Ryan Mercer hurried into the room just as Parker was setting up an IV for the injured man. He didn't recognize the older man who seemed to be putting pressure on a wound in the man's chest. "Sam, what happened? Who is this man?"

"This is Ezra Jacobson. His brother is a patient here and he stabbed Ezra."

"Who are you?" Mercer asked and shouldered Sanchez out of the way.

"My name is Josiah Arnott. I'm a close friend of the family," the ex-preacher answered.

"Well, Josiah, I don't think you're needed here right now and this is an open wound so I'd rather keep the area as sterile as possible. Please wait outside and I'll update you as soon as I can," Mercer ordered as a nurse entered the room and moved to help Parker.

"Go ahead, Josiah, there's nothing you can do for him right now," Parker told the worried man.

"Okay, Sam, what do we have," Mercer asked and listened while she rattled off the man's vitals. He knew what they were dealing with on the surface, but from the way the man's breath wheezed from his body he suspected they were dealing with a punctured lung. He could deal with it for now, but the sooner they transported him to the nearest trauma center the better.

"Nurse, get another IV started and run the fluids wide open. How long ago was the ambulance called?"

"About twenty minutes ago," Parker answered and checked the injured man's blood pressure again.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

Ezra could hear unfamiliar voices speaking around him, but it felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on his chest and it was getting harder to breathe. He opened his eyes, swallowed convulsively and tried to reach for the burning fire that had erupted in his upper body.

"Just be still, Ezra," Parker ordered and gently pressed his hands back down.

"What...hap...happened?"

"You were hurt, but you're going to be fine," Parker said as Mercer used the stethoscope to listen to his chest.

"Har...hard to bre...breathe..."

"It sounds like his lung was punctured," Mercer said and placed a hand on the patient's right shoulder as he spoke. "Ezra, I'm going to set up for a chest tube. Dr. Parker is going to give you something for pain and I'll freeze the area. Just try to relax and we'll get you taken care of."

"Where...where's Chris?"

"Chris is fine, Ezra, it's you we're all worried about," Parker said and injected the medication into the IV line.

Ezra suddenly found his throat had gone dry and tried to moisten his lips, but could not manage even that small task as he looked at the man beside his bed. His eyelids grew heavy and he felt something sharp enter his side as images formed and dissolved against an unfamiliar background.

"Go ahead and sleep, Ezra, everything's going to be fine."

Ezra wasn't sure who said the words, but God, it sounded like the best advice he'd ever been given. The only problem was he knew there was something he needed to do. Someone he needed to talk to, someone who needed his help.

"Chris...Chris..."

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

Chris shifted slightly, licking at the saliva that dribbled past his lips. He tried to think, but his head hurt too much and his heart seemed to beat so fast he was sure it would explode through his ribs. He heard something nearby and froze, his breathing harsh as the door opened and he lifted the only weapon he had. He managed to climb to his feet and keep the wall at his back when the door opened and he saw a dark form silhouetted by the late evening light.

"Easy, Big Guy, it's just me. I told you I'd come back to help you."

"Wha...fuck do you want?" the blond snarled, teeth bared and eyes flashing dangerously as he kept the scissors pointed at the newcomer.

"I brought you something to drink and later I'll see about getting you some food," Styles said and closed the door before turning on a flashlight and offering the bottle of tainted water. He motioned with it several times until the patient reached tentatively for it. "Go ahead, Chris, I know you must be thirsty."

"Wa...water," the blond said and snatched the bottle while keeping the scissors pointed in the man's direction. "Stay the fu...fuck away from m...me."

"Sure, but I have to come back if I'm going to help you," Styles told him and watched as the other man fumbled with the cap until he finally managed to get it off and then dropped it while tipping the bottle to his lips.

Chris had never tasted anything so good and downed half the bottle before taking the time to breathe. He wiped at his mouth, frowning when he saw the blood on his hands. "What the hell...need a show...shower."

"I'll come get you when there's a free shower, but right now you need to rest. They're still looking for you."

"Looking for me?" the blond asked and slowly slid back to the floor. He finished the water and let the bottle drop to the floor as he concentrated on the blood on his hands. "Killed my brot...brother...bastard deser...deserved to die."

"Yes, he did, Chris, now just rest until everything calms down and I'll be back for you," Styles said and smiled when Jacobson moaned and grabbed his gut.

Chris dropped the scissors as he lay on his side and curled into a ball. The fire in his gut was far worse than it had been and he rocked back and forth in an effort to ease the torment. Nothing helped, but he heard the door open and was soon bathed in darkness as the other man left.

Chris tried to make sense of the images that flashed through his mind, but couldn't quite grasp what they meant. He saw blood, heard a cry of pain, saw the face of a man he trusted, yet he felt betrayed and couldn't figure out why. Who was this man and why had he felt compelled to kill him? Where were his friends and why didn't they come to help him? He closed his eyes as tiny beads of perspiration formed on his brow and heat built around him. It wasn't long before his body was wracked by convulsions and he ground his teeth together as the muscles in his neck corded and he twisted his body in an effort to get rid of the pain.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

Carl Sheppard looked at the people gathered around the main nursing station as the alarm was finally silenced. The patients were all back in their rooms, except for Chris Jacobson and a thorough search was on the way for him. He knew his partner had given Jacobson the psychotic drug, but didn't think it was strong enough to kill him.

"Carl, security is still searching for Jacobson, but so far they've come up empty," Coburn said and looked at the clipboard showing where each patient was.

"He can't have gone far. The alarm went off pretty fast and he would not have been able to get through the main gate," Sheppard explained.

"He's in good shape and could have gone over the wall," Morgan added.

"Maybe, but someone on the outer grounds would have seen him," Sheppard said as Samantha Parker joined them. "How is Jacobson?"

"He suffered a punctured lung. Dr. Mercer put in a chest tube and the ambulance just arrived so they're getting him ready for transport," Parker answered.

"What does Ryan have to say about his chances?" Coburn asked.

"He should be okay, but he'll be spending some time in the hospital," Parker told them and spotted Nathan Bradley speaking with one of the cleaners at the end of the corridor. She'd seen the man before, but something about the way they looked at each other spoke of a familiarity that made her frown.

"Dr. Parker, were you present when all this took place?" Sheppard asked.

"I was there," the woman answered.

"Perhaps I could have a word with you in private concerning possible lawsuits by Ezra Jacobson?"

"Of course," Parker said and walked away from the group. She entered one of the rooms used for therapy and checked to make sure the cameras were turned off before speaking. "We need to find Jacobson before anyone else does."

"We will, but we need to wait until things calm down," Sheppard told her. "I knew he was dangerous, but you wanted to play your games with him."

"It wasn't a game, Carl, it was a way to show his brother we could handle things," Parker said and paced back and forth.

"We certainly made a mess of that. We should cut our losses and get the hell out of here."

"That wouldn't help. If they investigate then we'd be at the top of their list of suspects. Look, I've laid the groundwork to make everyone suspicious of Ray, and just maybe this little fiasco is our way out without anyone being the wiser. We just need to keep our heads until Jacobson is found."

"He'll be a mess with that drug you gave him."

"Exactly and what better way to get rid of both problems at once. Security is searching for Jacobson so we just need to send them on a wild goose chase and go after Chris ourselves. We find him and convince him Kent is working with his brother. His anger and a little prodding from us will send his anger crashing down on Kent."

"So many things could go wrong with that plan," Sheppard told her.

"Could it possibly be any worse than what's happening now?" Parker snapped.

"I guess not, but how do we find Jacobson?"

"First we get security looking outside the secure area, then we offer Styles a little bonus to help us find him. He knows where a patient can hide better than anyone," Parker answered.

"Styles works closely with Kent?"

"So what, Styles would sell out his own mother if there was money involved," Parker told him.

"True, the man has no morals."

"And we do?" Parker finished with a hint of a smile. "Look, see what you can do about getting security to search outside the grounds and I'll speak with Styles. If all goes well this little mess should be cleaned up by tomorrow."

"I'll see what I can do," Sheppard said and followed the woman out the door. Things seemed to have calmed down and it seemed as if things were returning to normal.

TBC