A/N – Naturally, I'm thrilled at the response and will continue. This story won't be as long as my other ones (so far)! It was just a break from Within, since I've been working over a month on that story! Next Within Part 2 chapter will be up soon as well though… I have a few possibilities of how I want to end this, and I'm just going to keep writing and see what plays out… just to warn you.

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Jack got up again and started to pace back and forth, like he had for the last 4 hours. Tara and Bobby had finally convinced him to sit down, not 5 minutes ago, but Jack just couldn't sit still.

Sue had been taken immediately into emergency surgery upon her arrival, and the entire team had been forced to wait and wonder what was going to happen. Lucy had broke down into tears, but after 4 hours of waiting, had fallen asleep out of exhaustion on the hospital waiting room chairs. Jack couldn't figure out how the time could pass so quickly, but painfully slowly at the same time. His mind would wander from thought to thought, some of them scaring him, some of them comforting him.

'She shouldn't be in there that long, something must be seriously wrong.' He paced again towards the other wall. 'No news is good news. They're making sure that she's all right. Even after surgery it takes time to make sure that she's all right; the doctors know what they're doing.' He started pacing back the other way, his mind in continual conflict. 'It doesn't take this long. Maybe something happened.' He swallowed hard. What would he do if something did happened? He turned the other way again. 'Nothing could have happened. God still had too many plans for her.' He tried to reassure himself by saying that over and over again, hoping that somehow he was a part of those plans, hoping that it wasn't God's plan to take her this early.

Jack suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned quickly. It was Bobby. He didn't say anything, but nodded towards the doctor who was heading their way, his look grim. Myles went over to Lucy and gently woke her, knowing that she was just as anxious to talk to the doctor. A few other people waiting watched the group as they stood together, terrified for the doctor to come any closer, praying he didn't bear the news they were all afraid he would.

"Are you friends of Susan Thomas?" Myles was the only one who seemed to be able to talk, although in a quiet voice.

"She's a friend and a coworker." The doctor nodded. Jack could feel his heart beating faster and faster, knowing that the look on the surgeons face couldn't promise any good news.

"Miss. Thomas made it through surgery." Jack could hear all his friends breathe a sigh of relief, but he wasn't completely convinced yet – not with the way the doctor was still looking at them. "However, she's being transported to the ICU. Her heart stopped in the middle of surgery, and we needed to resuscitate her. She's in a coma, and I must warn you, the chances of her ever waking up are very slim." Jack stood in shock, and didn't even hear Lucy break down and sink to the floor in sobs, Myles holding her closely. He felt someone place a strong hand on his shoulder, but he didn't even react. He could feel his chest tightening, something like the feeling when he had had his heart attack, only this time he couldn't breathe either, and it was a dull, numb pain that pierced at his heart.

The doctor watched them for a few moments, before Dimitrius asked him quietly,

"What are her chances?" Jack looked up and faced the doctor. He needed to know.

"I'd say approximately one in ten. But there's no saying what kind of damage she could have if she does wake up. She lost a lot of blood through her shoulder, which we have repaired, and will heal, but she had bleeding in her brain from the concussion. We've done the best we can, but we don't know if there will be further complications." Jack stared at him in disbelief. This was the best they could do? A 10 chance that a young woman with her entire future ahead of her might live? Jack couldn't take the anesthetic smell, and the gloom of sickness anymore. He was suffocating and couldn't breathe. He couldn't listen to the doctor anymore; he just couldn't. Jack didn't know where his legs were taking him, but he didn't object. He needed to be anywhere but there. He needed to be with Sue, but it was the only place he couldn't be right then, and he would settle for anything other than the desperation of the hospital.

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Lucy was a complete wreck, and seeing as though they couldn't see Sue for at least another few hours, while they got her settled, Myles decided to take her and Levi home, practically dragging them both out of the surgery waiting room. Dimitrius, Bobby and Tara sat in silence, not too sure where to go or what to do. Tara had wanted to go after Jack, the moment he had started to walk away, but Bobby had grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Give him a few moments alone." Knowing that Bobby knew Jack probably better than almost anyone, she nodded, and took her seat again. Twenty minutes had passed and there had been still no sign of him. They all were a little worried, realizing that he hadn't said a word in hours and was probably taking this harder than anyone, maybe even blaming himself. They knew there was no point waiting in that room anymore, so they decided to go look for Jack, before figuring out what to do afterwards.

Tara finally spotted him, sitting hunched over on a park bench across the street from the hospital. She carefully crossed the street, and took the seat next to him.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, feeling her own tears welling in her eyes. As she sat next to Jack, who was looking hopeless and devastated, it finally hit her that she might lose one of her best friends. Jack didn't answer, only looked into the vast distance, all the light gone from his eyes, the guilt masking his face. "It's not your fault." She whispered, as she saw Jack's own eyes struggle to hold back tears.

Tara had seen both Bobby and Jack upset before, when Wes had died. Bobby had been more overt with how he was feeling, but Jack had become withdrawn. They had all seen the toll it had taken on the two men the weeks after, but gradually things had gotten back to normal. Tara knew from talking with Bobby that him and Jack both still missed Wes a lot, but she also knew that if they did lose Sue, it could very well destroy Jack too. After a few minutes of silence, each with their own tormented thoughts, Jack finally spoke, his normal voice masked with emotion and pain,

"I never understood how someone could want to take someone else's life. Until now." Tara looked at him, not fully understanding, until she realized that he was talking about Tony, the rage reflected in the back of his eyes. Tara knew that anger well. It was the same one that the entire team was feeling towards Tony for what he did. But she took a deep breath, and said quietly,

"Sue would've wanted you to forgive him." Jack looked away, and Tara knew that for the time being, he wouldn't understand because she didn't either, and she couldn't fathom forgiving him, but she hoped that one day, they would, because it had been something Sue had taught all of them, and something she would have done, if the situation had been reversed.

Tara felt her cell phone vibrate and she saw a text message from Bobby. She replied, letting him and D know that she had found Jack, and where they were. As she put her phone away, she saw that Jack was still looking off into the distance, unreachable in another world: a world without Sue. They sat in silence for a few moments, until she saw both men heading towards them. Jack and Tara both got up, and she looked him right in the eye,

"I still believe in miracles." Jack nodded, and responded in a barely audible whisper,

"Me too."

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To be continued…