Disclaimer: ER is NBC's and Mike Crichton's.

"Susan, if you'd like to go to the surgical waiting area, I'll take the rest of your shift," Kerry offered not looking forward to the prospect, but still.

"How did you know where she was Kerry? How did you find her?" Susan asked softly. Kerry shrugged, unsure of what to say. Apparently she had a knack for finding coworkers after stabbings. Morbid thought. Susan looked back down at the floor, blood, Abby's blood was everywhere. "She's not going to make it," It stained the tile, the bloodied scrubs that had been discarded, the blanket they had found her wrapped in. Luka and Kerry's lab coats, the back board that she had been brought in on, and of course, Abby's blood stained their hands.

"She might."

"We have no idea how long she was out there, we don't know how long she was unconscious," Susan didn't know that Abby had actually spoken to Kerry. "If she was aware of what was going on.."

"She wasn't."

"She was missing for at least two and a half hours Kerry, who knows.."

"Susan, not now," she had enough to deal with, the thoughts buzzing through her mind at alarming speeds and didn't need Susan's neurosis adding to the mix.

Susan nodded, looked down at the bloody trauma gear and then suddenly bolted, running out, heading for the closest restroom. There was no question in Kerry's mind as to where Susan was going. Personally, she preferred someplace more secluded, outdoors, no one went outside in this weather. Nobody except a psycho who stabbed and God knew what else, innocent people before dumping them outside in the harsh winter.

Not a pleasant thought, but she wasn't going to wretch someplace someone else might hear. She swallowed a few times, to keep everything down. Abby was dying, and the blood was literally on every doctor and nurse on the ER staff right then. Now they had to call the cops, find the bastard who had hurt one of their own.

Susan was in the lounge, on the couch, just staring, not knowing what else to do besides pray. And that she had already done, many times. The door opened, but she didn't look up, soon she felt someone sit down next to her and then a strong hand on her shoulder. Luka gently pulled her close as more tears began to fall.

"She's not going to make it," she kept sobbing into Luka's shoulder.

"You don't know that Susan," he tried to reassure her, but felt the same thing she did.

"You were in the trauma room. Everyone knows."

"We have to give her a chance Susan,"

"I'm not depriving her of one... She's just..."

"Alright…its okay…it will be okay." he spoke softly to her, wishing what he was saying was true. Abby was not alright, would not be okay.

"Don't lie Luka. I'm a doctor, I saw the same thing you did,"

"What do you want me to say Susan? She's grave, you know it and I know it. There is nothing we can do right now,"

"There has to be."

"What Susan?"

"I can't just sit around and wait for her to die."

"You cant scrub in either," he paused. "have the police been notified?"

"I don't know. Thought security would call, but the cops aren't poking around yet. Maybe not."

"Why don't you do that then?" Luka suggested anything that could keep Susan's mind off of the surgery.

After a deep breath, she got the tears to subside, "Can I use your phone?"

"Of course," he reached into his pocket and pulled it, before handing it over. She dialed the number for the police, too much time working in an ER meant she'd memorized it. A deep voice answered, confirming through his greeting that Susan had dialed the correct number, now came the hard part.

"I need to report an attack..."

"And you are?" his voice remained Susan of Frank, Frank who himself used to be a cop.

"Dr. Susan Lewis, Cook County General ER."

"Alright, go ahead,"

"One of our doctors was found in the snow a bit ago. Stabbed repeatedly."

"And is this person deceased?" he asked, no emotion in his voice. "Or what is their condition?"

"Critical, they're in surgery."

"I'm sending officers now,"

"Thanks."

Susan hung up the phone and slowly handed it back to Luka. "You okay?" he asked, already knowing the answer, her best friend was dying. She grumbled something inaudible and sat back. Nothing to do now but wait, wait for the cops, wait for Dubenko, wait for Abby.

Again, the lounge door opened. After a moment, Susan realized it was Kerry. Susan didn't say anything, her mind was upstairs right then.

"Any news from surgery?"

"No," Luka shook his head, "nothing," Kerry nodded, not surprised. At the moment, no news was good news. "What was she saying to you Kerry?" Luka asked, and Susan's head shot up, no wonder Kerry had been so evasive in the trauma room.

She was about to answer when she realized tears were welling up, after a moment's pause to preserve composure, "Not to let her die."

"Oh God," Susan said and once again turned into Luka's chest. Luka, even though he put up the tough guy appearance, his heart broke, Abby had asked Kerry to save her life, in turn, put her life into their hands.

Kerry shook her head and went to her locker. Damn thing wouldn't open. She slammed it once with her fist, and once with her crutch, but it was still stuck. Couldn't remember why she was trying to get into it at first though. Wait, clothes that weren't covered in blood. That was it. She had a change of clothes in there somewhere.

"Scrubs?" Susan knew what Kerry wanted, she had grabbed a few pairs before rushing into the lounge, knowing some of the staff would probably need a change.

She didn't want scrubs, damn it, she wanted her own clothes. Scrubs reminded her of disasters. Chemical spills, stabbings. Wait, there had been a stabbing. "Thanks."

"The cops are on the way," Susan said softly.

"that's good," Kerry didn't bother to enunciate particularly. Nothing about the situation was good, but at least the police were on the way, at least she wouldn't have to be the one to do that.

" Should…I mean..Maggie..don't you think?"

"It's worth a try." Susan nodded and stood up, before walking over to Abby's locker, damn it, what was the combination?

"I think the number's in her file."

Susan nodded again, and kept trying to get into the locker, maybe there was something that could clue them in to what had happened. And then it hit her, "Luka, do you know who the last patient Abby saw was?" maybe the last patient had seen something, just maybe?

"Kid with a broken ankle in curtain three."

"Damn it," she wanted to see the last patient Abby saw, maybe that person could at least give them some information.

"They haven't been discharged yet. Waiting on a cast."

"Do you think, I mean maybe, they saw something, just.."

"Probably not, they weren't up to leaving the immediate area, like I said, still waiting for the cast. Wanted lime green."

"Susan," Luka stepped in, knowing what she was up to. "Don't do this,"

"Don't do what?"

"Let the police do their jobs, why don't you go upstairs?" he spoke as he saw two men walk by in the familiar blue uniforms.

"I should be down here, trying to... trying to-"

"You cant Susan, there is absolutely nothing you can do right now," the door opened and two cops stepped in.

"Prove it Luka."

"You helped get her to the OR, you are the reason the police are looking for an attacker not a murderer right now," not yet.

"Luka, just stop."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," one of the cops began, "but I'm looking for a Dr. Lewis?"

"That's me," she turned to face the speaker.

"Detective Sanders this is my partner, Detective James, we're here about an attack?" he said as he flashed his badge, the blood currently staining the fronts of the three doctors, didn't escape his view.

"Abigail Lockhart."

"I'm guessing that's our victim?"

"Yes."

Over the next twenty minutes, Kerry, Luka and Susan explained everything they knew about Abby's attack. Everything from the phone call to when they gurney was rushed to the OR. "Where are Dr. Lockhart's personal belongings?" Sanders asked looking at the rows of lockers.

"Her locker mostly."

"Which one is it?"

"The one labeled 'Lockhart', over there," Susan pointed.

"Anyone know the combination?" he asked after pulling on it.

"No, that's why it's called a locker, that's why it has a combination..." it seemed Susan was having a hard time staying reasonably calm.

"Personnel would have it," Kerry stayed an administrator.

"Seven, nineteen, thirty four," Luka recalled, she'd asked for something from it a few days earlier.

Sanders nodded and after a few times, successfully opened the locker. Pictures were taped to the door, her coat hung on the hook, everything inside was just as it always was. As if her things were waiting for her to return, just like always, just another normal day. He rifled around a bit, wearing latex gloves of course, until he found a few letters tucked in a back corner. He knew he found what he was looking for, he counted twelve letters, all folded in half, and held together with a rubber band. He unbanded them. Not a single signature, and all written by the same hand. He began to read the first aloud to himself.

'Abby, I've tried to get your attention, unfortunately you have not listened, it is time to face the consequences'

A brief curse escaped his lips, unluckily for him, all three of the doctors had heard.

"What…" Susan started, not wanting to believe what he was reading.

"She was receiving threats."

"That would explain her behavior lately," Luka mumbled.

"Her behavior?" the officer prodded.

"She's been acting…different. I don't know, I just thought maybe she was coming down with something,"

"How long?"

"A couple weeks, maybe a month,"

"A bit long to be 'coming down with something' as you put it."

"If anyone had even offered Abby help, she wouldn't have taken it, wouldn't have let any of us know there was a problem,"

"I see. Was she seeing anyone?"

"No," Susan answered.

"Family?"

"Nobody has any idea where they are," Susan decided against going into the family history.

"I see. No attempt has been made to contact them?"

"Not yet,"

"Is there any hope in that regard?"

"Probably not, its very hard to reach her family at any time," Susan glanced at her watch, Abby had been in surgery for two hours now and still no word.

"Why's that?"

"Abby's family just isn't very close," Luka spoke, getting that Susan didn't want to go into details. Abby wouldn't want that either.

"Do you know any other friends?"

"There's one, but he's currently out of the country,"

"Where?"

"Africa.." she started and then her pager went off, as did Kerry's. and Luka's.

"Dubenko," Kerry said plainly.

"Its only been two hours,"

"I know," anything coming from surgery that soon was most likely bad.

"She…Abby.. She's.."

"We don't know anything yet, Susan," Kerry reminded gently, though she believed they already did.

Susan swallowed and together she, Kerry and Luka headed upstairs, Susan had convinced herself that Abby probably had not made it, now she was trying to convince herself on how to except it. Except that her best friend had just been murdered. The walk had never been longer, the three doctors never spoke a word to each other as they made their way to the floor, to Dubenko, to find out if he had been successful in saving the life of their friend.