This chapter actually zoomed by before I had a chance to catch my breath, and I just couldn't wait to post it. I feel like I got a little clever at the end when I wrapped it up with Mickey's sass, so anyone who catches the reference earns brownie points. I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter and the relationships that are forming, damaged or growing!

Chapter Twelve

For six agonizing hours they sat in the waiting room of the hospital for word on Barney's condition.

There were several other people who came and went within that time frame, several other patients who were seen by doctors before they were discharged. Nurses moved back and forth across the floor as they shuffled through their paperwork and carried it from place to place so that they could properly treat those who were in the immediate area and needing care. It was like watching the world move forward in slow motion as they continued to wait in silence. Every so often one of them would move so that they could stretch their bodies a little and get the blood flowing back into their legs, but otherwise they remained where they were. Nobody left to get food, and absolutely nobody dared to close their eyes.

She was fighting the urge to close her eyes though as the abuse she had taken began to really catch up with her. There was no more adrenaline coursing through her veins, and aside from the small movements she had made in order to remove the pins and needles feeling from her legs Mikayla remained with the team in the same chair that Lee had initially helped her into. The only other person who hadn't gotten up from his chair to ease the aches from his body was Tool, for the older man was absolutely glued to Mickey's side. He moved only when she did and twisted his body uncomfortably in the waiting room chairs just so that she could lay her head against his arm.

It was the only comfort she sought during that time, a simple touch to reassure herself that there was someone else in the room with her in case her nerves were to fail. And who better was there than Tool, the one man she had probably seen more constantly in her life than any other? Mickey could remember the first time she had heard her nickname spoken aloud. She had been only three years old, and so most doubted that her memory actually served her correctly, but she swore by it. It had been Tool who had laughed and said that she needed a nickname to make her cool.

And so he had dubbed her Mickey.

"Are you the friends and family of Barney Ross?"

All of a sudden the world shifted back into focus as her head snapped up to look at the doctor who had silently entered the room, prompting Mickey to pull away from Tool move as if to rise to her feet. It was only when Tool and Lee both reached out to her with gentle hands that she lowered herself back down to her seat again. But her eyes remained locked on the doctor in her scrubs.

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked quickly.

The doctor paused just long enough for Mickey's heart to freeze. "He suffered considerable damage to his chest, and as a result lost a lot of blood. We lost him a few times on the table but we were successful in reviving him. Unfortunately, as a result of the trauma he suffered, I cannot guarantee that he will wake up."

The room seemed to come to a stand-still. Nobody moved…she didn't think anyone dared to breathe. They had likely all expected that Barney would be in rough shape after his encounter with Church, but this was the very last thing that any of them would have wished. With all that Barney had endured in the past it seemed likely that the old man could pull through almost anything. Yet here was a doctor who was now putting pressure on that hope. She had probably done all she could in the operating room. She'd already said that they had lost him a few times while he was on the table. But as an outsider she could hardly grasp this blow the way his team would.

But it wasn't her fault, Mickey reminded herself. It was just as it had been with her mother, where the doctor's needed to maintain a professional distance from their patients so that they didn't become too attached to them when the inevitable occurred. It didn't make the experience any less painful for the family however, though at least this time around she knew that none of them would have to face this alone as she had had to do. They'd have each other. Lee would keep them together.

"Can we see him?"

"In his condition, we're only allowing the family to go back and see him right now."

Mikayla looked around her at all of the faces who remained in that waiting room. Not a single one had left. Turning back to the doctor, she glanced upward with a steely gaze. "Then you're in luck. Because this is his family."

For a moment it seemed that the doctor considered arguing over the number of people who began to gather toward her at that moment, but she apparently thought better of it as she watched Mikayla struggle to her feet. A frown appeared on her face as she surveyed the look of the young woman in front of her. Obviously the doctor didn't approve of her being on her feet in that condition. Though she wisely kept her comments to herself and just turned to lead the way. A nod to Lee had him following right behind, with the others following suit until only Tool, Gunnar and Mikayla were left to bring up the rear.

She had pushed herself to her feet, but thus far that was all Mikayla had been able to do. Taking the lead as they were directed through the various corridors of the hospital would have slowed everyone else down and she knew that they were just as anxious as she was to go and see him. She would make it there, a little slower than everyone else perhaps but she would eventually get there. And he wouldn't dare leave until everyone had at least been in to see him.

"Go on," she said gently to Gunnar, trying to offer him just a little bit of a smile. "Tool will stay with me. I'll see you soon."

The giant was not entirely convinced that leaving her was a good idea, she could see that written plainly in his face as he glanced up at Tool. Only when the other man nodded did he slow depart to follow the rest of the team, giving Mikayla just a minute to try and steady her nerves before she focused her dark eyes on the door ahead. Her one hand momentarily fumbled at her side in search of something to hold onto, and Tool was quick to respond. His left hand grabbed onto hers as his right arm slid around her back and pulled her a little closer to his body for support. And it was with his help that she began to step forward at a much slower pace than she might have liked. One step at a time, carefully attempting to maintain her balance and leaning into him when needed, the two made their way toward the set of doors that would lead them from the waiting room and down the corridors to where the rest of the team waited.

There were many sets of eyes that fell on them as they moved. Patients, doctors, nurses…many people were curious to know where she was going and why it was that she moved as slowly as she did. The disapproving looks were the ones that she felt the most, a majority of them coming from doctors and nurses she knew all too well that Mikayla was supposed to be waiting in a room of her own for further assessment. But none of their looks or opinions mattered to the young woman as she struggled on. All that mattered was her destination.

Everyone had somehow managed to cram themselves into the single room that Barney occupied, but they made room at the door as soon as Doc saw Mickey and Tool approaching from the hallway. It was like the parting of the Red Sea all over again when they realized that she was there. All of the bodies moved at once, leaving a clear path between the doorway and the edge of the bed. But when her eyes came to rest on the end of the bed and the sheet covered legs that she knew belonged to Barney, her courage began to fail and colour started to drain away from her face. She didn't want to see this, didn't want to consider the fact that Church would have succeeded in killing him…that Barney had laid down his life in order to protect her one last time.

"Mick," Lee was at her other side in an instant, his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do this."

But the brunette just shook her head. "How can I walk away now?" she whispered to him, her eyes never leaving the motionless figure on the bed that she could only partially see through the throng.

"He wouldn't want you to see him like this."

"He doesn't have a choice," she responded. "I'm not leaving."

Her fingers fell away from Tool's hand. As she steeled her nerves for the sight that she would shortly gaze upon at the other side of the bed she pulled away from both men, her teeth grit against the pain she endured with each unstable step. She didn't know where the strength came from to take those steps, but she took them anyway. A half dozen steps forward took her right to the side of the bed, where her eyes finally took in the extent of the damage that had been done to him in his brief capture.

What she saw, however, was not unlike what she had seen with her mother in those final weeks before the cancer finally took its toll and eased her body into an eternal rest. There were tubes and wires all over him to monitor his breathing, blood pressure and heart beat, an aged look upon his face that seemed to add a few decades onto his actual age. The only difference here was that Blanca had not been in a coma, but rather had slept between her brief periods of consciousness so that she could attempt to settle her affairs before her time finally came. It had been a long and painful process for Mikayla to endure on her own. There had been no one else to care.

But now after losing her mother only a short while before, it looked as though she might lose him too.

She didn't realize that her hands were shaking so badly until she reached out to wrap her fingers around Barney's damaged palm. His hand had been broken several times, she noticed, based on the swollen nature of his fingers and the slightly awkward angles that they had taken. Obviously the old man hadn't had anything set properly afterward. Probably too stubborn to spend much time in a hospital, she guessed. But all of the machines that beeped around him seemed to show that he was stable. Unconscious perhaps, but stable nonetheless. For now that would have to suffice.

"Mickey-"

"No," she said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Her eyes never once left Barney, not even to turn around and see which member of the team it was who addressed her. The grip in her hand tightened slightly, but otherwise there seemed to be no other motion that came from her body. Behind her she could hear the soft shuffling of people as they crowded around and whispered in hushed tones, seeming to debate what they were supposed to do. But then, one by one she heard them retreat out the door. The aura in the room seemed to change completely. Without the presence of the others she could feel her own strength slowly begin to slip away, leaving her drained and emotionally overwhelmed.

Leaning into the edge of the bed a little to keep her balance, Mickey could feel her knees begin to tremble from the pressure of standing unassisted for so long. Her shoulders slumped forward, head hanging a little lower than before. All of the signs of fatigue were beginning to show in her posture. Soon she would be running on a less than empty tank, and who knew what sort of damage would be done then.

Very slowly, Lee walked up behind her and placed his hands on either shoulder. "Come on Mick," he started gently. "You need to get some rest. In an hour they'll just come and kick you out anyway."

"So let them," she dared. "They can make me leave this room but they can't make me leave the hospital."

Blinking down at her with obvious confusion, Lee shifted himself to stand on her one side. "What sort of crazy scheme did you come up with now, girl?"

Very slowly, she turned her dark orbs up to look at Barney's best friend. "It doesn't matter. The rest of you need to go home and recharge. I'll be fine here."

At this, Lee couldn't help but frown a little as he resisted the inner urge to roll his eyes. "You can barely stand on your own and you expect me to just leave you?" he asked in disbelief. "You're as crazy as he is."

Mickey didn't reply. Instead she slowly shifted her body and sunk down into the chair that sat directly beside the bed, her face twisted in a look of discomfort all the way down until finally she had settled her body against the cushioned seat. Her one hand remained wrapped around Barney's fingers as she did so, never once breaking contact with the old man. But Lee just shook his head and sighed. She really was just as stubborn as her old man was, he thought to himself. If Barney had still been conscious and able to make the decisions for himself, he probably would have refused the medical treatment that he had gotten up to this point. And he certainly wouldn't have allowed them to keep him in the hospital overnight.

A frustrated sigh sounded from Lee as he ran his hands over his head. His attempts at understanding the situation were proving to be futile at the moment, for he knew that even the most logical argument would fall in deaf ears. Mickey really was like her old man, whether she cared to admit it or not. Exhaling slowly to focus on the task at hand, Lee slowly knelt down side Mikayla and placed a hand on her knee.

"They will come back and tell you that you have to leave," he reminded her quietly. "What are you going to do then?"

"Don't worry about it, Lee," Mickey told the old man gently, taking her free hand and placing it on top of his. "Everything's going to be fine."

But Lee just shook his head. "The guys aren't going to leave you alone."

"I know….trust me. If Tool or Gunnar keep hovering I'm going to start asking them if they've been fitted for their hen costumes."

When Lee chuckled lightly at her joke the tension in the room seemed to loosen a little. Even Mickey had to allow herself to smile. But still she could feel the heavy presence of doubt weighing on her mind. The empty feeling that had invaded her soul was something that she was unaccustomed to. So many moments of her life over the last several years had been spent in isolated missions as she worked her ass off to make the money that was needed to support her mother as her health began to decline. She'd never been honest with Blanca about what it was that she did in order to make the money, though she had always assured her that she wasn't doing anything illegal. Then again, she'd always claimed that she wasn't doing anything dangerous either…and that had been the biggest lie she had ever told up to that point.

Lee bit his lip a little and lifted his head to look at her. "Someone else will be here with you at all times. Just in case Church realizes that the two of you weren't in the building."

"That's not necess-"

"It's not an option, Mikayla," Lee told her firmly as his steely gaze came to settle on her face once more. "Everyone's worried about Barney, and those of us who know you better are worried about you."

There was a momentary pause. Neither really knew what else there was left to say in this conversation. But they were spared from having to pick it up, as someone else materialized at the door at just the right moment. One of the nurses made her way inside and began to check over the various machines that were connected to her patient, eyeing the two people by the bedside with a slight air of authority.

"I'm afraid visiting hours are now over," she announced to them as her fingers pressed a couple of buttons on the machine to her left. "You'll be able to come back and see him tomorrow."

The staring contest that began between Mickey and the nurse did not go unnoticed by Lee, who glanced back and forth for a moment before gently nudging the young woman from her seat. It was only with his firm guidance that the stubborn brunette allowed herself to be lead toward the door, her movements just as unsteady as they had previously been. But as they reached the corridor, she didn't turn back to go the way they had come. She instead turned off in the other direction, catching Lee entirely by surprise.

"Where are you going now?" he asked her.

Her response was simple. "There's one room in the entire building that they have very little authority over. I'll be in there until visiting hours resume tomorrow."

"Where the bloody hell is that?"

Mickey smirked at him. "The chapel."