***I couldn't resist posting another chapter so soon because I'm just so in love with this story and I wanted to share it sooner! Again, I warned you guys that the angst was strong, and I wasn't lying.

***Also, this chapter features Will and Jesse being complete sweethearts and I will not apologize for that.

Chapter 2 – "Waiting Game"

A few hours had passed since Ethan had been brought in by ambulance and Leanne had yet to get 5 free seconds to go check on him. Rollie had informed her that they sent him upstairs to surgery after stabilizing his injuries in Center Stage, the break in his arm bad enough that he needed more work than they could provide him. She had tried to go upstairs and check on him, but then her patient had coded and she had been brought back to reality.

That had been 2 hours ago and she was still itching to see him, but Campbell had said that surgery was taking longer than they expected and that he would come get her when he was done. She had checked and rechecked all of her patients twice since then. She had also made and remade three pots of coffee, cleaned off the break room counter, and folded an entire load of linens in that time.

She hated waiting.

Waiting made her remember the events of her past that she was slowly starting to forget. Waiting made her think of a time when she was stuck in a hospital bed, no news of her family being relayed to her, the fear and anticipation tugging at every string. It made her anxious. And a little mad. But mostly it made her scared. Scared of what could possibly be taking so long. Scared that his injuries may have been more severe that Rollie had let on.

"Leanne." She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Campbell's voice echoing through her quiet office and she took a deep breath before looking up. The normally stoic doctor looked tired, and she braced herself for the worst. "He's out of surgery."

She released a breath before removing her glasses and placing them on the desk in front of her as she stood. "I want to see him." Her tone was strong and her face was set and she was damned if Will Campbell was going to talk her out of being by his side after everything that had happened in the last 6 hours.

"Okay." His soft reply startled Leanne, for she was surely expecting him to fight her on the issue.

"Okay?" She raised a questioning eyebrow and walked around her desk to lean against the front of it. "What aren't you telling me Will?"

The ER director took a deep breath and motioned for Leanne to sit down. When she refused he sighed, clearing his throat before he spoke. "The damage to Ethan's arm was pretty bad Leanne. Both bones were broken in several locations, his hand was crushed, and there were several deep lacerations on top of that." He paused, watching for a reaction from the tired looking woman in front of him, but all she did was grip the desk behind her tighter. "We were able to repair just about everything, but…"

"But what?" Leanne's voice cut him off and he could see her hands trembling against the oak desk.

"He'll probably never be at 100% again." His voice was soft, and he was fighting off his own tears after seeing the normally brave woman in front of him start to crumble. The sob that escaped Leanne's mouth was earth shattering, but Will tried his best not to skip a beat. He took the three steps forward to close the distance between them and pulled the tearful doctor into his arms, hugging her tightly. "He's gonna be okay Leanne. He's alive, and that in itself is a small miracle."

"How?" She whispered against his chest after a few minutes, "How did this happen?"

Campbell shook his head softly against hers and whispered back, "I don't know Leanne."

Leanne pulled back and wiped her eyes with her sleeve before taking a deep breath. "Can I please see him now?"

Nodding his head Will motioned for her to walk with him, opening the door quietly and holding it for her. She saw Jesse waiting for her on the other side and she took his outstretched hand without hesitation. The three made their way upstairs to the room Campbell pointed out was Ethan's and they stopped in the hallway, the silence between them heart-breaking, but not awkward.

"You stay with him." Campbell pointed at Leanne as he spoke. "I'm going to go talk to the police, see what I can find out."

Leanne nodded her head wearily and squeezed Jesse's hand before letting go, reaching for the door knob of the dimly lit room.

"We will all meet here in an hour." He clapped Jesse on the shoulder as he walked past, squeezing Leanne's arm with his other hand before making his way down the hall.

Leanne turned the door handle and made her way inside, stopping as she crossed the threshold and got sight of the man on the bed in front of her. His head was wrapped in gauze, a small patch covering three-quarters of his right eye. His left arm was wrapped tightly in bandages and was resting by his side. She could see the cast on his left foot sticking out from under the covers and the cuts along his neck and shoulder were barely visible in the soft light.

She took a deep, quivering breath, and reached behind her, her hand searching for Jesse's blindly. She felt him wrap his fingers around hers as he came to stand next to her. "What are his injuries like?" Her voice was hoarse, and Jesse could hear the tears threatening to fall.

"Leanne…" He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to tell his best friend just how badly her lover had been injured. He hated giving this news to people he didn't even know. He didn't know how to do it with people that he loved.

"Jesse please." She turned to look at him and his heart broke at the look on her face. "I need to know how bad it is." Her hand squeezed his as she spoke and he could feel her trembling beside him.

Jesse took a deep breath before urging her forward, moving so that they were standing next to the Colonel's bed. "The laceration in his head required staples. There was damage to the tissue above his eye, but it doesn't appear to have affected his vision." He took another deep breath and cast his eyes towards the man who was slowly becoming one of his best-friends and his voice quivered as he spoke. "His left arm was broken in several places, as was his hand. Campbell said there was also damage to some of the muscles in his forearm, likely caused by the lacerations." He reached forward with his free hand to pat the sleeping doctor's arm gently. "His left foot was broken. Clean break. He'll be in the boot for a few weeks."

Leanne reached out a shaky hand and touched Ethan's cheek gently. "Internal injuries?" She didn't want to know the answer to that question, but she knew she needed to ask it.

"Two broken ribs and some bruising along his abdomen. There didn't appear to be any internal bleeding," He looked over at Leanne and spoke the words he knew she needed to hear more than anything, "and there's no damage to his spinal cord or any of his vertebrae."

The breath that Leanne let out could've knocked Jesse over if he was a smaller man, and he smiled slightly when he saw the relief that came over his partner's face. "Thank God." He barely heard her, but it was there, quiet and soft, and she said the words they had all been thinking.

Jesse squeezed her hand gently before releasing it and he turned her so that he could gently push her to sit in the chair next to the bed. "You stay here with him." His voice was soft and the hands on Leanne's shoulder only shook slightly. "I'm going to see what I can find out from Campbell."

Leanne simply nodded her head and turned her attention away from Jesse and to the man laying sickeningly still on the hospital bed in front of her. "Okay." She whispered quietly.

"I'll be back with the others in an hour." He dropped a kiss to the top of her head, squeezed the Colonel's hand once more, and headed out of the dark room, leaving Leanne to stare at Ethan's broken body.