A/N: Not much to say except thanks for reading and reviewing and special thanks to SWWoman for her time, patience and endless advice. I hope you enjoy...

Breaking Point Chapter 14

John paced the waiting room floor, desperate for information on how Joss was fairing. She had been in surgery for over two hours already, and the nurse had come out twice to let them know that, although Joss's injuries were serious, she was doing well. The news did ease John's mind somewhat, but Joss had been in there for far too long. He wanted to know specifically what her injuries were so he would know just how to deal with Donnelly, because whatever Donnelly had done to Joss, John would do to Donnelly ten-fold.

"John, please, sit down. You're making the rest of us nervous with your constant pacing," Root suggested softly and received a belligerent glare for her trouble.

Root and Shaw exchanged a look, and then a shrug, and then returned to their own worried waiting along with Fusco and Finch. Finch had arrived just a half hour ago, looking distracted. Every once in a while he would glance at John, something unreadable passing over Harold's face, and then he would look away. The other three noticed this odd behavior, even for Finch, and consulted with one another quietly, trying to figure out what the reclusive billionaire was up to, but came to no solid conclusion other than it involved John.

John's pacing stopped abruptly when, instead of a nurse, a surgeon wearing scrubs came into the waiting room. John was on him in seconds. "How is she? What are her injuries? How long will it take for her to recover...?" John stopped his barrage of questions when the doctor patiently held up his hand, but he didn't smile.

"I understand your need for information. If you'll all take a seat, I'll explain what is going on with Ms. Carter…" the doctor began.

"Joss, call her Joss. She would prefer that, and my name is John," John said softly as he took a seat.

A small smile played across the doctors' lips then as he said, "Okay, Joss it is." Then he became serious once more. "My name is Dr. Caro. I am the surgeon who operated on Joss and, although it's not customary, I will continue her care throughout her stay here. Dr. Tillman and I have discussed this and she agrees with my decision." Dr. Caro paused to take a deep breath. "Joss's surgery went well, although, at first, she was touch and go. Her injuries are….extensive. I don't remember ever seeing a woman beaten this brutally before. Although there were no ruptures, she has a bruised spleen, kidneys, and liver. She has multiple fractures in her left arm, hand and she also has three broken ribs. Her most serious injury, and the one we had the most trouble with, is a punctured lung. It has been repaired and inflated, but she is on a ventilator, and will be for a while. Her lesser injuries are a concussion, cuts, bruises, swollen lips, and black eyes." Dr. Caro finished his litany of Joss's injuries wearily. He had been disgusted by what had happened to this obviously beautiful and vivacious young woman, and as his eyes met the eyes of the man who without doubt loved her deeply, he felt justice would be served in full measure to whoever did this.

John swallowed hard and tried to speak around the tightness in his throat. "How long will it take for her to recover and when can I see her?" He asked tightly.

The doctor sighed heavily. He knew what John was asking and all he could do was give him a straight answer. "Joss will remain in the hospital for at least two weeks; her complete recovery could take several months. You have to understand, John, she was beaten almost to death. If you hadn't found her when you did…..as for when you can see her, she has been moved to an ICU unit already, but she has been put in a medically induced coma to prevent her from harming herself accidentally. She can't speak to you, but I believe she can hear you. So, when you're ready, I'll take you to her." Dr. Caro replied.

John rose from his seat, and without a backward glance, walked toward the doctor, and then they both silently turned to walk down the corridor to Joss's ICU unit. As John walked beside the doctor, his thoughts were in turmoil. John had promised her he wouldn't leave her; he would never leave her again, but he couldn't wait two weeks, much less several months, to go after Donnelly. Donnelly could be anywhere or do anything in two weeks, plus he had Kara to deal with. But Joss came first. John had walked away from her once, and had almost lost her. How could he do that again, especially when she needed him the most?

John and Dr. Caro arrived at Joss's ICU unit, and John was shaken out of his thoughts by what he saw. Joss was laying on a hospital bed, propped partially up, tubes running out of her small body everywhere. Her beautiful eyes were closed in chemical sleep, but they were so swollen he doubted she would have been able to see anyway. Her soft, golden skin was multicolored in shades of purples, and deep dark blues with some redness mixed in. Her left arm and hand were in a cast, and was raised slightly above the bed.

John didn't remember walking into the room, or notice when Dr. Caro slipped away to give him privacy, but suddenly he was beside her, his hand gently stroking her swollen cheek. It's a wonder her jaw wasn't broken, and he thanked whatever god was watching over her that there had been no internal bleeding; that would have been the death of her. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he stood beside her watching her sleep. He watched her chest rise and fall, and was thankful again even though he knew it was the machine breathing for her. That was okay, she would be breathing on her own in no time. Joss was healthy, and resilient, with a strong will to live.

Eventually he found a chair and pulled it beside her bed. As he sat there, holding the hand of her good arm, he wondered if it was all worth it. His need to discover who was after him and Joss had gotten Joss shot. When they discovered who they were dealing with, his need to vanquish Donnelly almost got Joss killed. And he had left her. He would never forgive himself for that. It was stupid and childish, the way he had acted.

Joss needed time to recover. John had promised her he would never leave her again. Maybe it was time to let this go, at least….for a little while. After she is released from the clinic, they could go somewhere for her to heal, body and soul. He needed to talk to Finch. Kissing Joss's hand, John rose from his seat then kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be back soon. I made a promise, and I always keep my promises," he whispered softly, and then turned to leave the room.

John found Harold sitting in the waiting room looking at his phone, and it appeared he was listening to something also. As soon as John entered the waiting room Fusco, Shaw and Root swarmed him, asking him questions about Joss. He smiled softly. This must be what the doctor felt like when John badgered him. John raised his hand and they all became quiet, and he began telling them how Joss looked, how she seemed to be doing, so on and so forth. There wasn't much to tell because Joss couldn't talk and what he really had to say was strictly for Harold's ears at the moment.

After he had told them all he could, he searched out Harold, and then walked over to sit beside him. Fusco went in next to see Joss, while the other two waited patiently for their turn.

Harold turned stiffly in his seat to look at Reese as he sat in the seat beside him and said, "How is she really doing, Mr. Reese?"

John looked at Harold a moment then said, "It's going to take her a long time to get over this, and I don't mean just physically. She needs time to heal, body and soul. That's why I want to speak to you. I know you have money, lots of it. Just how rich are you, Harold?" John asked very quietly.

Harold's eyebrows rose slightly. "Rich enough. Why do you ask, John?" Harold answered and asked vaguely.

John stared at Harold seriously. "I need your help. I made a promise to Joss that I would never leave her again. Never. In order for Joss to heal, body and soul, she needs to be away from here. SomeWHERE we can't be found….someONE that can't be found, if you follow me."

Harold remained silent for a moment then a slow smile began to curve his lips. "How do you think Joss would like Paris, John? I have a very nice villa there. I could have it ready for you just in time for Joss to be released from the clinic; or sooner, if you'd like. I can also provide excellent medical care for her while you are there. As for being someONE that can't be found, that would not be a problem, either. Do you have a particular name in mind?" Harold provided readily.

John returned his slow smile. "I don't know about Joss, but I'm not particular about the name, Harold, and Paris in spring is perfect for healing….everything. I think Joss will love it. With her mother and son safely ensconced with relatives down South there should be no problem getting her out of the country…." John trailed off as a thought struck him like a thunderbolt.

Harold frowned at the sudden stunned look on John's face. "John. Is there something wrong?" he asked urgently. Had something happened to Joss, and John knew somehow through their strange connection?

John turned back to Harold, still a little shaken by what he was about to ask, but the more he thought about it, the better he liked it. Finally he asked, "Harold, how good are you at faking death certificates?"

Harold stared at John in confusion until a light turned on and he made the connection. He drew in a sharp breath. "John. Are you sure you want to go forward with that type of elaborate plan? It would mean…."

"I know what it would mean, Harold, but think about it. If Donnelly thinks Joss is dead, and I'm reduced to a shell of a man, which would be true, Donnelly and Kara both would consider their job done. Joss and I would still need fake names to get out of the country, and we would have to investigate Donnelly from afar, but that's what they make computers for, plus there's always your Machine to help us out." John said all of this in quiet excitement. It would work, he knew it would. The main issue, though, was to let Joss heal. Donnelly could wait.

Harold thought for a moment, weighing all the pros and cons such a plan would entail. In the end, Harold had to admit that the pros far outnumbered the cons and the plan, if executed correctly, was a good one. If they were going to do it they needed to do it right. Standing up from his seat, Harold turned to John, "Okay, John, we'll do it your way, but if we are, I need to talk to Dr. Tillman and Dr. Caro. I'm going to need their assistance to make this look legitimate." Then he turned and limped out of the waiting room.

John watched Harold leave as Fusco returned from seeing Joss. John's mind was racing with the plans that he had made in the last half hour. Seeing Fusco, John waved him over, he was going to need Fusco's help since he was Joss's partner, and Fusco worked homicide. Fusco sat heavily in the seat that Finch had vacated.

"Man, she looks rough. I could rip Donnelly apart with my bare hands for doing that to Carter!" Fusco grouched angrily.

It took John a minute to catch up with Fusco, his mind still on the plans he and Harold were discussing, but then Joss's bruised and battered faced floated into his vision, and those angry embers flared into flame once again.

"I know how you feel, Lionel. It tears at my gut every time I think about it, but listen; I need to talk to you about something. It's important, and Harold and I are going to need your help," John said softly, looking directly at Lionel.

"What? What is it? I'll do anything to help Joss," Fusco said immediately.

John proceeded to tell Fusco everything, especially about Joss's fake death because they were going to need Fusco to play his part as well; not only as a grieving partner but as a homicide detective investigating a homicide.

John was just finishing up when Harold shuffled back into the waiting room and walked over to stand in front of John and Fusco. John looked up to meet Harold's gaze. "I've just finished telling Fusco our plan and what he would need to do. How did it go with the doctor's?" John asked as Harold found a chair, pulled it in front of them and sat down wearily.

"Well, as I expected they balked at first, but when I explained the situation they agreed it was the best plan for all involved," Harold stated quietly.

"What's the best plan for all involved?" Shaw asked, interrupting their little meeting. "We've been watching you two collaborating over here since John got back from seeing Joss. And now you've pulled Fusco in on it. What are you guys up to?" Shaw asked bluntly with Root right beside her.

John glanced at Harold who nodded his head ever so slightly, and then John blew out a long breath. "Have a seat, this might take a while." So John proceeded to fill Shaw and Root in on what they planned to do. By the end of it, everyone was in agreement that it was a good plan and they all had their assignments.

The ball was already rolling when Fusco received a call that it had been reported by the hospital that Jocelyn Carter had died on the operating table and he was needed at the 8th immediately. Fusco played his part beautifully, saying loudly and angrily that he knew about Carter because he was at the damn hospital and he was going to have the head of whoever did this to his partner. And so it began.

John made his way back to Joss's ICU unit and sat in the chair beside her bed, taking her small slender hand in his large one. He rubbed the back of her hand absently with his thumb as he gazed at her beautiful, bruised face. He had to admit, he was tired. He thought maybe he needed rest as much as she did. They had been running for so long now, over a month. Let Donnelly have his little victory….for now.

Soon it would be just him and Joss in Paris in the spring. Gazing at Joss he decided to talk to her, even if she couldn't respond. He had a lot to say, actually, he had just never taken the time to say it.

"Sweetheart, I've got some things to tell you. Some things I should have told you a long time ago, but my stubborn, distrustful heart wouldn't let me. Well, things have changed, I've changed, and it's all because of you. You changed me, Joss." John said to her quiet form, but he knew that Joss heard him. He could feel her warmth touch his and he smiled. Then taking a deep breath he began.

"My name is John Davis Reese. I was born May 4, 1972. I was adopted as a baby by Connor and Margaret Reese…."

A/N: As you've probably guessed this is the close of this particular adventure...but it's not the end. I am already working on a sequel to follow this at some point in the future, but due to ongoing health issues I decided to close this story here, and concentrate on my other story, Chaos. So hopefully I will be able to post for Chaos regularly, and bring that story to a beautiful end. I want to say thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and followed me on my first journey into fanfiction and for making it such a fun and delightful discovery! I'm sure there will be more to come because Careese lives forever...See you soon...