Chapter 2

A heart, not a limb

First day on the job at Med, after a week of drinks at Molly's and catching up with his friends, Connor walked in like any other day, already used to everyone again. Maggie was married and adopted a kid, Choi and April too but still trying for a baby, Will was with someone, and Nat was with someone else. That was a tricky situation, Connor knew how they felt about each other, it was a shame they couldn't be together though. He knew all too well how that could happen. The worst part of it was, it wasn't going to last with the other people they had in their lives, not when their hearts were somewhere else. It was only a matter of time. He just hoped Nat and Will would realize that before it was too late. He knew that all too well too.

His thoughts took him back to that day when Robin was kidnapped and he nearly lost her. He didn't want to imagine how he would have survived it, if he would even have wanted to. Mr. Montero's surgery was a very high profile one, everything was riding on it. The hospital was depending on him to bring back the destination hospital status of the hospital after Dr Dawney. Mr Montero had requested for Connor himself and Connor had some glory to gain here too. It was a big deal; and it was to Ava too. He wasn't on good terms with her right now and he had requested for Dr Latham's assistance, together they would have made a great team. Dr Latham was his mentor and a great doctor, odds were the surgery would be a success. But Ava had managed to elbow out Latham and took the position to assist Connor on this surgery, again. How she managed to manipulate her way through everything sometimes impressed him, when he wasn't so mad and wary of her.

In the middle of the surgery, he got a phone call which he was all too ready to ignore but the nurse wouldn't let it go, insisted he took it. He wished he had turned it off in the first place, nothing he was going to hear on that phone was going to make a difference anyway until he was done with this surgery. He consented to taking the call to get it over with, tell whoever was on that phone to call back in about an hour after he was done with surgery, the nurse couldn't seem to do that.

A strange voice came through, "Are you Dr Rhodes?"

'Yeah, and I'm in the middle of surgery now…" He rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to see Robin again?"

"What? Hmm, who's this?" He snorted a laugh, what a strange guy. What had Robin got to do with this?

"All you need to know is that I have her and if you want to ever see her again, you'll do exactly as I say."

He was starting to get alarmed. Why Robin of all people? Who would know about him and Robin? They were not even dating anymore and she had been out of town for almost a year. It had only been weeks since she came back.

"How do I know that?" Connor asked, trying to play smart about it.

Then he heard a scream on the other end of the line. His heart stopped as sure as the clock on the wall would just stop ticking if you took out the battery. But he was still breathing and talking and functioning as he began to take of his gloves and gown, trying to keep the guy on the line.

"What do you want me to do? I'll do whatever you say." The had his attention alright. Mr Montero who, again?

He left Ava to finish the surgery, not giving another thought to it but the scream he had heard on the other side of the phone. He put on his jacket and ran across the corridor from the direction of the OR, ignoring the alarmed question from one of the hospital directors. He sported Dr Charles, still playing it smart, he wrote on a pad for him to call Robin, just so he could be sure it was her scream he had heard on that phone. It was. The phone went to her voice mail, only meant one thing. Connor tore out of that hospital, having instructed Dr Charles not to call the police. He wasn't sure that's what he wanted or if Dr Charles wasn't going to call the police anyway, but that was the instruction. One wrong move and he would lose Robin. He would give anything, what they were asking for, fifty thousand dollars was not even a question. Apparently, they didn't know who Robin was to him, nobody did.

His heart felt like it could beat out of his chest when the guy on the phone told him he had spotted the police outside the bank and dropped the call on him. He went frantic, running back to the stairs of the bank, seeing Dr Charles and Detective Russek coming up the stairs.

No. They were going to kill her. Detective Russek was in civilian clothes; no way they could have known he was the police. There were no uniformed police in sight.

"They knew you had called the police? How did they know?" Russek asked, trying to piece it all together. He had been sent with the task of wiring Dr Rhodes so they could trace him and the money to the kidnappers, keep them on the line and trace them to Robin. How did they know?

"They cut the phone on me. The guy is not calling back." Connor was frantic, not knowing what or even how to think. Oh no God please, please don't let this be it. Let them call back, I'll do anything, anything.

Russek was on the phone, calling his unit to tell them that he had been made, they had lost the lead. Their only lead to rescuing Robin Charles.

Connor put both his arms on his head, afraid of what to think. Dr Charles looked like he was having trouble breathing, but Connor wasn't going over there, he was having his own issues right now. His mind was running through a mincer. Who would know who Russek was? In fact, who would know that he was in the middle of a VIP surgery and to pull him off at a very crucial time? Who would gain from it? Fifty thousand dollars was not all they wanted here; it was something more. Something else. Who would know about Robin? Who would want to get rid of Robin? He was crazy but he was going there. And it was making sense. Abruptly he tore out of the bank, back to his car and raved it back to the hospital. He would be crazy but he would try here first.

Connor tore into the doors of the ED twenty minutes later headed for the OR, but he didn't need to go far. He met the object of his query in the ED. Ava, she was already done with the surgery, convenient. Connor didn't care if she took all the credit or performed surgery on the President, she can have it all. He just needed Robin.

"Connor…. you're back?" Ava enquired.

He approached her, fury and desperation in his eyes, he stood in front of her.

"Connor…what's what's…"

"Where is she?" He bit out.

"Where's who? Connor…are you ok?" She continues, puzzled.

"Robin! Is who. I know you know where she is. Just tell me please. I don't care about anything else, just…just give her back to me please." Connor was less harsh now, more pleading.

By this time the ED personnel and some patients were staring at the scene, puzzled by what was going on but entertained nonetheless. By this time, Dr Chares and Russek had arrived at the hospital too. Jay had now joined Russek, the team was frantically trying to find another lead. With theses cases, time was crucial. It would be nice to find her alive, not like when they found Lindsay's friend too late. No one wanted a repeat on that. Not on someone else they knew; someone they considered a friend. But what was Connor doing?

Connor continued to confront Ava, Sharon had come in to witness the spectacle too, everyone was staring. Perhaps he was the lunatic, he was acting crazy. Then he saw the look. It was as subtle as ever but he knew these looks by now, the ones that told him if she was telling the truth or not. This one was half spite, half laugh at him. It was a look and it froze his heart. She knew. She knew where Robin was.

He got desperate, going down on his knees before her, he begged. Everyone stood in shock, and Ava had a shocked look on her face now too, but Connor had seen a different look and he was holding on to that straw. "Please tell them not to harm her. Please. I'll do anything. Anything you want…please just…don't kill her." His voice was breaking, he was a broken man on his knees and he didn't care. On any other day, he was a statue, ask anyone. But not today, this was Robin and he was defenseless.

"Dr Rhodes, I know this is difficult for you but you can't go around accusing people…" that was Sharon Goodwin, aghast at what was happening in her ED.

Jay didn't try and interrupt, the whole time he had been watching Ava's face and he had seen a look, just briefly but yeah. So, he continued to watch for it. That's when he got a call from Voight, they had a lead, all hands-on deck. Russek rushed to where Connor was and patted him on the shoulder.

"Dr Rhodes, we might have a lead" Russek said knowing there was no way Rhode would stay out of this one. And to his prediction, the surgeon stood up with renewed strength and followed him out the hospital building. Choi and Will were right behind them.

"Hey guys, we're coming with." Choi said.

"This is a police matter…" Jay began.

"We know, but she might need medical help, we're it." Will said. Choi was already shouldering a medical bag.

Jay relented, he knew he couldn't deter them from coming to help one of their own, a friend. And from the looks of it, Connor's woman.

"Ok, do you have a medical hello ready? We gonna need to get there fast." Jay said.

"You can have the medical Helli. "Sharon Goodwin said to Jay, and she didn't protest about losing two of her best ED docs. All the help she could give would be worth it if they could bring Robin back alive. She looked at Daniel and felt pity for him. Everything had happened so fast he probably hadn't called Cece to tell her that her daughter had been kidnapped. She was probably in one of the oncology rooms at the hospital going through her cancer trials.

Dr Charles wasn't going to just stand around the ED waiting to see if they would be bringing his daughter dead or alive. He was coming with.

"Dr Charles, why don't you come along with the hello from CFD medics." Jay said, they didn't have much room in this one already.

Dr Charles relented but he was hitching a ride with the medics for sure.

The plane took off and the questions started firing.

"Where are we going? What kind of lead is this? Do they have Robin yet? Is she ok?"

"Look, I don't know much yet guys. All I know is these coordinates I've been given lead to some kind of remote expanse of land belonging to some guy we've been trailing, where he is supposed to have bur…" Jay caught himself from saying too much. He didn't want to tell the already agitated Dr Rhodes that their suspect may have his estate for a burial place and some of his victims may just be discovered today after being missing for years. Jay was sure Voight had bribed his way, stepped on some toes and threatened to decapitate and bury someone for him to find that information. Jay was not going to ask, he just hoped they would be in time to save Robin this time. Their Chicago was a small world when they gathered together at Molly's for drinks, everybody knew everybody.

Connor was holding his breath, he wasn't talking or asking any questions, he refused to even think about what could be waiting for him at their destination. He didn't want to think about it. And the helli ride was way too slow. Finally, they landed and some CPD vehicles where outside the mansion. Connor jumped out of the helli before it even touched down, so did GI Choi, ready to be in the field. With Jay and Ruseek taking the lead, guns drawn, they approached the house. That's when they heard the single gunshot and Connor froze where he stood.

No. No. God please let that not be Robin. Abruptly he regained his equilibrium, sprinting towards the gunshot inside the house.

"Connor! No, come back. Connor." Jay yelled at him but the guy was a sprinter, running into danger like that without caution. What could they do, they had to run after him, lest they lost him too. Jay was calling Voight, the radios would not be working in this place. Voight wasn't picking.

Damn it! They were going in blind.

Connor got there first, the sight that greeted him bloody on the floor eased his heart, it wasn't Robin. But it was only for a moment, before he heard what Voight had to say.

"What happened?" Jay asked. Voight was rubbing irritably at his nose, that irritated look on his face. Olinsky didn't give away much usually but the look on his face right now said he wanted to kill somebody.

"He shot himself. The guy reached for Burge's gun and shot himself. Bastard!"

"Wait, where's Robin?" Connor asked, confused anxious.

Voight looked at him and couldn't answer him.

"He didn't tell us." Olinsky said.

Connor looked at the guy bleeding on the floor, he was dead. But by God he was going to resuscitate him until he told him where he had put Robin. He looked the guy over, tried to stop the bleeding oozing from his head, no pulse. The guy was dead. He tried to do compressions on his chest, being medically irrational but…the guy knew where Robin was.

"We have a timer. Voight said. The only thing we could get from the guy. We need a search party. Now!" Voight yelled, getting out of the house towards the general expense of land and he had no clue where to start.

"What do you mean Sgt Voight?! Why are we searching out here?" Connor asked, cross. They were not being straight with him.

Voight paused in his stride and gave him his full attention. "She was buried. Alive. And we have less than six minutes to comb this desert land before we lose her."

And there it was. And it was an ugly truth.

"Let's go! Everyone, spread out. Look for freshly dug dirt, a container, anything. Let's go people!"

Voit's voice drew him out of his frozen state. He sprang into action. Not knowing which direction to take, where to start but praying Robin would lead him to her. He has always been able to find her, always been able to sense when she was in trouble, like she could talk to his soul or something. He prayed that she would call out to him again. The clock was ticking, the searchers were few and it was a huge expanse of land.

"Come on Robin, where are you?" Talk to me again baby, where are you? Please Robin." He was searching frantically, too aware that if the time runs out, she will be without oxygen. "Please babe, come on. Talk to me."

And then he saw it, the ring she always wore, the one she got from her father. It was there glittering in the sand. A sign and, he was sure.

"Over here!" he yelled and started to dig the dirt off with his hands. It was soft dirt, freshly dug and his hands would do just find. He wouldn't care if it had been rock hard, he would claw his way through there too. He dug like a mad man, just wanting to get to her.

"Hang on baby, I'm right here. Hang on for me please." He pleaded desperately as he dug. The others had arrived too and started digging, it was frantic team work. Voight looked at the timer and saw it had stopped.

"Somebody get a freagin' shovel back here!" He yelled.

The digging hands were replaced by shovels and they finally hit something metal.

"We're in. Let's keep digging and get through that oil drum." Somebody said.

Connor was not listening; he was terrified of what he was going to see inside that oil drum. God don't let her be dead, please.

They pried the lid off and there she was. Head tilted to lean against the drum wall, eyes closed, lips slightly parted like she had been struggling for air and finally gave up.

No. please no. Connor monotoned as he sprung into action to pull her out, Jay holding her other arm to pull her out. They laid her on the ground and Connor felt for a pulse. There was nothing. He started CPR.

Choi was there with an air bag, an AED ready in case the needed it. Looked like they might not, she might be gone.

Connor wouldn't stop compression, pleading as he pumped her chest.

The other helli had just arrived and that was the sight that greeted Dr Charles as he got out of the chopper. Connor frantically pumping his daughter's chest. Oh God no. No, she can't be. He lost strength and sat at the foot of the helli, watching, fighting to catch his breath.

"I got a pulse!" Will yelled.

And with that Robin coughed, and took a breath.

"Oh God. Oh God. Thank you." Connor whispered, holding her tight in his arms, she was breathing. They had found her in time. He buried his face in her neck and held on. Everyone else took some relieved breaths, they had all been frantic and now the relief was overwhelming.

Dr Charles, watching, suddenly gained strength in his knees. She was alive. His daughter was alive. With that he found the strength to run to her. She was breathing. Oh God, she was alive. It threatened to overwhelm him again, but he kept his new found energy.

"Conor, we need to bag her, she needs some more air." Choi said as he prepared the airbag. Sylvie and another paramedic were already rushing to them with their equipment and gurney. Conor helped hook her onto the monitors and I. V's, he was in control again, as he ran with them to the chopper, ridding with her to Med. Choi and Will squeezed into the same chopper and rode with their patient to the hospital.

Dr Charles had to follow back with Voight and Olynskey, they were both his buddies and knew exactly how he was feeling now. They both had kids and Voight had lost his son almost this same way, he had been a little too late to the rescue. But he had been in time for Robin and Dr Charles could not express it in words how grateful he was.

"Ok, people, look alive! Robin has just landed!" Maggie yelled, assembling her ED staff.

"Oh, thank God, they found her." Natalee said with relief.

"What's the status?" Sharon asked.

"Alive. Is all we know for now." Maggie replied, getting ready to receive the patient.

The ED was ready and alert when Robin was wheeled in. Conor was taking the lead, in command of the situation.

"Robin Charles, GCS 10, O2 on face mask, no obvious fractures. Dehydrated, possible hypoxia, given I.V fluids on the field. Will need a chest Xray, head CT…."

"Connor, will take it from here." Natalie said, taking over the patient. Connor wasn't about to let Robin go.

"I got it." He said.

"No, Dr Rhodes, you need to take a moment. We got this." Maggie said. "Look, we got the top specialist doctors here. Ready to do their best." He looked and Dr Latham was there in the ED, head of the ED was there, even Sam was there in case he was needed for a neuro consult.

"Come on. Come with me." Maggie took him aside to sit him on a chair. He didn't protest, but his eyes were glued to the room where they were working on Robin. Will and Ethan were in there, she had everyone. But he needed to be there. He needed… He got up from the chair and a pain shot to his chest making him bend over.

"You ok, Dr Rhodes?" Maggie asked, alarmed.

"I'm good. I'm good. "he said and waved her away. He wasn't good. He couldn't breathe.

Maggie knew it and knew too that he wasn't going to budge from his place looking into Robin's rooms.

"Dr Halstead, Dr Choi. How are we doing with our patient here?" Maggie asked, the room was full of doctors. There were no new traumas yet so she didn't have the heart to pull anyone out of there.

"Stats are looking up. Chest is clear. No other injuries. I think neuro consult has got this now." Will said.

"Good, come out here a bit. "Maggie called the two privately.

"What's up?" Choi asked

"Somebody needs to take a look at Connor. He's not good." She said and moved away to tend to her other business, all the while keeping an eye on Connor.

He was pale, his lips dry and he was clutching his chest. Will and Ethan made the same assessment as they approached him.

'Hey, we good?" Will asked.

"Sure, just …." and there it was again, the harder he tried to mask it. He wasn't breathing right, something was wrong. He got up on unsteady feet. "How's Robin doing?'

"She's going to pull through buddy. Her stats are coming up, there is nothing else wrong with her." Choi said.

"Good." Connor said, taking some steps away but his feet were unsteady and before he knew it Choi and Will were on either side of him, dragging him to the men's room. He wasn't breathing well; he was really struggling to catch his breath and he was afraid he was going to pass out in front of everyone. What was happening to him?

They dragged him to the basin in the men's room, he washed his own face. He still wasn't breathing right. Then the image came again, Robin in that drum looking dead.

"Hey hey hey." Someone said, he was being dragged to sit against the wall, his head bent over his knees to bring him back.

"You're having a panic attack man. Slow your breathing. Connor hey, slow down, Robin's fine. She's going to be fine." Between Choi and Will, someone was talking but he couldn't hear right, he concentrated on breathing.

They both knew what images were plaguing Connor's mind, they had all seen it. They were all going to have a day or two of nightmares, but Connor had a real rough time ahead.

He was calming down, starting to hear what they were saying, Robin was fine. He had ben stoic about it the whole time but now he gave in to the tears. He shook with them, relief, fear everything being released in those tears. and his friend sat with him and held his shoulders until the onslaught was over. Oh God, she was alive. Phantom limb pain, it will take time but it will pass. He remembered saying that t the guy who had lost a leg. He remembered relating with him and taking his own advice to move on, it will pass with time. Only it didn't, because it wasn't a limb he had lost, it was his heart.

Noah was fidgeting outside the door, hearing everything, he didn't want to intrude but he was gonna stay out here and make sure that nobody dared to go in there. He was going to guard the door.

Maggie caught Natalie as she was coming out of Robin's room. "Hey, did the say what really happened? Where was she held?" she asked

"Will said she was buried alive." Nat said and didn't stay to witness the horrified look on Maggie's face.