AN: I am not medically trained beyond first aid training, so all the medical details in this chapter, and previous and future ones are based on internet knowledge and some personal experience. I apologise if the medical details are incorrect, I have done my best to interpret the information and use it accordingly.

The high pitch buzzing drone of the heart monitor is all he can hear. It drowns out all thoughts, sights, and smells. It consumes his entire being and he falls into a dark abyss. He slumps sideways on the sofa wondering vaguely how he got here and where here is before he succumbs to the exhaustion and the burning tingling in his veins. Holding his head in his hands he feels water splashing onto them and dripping down the sides of his palm. He can't do this. This can't happen. Not now. Not here. Not her. Not without him.

He hears her laughter and follows it back into his memories and the outside world falls away. He chases after her across a meadow filled with wildflowers, her laughter carrying on the breeze, dress floating as she twirls. God, he loves every inch of her, has done since the very beginning. He knew long before she did that, she was the one. That this was forever. That she was his life and light.

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"I think I'm falling in lo…"

Blushing profusely, she looks down scuffing her battered sneakers in the dirt. She shoves her hands deeper into her jeans pockets and hunches her shoulders against the chill and all the emotions swirling between them. She feels entirely too exposed, and she doesn't dare look at him. It wouldn't be so bad if he was actually saying something. Anything right now.

The silence is deafening, and she wants to run. She can feel her muscles coiling to do so as her brain and heart scream at her. She is about to; back peddling seems the best option right now. Maybe an apology, she meant….

His hand cups her cheek and his lips covered hers before she even processes what is happening. An adorable squeak escapes as he steals her breath. He pulls back and she leans forward following his lips. He meets her glazed look and murmurs earnestly, "I've already fallen."

"What?!"

"Completely and utterly."

She's not sure what to say to that, she wants to scoff even as her heart sores and her brain scrambles. It can't be real!

Yet, the look in his eyes, the way he touches her, is all-consuming. She has never felt this special or wanted. Redness rushes up her cheeks again and she ducks her head, leaning all the way in to rest against his broad chest.

"I love you, Elizabeth Adams." The words ruffle her hair and her whole body tingles. She thinks she might explode. He loves her! She hadn't been sure. She still doubts everything, especially herself but lately, rarely him. She wants to say it back, but the words catch in her throat, and she feels slightly nauseous. He already knows her so well, "You don't have to say it back." His hand twists in her hair, playing with the golden strands. "I get it. But…." And it's here he gently tugs her head back and up to meet his eyes. His gaze is blinding. "I will wait for you. I am not going anywhere."

His words bring tears to her eyes, and she feels her heart skip a beat. She wants to have the courage at this moment. He deserves her courage. Instead, all she can manage is to kiss his cheek and the corner of his mouth before saying softly, "I kinda like you a lot too." He smirks at that, and she swats him.

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His body is moving and for a moment he's confused as to what is happening before he lifts his head blinking in the hard artificial light. He catches Alison's worried eyes and attempts something resembling a smile. He watches her mouth move for a while, but he can't seem to connect his mind with his body. It's only Stevie's cold, wet hand on the back of his neck that finally drags him back to the surface. He shudders and wipes the water away, apologizing as he does. Stevie nods and gestures toward the door where two doctors stand. He shrinks back into the sofa away from their piercing, sympathetic looks. He doesn't want to hear the words. Words will make it real. Alison grips his hand tightly and the pain forces him to listen. His children don't deserve to do this on their own.

"Courage is not the absence of fear."

He is aware of the girls' incredulous looks, but he needs every quote, every ounce of strength, everything he had ever put faith in, including her.

The older Doctor pulls up an office chair in front of them and steeps her fingers together. "Doctor McCord, the President is alive." Those words lift a weight from his chest, and he can breathe again. He feels the 'but' hovering in the air between them and he wants to squash it. "However, she had suffered a stroke which caused a heart attack. We have put her back on the ventilator." He has no idea what he is supposed to say to that.

"Is she…. what does…. will…."

It is Stevie that interjects with the words he just can't find, "What happens, next Doctor?"

"There are various medical treatments we can try, but with Elizabeth's current condition and injuries. We have to be realistic; there is likely a bleed in her brain caused by the head trauma which caused the stroke. We will do everything we can to make her comfortable but…."

"NO! We are not giving up!"

The Doctor barely flinches at his outburst of anger. His skin burns and he feels like his heart is being crushed in a vice. Trembling, he walks over to the window and whispers "You can't let her die."