A/N: Thank you for your reviews and the awesome response you have given to my other fic 'The Way Back To Your Heart.' You guys are seriously the best. Italics represent flashbacks.

Chapter 26: Pain

Susan held Mike's limp body in her arms, her sobs echoing loudly through the fraught silence. She looked at his bloodied form. His eyes were closed almost peacefully. She longed to see his sparking blue eyes looking at her mischievously as he teased her with hidden innuendos.

"Mike wake up," she sobbed painfully burying her face in his neck. The warm tears cascading freely from her eyes onto his cold skin.

The stench of blood was overpowering her senses and she shook him forcefully. "Get up dammit. Wake up Mike."

She could hear the distant sirens of the ambulance and feel the warmth of someone's hand upon her shoulder. She refused to acknowledge the presence. She couldn't breathe it was too painful. She wanted him to open his eyes. She wanted her Mike to wake up and hold her in his arms telling her everything was okay and that he loved her. She didn't want to live without him; her life existed solely because of Mike. If he was gone then there would be no point to anything.

"Susan, sweetie the paramedics are here," spoke Lynette biting back her own tears.

Susan watched numbly as someone moved her out of the way. She watched thorough hollow eyes as they performed CPR on a motionless Mike,her husband. She tried to speak but no words escaped from her mouth only broken sighs.

She looked at them as they prodded him with needles trying to revive him shouting out useless medical words she couldn't understand.

"Don't hurt him," she cried out painfully looking at the nearest paramedic.

The other lifted up Mike's shirt and Susan's eyes widened in shock at the large protruding slash sliced into his perfect chest, blood oozing out of it freely onto the soft grass beneath him.

"Sweetie don't look at it," urged Lynette trying to move her away from the scene.

She could hear the broken cries of Julie as Bree tried to comfort her. Turning around quickly Susan violently threw up the contents of her stomach. How could this be happening? She couldn't lose him; they had so much to do together.

"Please help Mike…it'sour children's…birthday," she sobbed falling into Lynette's arms.

Carlos walked through the gate noticing the horrific scene. He walked towards his wife who was trying to keep her own tears at bay.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Gabrielle turned around to the sound of her husband's voice and hugged him fearfully.

"Oh Carlos…it's Sullivan…he stabbed Mike…and none of us noticed till it was too late," she cried. Carlos held his wife as he looked at the heartbreaking image of Susan.

"We have a pulse it's faint so we need to move," spoke the paramedic.

Susan looked up at the sound of his voice. Mike was breathing. He was still fighting for them.

"I…errr..I'm…coming…with you," she spoke defiantly.

The paramedic nodded in agreement as they carefully placed Mike onto a stretcher. She gripped his hand tightly. He was still so cold and motionless.

"Talk to him say anything to try and keep him with us," explained the paramedic looking at Susan.

Susan nodded her head getting into the ambulance and praying to whoever was listening to save her Mike. "Please baby you need to hold on."

Susan was sat anxiously in Fairview General Hospital. She kept asking for the nurse to tell her something but they just looked at her sadly mumbling something about her poor husband. She wanted to scream at them for not helping Mike. Why were they sat around drinking coffee and chatting about their plans for the weekend when her husband was bleeding to death and fighting for his life?

She looked up once again as the doors opened and in rushed her friends and a devastated Julie.

"Mom," she whispered falling into her arms.

Susan painfully fell to the floor as they cried over the man they both loved so much. Susan cried loudly for her husband, friend, lover and soulmate whilst Julie cried for the man she considered to be her father. The man who treated her as his own and who loved her as equally as he did his own biological children.

Susan's friends watched painfully all silently comforting each other. Susan stroked her daughter's hair softly, her broken sobs travelling throughout her body.

She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Bree looking at her tearfully. Susan stood up allowing herself to be pulled into her friend's embrace.

"Why Bree? Why is this happening?"

"I don't know," whispered Bree sadly.

"Mike…he's…a..good…person…he's..never..hurt anyone. He doesn't deserve this," she choked out.

"I know honey. I know," cried Bree. "I've told Rex as soon as he hears anything he will let us know."

Susan looked up her eyes shining with tears. "I…don't want to..lose..him."

"You won't," comforted Lynette.

"Susan, Mike's a fighter he's gonna come through this," assured Gabrielle gently.

Susan nodded her head sadly hoping that they were right. "The twins?"

"Don't worry we left them with Tom and Carlos," reassured Lynette.

Susan thanked her softly. "When Mike wakes up he can give them their birthday presents," she spoke trying to remain optimistic.

"Of course, I bet he has spoiled them," joked Gabrielle knowing how much Mike loved the twins.

Susan felt her eyes tearing as she recalled the earlier events of the day. How happy Mike had been when Jacob said 'dada' and when Emma took her first steps. He had laughed joyfully telling her that he was so happy to have met her and that they had Emma and Jacob. She felt a tear slip past her eyes at his words.

"Julie, the twins and you complete my life Susan. I love you."

She turned to Bree voicing her fears. "He is going to be okay isn't he?"

Bree noticed the silent doubt within her friend's voice and told her what she needed to hear. "Of course he is going to be just fine."

A couple of hours had passed and they all waited anxiously for news. Susan continued to grow more and more frustrated with each passing second. Why were they not telling her anything? What was taking them so long? Rex had come out on various occasions telling them that he was still in surgery other than that he refused to say much. Susan could tell something wasn't right in the way his eyes stared at her sorrowfully.

The doors swung open once again and she looked up only to see detective Copeland walk in with twoofficers.

"Mrs Mayer," he began.

"It's Delfino," she whispered. "I'm Mrs Delfino."

The detective pulled up a chair sitting next to her. "Of course I'm sorry."

He looked at her friends sat around her and her oldest daughter crying gently.

"Mrs Delfino, I would like to ask you some questions," he spoke his tone gentle.

"Can't this wait detective? We are waiting for news of Mike," asked Bree.

"I understand that and I sympathize but it's important that we get all the facts whilst they are still clear in your mind," he explained looking at Susan. "Now you were having a party. What was that for?"

"It's our…our…children's..first birthday…today," she answered.

"Did you notice anything strange? Was Mike acting weird at all?" he asked jotting down notes in his book.

"What? No…we…we…were…"

"Detective is there a point to all this?" asked Gabrielle noticing her friends wavering tone.

"Mrs Delfino."

"No," she spoke blinking back the tears. "Everything was great, he was happy and we were all having a good time," she stopped unable to continue.

"Where was Mike when Sullivan attacked him?" he asked.

"Err…he..went…to…the…truck…to..get something. I can't remember," she whimpered.

"He went to get some cable wires for my husband Tom Scavo," informed Lynette.

"And…then…then..he was stabbed," wailed Susan falling into Bree's arms resting her head on her shoulder.

"No one saw this?" asked detective Copeland.

"No…it…was…we were sat at the bottom end of the garden and Mike was at the top. The music was playing loudly and we didn't notice anything till it was too late," spoke Bree.

"What about Sullivan?" he asked softly.

"My husband went after him but he disappeared," responded Lynette.

The detective wrote down the information in his book. "Thank you for your time and we will need to speak to Mike if he wakes up."

Susan looked up startled at his words. "If? He is going to wake up," she yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry Mrs Delfino but at the moment we are treating this as a murder."

"HE'S NOT DEAD," she yelled furiously.

"With his extensive injuries," he began.

"Since when have you been a doctor? Don't tell me what's going to happen when you know nothing about this," she yelled throwing a nearby magazine towards him. "GET OUT."

"Detective I think you should go now," demanded Bree.

He nodded in agreement looking at the broken woman in front of him. "I'll be in touch Mrs Delfino."

Another hour had passed as they waited for news on Mike. Each time the doors to the waiting room opened, all eyes snapped to whoever entered only to be disappointed to see some random person. No one spoke each contemplating their own thoughts.

A tall man entered the room his face drawn with Rex at his side. The doctor looked at his chart before speaking.

"Are you Mr Delfino's family?" he asked politely.

"Yes," answered Susan frantically standing up. "How is he? How's Mike?"

The doctor took a deep breath slowly gazing at everyone present. Concern evident on their faces for the man he just operated on. This was part of the job that he did not enjoy.

"The injury Mr Delfino sustained is quite serious. The puncture went straight through his body, and in the process severed his liver. He had substantial internal bleeding which caused his body to go into shock and he flat lined twice on the operating table."

"Oh god," whispered Susan turning into the comfort of Bree's arms.

"We tried as best we could to repair the damage and managed to stop the bleeding but I'm afraid the injury is too severe," he explained.

"What are you trying to say?" interrupted Julie.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this but I don't expect him to make it through the night," he finished completing his diagnosis.

Susan turned desperately to Rex. "Rex tell me he's wrong. Tell me Mike's going to make it?"

Rex looked at his friend sadly. "I'm sorry Susan."

"NO!" Julie screamed falling to the ground with a sob.

Susan's body slumped against the wall as tears began to trail steadily down her cheeks. She could hear nothing but the doctor's words playing over and over again.

"I don't expect him to make it through the night."

Susan walked quietly into the room, the silence filling her heart with dread. All she could hear was the faint sounds coming from the machine that were keeping her husband alive.

She looked towards the bed and saw his sleeping form. Gently her legs moved off their own accord towards the bed. She gasped in pain as she saw the grazes on his face. His throat was red and raw. He looked ashen there was no way to tell if he was dead or alive had it not been for the machines. She took the seat next to his bed and lightly touched his hand.

"Mike..I hope you can hear me. It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to celebrate our babies first birthday," she whispered sadly.

Susan rubbed her thumb soothingly over the back of his hand. How was she supposed to say goodbye to him? She couldn't. To say the words would mean giving up. Giving up on their future and everything they had built together.

"You need to fight Mike…for…us…I..can't live without you. I….don't…want…to…live..without you," she sniffled resting her head on his good arm being careful not to hurt him.

The doctors had to be wrong. Mike was strong he was going to wake up and be with her forever just as he promised.

"We…have…so..much…to…do..together. I love you Mike…you…need…to…wake..up baby please wake up."

The tears slipped past her eyes and onto his arm. She cried loudly until her sobs eventually ceased and she fell into a restless sleep.

A week had passed and much to the amazement of Susan and the doctors Mike was still hanging on.

Susan was at the hospital everyday her friends and family were getting worried for her. She was painfully drawn and had lost weight. She refused to eat only having the occasional few bites when her friends forcefully sat with her.

She talked to Mike everyday about the weather, the twins and how much they missed their dad. She even bought every sports magazine there was and read to him articles about his favorite baseball team. Anything to try and get him to wake up and come back to her. She would fall asleep in the hospital some nights and no one would move her. She was grateful for that at least. She hated leaving Mike in the cold miserable hospital and going home to an empty bed without him holding her each night. it was only a matter of time before her Mike would come back.

The figure in the bed opened their eyes blinking softly as their eyes adjusted to the brightness of the small white room. He turned his head groaning slightly at the pain that travelled through his body. What was he doing in a hospital?

The fragrance of freshly cut flowers fought its way bravely through the sanitised aura of the room. The only sound that penetrated the quietness was the faint ticking of a distant clock.

Turning his head, the first thing his eyes focused on was a cheap painting of the sea hanging crookedly on the far wall. He looked around the room trying to get used to the surroundings in which he seemed to be confined.

He was just about to call out when he saw her walk sadly into the room. Her head was down and a sad gleam was visible in her eyes. Clearing his throat painfully he watched as she looked up at him. She blinked furiously and he found himself smiling at the action.

"Mike," she whispered. "Oh my god you're awake." She ran towards him dropping the magazine she was holding onto the floor, Carefully she circled her arms around his neck he could fell tears slip onto his neck from her eyes. He breathed in her scent and his arms hung limply at his sides as she peppered his face in kisses of relief.

"Thank god I was so worried and I knew you would come back," she spoke hastily.

Susan stopped noticing Mike hadn't said anything and looked at him concerned. "Mike?"

"Who are you?" he asked confused.

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading. Next chapter coming soon as well as n update for TWBTYH. :)