Disclaimer: The usual. Nothing you recognize is mine.

Spoilers: If there are any, then they went right over my head.

A/N: Couldn't keep you waiting too long, so here is the next chapter. Again this is un-beta'd. Let me know if that bugs you. If it doesn't bother you, then it doesn't bother me.

This garden universe vibrates complete.
Some we get a sound so sweet.
Vibrations reach on up to become light,
And then thru gamma, out of sight.
Between the eyes and ears there lay,
The sounds of colour and the light of a sigh.
And to hear the sun, what a thing to believe.
But it's all around if we could but perceive.
To know ultra-violet, infra-red and X-rays,
Beauty to find in so many ways.
Two notes of the chord, that's our fluoroscope.
But to reach the chord is our life's hope.

Flack quickly grabbed his radio, calling in the shots fired and a suspect description. There was only one way to run after he got off that fire escape, so Flack told the dispatch everything he knew. He barely heard the response. "We have two units in the area. They will be there shortly. ETA two minutes out. Will canvass the area for suspect."

Flack didn't care. He looked at Lindsay, and held his breath. She had two gunshot wounds. The one in her stomach was not bad at all. It looked like it clipped her more than anything. The one in her left shoulder was a different story. It was low. Low enough to have endangered her heart? Flack wondered. He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and tied it tightly around her shoulder, pressing down to try and stop the bleeding. He was no paramedic. Lindsay needed help fast.

He couldn't help but think the worst. There was so much blood – it was like he had stepped into one of those vicious crime scenes he had nightmares about. Blood spatter on the wall and a blood pool lying around the victim. He shook his head, trying not to imagine Lindsay on a morgue table.

---------------

Stella was letting Mac know how the case was progressing when Mac's phone rang, interrupting her in mid-sentence. Stella stared at the phone. She felt frustrated by it. Then she realized that she wasn't frustrated by the interruption, but by the case. If Lindsay hadn't found what they were looking for back at the crime scene, then there would be no hope. All other leads had gone cold. She sighed, as Mac leaned over to pick up the ringing phone.

"Hello Danny. No she's not here. She went back to the crime scene to take a look for some possible evidence. Okay. I'll tell her you called. Say hi to Jason for me. Okay. Bye."

Mac hung up the phone and looked at Stella.

Stella took in a breath, ready to finish her report, but was interrupted yet again by the phone ringing. She just stared at it. It must be doing this on purpose. It must be doing this to torture her. She was already having a bad day with this case, and now the phone felt obligated to irk her. She rolled her eyes as Mac gave her an apologetic look.

Mac paled. Stella saw his facial features change from slightly amused to horrified. Whatever this phone call was, it was bad news. She felt her own stomach twist in knots. She didn't want to hear this news. It was going to make her day even worse. She could feel it.

---------------

Jason looked over at Danny. He had passed out on the couch, beer in hand, not long before. He got up, removed the bottle from Danny's grasp and went over to the kitchen. He set about making a dinner that the two of them would be able to eat without fighting over. One look in the fridge changed his mind though. Danny had very little in there, except for beer, some condiments, a carton of expired milk, and some rather wilted looking vegetables. He grabbed the take-out menus that were attached to the fridge door via magnets and flipped through them. With such crazy hours you got as a CSI, Danny obviously didn't eat at home a lot. One good thing about working shifts like that in New York City was the 24hour take out. There was always somewhere you could get to deliver, and working the night shift, Jason knew that better than anyone, so he couldn't really fault Danny for doing the same thing.

Jason finally found a Chinese flyer at the back with free delivery. Deciding that it would be a good night for Chinese, Jason reached for the phone to place the order. Before his hand even reached the phone though, it rang, nearly causing him to fall off the bar stool he was sitting on. He looked over at Danny. Other than a slight twitch, Danny had made no recognition that he heard the phone ring.

"Messer residence" Jason answered, trying to be polite, a rare thing in New York telephone conversations.

"Jason. It's Don."

"Hey Donny! How's it going?"

Jason waited for an answer, and clued in. His brother did not sound right. There was a hitch in his voice and he sounded strained. "What happened Don?"

"You need to grab Danny, and bring him to the hospital as soon as you can. Lindsay..."

Don trailed off and Jason knew that something bad must have happened. His brother was one of the toughest people he knew. After he had been blown up, it had taken him almost no time to be back on his feet, and half the time in rehab that the doctors had told him. If his brother was breaking down, then there was no question that Lindsay's life was hanging in the balance. Jason decided not to ask any questions. "We'll be there in fifteen minutes." He replied and hung up the phone.

---------------

"I don't need to go to the hospital, there's nothing wrong with me. I fell asleep, that's all."

Jason didn't have the heart to tell Danny that they were going to the hospital to see Lindsay, not for him; so he just nodded his head and pretended he was ignoring Danny.

The two men walked up to the reception counter at the hospital and Jason said quietly. "We're here to see Lindsay Monroe. Could you tell us what room she's in?"

The receptionist looked it up and responded, "She's in surgery at the moment, but everyone else is in the waiting room. You can meet them there if you'd like." Jason nodded, his throat too tight to try and make any more sound, as he walked off in that direction, leaving a stunned Danny following him like a lost puppy dog.

"What do you mean we're going to see Lindsay? Why is she in the hospital? What happened? Is she okay? When did this happen, I called Mac less than an hour ago and she was fine! What the hell is going on?" Danny burst out the last sentence as he entered the waiting room to see Mac, Stella, Sheldon and Flack sitting in the provided chairs, looking solemn.

Stella stood up and walked over to Danny, took him by the hand and sat him down. "Danny, Lindsay was shot today while at the crime scene. The suspect had returned, and stole the evidence she collected."

Danny just stared at her in disbelief. "No." He finally said. "No, that isn't right. She can't be..." He looked at Stella, and her heart broke, seeing his eyes. They looked empty. He was broken to pieces hearing the news of Lindsay. She pulled him into a hug, and felt his limp body droop. She felt tears form in her own eyes, as Danny sat back in his chair. Nobody said a word as they just stared at the door to the operating room. The door the doctor would walk out of when the surgery was over. Everyone in the room was thinking the same thing, but nobody said it. No one made eye contact either. It was an unspoken rule. They had to hope.

Danny looked at his hands, anything to distract himself from reality. Lindsay will make it through this. She has to. I can't live without her.

---------------

Dr. Boldt stepped out of the operating room and sighed. What was that Frank Sinatra quote again? Luck be a lady. Well, there was no doubt in Dr. Boldt's mind that the lady he had just finished operating on was made of luck. The girl was getting a chance at another day. He picked up the plastic container next to him, and looked at the bullet inside it. This police officer had been shot twice; one perforated her die, leaving no serious damage, the other though – wow. He had seen a lot of serious injuries, having been a surgeon for nearly thirty years. In his entire career he had never seen someone have a serious injury so close to the heart, in the left shoulder, and come out of it with no major arteries hit. Thankfully the bullet had been small. It had gone straight in, and lodged itself behind her collarbone. It had been a little difficult to remove, but it hadn't fragmented upon impact, and had not so much as nicked an artery. Dr. Boldt shook his head in disbelief. This girl was the luckiest girl he had ever had the pleasure of operating on.

But now it was time to give this bullet, the officer's badge, and her clothes to the NYPD sitting in the waiting room.

---------------

Every person sitting in the waiting room heard the swinging of the operating room door and jerked their heads to stare at who was walking out of it. Jason knew what the outcome was, even if nobody else did. He was an EMT after all, and knew proper operating procedure. The doctor was holding the evidence needed by the police – the clothes, her badge, but most importantly, the bullet.

Jason nearly laughed out loud as relief washed through him. She was alive, and probably doing better than expected if the surgeon himself was coming out with the evidence. Jason knew from experience. Nobody minded giving good news. Everybody hated giving bad news. This surgeon was walking with a look on his face that clearly said he was relieved. Jason felt his whole body relax. She was okay.

"Doc, is she okay?" Danny jumped up from his seat and ran over to stand tight in front of the doctor.

"Give him some room Danny, he's been in surgery for the past few hours, give him a moment to walk in the room." Jason said.

Danny realized what he was doing, standing inches away from the doctor's face. He backed off, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry," he muttered. "But you're killing me. What happened? Is she going to be okay?"

"We successfully removed the bullet, stitched up both the wound in her shoulder, and the one in her abdomen. She was extremely lucky. No serious organs or arteries were hit. We expect her to make a full recovery." Dr. Boldt smiled as he looked throughout the room. All the occupants breathed sighs of relief, as they realized the news. Stella even had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

It was Mac who spoke next. "When will she wake up?"

Dr. Boldt faltered. "We expect her to wake up as soon as the sedatives wear off. There are chances of it taking longer, but they are unlikely. It should be no more than a few hours."

"Can I see her?" It was Danny who spoke this time.

"Yes you can. But I must request that there be no more than two in the room at a time."

Danny didn't answer, just walked off in the direction of Lindsay's room.

Mac smiled and relieved the doctor of his armful of evidence. "Thank you for preserving this for us, Doctor. It is greatly appreciated. Thanks for all you've done."

"It was my pleasure. We'll take good care of her while she's here." With a nod, Dr. Boldt walked off, leaving the rest of them to calm their nerves, and head over to Lindsay's room.

---------------

Stella was the next person to walk into Lindsay's room. She nearly burst into tears again, seeing Lindsay lying there, with Danny by her side. He had pulled a chair over, and was leaning over onto the bed, head down, slumped over. He was tightly grasping her hand in both of his, eyes closed. Stella stepped over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't surprised to see tears in his eyes when he looked up at her.

"She's okay Danny. She'll be fine." Stella said, trying to comfort him as much as she could.

"I know. But I can't help imagining what could have happened. It was so close, Stella, so close to hitting a major organ, or..." He stopped he couldn't say what he was thinking. "I almost lost her Stella. I don't know what I would do if that happened. I love her."

Stella's eyes widened with surprise. Danny Messer? Danny Messer – the notorious player, stating openly that he loved Lindsay. No doubt this girl had changed him, and definitely in a good way. Stella put a hand on his arm and whispered, "I think she loves you too."

Danny's eyes filled with tears one more time as he silently cried into Lindsay's side.