ABC owns them

Chapter 16

Travis Johnson drug Natalie out of the hospital after the gun went off. Natalie's face was stained from silent tears that were running down her face from when she saw John get shot. She felt helpless and afraid but she knew he was in the best place possible for such injury. They would work on him quick and help him. She sighed briefly knowing she had to keep it together long enough to get herself out of this.

She heard the sirens and so did Travis as he was unraveled by just hurting John. He grabbed her tighter and threw her towards a car.

"Get in" he told her and she was just waiting for a chance to get the upper hand, but now wasn't the time. She got in the car as he demanded and then he pushed her head down as they saw the police cars surround the Hospital entrance.

Natalie was on the floor of the car. He had his hand pushing her down and not releasing her as she started to work on talking herself out of this one.

"I know you didn't mean that" she said as he still held her down towards the floor.

"Mean what" he said tensely as he released her and she moved herself up in the seat. He still held John's gun along with the scalpel and she knew she needed to be smart.

"That man, I could tell you didn't mean for the gun to go off" she told him and she saw a slight break thru, very slight but his edge was dulling a bit.

"You just don't seem like the type to me, to kill someone for no reason, I mean that guy... the one I saw you discarding in the bushes. He was probably a very bad man. I can look at you and see that you're the type of person that could only hurt someone by accident or if they had it coming to them." she said and he looked at her, she froze inside. This was either going to work or it wasn't. She looked across the dashboard of the car and saw Bruce run out of the hospital talking frantically to some other officers.

"We have to leave now, those men are police, if they catch you here…" she told him hoping to get him to trust her. Travis looked at her and then looked at the police gathering outside the Hospital. He started the car and slowly drove away from the hospital. After a few minutes of silence Natalie spoke softly again.

"What did he do? That bad man" she asked him as she saw him turn off onto a nearby dirt road just outside the city part of Llanview. He stopped the car; she took a deep breath in and watched his face.

"He took someone from me. Someone I loved, someone I can't live without" he told her and she sighed quickly as she saw him put the car into park and start talking.

"She was everything to me. She was my light at the end of a dark life and now she's gone. They took her," he told her and he started breaking down a bit.

"I'm sorry," she said softly and she placed her hand on his that was resting on the steering wheel still holding the gun. He brushed her hand off his and looked into her face.

"No you're not. You couldn't possibility be. You couldn't possibility begin to understand what I've been thru. No one can" he said but didn't stop talking

"I mean our relationship, our marriage wasn't ... well... It wasn't always the best but... she loved me and in her own way… It was one-sided at times but not always" he told her and she now knew there was more to killing Dr's then just Sheryl Johnson dying on the operating table.

"One-sided, now that I can relate to. Been there done that," she told him and he looked at her curiously.

"You know then, how it feels to love someone so intensely put up with all there shit because with out them you feel like nothing, less than nothing. I was nobody before I met her. She was everything and then... then she cheated with some DR, said he was better than me. I Loved Her Damn it! I did it all for her. Do you think she had ever loved me the same, No, one-sided, I loved her till the day she died, and get this... she died on the operating table under a Dr's care. Isn't that a kick in the ass." he said and he broke down completely.

"You poor man. Its funny how one person in a relationship always seems to love more, pick up the slack more, just give more" she told him, and this was definitely a subject she knew, she could relate too.

"How you just do anything to please that person. You'd care and love that person your whole life even if it meant giving up yourself, who you are inside" she told him and he looked at her. A few tears started to run down his cheeks.

Natalie saw he was an emotional wreck. She took her hand and softly and gently started to take the gun from him. He saw her hand on his, taking the gun and tightened his grip on it for a second.

"I have nothing to lose," he told her

"Yes, you do" she told him and within a few minutes he handed her over the gun. Natalie was about to tell him to get out of the car slowly when next thing she knew the car was boxed in by two police cars and Bruce was coming out of one slowly with his gun drawn.

Natalie stepped out of the car with the gun in tack pointing also at Travis Johnson. Bruce saw she had the gun and he motioned for a few officers to go arrest Travis as he grabbed Natalie aside.

'Good work Buchanan, you want a ride to back to the hospital' he asked her knowing she needed to get back to see John.

"How... How..." she started to talk but it was all really hitting her now, he seemed to be shot pretty bad.

"They rushed him right into a operating room. They'll take good care of him," he told her as he drove, and after a few minutes he asked her about what went on wit Travis Johnson.

'How'd you do it? get the gun away from him"

"I talked to him, about something I can relate to' she said and he approached the hospital, she didn't wait for the car to stop, she jumped out of it.

"Eve" she said as she entered the hospital

"Natalie, you're okay? He'll be so happy to see that when he gets out of surgery"

"They're trying to remove the bullet they say its lodged in between to vertebra and its a bit challenging but they'll do it and without any complications, I just know it" Eve said as she smiled weakly at Natalie.

'Not a good week for the McBain's is it?" the woman said as Marcie came out wheeling Michael out to see his mom. Michael looked briefly at Natalie as he saw her start to walk towards the chapel. On her way to the chapel Natalie heard Ron's voice and she looked up.

"Hey, are you alright? I just heard and headed over" he asked her and he tried to pull her into him, she refused his gesture.

"No, its time I take care of myself again" she told him as she continued to walk to the chapel.

Natalie walked into the chapel and went to the back of the room. she lit a candle and then took a seat. She held her face in her hands and sat there like that for a few minutes. She said a silent pray for him to be alright and she left the chapel after an little while, she walked back out into the waiting area with John's family and waited, waited for news on the success of the surgery and just to make sure he was alright.

She saw Michael and she went over near him. She sat in the chairs next to his wheel chair and turned to him.

"Always waiting around for John aren't we?" he asked and she nodded yes.

"Yes, but its my last time. I can't afford to wait anymore," she told him as they saw the Dr's walk over to everyone. Natalie moved herself in the back of the conversation, they were his family, and she wasn't. She listened closely and she heard them say he would be fine, no compilations, she let out a breath of air she didn't know she was holding as she started to walk away. She walked out of the hospital.