Chapter 2: Surgery

"I've been looking for that someone

I'll never make it on my own"

"What? How was she shot? Is she okay?" Mac asks, trying not to panic.

"She should be okay as long as the bullet didn't do much damage inside. We didn't press her for information; we'll talk to her later about how it happened," Sheldon informs him.

"Where was she shot?"

"In the stomach. Pretty low shot, less vital organs to damage."

"She's in surgery now then?"

"They just took her back."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Mac hangs up.

Hawkes turns around, finding Lindsay coming up behind him. "Stella still okay?"

"She was still conscious when we got here, but you could tell she was fading. She… wouldn't let the guy stick an IV in her, wanted me to do it."

"It can't be too bad then, can it?"

"Mac's on his way. He's really worried."

A doctor approaches them, "Are you with Miss Bonasera?"

"Yes, we work with her," Hawkes shakes the man's hand. "How is she?"

"They're preparing her for surgery now," he holds up an x-ray. "The bullet didn't hit any bones, but we won't know about organs until we open her up. I'm fairly sure she'll make it, but she may need a blood transfusion by the time surgery is over. Is there any family you could call?"

"Stella doesn't have any family she knows of. She grew up in foster care. I'm sure we both wouldn't mind giving you a blood sample to test for a match. And our boss is coming, plus there are two other members of our team that would help."

"I have to start operating, but I can find a nurse to test you two. I'll come talk with you when the surgery is over," the doctor calls over a nurse.

The nurse takes a sample from each of them, returning five minutes later to tell them that neither of them is a match.

"How is she?" Mac takes a seat next to them.

"They've just started operating. The doctor said she should make it, but she may need a transfusion. We had them test us, and we don't match," Lindsay reports.

"Let me see if I can help," Mac stands and walks to the desk.

A nurse leads him back to draw a sample. "Sir," she returns as he is filling out Stella's paperwork, "your blood is a match to Miss Bonasera's."

"Take as much as you need." After he has given as much as he can, he makes his way back to the others, slightly dizzy.

"So?" Sheldon asks.

"I match."

Lindsay stands, "You guys want coffee or something?"

"I'll take a coffee," Hawkes requests. Mac shakes his head. "Get him some food so he doesn't pass out."

The three sit there for a couple hours, waiting for word on their friend. Danny and Flack show up, joining the team in the corner of the waiting room.

Finally the doctor comes out, walking over to the group. "Your friend is in recovery. We'll let you know when you can go visit. She had some damage inside we repaired as best we could, and she has stitches outside she'll have to be careful about. We did give her the transfusion since she had lost quite a bit of blood. Can I speak to one of you privately?" the doctor requests.

They all look at Mac. He stands and walks around the corner with the doctor. "There's a catch, isn't there? Everything won't be all right?"

"Stella may not be able to carry a child if she wishes to. She'll have to talk with her doctor, but I'm pretty sure there's little chance a fetus would survive the full term."

"She can't have kids?"

"Most likely not."

A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner. Too much band and school. But we had our first competition yesterday and got a one so we can go to states. I still hate math... I haven't done my homework since Tuesday because of band. And we have a test tomorrow so I'll probably fail since I didn't do the review. I was going to do it this weekend until I pulled out my stuff and realized I grabbed my chem notebook instead if calculus. Anyway... I was thrilled with Wednesday's episode. There have definitely been better ones. But it wasn't the most boring thing ever. I liked the part where Stella almost fell off the roof. Did she ever tell anybody? She must have 'cause I'm thinking that's what the assault charge was for. My friend thought the end was really funny, but I don't quite see why it was so funny. Well, I guess that's all I have to say... I shall update Tuesday or Thursday depending on how much homework I have. And I'm not lazy. Please continue reviewing.