Disclaimer: Mary and Marshall belong to David Maples. If they hadn't been misused by others I wouldn't be writing this.

Provoked Too – Chapter 18 – Down and Out

Pulling into the emergency entrance of the hospital, Mary sees Marshall being unloaded from the ambulance and bails before Lucas can stop the car. She plows through the doors keeping an eye on Marshall's gurney and only stops when she hits the doors marked NO ADMITTANCE flanked by two hefty orderlies. She changes course striding over to the desk, badge in hand. "I'm the partner of the United States Marshal who just went through those doors. Where are they taking him?"

The nurse gives her a frank gaze. "They're taking him to be assessed. Please give us a few minutes, and I'll let you know. You said he's a marshal?"

"Yes."

"I assume you want a private waiting room?" When Mary nods, she signals another nurse to mind the desk. "Please follow me."

Despite the noisy ER Mary hears hurried footsteps closing in on her. "Lucas?" she asks without turning around. He stops behind her huffing from running from the parking lot. "Yeah, I'm here."

She points her thumb behind her. "He's coming with." The nurse leads them down a narrow corridor to a broom closet of a room with tacky vinyl benches and plastic chairs.

Before she leaves the nurse asks, "What's the patient's name?"

"Marshall Mann."

The nurse is puzzled. Mary sighs and rolls her eyes. Did his mother even think about the confusion his name would cause? "Yes, he's a marshal and yes, his first name is Marshall, last name M-A-N-N." Seeing the concern on Lucas' face, Mary reconsiders. Marshall needs to be protected at all costs. Caldwell and his cronies would know not only his real name but his cover name.

"This man is a US Marshal with enemies who won't hesitate to turn your hospital into a killing zone just to get to him. It's vital that his real name not be disclosed on any hospital records. Use Marshall Doofus spelled D-I-E-U-F-U-S for his records. Got it?"

The nurses' eyes open wide. She's dealt with law enforcement before but never one this fierce. She looks to Lucas, whose thin lips grimly confirm that the distraught woman is deadly serious.

"I'll make sure that happens. The name of this patient is Marshall Dieufus?"

"That's correct," Despite the gravity of their conversation, Lucas can't suppress a smirk. "I'm his medical proxy." She hopes she's his medical proxy. He hadn't mentioned changing it to Abigail.

Lucas takes her by the elbow. "Sit down Mary. You're starting to shake."

The nurse looks at the disheveled woman, puts a hand on her forehead and takes her wrist. "Are you injured?"

"No, no," Mary insists. "Not me, it's Marshall." Having done her duty by her former partner, Mary closes her eyes. Her head lolls as her knees buckle. Lucas grabs her around the waist. "What's wrong with me?" she whines.

The nurse gets in her face. "You're going into shock. You need to get your feet up. I'll bring you a warm blanket." Mary sits and Lucas put his jacket around her.

What in the hell is going on? I should have gone with him. Why did I think it was safe? Why is everything blurry? Marshall, Marshall! There was no blood. No blood!

Lucas lets her be until the nurse returns with a blanket. When he starts tucking it in, she rouses. "Stop fussing. I'm fine, I don't need a damn blanket."

Lucas takes her hands. "Then why are your hands cold? Why are you shivering? Your body is telling you something. You need to pay attention." He pulls his jacket up higher on her shoulders and puts his arm around her. "Just rest. Just for a minute." She put her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes. The two person vinyl seat allows him to sit close. When she doesn't protest, he pats his chest and pulls her head down.

"Ack!" she rears back. "That's no pillow! You're still wearing a vest."

"Picky, picky, picky." Lucas had forgotten. It seems like hours since the shootout at the warehouse. He stands and divests himself of the hard tactical gear. "The nurse said to put your feet up." He takes her feet and places them on a chair. "Now rest." He pats his chest again. "C'mon, there's no hard vest, just hard muscle." He uses his embrace to draw her close. She tries to keep some distance between them, to stay upright, but her eyes close and her body sags without permission. Surrounded by the warm blanket and Lucas her breathing evens out. Lucas ignores his own fatigue and holds her gently staying alert, keeping watch.

She's asleep when the nurse returns. Lucas puts his fingers to his lips silently asking her to let the exhausted woman rest. The nurse whispers, "He's in a room. You can come in and stay till they take him to imaging."

"Is he awake?"

"No."

"Then we'll stay here. Thank you." He's relieved when Mary doesn't stir.

A little while later Mary wakes up, grumbling and berating herself for resting while her partner lies injured. Lucas has his head back, eyes closed. As soon as she looks at him he opens one eye and gives her a warm smile. What is it about this man that allows her to relax enough to fall sleep? Or is she so exhausted that she would have slept anywhere? "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, it's just us," he assures her, removing his arm. "Is there someone we should call? His boss? Family?"

Mary leans away from him, pawing her hair off her face, ignoring his questions. She shakes her head still caught up in her worries. "I don't understand. He shouldn't have collapsed. That's not Marshall."

Lucas hasn't seen this side of Mary. He's seen her soft and upbeat with her baby, but in her role as a marshal she's always been confident. Why is she questioning herself? Why did seeing Marshall fall hit her so hard? Is it because he's been her best friend for the last ten years? Lucas fears it's because she now sees Marshall as someone more than her partner or Chief. "You need to talk to someone about that. I'm right here. You know I won't judge you."

Mary glares at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Sure, hit me while I'm down why don't you? I don't need a damn shrink."

He gently takes her hand. "You know, I came to Albuquerque because I couldn't get you out of my mind. You are a fascinating woman Mary and I can see myself intrigued by you for 20, 30 even 40 years – if you didn't kill me in my sleep." That elicits a tiny upturn of her lips.

"The older we get, the more times we miss a date with death, the more we realize that our time will come. When we see a comrade fall, regardless of the injury, we are forced to face our own mortality. That's part of what's happening to you now. Then there's survivor's guilt. Why him? Why not me? It will take a while for you to work through it. But you will."

Mary, doubtful, looks into his eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because you are strong, resourceful and practical. You know you won't be any good to Marshall if you can't deal with this. And Norah needs you. You have to be there for her. Besides, it's who you are."

Mary slumps in her seat, eyes closed, and exhales. "You think you know me that well?"

"Not as well as I'd like, but I've seen others where you are. I've been where you are. I can help if you let me." She glares at him and he can almost hear her railing against his analysis. "We could be good together. Maybe even great. You, me, Norah. I'm ready to settle down and I'd love to settle down with you because life with you will never be boring."

Mary sobs, hiccups and laughs. "Are you proposing?"

"Well I'm proposing to propose. I don't think you're ready."

"Damn straight! We haven't even knocked boots." Why is that? He is easy to be with. She always thought loving someone should be easy. She had hinted several times that she was open to some action between the sheets, but Lucas never took the hint even though she was sure he understood what she was offering.

"Give me a little credit. You are a desirable woman but I'm not some horny 16 year old. I can wait. I'm not looking for a one night stand." He looks away then focuses on her eyes. "You can have sex without being intimate." She gives him a WTF stare but remembers a few cowboys she used to blow off steam. "That's not what I want."

His eyes are still locked on hers. "You've shared a lot of your life story with me. I bet there are only a handful of people who know it, who know you. You told me even though I haven't told you much of mine." He looks away, troubled. "I don't want to burden you with my demons." He caresses her hands and turns back to her, his eyes soft.

"I'm not asking you to decide. It's too soon and I don't want to lose you." He smiles sadly. "But I can't lose what I never had. I know you need time and now's not the best time when you're worried about your partner. Please," he pleads. "Once things settle down, think about us. When Marshall recovers talk to him. All I'm asking is that you look at your reactions today and see what they tell you. Okay?"

She nods, and takes his jacket from her shoulders.

"Hang onto it. Your hands are still cold." He smiles wryly. Mary sniffs and takes the Kleenex he hands her. "Thanks."

"Is there someone you should call?"

She puts her feet on the floor and looks over her shoulder toward the door. "I don't want to call his parents until the docs tell us something."

"What about Stan?" He's doing his best to distract her. "You told me he was more than your former Chief. He's a friend, right? He'd want to know, and he'd understand that you don't have all the details."

Mary nods and sighs. She needs to do something. They've only been here a short time and already the waiting is unbearable. "Okay."

As she gets her phone out, Lucas asks, "You want coffee?"

"Yeah, sure," she responds distractedly.

He stands and pats her shoulder. "I'll be back soon. You going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Go." She gives him a watery smile, showing Lucas she'll be okay alone in the small waiting room.

You've got Stan. Mary? What's wrong?"

Despite the circumstances, Mary is gratified Stan knows she wouldn't call at this hour if it wasn't serious. "It's Marshall," she bites back a sob. "He's been shot. He was wearing a vest!" she babbles. "He was fine after. Sat up, talked, everything." She stops, the lump in her throat is too big. "I was there. He was okay. We started walking to the ambulance and . . . . and he collapsed! There was no blood, Stan. No blood."

Is anyone there with you? He's only seen Mary lose it once, but she sounds close to unraveling now.

"Uh, Lucas. Lucas Provo. You remember him?"

The JAG lawyer? Why is he there? Stan knows if he can keep her talking she'll calm down.

Mary sighs, and leans back. "How much do you know about the shootout earlier this month?"

The one with PD, ATF and the gun smuggler's gang? I've read the reports. Lucas was with you that time, right?

"Right. Tonight we were supposed to meet with Michael, the ATF agent. Lucas, Marshall and I were waiting for him when he called. He said Caldwell was down and he was going in. I knew it had to be a trap, Stan, but we were cut off before I could tell him," Mary exhales tremulously.

"We went to get him. And yes, Marshall called for backup. So did Lucas. But we couldn't wait. We had to get there before they killed him."

How is he, the agent?

"All he got was a bloody nose. He was tied up in an office in the back of the warehouse. When I cut him loose he joined us then it became a shooting gallery. When the gunfire stopped, Marshall thought it was over, and walked out of the office into the warehouse and he got shot. He was wearing a vest and a helmet, Stan," she cries. "He's supposed to be okay."

Mary, listen to me. Mary sniffs. Marshall is tough. You know that. He pulled through last time and he will pull through this time. What happened next?

"Right. Okay. The uh ATF agent and Lucas cornered Caldwell. That son of a bitch shot Marshall! The PD put him in bracelets. He damn well better be locked up."

Stan is silent for a minute. I take it you don't know who he's working with. That bastard put one over on the Marshal Service for years. His friends might try something. Let me check and call you back. Okay?

"Okay." Her voice is small, tentative. She puts her hands in front of her face still clutching her phone as her body shudders.

"Mary?" She looks up to see Lucas, coffee in hand. She swipes at her tears. Lucas does her the courtesy of pretending he doesn't notice as he hands the coffee to her. "What did Stan have to say?"

She breathes out slowly and clears her throat. "He's going to make sure Caldwell's locked up."

Lucas settles in the chair next to her. "Good idea. He's got to have connections. Someone could try to spring him."

Mary growls grimly. "He better not get out. I'll hunt him down like the mangy douchebag he is. I'll put a hook down his throat and pull his balls out through his nose. I'll shoot him dead, so help me god."

Glad to see her fire return, Lucas adds, "And I'd be right there with you."

Mary cuts her eyes to him. "Why would you do that?"

"Someone has to have your back – for Norah, if not for you. Drink some of this swill while it's hot." She puts her hands around the paper cup and they sit waiting for the nurse, waiting for Stan's call, just waiting.

Lucas takes their empty cups to the trash. "Now come on." He pats his chest. Mary settles her head on his shoulder. His steady heart beat and warm embrace allow her to breathe, but she's determined to stay awake. She's still clutching her phone resting her hand on Lucas' chest. When it rings, she jerks awake clocking him on the chin.

She mouths a silent apology as she answers, "Stan?"

Yeah. He's in federal lockup. I talked to the jailer and arranged additional guards. The AUSA has to approve all visitors, even his lawyer and I know the guards personally. He's not getting out of there Mary. Just concern yourself with Marshall and keep me informed.

"Yeah, Stan. I will."

No word on Marshall?

"Not yet."

Call me, Inspector, Stan commands and hangs up before she can answer.