Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: This took a while to write but I hope it is worth it. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I have had a smile on my face for the last two days because I got reviews. I know that is pathetic but I'm happy and that is all that matters. (oh and I didn't edit) ENJOY!!!!

OUTSIDE R.A.G.E

Vaughn had spoken quietly to Weiss as he, Sydney and Jacqui had waited for their ride to the hospital. Weiss promised to help Dixon with the cleanup and explanation for Jacqui's defiance of CIA superiors.

A black towncar pulled up to the curb and a man exited the vehicle. His suit was pressed and crisp looking while he stood tall. His voice held a decidedly Jamaican accent as he addressed Jacqui.

"Miss Jacquelyn, your mother did not tell me you were back in town. I would have collected you at the airport had I known." He smiled widely, showing off his straight white teeth.

"I only got in earlier today and my mother was not aware of my arrival. But she is part of the reason I asked you to bring the car. My mother has been injured and I must meet her at the hospital." Jacqui tried to focus on the conversation but her attention kept wavering.

"Is Miss Irina badly injured?" Robert's concern made Jacqui smile tightly.

"Yes. She is at Toronto General." Without another word Robert opened the car door for Jacqui to enter.

He looked up, noticing the two other people standing with Jacqui. "Will your friends be accompanying you Miss Jacquelyn?" Robert asked.

Shaking her self Jacqui realized her lack of manners. "I'm sorry Robert. I would like you to meet my sister Sydney and her fiancé Michael."

Robert shook both their hands and smiled welcomingly. "Yes, the sister in California. I have heard you mentioned many times." Sydney smiled kindly in return but it did not reach her eyes. "I will take you to the hospital straight away."

Once they were all in the car and headed to their destination Sydney spoke. "If it was so dangerous for people to know of your existence why would you tell your driver? And why do you have a driver here?"

"Robert has been my driver, bodyguard and confidant for many years. He would lay down his life for either Mom or I without a moment's hesitation and I trust him explicitly. Mom pays him very well for his work; she even made sure his oldest daughter would have the financial means to attend law school. And I have a driver here because I live here. Toronto is the closets thing I have had to a home." Jacqui leaned back in her seat and stared out the window at the city passing by.

Vaughn was raging an internal battle over whether to ask about Irina's condition or not but finally curiosity got the best of him. "How bad was the gun shot wound?" His question was gentle while probing.

"It hit her in the chest, there was so much blood." Sydney whispered. Vaughn grasped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

With her eyes closed and leaning back Jacqui gave Vaughn toneless details. "She was struck by the bullet one inch below her ribcage junction. It probably wouldn't have been so bad had the bullet not exploded. Sloane had likely scared the top of the bullet so that it would break apart upon impact. One scarred bullet can do the damage of five or six regular ones. She had lost a lot of blood but the doctors will be more concerned with the internal bleeding."

The car remained silent once Jacqui had finished; everyone's thoughts were in utter turmoil. Vaughn could not believe Irina had willing put herself in the path of a bullet despite recent revelations. He was still having a difficult time reconciling the woman he saw responsible for killing his father with the woman who had done so much to help and protect his said father and many others.

Sydney was having trouble getting the image of her mother dropping to the ground from her busy mind. The scene kept playing over and over behind her eyes with no sign of stopping. An amount of anger began to mount at her mother for not finding another way to help her father but it was soon dismissed as foolish and misplaced. She had even gotten to the seconds of her memory where she had killed Sloane as it was still too much to comprehend.

TORONTO GENERAL HOSPITAL

The car stopped outside the hospital and Robert got out and opened the door once again. "Would you like me to stay or would you rather have me bring your car to the parking lot here." Robert's face was no longer smiling but drawn with worry.

"If you could bring my car to the hospital and park it for me, that would be wonderful. I'm not sure when we will be leaving and I would rather not have to keep you away from your family for much longer." Jacqui patted his arm in thanks and they walked into the hospital.

Jacqui walked purposefully up to the General Inquires desk and asked where they could find Irina Derevko. The volunteer typed the name into the computer but came up empty.

"I'm sorry there is no patient here under that name."

"She would have been taken to the ER, she was a gunshot victim." Vaughn piped in.

"I'll check the ER records for recent arrivals." The volunteer spent thirty more seconds pulling up the ER files. "I've got an Irina Bristow that was taken from the ER directly to surgery." The volunteer announced igniting surprised looks from all three visitors.

"Thank you very much." Sydney said before they walked off. "Do you know where the OR is?" She asked Jacqui. Sydney watched as her sister lengthened her stride toward the elevators.

"Yeah, third floor." Jacqui answered.

"Is there any hospital you don't know?" Vaughn asked.

"Hospitals and I seem to see a lot of each other. I had a compound fracture in my arm last year and had to have surgery here twice to fix it." Jacqui ducked her head in embarrassment. "I'm just accident prone I guess. You should here my story about learning to walk again." Her eyebrows rose in what Sydney realized was trademark Jacqui.

The elevator doors open and Sydney noticed stares from people waiting to board. She looked down at herself seeing the blood spattered garments for the first time. Jacqui's were equally as saturated however she had wiped her hands clean.

Jack was sitting stalk still in the OR waiting room, with no regard to the staff and visitors passing him by. His gaze was vacant as he stared at the empty wall in front of him. Sydney, Vaughn and Jacqui went undetected by him until they stood directly over him.

"Dad?" Sydney called gently. Jack's head was slow to lift and the empty look remained. "Have they said anything?"

Jack cleared his throat before speaking. "Only what we already knew: lots of damage internally and it doesn't look good. They have just begun the surgery and the nurses warned me it may take a while."

Nothing else was said for a while. Jacqui and Sydney took seats beside their father and Vaughn sat across from Sydney, holding her hand.

Suddenly Jack stood up, shocking everyone. "I have to make my report." He stated simply.

"Dixon and Weiss have sent the initial report to the CIA they are also coordinating cleanup. I'm sure they have already taken care of everything." Vaughn told Jack before he could leave.

"What are they putting in the report?" Jack looked weary of the possible answers.

"Weiss was going to outline the beginning of the mission then explain how Jacqui made it from a CIA occupied truck, into the R.A.G.E. building." Jack looked at Jacqui sternly but she merely crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. "Jacqui apparently thought Sydney needed help in the building. Her radio went silent and there were six of Sloane's men converging on her. In Weiss' words, she detained the agents and himself in order to enter the facility. In the end her services were needed and she located the Rambaldi pieces. As for what transpired in the storage room," Vaughn's forehead creased. "By the scene that was left Dixon deduced that both you and Irina had been left without a weapon. She took Sloane's bullet instead of you, which would fall under protecting a government official, ending with Sydney firing off three rounds two of them striking Sloane's heart."

Jack seemed satisfied and nodded his head in understanding. Jacqui looked up at the wall clock and saw that two hours had gone by since their arrival at the hospital.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Almost immediately three growls were heard coming from the vicinity of everyone's stomachs. "What would everyone like?" Jacqui almost smiled.

"I don't know." Sydney looked tired.

"If you could have anything, what would you want?" Jacqui tried again.

"Steak, roasted potatoes, cooked carrots and a garden salad." Vaughn's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Fettuccini Alfredo, with grilled chicken strips and a garden salad." Sydney followed.

Jack did not contribute until further prompting from Jacqui. "It has been a while since you have eaten; what would you like?"

"Smoked salmon, spinach salad, rice and steamed vegetables." Jack finally answered. Sydney rolled her eyes at how healthy his choices had been but knew enough to keep her mouth shut.

Jacqui left the group but returned only minutes later without any food. Everyone looked slightly disappointed that she hadn't gone to the café or even the vending machine but did not comment.

Another forty-five minutes passed and Jack found himself on the verge on hunger pains. Jacqui's questions of what they wanted to eat seemed to only fuel his appetite but he was willing to stuffer if it meant he could remain in the waiting room. The elevator to the left of the room signaled its opening and a trolley could be heard exiting.

A man in a black suit wheeled a cart into the waiting room and smiled at Jacqui. "The chef sends his regards Madam."

"Thank Fredrick kindly for preparing my order so quickly." The young man nodded his head and left the room, while Jacqui removed the tops of the plates.

"I believe you had the salmon." She said to Jack.

"You ordered us dinner at the hospital." Sydney said incredulously.

"I admit that while I certainly don't flaunt the family money, my taste is a little on the expensive side and when I see fit I have no qualms about using the money or influence to get what I want and what I wanted was an actual meal while we wait. I don't see the harm in making it happen."

"Thank you." Vaughn said not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth. He got a smile from Jacqui in response.

"I've never really had people to do things for, this is fun for me."

The dished had been cleared away after Jacqui and Sydney conned a young orderly to take care of them and now everyone was back to their eager waiting game.

"Mr. Bristow." All eye turned to stare at the man dressed in scrubs standing at the door. "My name is Dr. Myers and I've been in the operating room with your wife." Jack shook the man's hand. "They're still working in there; I've just come out for a quick break and to give you an update on our progress."

Myers waited but no one seemed ready to talk so he decided to continue. "Shrapnel's spread through your wife's chest and abdomen. We've managed to remove the piece and repair the much of the damage to her liver, pancreas, heart and stomach. I'll be honest and tell you I didn't like the look of the wounds when she came in but she has managed to hold her own on the table. I would think that in the next two hours we will know better if everything can be repaired in this operation. If we can avoid another surgery we will. Your wife seems like a fighter which gives me plenty of hope she will recover." The doctor stood.

"You have no idea." Jack shook his head. "I appreciate you keeping us apprised of your progress."

Doctor Myers left the room in silence once again. Vaughn was engaged in watching the hockey game on the waiting room television and Sydney and Jacqui were speaking quietly to each other. Sydney had just turned to look at Jack when an alarm sounded in the hospital followed by the speaker announcing a Code Red. Jack tensed visible but Jacqui stood looking around the room relaxed.

A hurried nurse walked through the waiting room doors and looked at them apologetically. "I'm afraid you'll have to exit the building, there is a fire."

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