Not Red: I know. I'm a bit evil.

MissDonnie: "As you wish." :o)

Leigh: Thanks! It is going somewhere...I think ;o)

A/N Y'all still hanging in there? Take a deep breath. Ok, here ya go.

Chapter 11- Happy Birthday Pt 2

This is not what I signed up for when I decided to become a criminal defense attorney.Thought Melody, her eyes closed off from the image that was ripping her soul into pieces. It wasn't just the image though. Actually, the image wasn't the worst part of it. What had finally cracked Melody's collected composure was not an image at all but sound, two sounds. The first sound was completely unexpected and made Melody jump. A single loud gasp from the otherwise unconscious man lying on the table as his lungs fought one final struggle against the drugs.

The mental box on the stand beeped, signaling the completion of the second phase of the three-step process. The warden nodded a final time and the guard pressed the third button. The second sound filled Melody's ears thirty seconds later. Normally, the continuous shrill coming from a heart monitor alarm would evoke a response from medical personnel. In this instance, no one moved. Strauss spoke, announcing the time. The first tear fell down Melody's cheek as she heard the grey curtain slide closed, effectively blocking the witnesses from the image of death.

She opened her eyes as two men pushed in another wheeled gurney. Quietly, leather straps were unbuckled and tubes were disconnected. It took four men to transfer Jane onto the mobile gurney. The coroner signed a form and then nodded to Dr. Strauss, giving him the okay to wheel Jane out of sight into the adjacent room.

Melody clenched her fists, attempting to gather enough willpower to move. She felt the metal against her palm and remembered her promise. It gave her the strength to move one leg and then another towards the door. She knocked quietly with shaky hands.

The door opened a fraction and Dr Strauss peered out. Seeing Melody, he reached out an arm and yanked her inside, locking the door behind her.

"What are you doing?" Melody asked in a harsh whisper.

"Killing your career before it even really begins." Strauss said as he hurried to the other side of the room, fiddling with something inside of a cabinet. "Pardon the pun." He said quieter.

"What?" She repeated but as soon as the question was voiced, Melody knew. Strauss turned around and she watched as he filled a hypodermic needle with some unknown substance.

"You are very lucky I was thinking about retiring anyway. I turned in my letter of resignation two weeks ago."

Melody did something she feared she wouldn't be able to do for a long time. She smiled. "I've come to the decision that I don't really like this job anyway."

Strauss watched Melody as he quickly filled a second syringe. "Hey, don't you get excited yet. I'm not all that confident that this will even work." He walked over to Jane's still form on the gurney. "Do you know CPR?" He asked Melody.

She nodded.

"I'm going to need you to start chest compressions as I give these to him. "

Melody did as she was told, starting compressions and watching Strauss inject the two syringes into the unused IV port.

"What is that?" Melody asked in between compressions.

"Neostigmine to reverse the muscle relaxant and Insulin which will temporarily lower his potassium levels."

"Will it work?"

"I can't say I've ever attempted to reverse a lethal injection before. I was able to lower the doses of the latter two of the three chemicals administered which should help us, but nothing is a guarantee. Besides, he's not exactly in the best physical condition and he's been without a pulse for over five minutes."

Come on Jane. Melody thought. This isn't the time to quit being stubborn.

"I'll take over for you from here." Strauss said to Melody. "Go get the respirator off the second shelf."

She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed the plastic respirator briefly wondering why there was a respirator in the room at all. Then as, a team, they worked to revive Jane.

The minutes ticked on in slow agony. After five, Melody and the doctor switched positions again. With each passing second, Melody feared their efforts would be in vain. Certainly, no one was supposed to survive an execution.

"Why is it not working?" She was beginning to lose it.

"The reversal of the muscle relaxant takes time." Strauss explained.

"How much time?"

As if on cue, a loud gasp filled the room, freakishly similar to the last gasp Melody had witnessed. She prayed that no one outside had heard the noise. Melody moved the respirator away from Jane's face as his lungs continued to suck sweet oxygen from the air.

"Jane?" She voiced tentatively.

"He's still packed full of anesthetic. He's got enough in his system for an 8-hour surgery so he'll probably be out for the rest of the afternoon, which will help us." Strauss explained.

"Why, what are we going to do?"

"First, we're going to get out of here without being arrested ourselves." Dr Strauss checked Jane's pulse and listened to his breathing with a stethoscope. Then, he grabbed the white sheet under the gurney and handed it to melody.

"Here, cover him with this."

Melody understood and draped white sheet across the prone, yet breathing man. "Hang in there Jane." She whispered.

"The van is already parked by the back exit to avoid media attention." Strauss informed her. "That's the plan, head straight for the exit. Fast but not too fast as to arouse suspicion."

Strauss pushed the bed and Melody opened the door. She glanced outside and found the hallway empty, probably cleared just for the doctor. They made it down to the end of the first corridor and then a right down the next.

"Melody?"

She froze and then turned. Walt was there, at the end of the hall they had just come from.

"I was looking for you to see if you were alright." He said from down the hall, slowly making his way towards them.

Melody glanced over to Strauss, in a silent question. What do we do now? Strauss shrugged.

Walt slowly made it to where they stood frozen. He glanced from Melody to the gurney. "Let me do this." He said to her gently.

"No, it's alright." She insisted. "I have to."

"Alright, but I'll help."

The three of them continued down the corridor to the door. Walt opened it with his key and Melody pulled the gurney in to the now warm afternoon sun.

"We can take it from here." Strauss said to Walt.

He looked at Strauss, then back at Melody and nodded but before walking away, pulled Melody into a tight hug. He pressed something into the palm of her hand and whispered into her ear: "Give Pat my best."

Melody smiled to herself. Yup, Jane was right, nothing but a giant teddy bear.

Walt stepped back and retreated into the building, the door locking behind him. Melody looked into her palm which held the little red paper crane.

A/N Yeah, I couldn't be that mean. Then where would this story possibly go? lol Melody's going to need some help now so I think it's time to bring back the team. I don't think she's going to be easy on them though. :D