A/N: Here is the next chapter in this story. I apologize for the wait on this one. It has actually been done for about a month now, but has gone thru several rewrites and edits. Your opinions matter to me, so I want you to read the very best I can do. Again, to the few readers who are still out there thank you. This chapter culminates the first arc. The next chapter, which is done and in beta, starts the next arc of the story. The happier side or at least happier then the first half. I need to thank BDaddyDL for his tireless conversations with me on going back and forth over this chapter; PJ Murphy for his awesome beta as well. He did what a great Beta should. He saw some scenes that needed a rewrite and made sure it was fixed. I'm glad he's there. They both kept at me to make it a better chapter so this chapter is dedicated to them. Still no Charah in this chapter, but it is coming, by chapter 13 it will be there or at least the beginning. To all of you left reading please leave a review. It helps me make the story better, and lets me know your still there. As always much love goes to my wife and daughter for their continued support. Ken I hope your back is better buddy.

Chapter 11: Life and Death and New Beginnings

Beep…beep…beep…

He could see the lights passing by quickly as he was being wheeled thru the hallways. He could make out certain things that were being said in the background.

Lost a lot of blood!

Beep…beep…beep…

As he started at the ceiling passing by, drifting in and out of consciousness, there was a white haze that surrounded everything that came with in his field of vision.

There's a bilateral laceration stretching from his left abdomen to his rear kidney.

Beep…beep…beep…

He could feel a tear force its way from his right eye and travel down his cheek. I'll be with you soon, baby. I hope you waited for me, Kayla. He could feel his jaw being pried open and a tube slowly inserted intohis mouth.

This is an off-duty police officer; let's do whatever it takes to save him.

That was the last thing Chuck heard before the darkness took him. If he could have said one thing to them, it would have been to let him die. Then it all faded away to nothing.

\~*~/

The waiting room was packed wall-to-wall with cops. Some were praying, others were remembering the times that they had shared with the victim and/or reliving old war stories of injuries and tense situations. Others were just quietly sitting and staring at the wall. But the one thing that they all had in common was every time the O.R. security door swung open; they would turn and stare at whoever would come out. A few times they had seen nurses rushing out for more blood packs and looking for more gauze. One nurse came out and her scrubs were covered in blood. But then the doors would close again and it would be back to waiting.

Coming from the other direction, they could hear the clacking of heels and shoes. They looked up and saw Commander Beckman coming down the corridor with Police Chief Sanborn and the police chaplain, Father O'Scanlin. The news hadn't hit the airwaves yet who from the LAPD was injured. However there were news crews on scene collecting reactions and waiting anxiously for word, as were the officers in the waiting room. The officer in charge, Sergeant Welton Keyes, walked up to the new trio who gave them all of the information they had at the moment. Father O'Scanlin broke off from the trio and went over to the group of officers who were sitting in the chairs and talked with them, attempting to counsel them through this crisis. He made sure he talked to Officer Baker, Officer Poncharello, and Sergeant Hooker, all of whom were Chuck's former partners.

Commander Beckman looked down the hallway, trying to figure out how all of this happened, when she caught a glimpse of the fiery red hair that she hadn't seen since that agent was in her office earlier this afternoon.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I will be right back."

Commander Beckman made her way towards the stairwell where she found Agent Carina Hansen.

"Alright, Agent Hansen. Would you care to tell me why my officer is fighting for his life in the O.R., and yet you sit here unscathed?"

The agent looked down at her feet. She wasn't used to being dressed down like this, especially from a woman who had to crane her neck to look up at her. But there was little question this woman instilled a level of discomfort and fear that would rival a cartel boss.

Carina closed her eyes and stood up straight. When she spoke, it came out in a dull monotone that was completely devoid of her traditional mischievous lilt. "Officer Bartowski and I stopped at this liquor store on the way back to my apartment to get a present for his sister. I looked around while he picked out a bottle of wine, and three armed men came into the store attempting to rob it. I pretended to be a civilian and convinced one of the men to take me to the back. Chuck managed to gain the upper hand on the other two, and I came out to help him after taking my assailant out. But then my man tried to escape, and the diversion was enough for one of the men out front to shoot Chuck in the shoulder. He told me to protect my identity since I was working an undercover case. He never said a thing about being stabbed. Had I known, I would never have left him, ma'am."

Beckman took a moment to think about it. "Very well. Now get out of here before anyone sees you. I will personally keep you updated through your boss should any new information come in."

"Yes, ma'am."

Beckman turned to leave when she was stopped in her tracks by a hand.

"Oh and ma'am? I know you aren't happy with the guy, but he saved that clerk's life and mine, too. He's a genuine hero."

Beckman just nodded. "Thank you, Agent Hansen."

With that, the diminutive commander walked away.

Carina decided to hit the bar at the hotel and find someone who could take her mind off of this mess. Beckman walked outside to rejoin the Chief. Both stopped when they saw a wild-eyed brunette woman storm into the hospital with a tall, blonde-haired gentleman trying to restrain her. Judging by her looks and the way some of the officers in the waiting room gasped upon seeing her, Beckman concluded it had to be Chuck's sister, Ellie.

"What exactly is going on with Charles Bartowski?" Ellie bellowed throughout the ward.

"Miss, as I have told the other officers, we will update the situation as soon as we have new information," the harried duty nurse replied. "But at the moment we have a full patient load and are extremely busy."

Ellie grabbed the edges of the counter and gave the duty nurse a look that could scare the toughest Marine. "My name is Dr. Eleanor Bartowski, and the officer who was injured, Officer Bartowski, I, I mean Chuck is my brother. Now either you get me an update on his condition or I'm going to walk back there myself and raise hell!"

"Is there a problem here?" a voice with enough authority behind it to make everybody stop and pay attention cut through the hallway like a hot knife thru butter.

Ellie turned and looked around to see where the voice came from. She had to get her bearings, as she couldn't believe a voice that commanding came from the diminutive redhead in front of her.

"Just who do you think you are?" Ellie said defiantly as she put her hands on her hips.

"My name is Diane Beckman, and I am your brother's commanding officer," Beckman said, attempting to remain calm. "If you will come with me, I'll explain what's going on."

"Listen, lady. I'm not putting up with anymore police department bullshit! I already got that crap from the two morons who brought me here! It's your fault…"

"DOCTOR Bartowski," Beckman replied sternly, leaving no doubt who was in charge. "The officers who accompanied you were under orders not to say a thing. That is my responsibility. And as much as I understand your anger, I will not permit you to turn this hospital upside-down simply because they were doing their job. Now please come with me unless you prefer being escorted out of the building."

The nurse who was dressed down by Ellie looked nervously at the standoff between the two women. "I'll…I will go and see if I can get an update for you."

Beckman gestured to the small office she commandeered from the hospital to gather information on the incident, and Ellie strode angrily into it.

"Your brother was involved in a shooting at a nearby liquor store," Beckman began. "Three men tried to rob the place. He was injured attempting to apprehend the crooks. He's in surgery right now. He managed to take down two of the assailants and saved the lives of the liquor store clerk and a DEA agent."

The talk of Chuck being a hero didn't slow Ellie down one bit. "Why do you even have my brother out on the streets? Don't you know his résumé? He could be anything he wanted. Look, it's no secret that I hate that he joined the police department. He could have been an electrical engineer or a computer programmer. He was working on a double degree from Stanford, for Christ's sake. He could have been the next Bill Gates. You know how close he came to graduating? He was only two credits short! And then his fiancé was killed on 9/11…"

Ellie looked down at the ground as her emotions began to overwhelm her. The wheels started to turn in Beckman's mind on the project that she had been thinking about for some time.

Beckman lightly touched Ellie's arm. "Dr. Bartowski, I know all about your brother's fiancé, and I sympathize. Just like every new officer in the department, your brother is a beat cop. I have studied his file backwards and forwards. I knew he went to Stanford, and I knew he had classes in computers, but I never knew the extent of his degree or what he needed to finish. He came to us looking for direction and we have given him that. We have given him a purpose. However, after hearing this I believe…and this is something that I have had in mind for a while now…I have a solution to your worries and a way to move Charles along in his career. I can't give you any more details, but just know that I am working on something that can take him off the patrol division and take his career to the next level."

She wasn't done talking but There was a knock at the door and a doctor came in. "Excuse me, Dr. Bartowski? Commander Beckman? If you'd like to step outside, I can give you an update on your brother."

The two women got up and exited the room as Devon came by Ellie's side and put an arm around her.

"My name is Dr. Mark Shepherd..."

"What are you, an intern?" Ellie interrupted with considerable derision. "You look like you're eighteen. I want to talk to the attending.…"

Ellie was interrupted by Beckman clearing her throat. Ellie looked at her, and the stare Beckman gave put her back in line.

"Can you teach me that?" Devon whispered to Beckman, who received an even nastier glare from Beckman in return. "Another time."

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," the doctor paused and stared at Devon before continuing as the officers in the waiting room gathered to hear the news as well. "My name is Dr. Mark Shepherd, and yes, I am an intern. I was sent out to give you the update from Dr. Steinway, who is trying to save your brother's life. Your brother was brought in with a gunshot wound to the shoulder, which thankfully went through and through, so the damage there was minimal. The knife wound to his stomach is the problem. He has lost a lot of blood and the laceration nicked his kidney."

Some of the officers in the waiting room gasped in shock and sank back into their seats. Beckman looked towards the stairwell and saw the red hair and now pale face of the DEA agent turn away. She then refocused her attention on the doctor.

"Officer Bartowski flat-lined, but we shocked his heart back into normal rhythm."

Ellie felt her knees go weak and Devon wrapped an arm around her and helped hold her upright. "Babe just be strong," he whispered into her ear. "Everything will be OK."

Ellie held onto Devon to derive some strength from him before standing straight and looking the intern in the eye. "Has anyone done a CAT scan yet to see if there was any brain damage from the lack of oxygen from when he crashed?"

"No, not yet. We are still working on trying to save his kidney. He has been given two transfusions of blood, but with the repairs that we are making we may need more. I encourage everyone here to get tested by the duty nurses to see if anyone's blood type is compatible."

"I want to be brought in on the neurology consult."

"Dr. Bartowski, you know that that's not going to happen. We will not bend the rules just because of your relationship to the patient."

Ellie looked ready to attack Dr. Shepherd, and Devon placed both hands on Ellie to restrain her, waiting until she calmed down again.

"I will have the neurologist on call come speak with you once the tests have been performed," Dr. Shepherd concluded. "Other than that, I will be back with further updates as they happen."

r. Shepherd left the area and returned to the O.R. Ellie sat down as the nurses came over and asked that a line be formed for everyone to get tested to see if they could donate blood. The line formed instantly as every officer stood, glad to finally take some kind of action.

\~*~/

It had been hours since the last update. Ellie had been an emotional wreck, and to make it worse, Devon had just come back with two cups of coffee only to find out the doctor told Ellie they had to reopen Chuck as his kidney had failed, and they were forced to remove it.

"Ellie, hey, it's going to be OK," Devon said in a soothing voice, attempting to keep his wife calm. "He can survive with only one kidney and still have a successful career. We just need to stay strong for him and support him. You know Chuck. He's not going to take the loss of his kidney well and the limitations that it will force him to impose on himself."

She dabbed her eyes. "I know, Devon. Just how much more can he survive, though? First the loss of Kayla, and now his career? This will devastate him." She took several deep breaths. "Maybe it will be a blessing. Maybe it will help him to slow down and not take so many risks…"

But Ellie was broken out of her thoughts as the doors flew open. Bryce and Morgan came running through the halls.

Morgan huffed like a steam engine attempting to start as he was sorely out of breath. "Is he…is he..?"

"Easy there, Morgan." Bryce patted him on the back and looked into Ellie's eyes. He could see the tears that were slowly forming again. "Ellie, is he going to be OK?"

"We…we don't know yet. The doctor…" Ellie's shoulders started to shake again and Devon tightened his grip on her.

Bryce put his hand up. "Ellie don't worry about it. You can tell us later, we aren't going anywhere. We sent everyone home and put everything in the freezer. We didn't tell them why you left; just that an emergency had come up and that you would reschedule the party."

"Thank you guys" Ellie wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Thank you, guys."

Their attention was diverted from the nurse's station, no one noticed the somber physician come up behind Ellie. She gently placed her hand on Ellie's shoulder and leaned down.

"Excuse me, Dr. Bartowski. Can…can I have you come with me to the conference room over…"

Ellie forcefully pushed herself out of the chair. "NO!" she screamed. "No, no, no, no you are not taking me to that room! I will not hear it! I won't listen to it!"

Devon wrapped his arms protectively around Ellie. He had given the very same speech that he knew was coming to many times. We're sorry but your loved one has passed away. Or we did everything we could. No matter how it was worded, it was still the worst part about being a doctor. He knew that he needed to stay strong for her, but his heart was tearing away as he felt like he was about to lose a brother in his own right.

Bryce and Morgan stared at each other, and it finally dawned on them as to what this actually meant. Ellie's sobs became harder and harder. Yet she still refused to come to the room, even though the doctor who was trying to console her all but begged Ellie to come with her.

They had finally started to make their way to the room when the doors from the O.R. opened again. Another man in scrubs came out rubbing his head through the cap as his eyes showed exhaustion, stress, and heartbreak.

"Eleanor Bartowski?"

"That's me."

She stood up straight with the help of Devon, and all of the cops stood up as well.

"Ma'am, my name is Dr. Steinway. I am so sorry. We tried everything we could, but you're brother just lost too much blood. We couldn't…"

Ellie collapsed to the floor and fell completely apart. Tears flowed from her unabated, and her mind didn't even register her shortness of breath and tunnel vision were the first signs of a full-blown panic attack.

"He promised he would never leave me," she wailed over and over as her shoulders heaved.

Devon slid to the ground to take Ellie into his arms as a nurse rushed over with an oxygen mask for Ellie. But Devon couldn't provide much comfort to Ellie, given he was beginning to break down himself. Chuck was more of a brother to him than his actual brothers were, and a small part of him was dying inside. Morgan fell back into the chair and began to shake as he buried his head in his hands. Bryce leaned against the wall, his blue eyes completely devoid of their traditional impish twinkle. Even though they hadn't spoken much since Chuck joined the police force, there was little doubt Bryce felt like he just lost a member of his family. Diane Beckman never showed emotion, but even she fell silently back into her chair placed her hand over her mouth. She never dared to look back over her shoulder to the small window in the door behind her, as she would have seen the hard-assed redhead DEA agent whom Chuck saved sobbing quietly. Filling out the scene were the other officers around her, all of whom took their caps off and started to pray to whatever god they worshipped for a safe journey for their fallen brother.

As Dr. Steinway once again conveyed his apologies to the grieving family and friends, he turned to go back to the lounge and grab a shower. He hated delivering bad news. He had been in surgery for the last five hours trying to save Officer Bartowski. Losing any patient was stressful, much less someone who made a living protecting others. And for Officer Bartowski to lose his life this way hurt him like nothing ever did in his entire career.

Steinway was already thinking about the bottle of Jack Daniels he'd be emptying down his throat later tonight when he was broken out of his thoughts by the O.R. Door swinging open madly again. It was Mark Shepherd, who bore a wide-eyed look of astonishment.

\~*~/

Sarah had been at Mr. Krantz's office for the last few hours. They had been signing papers to have the real estate agent that he had recommended make an offer on the unit across from Ellie, that wonderful woman she had met earlier in the day.

Her and Sebastian and she came back to their hotel room with some food. She had her hair in a messy pony tail and was lounging on the couch while Sebastian ate his In-N-Out burger and munched on some animal-shaped fries. Sarah knew she couldn't keep him on a diet like that for the rest of his life; a long and trying road to healthier eating for Sebastian lay ahead. But given what Sebastian had been through already, she thought she would cut him a little slack for now.

Sarah went through a mental checklist of what was next. Once the owners of the apartment accepted the offer, Sebastian and she could move in right away since the owners had already vacated the apartment. They had it on the market to rent, but she decided that she just wanted to buy it outright, and the offer she made them was more than fair. Next, they would have to find a school for Sebastian. Although she needed to find a school to help Sebastian deal with talking again, she didn't want to send him to a special needs school. The poor child had been through enough already without ending up with a stigma like that on him. She thought about making that appointment with Ellie, who volunteered her services. Maybe she might have a few recommendations for specialists that Sebastian could see, and Sarah certainly could use a friend.

She thumbed Ellie's card again with her cell and home numbers on it. She remembered Ellie was having a party tonight but decided to try her home number first. As she dialed, the TV broke in with a special news bulletin that interrupted Sebastian's programming.

An off duty officer has been shot and stabbed during an attempted robbery of the Easy Serve liquor store. The name and status of the off duty officer is being withheld at this time until next of kin can be notified. Again, an off duty officer has been gunned down and stabbed. We will bring you updates as this breaking story unfolds. We now return you to your local programming.

Sarah felt for the fallen officer. She hated to see anyone go down like that but especially someone in law enforcement. Her thought was broken out of her reverie as the voicemail picked up.

Hi, you have reached the voicemail for Ellie Bartowski and (a male voice cut in) Devon Woodcomb. (in unison) We can't take your call right now, but please leave us a message and we will get back to you shortly. BEEP.

"Hi, Ellie. This is Sarah Walker. We met earlier today, and I was hoping that I could possibly set up an appointment for you to examine my brother. You gave me your card and I just figured I would try you tonight. But I'll also call the hospital in the morning. By the way, I made an offer on that unit. Thank you for your kindness, and I hope that we can be neighbors soon."

With that, she hung up and smiled. She felt like she had made a possible friend today and wanted to see that through. The only friend she had really had was Carina, and she was always globetrotting around the world somewhere. Feeling unusually chatty, she decided to give her a call and check up on her.

She got up and walked to the balcony, shutting the door so Sebastian couldn't hear her. She still hadn't told him about her CIA past yet, and this wasn't the way she wanted to tell him. That said, she also knew Mr. Krantz was waiting on his explanation as well.

One mission at a time, she thought to herself as her call connected.

"Hey Jen, I…"

"Hey Carina, sorry to call you out of the blue. I just wanted to see how everything was going."

Carina didn't want her to know she had been crying so she held her emotions in check as best she could. She didn't want her friend's impression of her…that she was a stone cold DEA agent…to become history.

"It's going, Jenny. How did things work out with you and your family?"

Sarah immediately knew something was off with her friend, but she also knew that she was trying to hide it. She knew Carina hated to talk about the personal stuff, aside from drinking and mind blowing sex. Sarah chose to let it slide.

"Well, I'm not in the Agency anymore, although they have the right to call me back for a mission if needed. I…umm…barely made it back. Well, that is….."

She was trying to find the right words to tell her when she was cut off by Carina. "Jen, I have to go. Something just happened, and I need to act on it now."

Sarah was even more confused, and hearing Dr. Steinway, you're needed in O.R. 3, stat...Dr. Steinway, you're needed in O.R. 3, stat in the background made things even worse

"Oh, OK. I'll talk to you sometime soon."

Sarah hit 'end' on her mobile phone and replayed the conversation in her mind. Why was Carina in a hospital? And why would she just hang up like that? Maybe she was just getting ready for a mission or she was on her way back from one. Sarah shrugged, figuring she would find out eventually. She went back inside to have dinner with Sebastian and start shopping for some furniture and security hardware for their new house.

\~*~/

August 20, 2011 (Seven days after the incident)

Sarah sat in the courtyard typing her lesson plans while she watched the movers move the furniture Sebastian and she had bought for their new place. The movers were taking Sebastian's bed into his room while the security company hooked up the panic system for his room. She would have to go up soon to supervise her furniture going in and the testing of the panic system.

Just as she was closing her laptop, she heard a muffled voice behind her. She reached for the gun in the small of her back but dropped her hand when she noticed it was Ellie and a taller man. Ellie's fiancé Devon, no doubt, judging by the way he was supporting her. It was then that she noticed just how frail and damaged Ellie looked. Gone was the vibrant young woman she had met just a few short days before.

She got off the side of the fountain and made her way towards the lumbering couple. Trying not to startle them she slowly walked up to them and spoke softly. "Uhhhh, hi Ellie. I'm not sure if you remember me but…"

Ellie glanced at Sarah for just a moment and her eyes started to tear up. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. Devon tightened his grip on his fiancé. "I'm sorry, Miss…."

"Walker. Sarah Walker. You must be Devon."

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but if you could just excuse us for just a minute…"

"Oh, of course."

Sarah moved out of the way as he placed Ellie's arm over his shoulder and slid his free arm around her waist to support her as they made it the last few feet to their apartment. Just as he was reaching in his pocket for his keys, the shoulder bag he had on his left shoulder started to slip and he lost his grip on Ellie. With lightning quickness, Sarah was at her side holding her up while Devon got the keys from his pocket.

"Thank you so much. Would you mind too terribly if you helped me get her inside and settled?"

"Of course. That's no problem," Sarah replied pleasantly, although she was very worried for the woman she hoped was her first new friend in a decade.

They got Ellie to the couch, and Devon brought her a glass of water and two Xanax. Ellie took them and lay down on the couch. Devon covered her with a blanket, kissing her forehead as he did so. "I'll be right back, babe."

He then looked at Sarah and nodded towards the door. They stepped out of the apartment and Devon pulled the door halfway closed so he could keep an eye on his love.

While he rubbed his neck, Sarah took a good look at him. He looked just as wiped out as Ellie. "Thanks for helping me with Ellie," he said with considerable fatigue in his voice. "We've had a rough week. I am sorry, by the way. Welcome to the neighborhood."

Even in his stressed-out state, Devon managed a smile that would make most women swoon. Sarah had to give him credit for holding it together, given how Ellie was.

"Ellie told me about meeting you the other night. But unfortunately, that was the same night her brother almost died."

"Oh my God. He almost died?" Sarah could feel her stomach drop, as if something was being ripped out of her. She called upon all her strength to stand firm.

"I'm not sure if she told you, but her younger brother, Chuck, is a police officer. He was on his way here for the party and stopped at a liquor store..."

But as he was about to finish, her hand flew to her mouth. She remembered the news report. "That off duty officer was her brother?"

Sarah's mind went back to the last few news reports on the fallen officer. They haven't given an update in the last day or so; no doubt the media found a better story to follow. They mentioned a name but they never showed a picture. The name didn't register with her until just now.

"Yes," Devon replied sullenly. "This is the first time that we have left the hospital since it happened."

"Is he awake? Is he alright?" She realized how desperate she sounded asking for the information, especially about someone she supposedly hadn't met yet, but there was just something in her heart telling her to ask.

"No, he hasn't woken up yet. He was gravely injured, and it took a long time to complete the necessary repairs for him to heal. He is going to have a long road to recovery, and he is currently in a medically induced coma to help him heal but if anyone can do it, Chuck can. The next few days are critical. If an infection or sepsis sets in, he'll be in real danger, since his immune system has already taken too large of a hit. Anyone staying in the room with him has to wear a sterilized suit."

A quiet voice came from Ellie's apartment. "Devon?"

"Be right there, El. Look, Sarah, it was very nice meeting you and hopefully we will be able to get better acquainted once this crisis is over. Thanks for your concern and help, and we will see you again soon."

Sarah just nodded as he went back into the apartment. She could hear him telling Ellie to go take a shower, and that he would make some dinner. He insisted they get some rest before returning to the hospital. Sarah slowly sat back down on the fountain's edge. Her mind was racing. How could she feel so strongly towards a man that she had not met except to have him hand her a speeding ticket? She had never felt this way before, and now as she recalled the pictures from around Ellie's house, she was positive he was the young man she had met so many years before. Had she already lost her chance to get to know him again? She knew one thing was certain: if she was given the chance to meet him again, she wasn't going to let it slip away.

Sebastian appeared in her peripheral vision. She wiped a tear away before he could see it and she asked him what he needed. He signed that the workers needed her to test out the system that was being installed. She signed thank you and had him lead the way back upstairs. However, the fallen man named Chuck still dominated her thoughts as they made their way into their new home.

\~*~/

August 25, 2002 Intensive Care Ward – Good Samaritan Hospital

Chuck's eyelids fluttered open for a second, adjusting to the light in the room. Even though his eyes were dry he could feel a tear slide down his left cheek. He could feel the first twinges of pain as he took stock in where he was. Panic was settling in as the blurriness in his eyes slowly faded away and he could feel the IVs in his arm twitching as he slowly flexed his fingers. It was then that he heard a newspaper scrunched up coming from the chair in the corner of the room. He blinked his eyes in rapid succession to make sure he could see the person who was now standing up and making their way over to him.

An old weathered voice cut through the air like a hot knife through butter and Chuck instantly knew who it was.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, son."

Chuck could feel the warm strong calloused fingers of the man who had become like a second father to him. No, scratch that. A real father to him and even Ellie.

"Sa….u…" It hurt too much to speak and he started to cough, feeling the rusty acidic taste of blood from his dried up throat.

Saul grabbed the water pitcher next to the bed and poured some into a glass. He tore the wrapping off of a bendable straw and stuck it in the water. "Open up, son. Your throat is still swollen irritated from the intubation tube they had down in your gullet. Here, take slow sips of this water and I will be right back, OK? I just need to let the nurses know that you're awake."

Between the blood being taken out of his arms every few minutes, and the MRI scans of his brain, Chuck didn't know what to make of anything. He was still trying to get acclimated to being awake again.

He was about to freak out, when a sudden a gruff voice came booming into the room. "Alright, that is enough. The boy has just woken up. Take your time and read your tests for a bit. Let him rest. He isn't going anywhere."

The doctors and nurses just stopped and looked at the older gentleman in the corner of the room; they thought he was kidding. That is, until a snarl came across his face and he started shooing them out of the room. "Come on now, git! Come back in a few hours." With that Saul shut the door to the room.

He then walked over to Chuck and sat down. He took the glass Chuck had emptied over the last hour and refilled it for him. "Alright, son. I have been watching you since you woke up. There is something in there aching to get out, and I aim to hear it now."

"Chuck could tell immediately from his stare there was no choice. He took a deep breath and tried to school his features until Saul reached over and took his hand in his.

"It's OK, son. Just let it out," Saul whispered.

At that instant it was as if instantly, the weight of the world broke all at once. His face became red. The tears started to well up and cascade down his cheeks like a fresh spring rain. He looked up into the old weathered eyes that had seen one too many storms, and he knew that whatever he told Saul would stay between them.

Chuck took a last look towards the door and Saul seemed to be in tune with his thoughts. "Don't worry, Chuck. Barring another visit from the powers that be, no one else will bother us. Your sister and Devon are with Martha getting some rest back at their apartment. Your friends Bryce and Morgan left shortly after you woke up, and I told everyone else to get some rest and to give us some time to catch up."

"She didn't want me with her." Chuck's shoulders began to shudder uncontrollably as he began his story.

"Who didn't want you with her? Start from the beginning."

Chuck told him what he remembered. How he was shot and stabbed in the liquor store. He remembered being wheeled into the hospital on the gurney and he remembered telling Kayla that he was on his way to her. "Then there wasn't a bright light per se, but Kayla…she was sitting on a chair in front of me. I could move for some reason. I walked over to her and hugged her. Or I tried to."

Chuck took a breath and blew his nose into a tissue. Saul handed him the box and motioned for him to continue. Chuck ran his hand…the one not smarting from having a dozen needles in it only an hour ago…through his hair and wiped away some tears.

"She pushed me away. She told me it wasn't my time." He became worked up again. "I…I begged Kayla to let me stay with her. I told her that she was all I had and would ever want. But she told me no. That she wasn't my destiny. She said I still had a purpose on this Earth and that I needed to come back. Saul, she told me that she would always love me, but that there was someone else for me."

Chuck raised his hand in surrender and had difficulty continuing. "Saul, what kind of crap is that? I don't understand. All I wanted to do was be with her. She just needed to let me, but she kept pushing me away. Why, why didn't she want me?"

Chuck broke down again into fits of sobs. Saul came and sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on Chuck's shoulder.

"Listen, my boy. If she said it wasn't your time, then that means you still have much to do." Saul's face hardened. "But don't you think for one second that she didn't love you as much as you loved her. Now I'm not sure I believe in the afterlife, but I have to consider that if she came to you, then it was a message."

Saul pointed at him with all the determination he could muster. "And a message you should heed, Chuck. All of us will be here to help you. Now if you'll recall, you made me a promise back when I sold you that bike, and you have yet to fulfill the second part of that promise. You have survived this ordeal. You've been given a second chance. Now you need to start new again with your life. Find love and see where that journey takes you."

A huge smile erupted on his face as he winked at Chuck. "'Cause I can't wait to have some surrogate grandchildren to spoil."

Chuck smiled for the first time since he had awakened. Leave it to Saul to make him think of children.

"Now your road to recovery begins tomorrow physically, but your mental road to recovery has just started. So let's keep up this positive attitude, shall we?"

Knock, Knock.