Mandy turned the newspaper over and looked at it as she drank her coffee. What she saw on the front page made her choke on her coffee and almost rip the paper apart to see the entire article. Knowing she was only getting part of the story, Mandy read the article word for word. The press had not only gotten a hold of what happened to Lucy, they had also been 'fed' the information that Lucy was possibly protecting Kevin by accusing Trent. She hadn't known that Kevin had a record, but she still believed that Trent being the one that hurt Kevin's girlfriend was the better bet.

The article went on to say that Mandy had been unavailable for comment, as was Kevin's wife, Eve Lambert-Collins. It confused Mandy that Kevin had a wife and a girlfriend. She hadn't thought him the type for that, but she knew that she had to talk to him about Trent, and what had really happened. The entire article screamed Maria all over it, and she knew that there was a lot more guilt on Trent's shoulders than the article was leading the public to believe.

Grabbing her keys, she set off for the hospital first, then to wherever Kevin was.


The phone rang and Kevin grabbed it before it could wake Lucy. "Yeah."

"Hey, it's me."

"How did it go yesterday?" Kevin wanted Scott to tell him, but he struggled to keep his voice down until he was out of hearing range of the bedroom.

"He's gonna cop a plea. We're just trying to decide how far we can push him. Schneider is making a lot of threats. I'm calling to warn you that he's already making good on one of them."

"Which is?" Kevin knew he wasn't going to like it, but he had to know.

"Keep the newspaper away from her."

"How much do they know?"

Scott hesitated. "Everything. It's on the front page."

Closing his eyes, Kevin sighed.

"The defense leaked it. It even includes the theory that Lucy's protecting you."

"Do you have any idea what this will do to her?"

"Of course I know! Why do you think I'm calling you to warn you?!"

"Okay, okay. I get it. Thanks for calling. What are you doing on your end?"

"Threatening to do twice as much damage if Dara sells her out."

Kevin smiled. "I'm glad the baddest guy in town is on her side."

"Comes in handy, huh."

"Yeah."

"The defense is putting a lot of pressure on the mayor about why somebody with your record is working for the PCPD. But I promised Dara that I will bury the mayor if Davis doesn't get what's coming to him. She's supposed to call me with the plea on the table today."

"Keep us informed. I have to take Lucy to GH today, and I don't think it's going to go well if everybody knows what happened to her. I have to tell her, and I don't think she's going to want to leave the house if she knows."

"Want some back up?"

Kevin thought about it for a moment. "Maybe at GH would be good. I have to go to the lab. We've already stated that it was me, but they need to match the DNA with the lab report."

"Okay. Give me a call when you're there, and I'll meet you."

"Thanks, Scott." Hanging up, Kevin walked back to the bedroom door, and wasn't surprised to hear the shower running. He really didn't want to tell her, but they way he imagined everyone would be staring at her at GH, he knew she had to know.

Someone knocked on the door and he sighed. Expecting it to be another reporter, he walked to the door and looked out. The sight of Mandy standing on the other side of the door shocked him. Quickly he opened it and looked at her.

"I hope you don't mind. I followed the reporters. Can I.. can I come in?"

"Sure." Standing back, Kevin watched Mandy walk past him.

"I need to know something. I read the papers, but I have a feeling that there's a big piece missing."

"Such as?" Kevin wasn't sure what Mandy was after, and he wasn't about to offer her any information.

"Such as the fact that Trent is really the one that hurt your friend?" It was a question, but it really wasn't.

His eyes met hers. "Yeah."

Mandy began to cry. "I knew it. Kevin, I'm sorry. If I hadn't walked out on him like that, he-"

"Stop. This has nothing to do with you." She glared at him, and he rephrased his words. "It's not your fault. You were protecting yourself. And you were right. I should have seen this coming, and I didn't."

"So we both sit here and feel guilty for what Trent did? I can tell you that's exactly what Maria wants."

"Maria?"

"Trent's mother. How dare we blame poor Trent. He has problems, and we just don't understand, you know how that goes."

Kevin stared at her. "Why do I get the feeling that I never heard the entire story about Trent?"

"Because you didn't. Trent agreed to get help for... for our problems, but he never believed that what he did before was important. So.."

"He didn't get anything out of it." Kevin sighed.

"And your friend got hurt." Mandy was about to say more, but Lucy appeared in the doorway. The bruises were fading, but Mandy knew what they had been like. She'd had enough of her own from Trent to know.

Mandy and Lucy stared at each other for a moment. Before Kevin could say anything, Mandy sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You wouldn't happen to be Mandy, would you?" Lucy moved closer.

"Yeah. I know, I'm the last person you want to see right now. I'll go- "

"Wait." When Mandy stopped, Lucy approached her. "I've seen first hand what he's like. It took a lot of guts to get away from him."

"No, it took being scared and leaving other people to pay for it."

"That's not true." Licking her lips, Lucy searched for the words. "You had to get away from him. I do have one question, though."

"I owe you that."

"You don't owe me anything." Lucy shook her head. "But you made the move. You left him. Why did you come back?" Her eyes searched Mandy's for the truth. If it was to defend him, Lucy decided that she was going to smack Mandy herself.

"Because I had to know what he did. His mother left me a message that he'd been put away again, and I knew it had something to do with me."

"And now what are you going to do?" Lucy's voice took on a challenging tone that Kevin recognized and didn't like, and he moved closer to the women.

"I don't know." Oblivious to Lucy's mood, Mandy sighed. "Part of me would love to just get back on a plane and forget all about it."

"And the other part?"

Mandy looked at them for a long moment. "It's time Trent dealt with what he does. I've never had the nerve to follow through, and now someone else got hurt because I kept forgiving him." Tears came to Mandy's eyes, and she shrugged. "I can't tell you I want to see him in jail, but he can't be out running around. He'll only hurt more people."

"I can tell you still love him." Lucy's voice was low, but not accusatory. Mandy nodded, and Lucy continued. "As far as I'm concerned, they can't do enough to him to come close to paying for what he did to me. And I suspect he's done the same to you before."

Unable to answer her, Mandy dropped her eyes to the floor and nodded.

"And now. What he's doing to Kevin-"

"That's Maria. His mother." Mandy lifted her head and stared at Lucy. Lucy's eyes flashed angrily and Mandy backed away from her. "I'm NOT defending Trent. I'm saying that this whole 'Trent's innocent, Trent's a victim, it's my fault, it's Kevin's fault' all comes from her. She can't admit that Trent has done anything wrong. If she did, she'd have to take some of the blame herself, and she won't do that."

Mandy's eyes went to Kevin. "I know you tried to help him. So does Trent. But every time Maria gets involved, the situation gets ten times worse. Because she won't let Trent take any of the blame for his own actions. I want it to stop before anyone else gets hurt."

"It's not your responsibility." Lucy began, but Mandy cut her off.

"I can help. The defense attorney Maria hired wants to talk to me. They want me to stand behind Trent, but I can't. I also can't help you send him to jail."

"Which leaves you where?" Lucy stared at Mandy. "In the middle?"

"I don't know!" Her voice was sharp, and she realized she was about to completely set Lucy off. "I guess I am, in a way. I'm looking for a middle ground. Trent can't be set free. I know he's dangerous. At this point, I think he'd kill me if he got the chance. I'm sure Maria convinced him that this is all my fault. But jail isn't going to help him. You know that, right Kevin?"

Kevin knew Lucy was staring daggers at him, but he didn't look at her. "I don't know what would do him any good at this point, Mandy. I'm hardly an objective party here anymore. What he did.." Finally he looked at Lucy and Mandy sighed.

"That's why you attacked him." When they turned to her, Mandy shook her head. "Maria told me that you'd tried to strangle him. I didn't understand. That's why I'm here. I had to know what the missing piece was."

"And now that you know?" Lucy stared at her.

"What are the options?"

Kevin sighed, realizing that he hadn't had a chance to tell Lucy yet. "Scott doesn't know if going to court is the best thing." Lucy stared at him, and he moved closer to her. "He's waiting to hear from Dara what she thinks the defense is going to go for."

"I want to help." Mandy stared at Lucy. "I don't want to help send him to jail, but if he's going to be put in a hospital, I think that's where he needs to be."

Kevin tensed, but Lucy sighed. "It will give Dara some leverage, if you're serious." At Kevin's questioning glance, she shrugged. "I don't want this to go to court, either. He's done enough to BOTH of us. And, we have to be realistic about this, Doc. What are the odds of him actually seeing the inside of a jail cell?"

A nagging suspicion ran through Kevin's mind that it wasn't this simple to her, but he shrugged. "The worst part is that my own records will help his case to avoid it."

Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked at Mandy. "I know how hard it was for you to come here. And I appreciate it." Before Mandy could reply, Lucy turned and went into the bedroom.

Mandy began to cry. "I can't believe what he did... no, I can believe it, but I...What he did to her..."

"It's going to take some time, but she'll be better."

"She won't ever be the same. You and I know that. She knows it, too."

Kevin realized that Mandy knew it better then she wanted to, so he just nodded.

"Mandy, do you need something? I want you to be okay, too. And I think you're right about Trent being more dangerous for you now than ever."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I've lived through him before, and I'll make sure I get past him for good this time." She handed him a piece of hotel stationary. "This is where I'm staying. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone."

"I won't say a word."

"Let me know if I can do anything." She headed for the door, but turned back to him. "You tried to help him, Kevin, but without the entire story, you couldn't."

After she left, Kevin went into the bedroom and stopped. Lucy was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Her voice was a whisper. "It was just...." She shrugged.

"It's okay." Sitting next to her, he sighed. "I have to tell you something else."

"Do you have to?"

"Yes. The reporters.. They got everything, Lucy. They know."

She closed her eyes and for a moment, Kevin thought she was going to fall over. But she didn't, and she took a deep breath. "Everything?"

"Yeah." He wished he could tell her otherwise, but he had to warn her.

The tears came, and no matter how hard she fought them, she couldn't stop.


"Come on, Alan! There has to be another way to handle this!"

"It's called risk management, Scott! I have to suspend Kevin until this is over!" Struggling to calm himself, Alan looked at Scott. "I know this is the last thing either one of them need right now, but I have to protect the hospital first. You know that."

"I know that. But that just means that we have to get this over with." A knock on Alan's office door brought Gail inside.

"Alan's suspending Kevin." Scott stated it flatly to her.

"I was afraid you'd have to do that." Gail shook her head. "Have you told him yet?"

"I'll do it." Scott shrugged. "I've been the bearer of all their bad news up till now, why stop?"

"Scott," When Scott looked at Alan, he hesitated. "I have a pretty good idea how Kevin is. How is Lucy?"

"How do you think she is, Alan? She's hurt, a nutcase did it, and the guy she's in love with is paying for it."

"How is that end going? I mean, Lucy's case."

"If it goes to trial, she gets hurt all over again. I'm sure you've seen today's paper. It's not just by what he did to her, but the defense is ready to pull every lousy thing Lucy or Kevin ever did out for the jury."

"It's going to plea, isn't it." Alan knew the answer.

"Yeah. Don't know how far it will go, but it won't go to trial."

"And Kevin's?" Scott stared at Alan, but Alan tried again. "I know you can't give me the details, but I need to have some idea of how bad this could get."

"Between the two cases, it could get pretty nasty. We're all trying to avoid that, but I'm not sure we can." Shaking his head, Scott sat down. "I guess I get to earn Kevin's money now and ask you for the details of his suspension and figure out how he can fight it."

"Scott, I think you better talk to Kevin before you do anything." Gail tried to play devil's advocate with Scott. "I mean, he took a leave of absence as of the day it happened. I'm not sure he'd want to come back before this is over."

"But right now, the leave is his idea. A suspension doesn't look good on a record." Scott turned back to Alan. "So, how do we resolve this?"

"Can you be sure that Kevin won't be back before this is over?"

"Can you allow this to go on his record as a voluntary leave of absence?"

"As long as he doesn't come back before the case is over."

"Gail's right about that. I don't think he'll want to, and if he does, I'll convince him that a suspension is NOT in his best interest."

"Scott, I'm willing to let this ride for now, but if he's convicted, or if his plea results in losing his license.."

"I'm not going to let it come to that, but I know that if he does, you have to terminate his contract. He knows that, too."

"As long as we're on the same page, Scott. I don't want to add to Kevin's trouble, but I can't jeopardize GH for him, either."

"I'm not asking you to, Alan. I'm asking you to give him a break. Just until we figure out what's gonna happen."

"Okay, Scott. I'll leave this as a voluntary leave of absence. But Kevin has to know that it's only voluntary unless he tries to-"

"I know! And he'll know. I'll tell him, Alan. He's coming here today with Lucy."

"Scott," Gail finally spoke. "I'd like to see them when they get here. I'm sure the newspapers had an effect on both of them."

Nodding, Scott looked at his watch. "That's probably not a bad idea. They'll be here in a couple hours. Kevin asked me to stay with her while he went to the lab."

"Have you seen her since she went home?"

"Yesterday." Scott stared at Gail. "I don't think either one of them are doing too great."

Before anyone could say anything else, Scott's cell rang. Alan glared at him and he shrugged. Seeing the PCPD number, he used Alan's phone and dialed it. He told the switchboard operator to tell Dara or Mac to call him back in five minutes and hung up. "I'll be in touch, Alan. And I'll tell Kevin and Lucy that you want to see them when they get here." Nodding to Gail, he went out the door.


Exiting the elevator, Lucy squeezed Kevin's hand.

"You can do this." He whispered in her ear, as he had been since he'd taken her hand and pulled her out of the car.

It seemed to Lucy that everyone stopped and stared at her, but she hoped it was her imagination.

Colleen turned from the file she was reading and saw Lucy. "Hi, Lucy."

"Hi." The sympathy she saw in her friend's eyes made her stomach turn.

"Look, it's going to be a few minutes, but the floor is pretty quiet, if you just want to wait here."

Lucy nodded and turned to Kevin. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led her to the sofa. She sat for a moment, but after a few people walked by, she stood. "I can't sit still."

"Okay." Standing with her, he watched her pace.

Kevin's cell rang, and she jumped. Reaching out to touch her face gently, Kevin pulled his cell out with the other hand. Looking at it, he turned it on. "I'm in the hospital, let me call you right back."

He hung up and looked at her. "Victor."

She visibly relaxed and nodded. "I'm fine. Go call him back."

While he went to the phone, she continued to pace around the lounge. "How did you get in here?!" Eve's voice preceded her getting out of the elevator. "I said NO COMMENT!" As Eve turned and saw Lucy, a flash from the reporter's camera caught the moment.

"Mrs. Collins, what do you have to say to the woman that broke up your marriage?"

It was as if time suddenly stopped. Kevin heard the question and looked up to see Eve standing a few feet away from Lucy, who was staring at the ground.

Lucy was waiting for Eve to tell the reporter exactly what she thought about her, and there was nothing she could say. Eve's first instinct was to say no comment again, but she realized that this would only get worse if she didn't put a stop to it. "My marriage broke up because my husband and I realized we'd made a mistake. Lucy had nothing to do with it."

"So it doesn't bother you that your husband is living with her now?"

The reporter wasn't about to give up that easily.

Eve saw Kevin approaching, and she stepped closer to Lucy. "You need to check your facts. I walked out. Now, I'm the type of person that when I want something, I stick around and FIGHT for it. I didn't. I left. Does THAT answer all of your questions?"

Kevin reached them and moved to stand on Lucy's other side while glaring at the reporter. "Security is on the way to escort you from the building."

Eve was glaring at the reporter, Kevin was watching Lucy, who was staring at the ground and biting her lip.

The reporter figure he had one more shot before security arrived, and he decided to take it. "I guess that could mean that you're just glad that he has someone ELSE to take out his mental problems on, is that-"

Eve stepped forward, as did Kevin, but it was Lucy that shocked everyone. Before anyone could stop her, she moved towards the reporter and grabbed him by the shirt. By the time she reached him, she had enough momentum going to send him into the counter.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHY DO ALL OF YOU WANT TO PROTECT THAT WACKO BASTARD? TRENT DAVIS BROKE INTO MY HOME, HE SLAPPED ME, HE PUNCHED ME, HE DRAGGED ME AROUND BY THE HAIR AND RAPED ME!" She was completely hysterical, and Kevin tried to take her by the arm gently, but she jerked away from him and continued her tirade on the reporter. "Why are you all so intent on digging up shit that happened four years ago instead of what happened 4 days ago?" Jerking on his shirt, she pulled him to face her. "ANSWER ME!"

Kevin started to grab Lucy, but then he realized that if he physically restrained her, he would only be proving the reporters point. Eve looked at Kevin for a moment before she moved closer to Lucy.

"Lucy, let it go!" Eve tried to stop her, but Lucy ignored her.

"It's your turn. Answer the question!"

Security hadn't appeared yet, but there was a crowd gathering around them. Lucy's voice was echoing through the halls and more people appeared to see what was happening. The reporter was still trying to get away from her, but she wasn't about to let go of him. "I want to know why everyone wants to protect a wife beating lunatic?"

"Wife beating?" Now the reporter wanted to hear what Lucy was saying. "Davis is a wife beater?"

Kevin's mind went to Mandy, and he knew that the press would go after her now. But at the moment, Lucy was his main concern, and he tried to figure out a way to stop her before she said anything else. Someone shoved him from behind, and Scott's voice carried over Lucy's.

"That's enough!" Getting between Lucy and the reporter, Scott grabbed her arms and tried to move her back. At first she fought him, but he reached for her waist and pulled her with him. "Come on, Lucy."

"NO! For once, somebody needs to hear the truth!"

"They don't care about the truth, Lucy!" Scott yelled at her, and pulled her harder. "All they care about is what will sell papers!"

She was struggling against Scott, and his hand caught her ribs. Instantly, she screamed in pain and grabbed for his arm. Scott realized he'd hurt her, and he moved his hand to her arm. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Come here." Moving to stand in front of her, Scott wrapped his arms around her and held her.

Watching Lucy literally fall apart in Scott's arms sent Kevin into a rage. But as Kevin advanced on the reporter, Eve grabbed his arm. "Kevin, don't."

As Kevin turned to her, security finally arrived and dragged the reporter to the elevator. Kevin and Eve turned to Scott and Lucy. She'd stopped crying, but she hadn't let go of Scott. Scott looked at Kevin before leaning closer to Lucy and whispering in her ear. "It's over. He's gone."

"I can't believe I did that." She shook her head.

"Come on, Lucy Coe making a scene? Never happened before, right?" Scott stroked her hair. "That one barely registered on your scale."

"I just.." Leaning away from him, she looked at him. "I just told everybody.."

"What they already knew." Touching her face, Scott wiped the tears off her cheek. "I'm sorry, but the papers already told everybody. But you told them who really did it, Lucy. That's important."

She nodded and turned to Kevin. "I can't stand what they're doing to you."

"Stop." He touched her head as she held on to Scott. "You have nothing to do with this."

Eve had been watching Lucy silently, still a little shocked at her outburst. Finally, she moved closer so she could keep her voice down. "I tried to put a stop to the rumors, but-"

"I know, Eve. Thanks. I owe you." Lucy sighed.

Eve stared at her for a moment.  "You've been through enough, Lucy. I wish I had settled things with Kevin before I left town. At least that part of it wouldn't be happening." She thought about it for a moment, and then looked at Kevin. "I don't know if now is the right time, but I was wondering if you'd had a chance..."

"I haven't. But I'm sure Scott can handle it. I just hadn't had a chance to ask him yet."

"Ask me what?" Scott looked at them.

"Our divorce." Kevin shrugged. "It hasn't been the top priority on my mind these days." Realizing how that sounded, he reached for Lucy's hand. "Not that it isn't a priority."

"Doc, it's okay." Lucy moved away from Scott and held Kevin's hand. Suddenly she thought about Scott being there. "What are you doing here?"

Scott didn't want to tell her that he was supposed to baby sit her, but he also didn't think she was ready for the latest information. His expression said it all for her.

Shaking her head, she moved closer to Kevin. "This is more bad news. I don't want to hear it."

Kevin put his arm around her shoulders and took her hand. "We have to, right?" His eyes met Scott's.

"Yeah. First, I can handle the divorce. If you both want it, and you're not getting into a big property battle, it won't take much."

"When you get a chance, talk to Eve. I'll go along with anything she needs to get started." Kevin looked at her.

"Thanks." Eve's eyes met his for a moment, then she back away. "I'll go."

"Thanks, Eve." Lucy stared at her for a moment. After Eve was gone, Lucy turned to Scott. "So what is it now?"

Taking a deep breath, Scott sighed before he started. "I just came from Alan's office. You're leave of absence is okay, unless you want to go back to work before this is over."

"Let me guess. Then it becomes a suspension?" Kevin knew the answer as he asked the question.

"Yeah. I also spoke to Dara and Mac. Lots of threats going both ways now, but the gist is that he wants Davis declared unfit to stand trial if they can't reach a plea bargain. One that doesn't include jail time."

"Which means?" Lucy stared at Scott.

"Which means that he'll be in Ferncliff for a while."

"And it will be just like Julie. A year from now, or ten years from now, we'll have to go through this all over again, right?" Lucy stared at Scott, trying to absorb everything he was saying.

"Yeah." It was the only answer he could give her.

"What about Kevin's case?"

"Schneider has to go to the mat on that one if he's gonna get the malpractice angle."

"This is all about the money, right?" Lucy's eyes took on a look that Scott didn't like. "I mean, you said the insurance company will probably settle, right? So he.." She had to stop for a moment, but then she finished. "Assuming all the policies involved settle for the maximum amounts, he could actually get PAID over half a million dollars for attacking me, right?"

Scott didn't answer her.

"RIGHT?!"

Scott's eyes met Kevin's for a moment before he looked at Lucy again and nodded. "It won't read that way on paper, but yeah."

Lucy's eyes dropped to the floor and she stayed quiet. Too quiet for Scott. Finally, when she spoke, her voice was a whisper. "You should have killed him, Doc."

Kevin stayed quiet, almost agreeing with her, but Scott rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. That would have been MUCH better."

Turning, Lucy poked him with her finger and advanced on him. "You tell me one way this could be WORSE!"

"Murder charges! Ring a bell in there?" Scott gestured towards her head.

"Well, YOU'RE the defense genius! Kevin may end up in jail, anyway, he could lose his license, the hospital is going to have to pay, hell, the insurance wouldn't have to pay to a dead man, so it would be better."

"You're talking crazy, here, Lucy. And you need to stop." Scott was afraid of who could hear her tirade and how it would affect Kevin's case. He looked at Kevin, wondering why Kevin wasn't saying anything.

Kevin was simply waiting for her to stop. Trying to stop her was useless, but he knew that if he let her get it out, she'd calm down. She did. But when she calmed down, neither man was too happy with her next thought.

"You're right. Kevin killing him would have been worse. Maybe I should kill him myself." Her voice was quiet, and the way she was visibly thinking about it scared them both.

"Lucy," Kevin's first thought was to try to reason with her, but Scott, never one to reason, grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him.

"Don't even joke about that!"

"Who's joking, Scott?" His response only fueled hers, and she grabbed his shirt. "If rape pays half a million, I guess murder would pay over a million, right? I mean, if that's the way the system works, I-"

Making a legal defense decision, Scott grabbed her. "We need an empty room, we need to get her away from anyone that could testify to this conversation."

Nodding, Kevin pointed to the storage closet. He tried to take her arm and pull her away from Scott gently, but Scott knew Lucy was about to let her mouth get all of them in trouble, and he didn't let go. As she tried to speak again, he put his hand over her mouth and pulled her.

Kevin had no idea what to do. If he stepped in, it would cause an even bigger scene, which could lead to Lucy killing Scott right there. Before he could do anything, Scott had her almost to the closet door.

Somewhere between the lounge and the door, Lucy started to really panic. By the time Kevin followed them both in, Lucy was slapping at Scott, who couldn't see her face. Finally, with the door shut behind them, Scott released her.

The first thing Lucy did was turn around and slap Scott. "Who in the hell do you think you are?!"

Scott blocked her swing and backed away from her. She was furious and crying, and the only thing she wanted to do was hit him. Kevin started to stop her, but Scott was fairly calm about the fact that Lucy was trying to beat him senseless.

"Lucy," Scott had realized that he'd sent her into a panic, and he waited for her to stop. "I'm sorry. But I had to stop you."

"You son of a bitch!" She continued to hit him and he stood there. "What gives you the right to just grab me like that?! That you can put your hands on me and just jerk me around?!"

Finally, after several more swings, Scott caught her wrists and held her. "I'm sorry! Lucy, I'm sorry. But you going on and on about murdering someone we'd all like to see dead is only gonna bring us all more trouble. ESPECIALLY KEVIN!"

That stopped her. Turning, she looked at Kevin, who was only about two feet from her in the small space. "I'm sorry."

Kevin stared at Lucy, but spoke to Scott. "Let her go."

When Scott let her go, Kevin pulled her into his arms. "Scott's right. Not about grabbing you, and if he ever does that to you again, I'll hold him while you beat him."

His eyes told Scott that he was NOT kidding about that. "But he's right about threats and going on about wanting him dead."

Moving closer to her, Scott sighed. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just needed to shut you up."

She didn't respond to him, so he gently touched her head. "Hey." His voice was quiet.

She finally looked at him.

"I'm really sorry. I'd never hurt you. You know that."

Nodding, she reached out and tugged on his shirt gently. "My head knows it, but right now..."

It hit Scott what he had just really done to her. Kevin could see it on his face. Before Scott could say anything else, a soft knock on the door caught their attention.

Eve's voice called through the door. "You guys okay in there?"

"Yeah." Scott cracked the door and stared at her. "I guess we're a little loud."

"How about YES." Eve shrugged. "But that isn't why I'm here. Colleen is looking for Lucy. The doctor is ready for her."

Without looking at either man, Lucy pulled away from Kevin, pushed Scott out of her way and went out the door.

Scott started to follow, but Kevin grabbed him and shoved him into the shelf behind him. "You EVER grab her like that again and I'll-"

"You won't have to. I'll stand still and let her, okay?" Scott stared at Kevin, understanding his anger. "I didn't think."

"That much is obvious."

"I'm trying to help, here! You want her running around the hospital telling people that she is going to kill him?"

"NO! But that doesn't mean grabbing her and dragging her around the room like he did is going to help her!"

Scott's eyes met Kevin's for a moment. "That's what she was thinking." He ran his hands through his own hair. "I didn't mean.. I didn't think about.. I knew she'd slap me, but I didn't know she was going to completely freak out on me. I didn't mean to make her think about it."

Kevin sighed. "It's amazing. As close as the two of you are, you never mean to do things to each other, but you both always end up doing it."

"That's why I'm her EX husband." Scott smiled in spite of the conversation. "And YOU'LL probably be her next one."

"There's no probably about it." Kevin muttered, then stared at Scott. "Assuming you can keep me out of jail."

"I'll do everything I can, and a few things I probably shouldn't." Scott shrugged.

"Then do it. And get me my divorce. I don't want to say anything to her about marriage until I know I'm free to marry her."

"Please don't. I can't take many more beatings from her like that one."

Kevin started to smile, but then glared at Scott. "You ever touch her like that again, and a beating from HER won't be your biggest worry. I'm serious, Scott. She can't deal with it right now."

"I know. I mean, I didn't, but I get it. He really messed with her head."

Kevin reached for the door. "I'm going to the lab. You stay here and wait for her to come out."

"Yeah. Gail wants to talk to both of you while you're here."

"I had a feeling. As soon as we're both back here." Both men left the storage room.


Lucy headed for the office, but as she did, she passed the stairway and an urge to run hit her. Before she stopped long enough to think about what she was doing, she went through the door and ran down the stairs. All she could think about was getting away. The stairway seemed to close in on her as she hit the first floor and by the time she got into the corridor, she could barely breathe. Leaning against the wall, she took several deep breaths, trying to force herself to calm down, but she couldn't. A few people stopped and stared at her, but she didn't know any of them. For some reason it went through her mind that they had to be patients or visitors, but she didn't really care. A voice in her head told her she was completely freaking out, but the only thought that made sense to her was getting away.

"Lucy?" Ian's voice caught her attention, and when she turned to him, he was approaching her.

On the verge of hyperventilating, she stared at him.

Looking at her intently, Ian reached for her arm. "Are you okay?"

As soon as his hand touched her, she jerked away from him. "DON'T!"

"Okay." He backed up a little, but tried to talk to her. "You're not here alone, are you? Where's Kevin?"

"In the closet."

"What?" Her answer confused him.

"Nevermind." Shaking her head, she continued to take deep breaths and backed up farther. "Why does everyone insist on grabbing me? Because HE can do it, everybody can?"

Ian didn't like the way she looked, or the way she was rambling, so he kept a small distance between them in an effort to not scare her further. "I want to help, Lucy."

"I know. But you can't. Nobody can, don't you get that? I have to do this on my own. I have to deal with this. He's trying to send Kevin to jail, did you know that?"

Ian nodded. "I knew about that."

"He's never going to go to jail, did you know that one?"

"What?" That shocked Ian.

"Nope." Shaking her head, she started to cry again. "As a matter of fact, he's going to be richer than he ever dreamed he'd be thanks to me."

"I'm confused, Lucy. How is he going to make money from what he did to you?"

"Because it's not his fault. You didn't know that? It's the hospital's fault, it's Kevin's fault, it's everybody's fault except his."

Stunned, Ian had no idea what to say to her.

"But it IS his fault! HE did this, not the hospital, not Kevin, HE did it! But I'm the only one who can do anything about it." Making her mind up, she nodded. "That's it. I'm the only one. And I'm going to do it. I'm going to end this once and for all. I have to."

"Lucy, what are you thinking about doing?" Ian was beyond worried, but had no idea what to do.

"I don't know, really. I'll let you know when I do." Turning, she started to walk towards the door.

"Lucy," Following her, Ian was afraid to let her go, but didn't know how to keep her there. "Come on, talk to me. What are you going to do? Where are you going?"

She ignored him and kept walking. As she reached the ER doors, Ian continued to follow.

"Dr. Thornhart!"

Sighing, Ian turned to see Chris at the entrance to one of the cubicles. "Not now, Ramsey!"

"There's a car accident about 4 minutes out. I need you to be ready."

"I'll be right back!" He followed Lucy out the door, but she was gone. "Damn it!" Running back inside, he ignored Chris's questions and went to the desk. "Have you seen Kevin Collins?"

The nurse on duty shook her head. "Not in a few days. Since he was here with-"

"Lucy, I know. I just saw her, and I need to find him."

"Dr. Thornhart, I need you-"

"I heard you, Chris! I lost Lucy because I was listening to you!"

"You... lost Lucy?" Chris laughed. "I didn't know you had her."

Glaring at Chris, Ian stepped closer to him. "I'm glad you find this so funny, Ramsey! I need to find out where Kevin is, and if he knows she's out of control."

Not getting what Ian was saying, Chris shook his head. "Lucy is ALWAYS out of control, and for as long as Kevin's known her, I'm sure he knows it."

"Hey, you two! This is a hospital, remember?" Eve's voice was sarcastic as she approached them. "Why are you arguing about Lucy?"

"Ramsey seems to be highly amused by what happened to her."

Eve stared at Chris, who shook his head. "I'm NOT amused by what happened to her. I just can't understand why you're so frantic about finding her. She's probably with Kevin."

"Did you just not hear anything I just said? She's not with Kevin! She just ran out of here!"

"What?" Eve looked at him. "I just saw her. She was going in for her follow up."

"Well, she just ran out of here, saying something about doing something about what was happening."

Immediately, Eve grabbed the phone and dialed the 6th floor. Ian watched her as she asked for Kevin or Scott. When she finally had Scott on the phone, she handed Ian the phone. "You tell him exactly what she said."

Still not understanding a word Lucy had said, he repeated it to Scott, who immediately went into a panic. "I'm on my way down. Call the lab, tell Kevin what's happened, and I'll meet him there."

After Scott hung up on him Ian looked at Eve. "You tell me, Lambert. What kind of justice system does this country have that this guy could actually MAKE money off of hurting a woman?"

"What?" Eve looked at Ian. "I don't get that."

"I do." Chris was no longer smiling and he looked at them. "This can't go any farther then the two of you, but the guy that....assaulted her is suing the hospital and Kevin for malpractice."

Ian and Eve stared at Chris and Eve shook her head. "And from what Ian said that Lucy said, he must have a good chance of winning."

"Scott told me to call the lab and tell Kevin."

"I'll do it." Eve turned away from them and grabbed the phone again.

"Sucks, huh." Chris shook his head. "I didn't get what you were saying, Ian. I'm not exactly the president of Lucy's fan club, and I'm not on her party invitation list. But I do NOT think it's funny that some guy can break into her house and do that to her. I feel bad about it. I really do. I'd like to see somebody beat her at her own game, not beat her the way he did."

Nodding, Ian looked at him. "I guess I kind of went off on you."

Chris shrugged. "You're her friend and you're worried about her. I didn't know you were literally following her."

Ian stared at Chris, but Kevin entering the ER distracted him. "What happened? She was upstairs!"

"She came down the stairs." Ian repeated his encounter with Lucy to him, and as he finished, Scott joined them.

"Which way did she go?" Scott was already headed for the door.

"I don't know. By the time I got out there, she was gone. She's got a good head start."

"I don't know who to call." Kevin sighed.

"NO ONE!" Scott grabbed Kevin's arm and pulled him towards the door. "We'll find her. Thanks, Ian!"

Outside, Kevin turned to Scott. "We're both thinking the same thing, aren't we."

"You think she went after him, too?"

"I don't know, Scott. Normally, no. But."

"But she's not thinking normally. Even for her. She's hurt, she's scared, and she's pissed. That's a bad combination for Lucy."

"You don't think I know that?!" Kevin looked at him. "So we go to Mercy?"

"NO! You don't. You can't go anywhere near him. I'll check out Mercy." Scott thought about it for a minute. "Call Victor and tell him what's happened. We could get lucky and she'll call him."

For a moment, Kevin was confused. "Victor?"

"Worth a shot." Scott shrugged. "He'll keep it quiet, he can help look for her, and she won't run from him if he finds her. She sure as hell bolted from ALL of us." Shaking his head, he stared at Kevin. "We all might be better off if he goes to Mercy to look for her. He won't be suspicious, and she'll go to him on her own. At least I think she will."

"Well, Victor won't grab her and put his hand over her mouth." Kevin glared at Scott.

"I said I was sorry! But you're right. Hopefully she'll trust him if he finds her."

Nodding, Kevin picked up his cell and dialed Victor.


Maria Davis got up and walked to the door. The utter shock at who she found staring at her left her speechless.

"I guess you recognize me. You've spent enough time finding out all about me, I kinda figured it was time you really saw who your son decided to mess with." Glaring at her, Lucy pushed past the stunned woman and into the house.