In-Jokes: Bruce the EMT, where Lisa was shot, stall 8 and the three nurses are all from the Doctor Who Movie. Pete was in On the Side of Angels and his last name is a slight nod to Peter Davison, who played the Fifth Doctor in Doctor Who.

Chapter Five: Blast from the Past

Gary was excused from talking with the police due to his girlfriend being the victim of a shooting. Riding in the ambulance was more nerve-wracking than the attack itself, mostly because of the questions the EMTs were asking, plus, he was still numb from shock.

"What's her name?" asked the male EMT, a tall, skinny fellow with dark hair named Bruce, according to his nametag.

"Huh?" asked Gary, mostly staring at Lisa. "Oh…Lisa." He tried to hinder anymore questions with questions of his own. "How is she?"

"Stable. She took three shots…one in her right shoulder and two in her left leg."

Gary knew. His own shoulder and leg were throbbing; even after three years and change, he still wasn't very talented in the locking-things-out side of the link.

"Her heart seems a little wild, though."

Gary idly rubbed his chest, where he could feel Lisa's double heartbeat. It didn't feel wild at all…it was irregular, for her, especially the right one. However, he figured it was probably because Bruce's stethoscope couldn't distinguish between one heart and the other, and that's why it sounded faster than normal.

Once at the hospital, Lisa was wheeled from the ambulance into the ER reception area. Bruce was talking to three people – two women and a man – in white lab coats while Gary looked on dazedly.

"Name's Lisa. Mid-twenties. Three gunshot wounds and heart going like crazy," said Bruce, speaking quickly.

"Get her into stall eight!" shouted the man.

Gary was going to follow when one of the nurses stopped him. "Sir, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait."

"But…" he began.

"Sorry," said the nurse, disappearing where they took Lisa.

Gary found himself in a corridor, pacing it up and down, trying desperately to contact Lisa over their link. He got no response, and the echoing ­thump-thump of Lisa's right heart in his chest wasn't feeling at all like it normally should be.

He had no idea how long he was waiting when a voice behind him made him jump.

"I thought you two looked familiar," it said.

Gary turned and saw a young man with sandy-colored hair standing behind him, holding a clipboard. The nametag on his coat identified him as "DR. PETER DAVIS".

"Howzat?" asked Gary, puzzled and still very much affected by Lisa's predicament.

"You don't remember me? I'm the guy you stole the Doc's serum from to break her out of the Institute."

"Huh?" Gary blinked, then finally looked at the nametag, and it clicked. "…Pete?"

"Right," he said. "I don't know whether to thank you or punch you in the nose."

Gary arched an eyebrow. "Look…my girlfriend…how is she?"

Pete stood with his arms crossed for half a minute before consulting the clipboard. "She's stable. We removed the bullets. The head honcho, here, wanted to cut her open to see why she was 'fibrillating', but I talked him out of it."

"You talked…what?" Gary was becoming more and more confused, then he shook his head. "Can I see her? Please?"

Pete regarded him, then spun on his heel. "Follow me."

The young doctor led Gary down the halls of the hospital into an isolated room with a sign on the door that read "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" and a keycard entry pad on the doorknob. Pete used a card from his pocket and some kind of PIN number to open it.

Inside the room was a single bed and non-working hospital machines. In the bed, lying unconscious, was Lisa.

Gary rushed to her side and took her hand in both of his. "Oh, Lisa…" he whispered, tears forming once again in his eyes. He bent over her and gently kissed her. "Lisa…please come back to me…"

Once more, she offered no response. Pete shut the door behind them.

"Now are you ready to listen?"

End chapter five.