that Claire died thinking that I loved the job more than her."

"I am sure she did not think that. I know that I did not know Claire, but from what I have heard about her from you and Stella, I can tell you loved you. I am sure she knew how much you loved her."

"Yeah, well Lindsay when moved here, I knew that she did not have much family since both of her parents had died when she was young. Lindsay is the kind of daughter I had always hoped that Claire and I would have. Smart, beautiful and full of life."

"That she is." Flack smiled even as a tear rolled down his face.

"I have already lost Claire, I cannot lose Lindsay too. For over eight years she has been the has been the one of the few good things in my life. Lindsay, Bella and Peyton are the most important people in my life."

An hour later a very young looking doctor came walking into the room.

"Detective Messer?"

"Yes." Mac said as both he and Flack jumped up.

"How is Lindsay? Is she okay?" Flack was pleading with the doctor.

"Detective Messer suffered two gun shot wounds. The one to her upper arm was minor and did not require surgery, however the damage done by the second bullet was quite extensive. The bullet 'bounced' off a rib and then knicked her aortic artery. She lost a lot of blood and after a couple close calls we were able to repair the damage. The shattered rib punctured her left lung causing it to collapse. We were able to re-inflate the lung and used a steel rod to repair the rib." The doctor paused before he continued. "Currently Detective Messer is in a coma, which is not uncommon considering the extent of her injuries. The next 48 hours are critical. She has suffered a major trauma and if she survives..." Mac quickly cut the doctor off.

"IF she survives?"

"Like I was saying, there is no way of telling how her body will react to the trauma it has gone through. To tell you the truth she is lucky she has made it this far. I am not going to lie to you and say that everything is going to be okay, because honestly I don't know. We have done all we can. It is up to Detective Messer now."

Seeing Mac waiver, Peyton reached up, grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze

"Can we see her?" Flack asked with tears stinging his eyes.

"She is in recovery now but we will be moving her to the ICU shortly. I will have a nurse come find you when she is settled. I wish I had better news. I am sorry."

The doctor left the room quickly followed by Sheldon, who wanted to ask more specific questions. Flack sank into the chair beside Stella.

"Lindsay is strong. She will pull through this." Stella said quietly, hoping she was right.

"I hope so Stella. I hope so." Then as if the floodgates were opened, tears began streaming down his face. "I cannot lose her Stella. I love her so much that it hurts." Flack said through the tears. Stella did not say a word but simply pulled him into a hug.

For the next thirty minutes the room was silent. It was not until a nurse walked in that the silence was broken.

"Detective Messer has been moved to ICU. She can only have one visitor at a time right now, so if one of you would like to follow me, I can show you to room." Flack jumped up and followed the nurse out of the room.

His heart sank when he saw Lindsay lying there in the hospital bed with tubes and wires sticking out everywhere. She looked so pale and weak. The woman lying in front of him was not the Lindsay he knew and loved. He walked over and gently picked up right hand. He ran his thumb over her knuckles and with his other hand brushed her hair out of her face.

"Hey there sweetheart." Flack could feel the tears once beginning to form. "The doctor said that you might not make it, he said that it up to you now. So I need you to fight okay? I need you to fight. If not for me, fight for Bella. She cannot lose another parent." Flack could not find the strength to say anything else so he just sat there in silence holding her hand.

A little while later, it might have been minutes or it could have been hours, Flack did not know, Mac walked into Lindsay's room.

"I thought the nurse said that she could only have one visitor at a time?" Flack asked confused at Mac's presence.

"She did, but I told her that I would not stay…" For the first time since he walked into the room, Mac looked at Lindsay and it was as if his brain turned to mush.

"Doesn't seem real does it?" Flack asked after seeing Mac's reaction.

"She looks so tiny." Flacks simply nodded.

"But Stella is right. She is strong. If any one can pull through this it is Lindsay."

"You say strong, I say stubborn." Mac flashed Flack a small grin, but it did not last long. "Mrs. Messer just called and she is on her way with Bella. We thought under the circumstances that Bella needed to be here."

"Are you sure you want her to see her mother like this?"

"No, not really, but if what the doctor said is true," Mac paused taking a deep breath. He knew that it was true because Sheldon had confirmed everything with the doctor, but Mac refused to believe it. "Then Bella needs to see her mother. Maybe having Bella here will help remind Lindsay that there is something worth fighting for."

"Does she know yet?" Flack asked.

"No."

"I want to be the one who tells her."

"They should be here any minute, if you want I can stay here with Lindsay while you go out there and wait." Flack nodded and stood up. He leaned over and whispered something into her ear, then kissed her forehead. He let go of her hand and walked out of the room. Mac sat down in the seat Flack had just vacated and took Lindsay's hand.

"That man loves you a lot Lindsay. We all do."