This chapter is a little shorter than the previous ones have been, but I think it gets the job done.

Enjoy.

Abigail woke with a start.

She blinked her eyes rapidly and sat up, trying to figure out where she was.

Sunlight was streaming in through the small window opposite her.

She did not remember falling asleep out in the hallway, and she did not remember being brought into this room and put onto this cot.

However she did remember where she was, and she certainly had not forgotten why she was here.

She recalled the events of the last few hours quite vividly.

At that moment her brain finally registered a very important fact: there was sunlight coming in from the window. Not early-morning sunlight; late-afternoon sunlight. That meant she had slept more than a few hours. It also meant that something could have happened to Ben.

Her pulse quickened as she immediately got up from the cot and burst out into the hallway. She looked to the left and right but saw no one. In her panicked state she couldn't even tell if this was the hallway she was sitting in last night.

Luckily there was a nurse sitting at a desk in front of her who seemed to know what she was looking for.

"Excuse me? Mrs. Gates? Your husband is up one floor in the ICU. Room 47 I believe."

"Thank you," Abigail replied, smiling appreciatively as she headed for the elevator.

A few moments later she found herself standing outside Room 47. It definitely was Ben's room; there were two FBI bodyguards standing outside of it. She wasn't quite sure why they needed to be here, but she wasn't going to question it.

The guards moved aside and she slowly opened the door.

The sounds of beeping hospital machines greeted her ears as she stepped into the dimly lit room. The first thing she saw was Riley, slumped in a chair on the far side of the room, snoring lightly.

The next thing she noticed was Ben. Tears pricked her eyes as she stepped closer and discovered the condition he was in. His skin was ghostly pale and he looked considerably thinner since the last time she had seen him. There were bandages wrapped around his head and chest. His right arm was in a sling, and his left leg was in a cast that extended all the way to his knee. He was propped up slightly and there were multiple tubes and IVs going into his body. Despite all this he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. She couldn't tell if he was unconscious still or just heavily drugged.

After taking in the current state of her husband, Abigail pulled a chair up next to his bed and sat beside him. She was afraid to touch any part of him that was bandaged or IVed, so she gently placed her hand over his left hand.

She was overcome with emotions as she sat there, surrounded by the machines that were keeping Ben alive. Her tears poured down her face as she silently cried. She grasped Ben's hand tightly, clinging to it like a lifeline. He was her entire world. She couldn't lose him. She would fall apart without him.

"Don't leave me Ben," Abigail whispered brokenly as she bowed her head and succumbed to her tears…

So sad... :(

I'd like to take a moment to give a big thanks to those of you that have stuck with this story and keep reading and reviewing it. I really appreciate your patience with me. I know that I have been very bad with updating, but you guys still take the time to drop me words of encouragement and praise! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy the next few chapters as they will most likely be the last ones for this story :(