Hey everyone. Thanks so much to all those that read and told me they enjoyed the first part. I like to think of these five things as what 'could have been's, not what' should have been's - an alternate perspective if you will - so that's the idea I tried to keep in mind when writing them. Thank you all for being so wonderfully supportive. I was having a bit of a bad month, and wasn't able to write for a few weeks, so it's nice to see that I haven't lost my mojo.

Enjoy!

The Hospital

"Jack, what's going on? Where's Tony?" she demanded, trying to keep the frantic edge out of her voice. Judging by the concerned looks she was getting, she assumed she was failing pretty miserably.

"He's been shot."

"How bad?"

"He was shot in the neck. He's still alive; they're getting him to the hospital now."

She braced herself against the desk in front of her. "Oh, God."

Jack's voice softened. "Michelle, I know how difficult this must be for you right now, but you need to make a decision."

She bit her lip, not knowing what decision she'd possibly need to make. Tony was in the hospital, she just needed to find out where he was being taken and get the keys to the car from his desk.

"With Tony down, you're in command. If you want to be by his side at the hospital, you're gonna have to hand CTU over to someone else. No one will fault you for whatever you choose to do."

She looked around, feeling Kim Bauer's sympathetic gaze on her. Instantly she deflated. There was nobody to take over. She might not be experienced in command, but she at least had the tenure. No one else in the building had been there more than a year.

"I, I understand."

Five minutes later, after dealing – or not dealing – with Chloe and then Adam, she'd made her decision. She wouldn't be effective if she stayed. She was already making mistakes; not reacting quickly enough. She had to go to Tony. She had to see him. She had to know he'd be okay. She wouldn't forgive herself if he didn't- If she never got to see him again because she'd chosen to stay at CTU.

"I can't stay. Call Ryan Chappelle and have him send someone to take my place. I'm handing command over to Gael until then."

"But Michelle-"

She whirled. "Adam, I can't deal with this right now. Just do it!"

Stunned, the young man stopped. She never lost her cool at work, and he knew he'd pushed her too far.

He nodded. "Alright."

She turned back to her desk, gathering her purse and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Michelle? I hope he's alright."

Her eyes watered. "Me too. If there's anything that you can't handle, I'm a phone call away, but I'll be there until he's okay."

Somehow she made it to the ER just as the ambulance did, and her stomach nearly rejected the sandwich she and Tony had shared at lunch. He was so still, the side of his face and his clothing covered in blood. She rushed over to the gurney, reaching for his hand and raising it to her mouth.

"Ma'am, ma'am, you're going to have to step back."

"Please, let me see him. Please. I'm his wife," she explained, holding Tony's hand against her chest tightly. His fingers were cold. His fingers were never cold; Tony usually radiated heat, able to warm her up even when she was so cold her teeth were chattering.

Her other hand landed on his forehead, stroking his hair away from his closed eyes. Despite his ghostly paleness, she expected him to peek one eye open and quirk a grin at her, to apologize for the game of possum that had scared her so badly.

"Mrs. Almeida, we need you to move back. He needs to get upstairs."

Kissing Tony's knuckles she fought tears and stepped away. She immediately fell in step beside one of the trailing paramedics.

"Will he be okay?"

"If he gets into surgery soon, he should be. You'll have to talk more with the surgeon, though."

She nodded, wringing her hands and waiting for the next elevator. There hadn't been enough room for her in the one they'd taken Tony up in. She wrapped her arms around herself, covering her face with a hand. He'd been injured before. He'd gone into the field and gotten beat up, cut up, even had his fingers get broken. But he'd never been wheeled in on a gurney because he couldn't move on his own power. He'd never been covered in that much of his own blood. She'd never seen him so still. She'd never had him not smile at her and assure her with his false bravado that he was going to be okay.

The elevator doors opened and a kind-faced doctor in scrubs offered her his hand. "Are you Tony Almeida's wife?"

"Yes, I'm Michelle."

"Michelle, I'm Doctor Lindsor. I just looked your husband over and the wound to his neck is going to require some vascular repair. We need your consent to operate."

"Yeah, yes, yes, um, of course, whatever you have to do," she stammered, scribbling something that resembled her name on the form he'd placed in front of her. "Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"Well, we can't say anything with a hundred percent certainty until we've operated but he's going to be in good hands."

"He's allergic to penicillin," she blurted. Lindsor nodded.

"The paramedics found the allergy card in his wallet. Is there anything else he has reactions to?"

Michelle shook her head. "Just that."

"Alright. I'll have someone bring you updates about his condition, and I'll come find you when we take him into recovery."

"Thank you Doctor," she whispered, shaking his hand again and fighting the urge to hold on.

Doctor Lindsor touched her hand, turning back to the double doors and leaving her in the waiting room. She swiped a hand across her face again before crossing her arms and starting to pace.

Alone in the lobby, she wished she hadn't come. At least at CTU she could try to do something to take her mind off him, off seeing him like that, so unlike Tony. Here, all she had was waiting.

"Mrs. Almeida?"

She whirled. "Yes? Has there been any change?"

The young nurse looked startled, but shook her head. "No ma'am. Doctor Lindsor asked me to give you this, though. He thought you might like to hold onto it."

Surprised, Michelle extended her hand, blinking as her husband's thick wedding band was dropped into her palm. Fighting the urge to sob, she clenched her fingers around it tightly, raising her closed fist to her lips. Tony never took his ring off, not to swim, not to shower, not even to do yard work. She opened her hand, touching his ring gently and looping it around her thumb. She'd pretend the warmth was from his body and not her own.

Her knees nearly buckled when, at last, they wheeled him back through the lobby, a thick white bandage covering the side of his neck. Immediately she went to him, stroking her hand across his forehead. He was still pale, the circles under his eyes dark, but he was breathing, he was alive.

"Mrs. Almeida."

She straightened again, but this time her hand slid down to grasp Tony's. She was pleased to feel that he wasn't as cold as before.

"How's he doing, Doctor?"

Doctor Lindsor smiled. "We couldn't have hoped for a better result. He should be on his feet in a few days. He's being wheeled to recovery now; you can go with him, of course."

She nodded, looking over at Tony's closed eyes. Impulsively she bent to kiss his forehead.

"When can he come home?"

"Probably tomorrow, I just want to keep an eye on him, make sure he stays stable."

She nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Almeida. I'm sure you'll take good care of him."

She bit her lip, nodding again. Silently she walked beside the gurney, still clasping Tony's hand tightly in her own.

As soon as they were alone, she didn't even think before she settled on the bed beside him, laying her head on his chest. His heart thumped steadily against her temple, soothing her still frantic emotions. Reaching over his body, she tugged his hand up and slid his wedding ring back on his finger before lacing their fingers together and tugging them to rest against her mouth. In the quiet, listening to him breathe, she finally relaxed. He was going to be fine, and she would be the first person he saw when he woke up, the way it should be.