Disclaimer: I do not own any characters..make no money..yadda yadda yadda.

It had been a week. A full seven days since Abby had been taken against her will, from the very hospital she worked at. And the FBI was no closer to finding her, then when she had first disappeared. Hope, unfortunately, was fading fast. Especially when the staff knew exactly whose hands Abby was in. In his hands, the word hope, most likely didn't exist in his vocabulary.

The thing that was unnerving Fisher the most was not that he hadn't heard from the kidnapper since that day but the scream that had come across the line, he would never be able to get that sound from his ears, the chilling sound of what he knew was the doctor's last cries. He was looking at her file, Abby's picture that Susan had given him the week before. Abby's case would be featured on America's Most Wanted tonight, and he would once again be interviewed on national television. Fisher didn't see the point, the entire nation knew about Abby Lockhart, it wasn't as if someone would suddenly realize that they knew where she was once they watched Americas Most Wanted.

"Excuse me Agent Fisher," he turned from his make shift post in the lounge, to see Agent Donald Carson talking to him, holding a box. Carson was relatively new to the FBI, and unfortunately this case was his first actual field experience, to bad it would probably end with yet another murder victim. Maybe it would be a lesson for Carson's future cases, don't hold onto hope, it usually didn't pan out the way anyone wanted it to. Fisher had learned that hard lesson himself years before. When he himself was just a promising young agent, he had been with the FBI for only five years, when he got "that case" the case that changes an agents perspective on everything. Ten years ago, a man had attempted to rob a bank, but it turned into a hostage situation. The FBI was called in and Fisher's partner, Randal Sims, was the agent in charge. A gun battle had erupted on day two of the crisis, and Sims had dove in front of Fisher, taking the bullet that was meant to end Fisher's life, not Sims. That day, Fisher lost all hope in humanity, and had yet to regain it.

"This box just arrived, its addressed to you and marked urgent. Were you expecting something sir?" Carson asked as he handed the box over.

Fisher ignored the agent and set the box on the table and began cutting into it. Once open, he looked inside, and pulled out a piece of white copy paper, on it, hand written was the words: "Here's your damn proof Fisher," before he dug even further into the box, he reached behind him and pulled on a pair of gloves. Carson, seeing this, grabbed a pair of gloves himself, before picking up the paper and examining it himself.

"Carson," Fisher began, "I need you to get Dr. Lewis and Jake in here now, but keep it quite," he told the agent once he realized what he had just pulled out of the box. He was still staring at the items when his cell phone rang.

"Fisher," he answered casually.

"Did you get my present?" the voice on the other line, a voice Fisher could easily identify, asked.

"Where is she?"

"Abby?"

"Yes, Abby!" Fisher was trying his best to stay calm and level headed.

"Was that a hint of anger I just sensed Agent Fisher?" the man laughed into the phone.

"Just answer my question," he turned around just in time to see Susan and Jake rush through the door, and them seeing him on the phone.

"Not until you answer mine,"

"What?"

"Did you or did you not get my present?" Fisher looked back at the box, Susan and Jake following his gaze, and the upset look on their faces when they saw what the box had once held.

"I got it. Now answer mine,"

"She's here, asleep. Been asleep for quite awhile now, probably a good thirteen hours, must be the drugs. Hope she's still alive in there, I don't want to lose her just yet."

"How do I even know she is still alive?" it was back to playing games with this guy, Fisher hated playing games.

"Oh I see what you're getting at Fisher, no need to beg, I'll put her on the phone, but on one condition."

"What's that?" Fisher didn't like where this was going.

"She doesn't talk to you, only her doctor boy," Fisher turned to face Jake, what else could he do?

"I can arrange for that to happen, but now I have one question,"

"Sure, can't guarantee I'll answer though." Fisher heard the sound of keys unlocking a door.

"What can I do to assure Dr. Lockhart's safe return?"

"You know I've never considered a ransom, I'll have to think about that one, now put doctor boy on the phone,"

Fisher looked up and Jake and spoke softly, "Jake, would you like to speak with Abby?" everyone in the room froze, nobody could actually believe that Abby might actually still be alive, especially Fisher and the other agent. But this was his chance to find out if they FBI still had time to find Abby.

In a flash Jake had grabbed Fisher's cell phone.

"Abby? Are you there?" he could make out some commotion in the background, but couldn't understand what was being said.

"Jake, is that you?" she sounded like she had just woken up.

Jake let out a sigh hearing her voice on the other end of the line, but he needed to keep his emotions in check, "are you okay? Has he hurt you?" The questions that had been plaguing him since she'd been missing, but at the same time, he wasn't sure that he really wanted to know.

"Jake," he had tears rolling down his face now; she didn't sound like the normal, confident, stubborn Abby he was used to. Now he could hear the fear in her voice.

"Abby listen to me, we are going to find you okay?" there was silence. "Abby?"

"Jake, you promised..." Abby's voice trailed off for a moment, "why did you promise?" and then the phone went dead.

"Oh God," Jake knew exactly what Abby was referring to. He dropped the phone on the floor and then ran out the door, nearly running over Carter and Pratt as he did. He ran straight into the men's restroom and into the first empty stall, sticking his head into the toilet just in time as he vomited up the contents of the last meal in his stomach. He didn't realize that he had company until the voice spoke.

"Jake, what happened?" it was Carter. "Its okay, calm down, what happened?"

"Abby blames me," it was a very simple statement that left Carter floored.

"What? How do you know that?"

"He let me talk to her. She asked me why I promised her,"

"Promised her what?" Carter was lost, what was Jake talking about?

"That I would protect her, that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. And now look were she is!" he looked over at the attending, "She was so scared, I heard it in her voice. It wasn't Abby; I didn't want to believe that it was her. That's how bad she sounded. I didn't want it to be her, but it was. Who knows what the bastard has done to her." Jake stood up, "Damn it!" he punched the mirror instantly shattering it, then dropping back down to his knees, the stress, and exhaustion from the past week finally catching up with him.

Susan walked in, worried as she saw Carter staring down at Jake, wondering what to do or say to help comfort the young man. Carter, himself, was having a hard time with Abby's abduction. Kerry had even gone as far as to making every member of the ER staff that had worked closely with Abby, to go to counseling, at least once. Carter had been asked by the therapist to return, as had Susan, Sam, Jake and Luka. Apparently Dr. Winters believed that those four needed multiple sessions to help deal with the stress.

"Jake" the news Susan was about to deliver would just make the situation harder. "Agent Fisher needs you to identity some clothes, he thinks they are Abby's" hell they were Abby's the green scrubs, and the white lab coat that had her name embroider on it, but Fisher had to hear the words "yes, those are Abby's" before he could do anything else. Jake nodded, trying to regain his composure, but Carter spoke first.

"Susan, not now, he needs stitches," Carter pointed to Jake's hand which was now bloodied with glass everywhere. "Come on Jake," with that, Carter helped Jake stand up and led him out of the bathroom, into the busy ER hallway and towards the suture room.