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"It takes a couple seconds to say Hello, but forever to say Goodbye."- Anonymous

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Chapter 37

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"What do mean, 'it was Ruby's'?" Danny asked as the world around him went blurry. He tried to keep his focus on Emma. "What do you know? How do you know?"

Emma cleared her throat and began, "Frances' brother is the one who delivered the heart to the hospital. When I came down for my shift I heard him talking about delivering a heart for an agent that was donated by another agent in Washington."

"I thought it was supposed to be anonymous," he said more bluntly than he intended.

"It is, and I told him that he shouldn't be talking about it. Then he told me that this heart was not going to be an anonymous donation because the donor's family selected Vivian specifically." Emma wiped tears away and continued, "I asked him if he knew the name of the donor but he didn't. I got worried because I knew that you hadn't been able to reach Martin so I asked him which hospital he flew in from and called to see what I could find out from my friend, Claudia, who works there. She just called me back a few minutes ago. She told me that the donor's name was Ruby Carmichael and that she was in a car accident with her fiancée and sustained massive brain trauma declaring her legally brain dead."

Danny swallowed as tears began to form. "How's Martin?"

"She said he's fine, that he had some minor cuts and bruises but he was examined and released." Emma squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry."

He looked at the coffee machine percolating on the counter as he tried to process what she just told him. He could not imagine what Martin must be going through right now. He was so happy when he dropped Milo off at Emma's and now he lost his entire new family in one night.

"Danny?"

He looked back over at Emma, her tears seemingly endless. "I was just thinking about Martin. I can't imagine how he is dealing with all of this."

Emma nodded sorrowfully and wrapped her arms around him.

"I think I should go tell Jack and Sam. They would want to know," Danny said when it occurred to him that Viv didn't know either and it would be so hard on her when she found out. "Can I tell Marcus?"

"Claudia told me that the family asked that Viv and her family not be told until after the surgery so I guess you can be the one to tell them. Better you than a stranger," Emma replied as she wiped her face. "Do you want to go up right now?"

"In a minute," he said as he leaned back on the sofa and held Emma tightly to him. "I just want to sit here for a little while."

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Danny walked into the waiting area and saw Jack and Sam talking as they gathered their belongings. Sam held her arms up above her and stretched while laughing at something Jack said. They both turned to look to see who was approaching. Judging by the look on their faces he decided that he and Emma must look awful because both their expressions fell at the sight of them.

"Where's Marcus?" Danny asked.

"He and Reggie went into the recovery room to see Viv," Jack replied in a concerned tone.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Sam asked anxiously; a worried look on her face.

The entire elevator ride up he tried to think of how to say what he had to say but nothing seemed adequate. So he finally decided to just tell them the way Emma told him. He cleared his throat and said, "The heart that Viv received, it was Ruby's."

"Ruby's?" Jack asked while Sam just stood there looking stunned.

"She was killed last night in a car accident," Danny said; his voice creaky and strained.

Jack sat down in a chair and brought both his hands to his face. "What about Martin?"

"He's okay. He was a little banged up but the hospital released him." He replied as he looked over at Sam. She just stood there looking like she wasn't really listening anymore.

"Sam?" Emma asked as she stepped forward and touched her shoulder. "You okay."

"Huh? Yeah, I'm just….." Sam said with tears brimming in her eyes she looked at Danny. "Have you talked to Martin yet? How is he?"

"I haven't talked to him. I thought maybe he needed some time," he replied. He honestly had no idea how Martin would cope with such a devastatingly loss.

Sam nodded her head before moving to sit down. She held one hand to her face and stared at a magazine on the coffee table but not really looking. Danny knew that while she was having a hard time accepting that Martin and Ruby were getting married and starting a family she would never want something like this to happen to them.

"This is going to be very difficult for Viv. She was already struggling with the donation to begin with but now," Jack said from his seat. "I just don't know how she is going to take it."

They all looked around at each other not knowing how Viv or Martin would be able to come to terms with what happened as well as the impact it had on all their lives.

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Sam stood next to Danny as he hailed a cab to take them home from the hospital. Jack stayed behind to talk to Marcus and let him know what happened. They all decided that he might be the best one to share what happened since he knew Marcus and Viv best.

"Taxi!" Danny yelled with his arm in the air.

She stared at some gum stuck on the sidewalk. She still couldn't believe that Ruby was dead. While she could not deny that she sometimes hoped Ruby would fall off the planet she would never ever wish her dead; or Martin's baby. Sam could feel her heart breaking just thinking about what he must be going through right now.

"Sam?" She looked up and saw Danny standing next to a cab with the door open waiting for her expectantly. A brief image of Martin flickered through her mind but it was quickly gone as she made her way into the taxi.

As the cab made it was through the city, they were both lost in their own thoughts, staring out their windows when Danny's cell phone rang.

"Taylor," Danny answered. "Yes, we heard what happened. I am so sorry. How is Martin doing? Help with what? No, she is with me. Of course we can go. I'll call you as soon as I know."

Sam eyed him curiously wondering who he was talking to when he finally hung up and turned to look at her.

"That was Victor Fitzgerald. Martin disappeared sometime during the night in his mother's Mercedes." Danny put the phone back in his pocket. "He disabled the OnStar but they think he might come home to New York."

"Okay, then let's go check it out." Sam leaned forward and gave their cab driver Martin's address.