Alright, before anyone kills me over that cliffhanger, here's the next chapter. Protective and caring Mary abound! And I even threw in a little reference to another popular show. Cookies to anyone who gets it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

IPSIPSIPSIPS

I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you

Won't let nobody hurt you

I'll stand by you, take me in, into your darkest hour

And I'll never desert you

I'll stand by you

-Carrie Underwood, I'll Stand By You

Mary stared at her partner, her mind racing. He couldn't feel his legs. What was wrong with him? Her head started to spin.

Fear was beginning to take over Marshall's mind, and on instinct, he reached out and grabbed Mary's hand, clinging to it like a lifeline.

Mary returned his grip with a ferocious one of her own. She was scared, so she couldn't imagine how terrified Marshall was. She had to give Sheila credit for responding so calmly.

"Temporary numbness and even paralysis are completely normal after an event like the one you experienced, Marshall. You were shot four times, and one of those bullets rested against your spine. It took close to an hour to remove that one alone." She went to the foot of the bed and pulled out a pen. Then she pulled the sheet back to reveal Marshall's feet. Without hesitation, she poked the sole of his foot. "Did you feel that?"

Marshall shook his head numbly. His grip on Mary's hand tightened.

"Okay. You probably have some swelling around your spine. You had Dr. Steven Reilly remove the bullets, and he's the best this hospital has. I'll get him in here as soon as I'm through."

"Is it permanent?" Mary questioned, and Sheila gave her a sad look.

"I can't answer that, Mary."

Sheila hurried out of the room a minute later, leaving Mary alone with her wounded partner.

At a loss for what to do, Mary did the only thing that she could. Gently lifting Marshall's head, she carefully sat down on the bed with him. Then she placed Marshall's head in her lap and settled her hand against his head.

Immediately Marshall wrapped his arm around Mary's waist. Then he buried his face in her abdomen, his shoulders trembling.

"Shh…" She didn't dare say that everything would be okay. She honestly didn't know. But she was selfishly grateful that he was at least alive. If he was alive, she could get him through this. She would take care of him.

Breathing hard, Marshall clung even tighter to his best friend. The painkillers were creating a fog that enveloped him, and he was too exhausted to fight the encroaching darkness. "Mary…"

"What is it, Marshall?" she whispered, gently pushing his hair back.

"Don't leave me."

Shaking her head, Mary held him tighter. "Never," she breathed. She couldn't promise much right now, but that was one thing she could swear. She wasn't going to leave him.

He sighed, and just a few moments later he was sleeping deeply.

By the time Sheila returned with Dr. Reilly, she wasn't surprised to see that Marshall had fallen asleep in his partner's arms. She gave Mary a brief smile.

"Mary, this is Dr. Steven Reilly."

Mary tried to muster a friendly smile for Dr. Reilly. "I'm Mary Shannon. Marshall is my partner."

"Nurse Sheila told me that he's not able to feel his legs." He looked at Marshall's chart.

"That's right. She said it might be because of the bullet that was close to his spine."

Reilly nodded. "When your partner was brought to us, he was barely alive. He was shot four times, but one of the bullets exited his body. Two of the bullets bounced around and did considerable damage, but luckily for Mr. Mann, none of his vital organs were irreparably harmed."

Mary's stomach churned as she finally got a first hand account of how grievous Marshall's injuries had been. Stan had told her a few things, and so had Sheila. But hearing it from the doctor who had been in the O.R. with Marshall…

"The fourth bullet did the most damage. It fragmented, and the majority of it settled against Mr. Mann's spine. We were able to retrieve the fragments without damaging his spine, or so I thought."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if Mr. Mann has lost feeling in his lower extremities, then there is a possibility that we missed a fragment of the bullet, and it could be causing the paralysis."

"Can you remove it?"

"First of all, we'll need a CAT scan of his spine, to make sure there is, in fact, a bullet fragment that we missed, or if it's just a matter of a pinched nerve."

"And if it's neither of those?" Mary asked quietly, almost afraid of the answer she would receive.

"That would mean that his spinal cord is damaged, and that his paralysis is most likely permanent." Reilly gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I wish I had better news. But in all honesty, I didn't expect him to survive the shooting at all."

Mary became defensive. "You don't know him. He's tough."

"He must be, or he would be dead." Reilly closed the file. "I'll be back up here shortly to take him for the CAT scan."

Numb, Mary nodded. Reilly left the room, and Sheila looked at Mary.

"You okay, Mary?"

"I don't know." She looked down at Marshall, who was still sleeping in her lap. She was grateful that he was still alive, and that she had him. But she knew that, if he was permanently paralyzed, he would no longer meet the physical requirements to be a U.S. marshal. She had no idea how he was going to handle that. Being a marshal was all he knew how to do, and now there was the chance he would never be able to do it again. Her fingers moved lightly over his forehead. If he couldn't be a marshal, then he couldn't be her partner anymore. To her, the idea of having a new partner was unacceptable. Marshal was her partner. She couldn't lose him.

At least he's alive, she reminded herself harshly. Just a week ago, she had been praying for the first time in years, in the hopes that somehow his life would be spared. It had.

Sheila slipped out of the room, unnoticed by Mary.

Mary let out a slow breath. Worst case scenario, Marshall was paralyzed for life. He would be confined to a wheelchair, and he would no longer be able to work as a marshal. He would have to find a new place to live, one that was wheelchair accessible, and he would have to change his entire way of life.

Her fingers continued to feather through his hair as the wheels started to turn in her brain. When he was released from the hospital, he would need help. He probably wouldn't want to go back to Texas with his family unless he had no other option. But her house was large and roomy, and if it wasn't wheelchair friendly, she could make it so. She would help Jinx and Brandi find places of their own, and Marshall could stay in Brandi's room, which was large and comfortable.

She sighed. She was getting ahead of herself. She needed to know every possible outcome, but she wanted to focus on the best one. The one that involved Marshall walking out of the hospital and remaining her partner. It was selfish of her, but that was what she wanted.

Marshall stirred in her lap, and without thinking she shushed him softly and pulled a blanket tighter around him.

"I'm here, Marshall. We'll figure this out."

Within the hour, Sheila returned with two orderlies, and Mary watched as Marshall was taken upstairs for his CAT scan. Once he was gone, Mary felt lost. Somehow, in the span of a week, Marshall had become her entire world. How the hell had that happened?

Sighing, Mary walked out of the I.C.U. and called Marshall's family, letting them know to come to the hospital as soon as they could. His brothers were scheduled to return to Texas in a day or two, but his parents were staying until he was released from the hospital.

Anna answered, and without going into too much detail, Mary explained that Marshall had been taken for more testing, and that she and Seth should return to the hospital as soon as possible. Anna promised they would be there soon, and Mary hung up the phone. Then she walked out of the hospital, and didn't stop walking until tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was out of breath.

"Marshall…"

When Marshall was brought back to his room, his parents were waiting for him. He managed a soft smile for them, but he wasn't feeling like entertaining anyone. His eyes quickly scanned the room, and his heart dropped when he realized that Mary wasn't in the room. A cold depression began to envelop him. Maybe she had realized that without the use of his legs, he could no longer be her partner. Maybe she was washing her hands of him entirely.

The orderlies moved him to his bed and made him as comfortable as possible while Dr. Reilly talked to his parents and explained the situation that Marshall was already aware of. Marshall heard his father gasp and his mother cry, but he didn't have the strength or energy to try to reassure them. He turned his head away from everyone and closed his eyes. God, he wished that Mary was there with him.

Miserable, he tried to block everything out until sleep finally took him.

After they spoke with Dr. Reilly, Anna turned to talk to Marshall. But he was asleep, and she pulled Seth out of the room and into the hallway.

Seth ran his hand over his face. "God…"

Chris and Michael found them a few moments later, and Anna hugged each of her sons. "I'm so glad you two are here."

Michael nodded. "What's going on with Marshall?"

"It's not good news. He… he might be paralyzed."

Shock registered with both brothers, but Christopher was the first to speak. "Is it permanent?"

"There's a chance," Seth responded quietly.

Michael and Christopher exchanged sober glances, and once more, Christopher spoke first.

"We should take him home."

Anna looked at her son. "What?"

"If he's paralyzed, and it's permanent, he should be with us in Texas, not here. He doesn't have family here." Christopher was the oldest of the Marshall sons, and a family man. He had married not long after he became a marshal, and he and his wife had three children. If his youngest brother was permanently paralyzed, he needed to be with family, at home, so he could recuperate. As the oldest, Chris was also very aggressive and loud about his opinions, especially when he felt that he was right.

Mike looked at Chris like he had grown a second head. "Chris, Marshall's whole life is here. We can't expect him to give all of that up." Mike was older than Marshall by six years, and he had taken it upon himself to be Marshall's protector early on. He stuck up for Marshall in school, and one time had beaten the crap out of another kid for bullying Marshall. Even now, some twenty years later, Mike still felt that urge to protect him.

"He's going to need help. He can stay with me and Rose. Our house is big enough."

"But you have no idea what Marshall wants!"

"I know he's close to his partner, and I'm not sure he'd be willing to leave her."

Chris scoffed. "Oh, right. You mean the whole reason he's here in the first place."

Anna frowned. "Christopher…"

"It's true, Mom. He was shot trying to protect her, and where is she now?" He extended an arm and looked around. "In fact, I've only seen her here once!"

"She has been here day and night, Christopher. You need to stop this."

"Stop what, Mom? Stop telling the truth? If he hadn't tried to be the hero, he wouldn't have been shot four times, he wouldn't be paralyzed, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Seth finally stepped in. "You know how important partners are, Christopher. For god's sakes, you've been a marshal longer than Marshall has! He did what he did to save Mary."

"And look where it got him."

"Go to hell," a soft but dangerous voice said, and the Mann family turned to see Mary standing a few feet away. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her expression could have turned their blood to ice.

Anna held a hand out. "Mary, honey, we were just discussing…"

"How I almost got Marshall killed? How I'm a terrible partner? Yeah, I already knew that." A flicker of grief touched her features, but it was gone in the blink of an eye, replaced by a barely controlled rage.

To his credit, Chris approached her, a contrite look on his face. "I didn't mean it like that, Mary. I'm just worried about my little brother, and I want what's best for him. I know you do, too."

"Of course I do. He's my best friend."

"Well, we were just talking about taking Marshall back to Texas with us, while he recuperates."

Mary's stomach dropped. "What?"

"It's just something we're discussing." He gave her a small smile. "His whole family is in Texas, and if he can't work anymore, then he really doesn't have any significant ties here."

"He has me!" Mary snapped. Her head was spinning, but she stood her ground as the meaning of his words sank in for her. They wanted to take Marshall away from her. "He'll always have me."

"But you're not family," Chris pointed out.

"Christopher," Anna warned, but it was too late. Before anyone blinked, Mary pulled her arm back and slammed her fist against the side of Chris' face. Caught off guard, he stumbled backward, clutching his face.

"What the hell is your problem?" he yelled, earning a deadly glare from the nurses at the end of the hall.

"You," Mary snarled. Then she gave the rest of the family a hurt look. "You're not taking him from me."

Anna took a step toward Mary. "Mary, sweetheart, we're not…"

"Like hell you're not." Mary pulled Marshall's door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind herself.

Anna watched her go with a heavy heart.

In Marshall's room, Mary approached the bed quietly. Marshall seemed to be sleeping deeply, his head turned away from her and his hand resting on his chest. With a soft sound of regret, she dropped heavily into her chair. Then she reached out and took Marshall's hand into her own.

"I'm sorry, Marshall," she whispered, not entirely sure what she was apologizing for. For leaving him, or for not being able to let him go?

Marshall heard her words, and his heart clenched. Was she apologizing for being gone, or the fact that she was about to leave him for good? He couldn't blame her if she was. If he was crippled, he couldn't be her partner anymore. They were friends, but she had no responsibility toward him. Maybe it would be best for everyone if he went home with his parents.

Still believing he was asleep, Mary lightly kissed Marshall's cheek. Then she sat back in her chair, his hand still tucked safely in hers.

Stunned, Marshall's mind went into overdrive. What the hell had she done that for? Sympathy? His stomach churned at the thought. He didn't want sympathy, especially from her. That was the last thing he wanted from her. He wanted her to see him the same way she always had, but that was an impossible hope. He didn't even see himself the same way. How could he expect her to?

Her thumb began stroking his knuckles, and he fell asleep again, his mind focused on regret and misery.

Dr. Reilly finally returned to Marshall's room that evening. Marshall was still sleeping, and Mary was reading a book that Stan had brought by for her. As soon as she heard his entrance, she closed the book and looked at him expectantly.

To the surprise of them both, Marshall spoke up. "Dr. Reilly…" His voice was more cold than Mary had heard it in a long time.

"Marshall." Reilly opened the file in his hands. "I have the results of your CAT scan."

Without thinking, Mary reached out and grasped Marshall's hand. More and more lately, it seemed, she was reaching out to him for comfort. To her relief, he didn't pull his hand away from hers. She looked at the doctor expectantly.

"I've viewed the X-rays, and we were right. There is a very small fragment of the bullet lodged next to your spine. It is causing swelling, which is likely causing your paralysis."

Mary couldn't help the surge of hope that flooded her.

Reilly continued. "We'll take you up to surgery first thing in the morning to remove the fragment and make sure there are no others. Then-"

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Marshall snapped, and both Mary and Reilly were caught off guard.

"Marshall, we were more concerned with keeping you alive-"

"So you left part of a bullet in me? I could be stuck in a goddamn wheelchair for the rest of my life!"

Finally shaking off her shock, Mary got to her feet and gently gripped Marshall's shoulder. "Could you give us a few minutes, Dr. Reilly?"

He nodded. "Don't let him eat anything after midnight. I'll schedule the surgery as early as possible."

Mary nodded, and he stepped back out of the room.

Once the door was closed, Mary looked at Marshall. "Marshall, what the hell was that about?"

He shrugged her hand off, not meeting her eyes. "You don't have to stay here, Mary. You have no obligation to me."

She frowned. "Obligation? You think I feel obligated?"

"Isn't that why you're here?"

"Jesus Christ, Marshall…" Sighing, Mary sat down beside his waist. Sheila had warned her about possible mood swings and their unpredictability, but Mary had not expected this. Marshall was always so even-tempered. But he had just been shot four times, and now he was facing the possibility of living life in a wheelchair. Suddenly she couldn't blame him. Sheila had also said what he needed was unconditional love and acceptance. He was facing some very dark times ahead. "Look at me."

He purposefully kept his head turned toward the window. "You can go, Mary. I don't need you here."

"Marshall…"

"What part of get out don't you understand?" he snarled, and Mary's eyes widened.

She was the only safe target that he had, the only person he trusted entirely not to step away from him, so he lashed out at her, knowing that he couldn't drive her away. She understood it, because she had done it to him countless times. "No."

"No, what?" Marshall growled.

"I'm not letting you do this. You can scream and yell and treat me like shit, but I'm not walking out of this room." Inhaling deeply, she reached out and gently grasped his chin. Then she turned his head slowly, until their eyes met. His cerulean eyes were filled with tears, catching Mary off guard.

Mistaking her silence for disgust, Marshall closed his eyes.

"Hey…" Leaning closer to him, Mary gently applied more pressure to her grip on his chin. "Look at me."

Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes and reluctantly met her gaze.

"Marshall, I want you to listen to me, and listen to me good. You are not an obligation. You never have been, and you never will be." She cradled his face gently in her hands. "I know you're afraid right now, and that's okay. You're allowed to be afraid. But you're not alone. And no matter how much you yell at me or how angry you get, I'm staying right here with you."

A tear rolled down his cheek, and Mary gently wiped it away with her thumb. "I'm not going to say everything's going to be okay," she whispered. "I don't know if it will. But I can say this. For what it's worth, you have me. You'll always have me."

Marshall watched her, stunned and terrified, furious and lost. His life was changing, and he was powerless to stop it. But the one constant in his life, the one person who scared him more than anything and the one person he knew he couldn't live without, was there with him. She was promising that she wouldn't go anywhere, and no matter what, Mary always kept her promises.

"Talk to me, Marshall," she encouraged, worried that she had gone too far. "Please."

He leaned into her hand, reveling in the contact that it provided. God, he loved her. "I… I'm afraid," he finally whispered.

He was afraid… Of course he was, and he had every right in the world to be. But she didn't know what to say to comfort him. He was far better with words than she was. She was more of a show person, rather than tell. So she slid her arm around his shoulders, drawing him into her arms.

At the unexpected embrace, Marshall tensed. But the tension quickly melted away, and he buried his face in her shoulder as the dam broke and his tears fell in a torrent.

Without hesitation, Mary held him tighter and rested her head against his. This was what he needed. A shoulder to cry on. He had been a shoulder for her to cry on countless times. It was her turn to return the favor, and she did it happily. Her hand came up and gently cradled his head against her shoulder.

"You have me," she whispered into his ear. "For as long as you can tolerate me, you'll have me."

Through his tears, he smiled softly and held onto her as tightly as he could. He was still very weak and his strength was drained easily. Sleep threatened to claim him, but he fought it, desperate to stay in her arms for just a little while longer. "That's the best threat I've ever heard."

"Damn right." Her shoulder was still stiff, and her back protested the position she was in. So she pulled back just enough so that Marshall could see her eyes. "Where do you want me?"

He tightened his grip on her. "Here."

Nodding, she rested her lips briefly against his forehead. "Okay. Then we need to get more comfortable."

"I'm very comfortable."

She chuckled. "I'm sure you are." Moving slowly, she helped him sit upright. Then she slid in behind him, settling herself against the pillows before she pulled him back so that he was resting against her. He turned his upper body slightly so that nothing was against his wounds, then placed his head on her shoulder. Mary smiled.

"Comfortable?"

"Mm hmm."

"Good." Reaching down, Mary pulled the quilt that Anna had brought around him. Then she rested her head against his and wrapped an arm loosely around him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered after several moments of silence.

"What could you possibly have to be sorry about, Doofus?"

"Yelling at you. I shouldn't have."

"Marshall, stop." She ran her hand lightly up and down his arm. "You needed a safe target to lash out at, someone you knew wouldn't leave. I'm not leaving."

He yawned deeply. "Thanks…"

"Go to sleep, Doofus."

With a soft chuckle, he relaxed against her and easily surrendered to the darkness. Mary stayed awake for a while longer, just holding him and stroking his arm.

No, she wouldn't let his family take him away from her. Ever.

Marshall's family stayed out of the room for the rest of the night, much to Mary's relief. She wanted to concentrate on Marshall, and not waste her energy on his family. Not now.

At seven a.m., Marshall was taken out of the room and back into surgery. Mary walked with him as far as she could go, until the nurses gently told her that she could go no further. As he disappeared out of her sight, her stomach dropped, and she had to remind herself that the medical staff would take excellent care of Marshall. Still, she hated relinquishing him to anyone that she didn't know. She was responsible for him, no matter what anyone else said.

Once Marshall was in the O.R., Mary stood there for a while, feeling a little lost without him. Eventually she walked down the hall, to the closest waiting room. They were going to get that fragment out of him, and he would be able to walk again. Then he wouldn't lose his standing as a marshal, and his family wouldn't push him into going back with them to Texas. The thought turned her stomach. She couldn't lose him. If the worst case scenario happened, and he did decide to go back to Texas with his parents, then she would go, too. She would transfer to a WITSEC unit and get a house near him. Jinx and Brandi would have to find their own places, but it was long overdue. They needed to stand on their own two legs. But for Mary, Marshall was everything. He had said something years ago, and it was forcing its way to the front of her mind. Something about nations and going…

She scrubbed her hands over her face roughly. If the worst happened, and Marshall returned to Texas, there was no doubt in her mind what she would do. And suddenly the words came to her mind, so loud and very clear.

As Marshall goes, so goes my nation.

Dominic smiled at the people he passed by as he strolled down the street in front of the hospital where he had tracked Mary Shannon to. He was also able to find out that her partner was paralyzed, and very vulnerable. How better to torment Mary before he served that final blow?

He looked up at the hospital, another smile forming on his face.

He had a job to finish, but who said he couldn't have a little fun first?

An hour after Mary went into the O.R. waiting room, Marshall's family arrived. She didn't want to be around them at the moment, but her only other option was to leave and that was simply unacceptable. She wanted to be as close to Marshall as she could possibly be, and she would settle for nothing else.

Anna sat down beside Mary, a remorseful look on her face. "Mary, can I talk to you?"

"I'm not exactly in a talking mood," Mary muttered.

"I understand." She reached out and gently took the younger woman's hand. "Mary, Marshall is my baby boy, and I want what's best for him."

Mary seethed silently, but didn't interrupt the older woman.

"But I also want what he wants. And I would never force him to go back home if he didn't want to."

Finally Mary looked at Anna.

Anna smiled. "Don't look so surprised, sweetheart. Marshall was…unexpected, and when he was born, we thought we were going to lose him. He was two months premature, and so small. But he was tough, and he proved all of those doctors wrong, just as he's doing right now. As he got older, he preferred books to sports, which disappointed his dad. Chris tormented him relentlessly."

A frown touched Mary's mouth at the idea of Marshall's older brother teasing him. She knew it was normal, but it ruffled her feathers.

"My point is, Mary, that I want Marshall to be happy. And if that means staying here with you, then I will support him completely." She knew her son well enough to know that he was taken with Mary, even if she didn't approve of it. Falling in love with a partner was a dangerous line to cross.

Mary studied Anna's face, searching for any signs of deception. But she found none. "Thank you, Anna," she finally murmured.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Anna wrapped her arm around Mary's shoulders. "We talked with Marshall's nurse before we came here. She said that they were going to remove a bullet fragment that his doctor missed."

"Yes, that's what they're trying to do. If it works, once the swelling subsides, they think he'll have a chance of walking again."

A relieved expression touched Anna's face. "Good."

Gently pulling away from Anna, Mary got up and stretched. "I'm going to step outside for a minute."

"Go ahead, sweetheart. We'll let you know if there's an update."

"Thanks." She cast an angry look at Christopher, who had the sense to look away. Then she walked out of the waiting room and out of the hospital, into the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Dominic was surprised when he saw Mary Shannon walk out of the hospital, but he quickly shook off the shock and smiled. She was making this all too easy.

He watched her walk around for a few minutes before going back into the hospital, and he made a note of it in the composition book that he always carried around. Then he resumed watching her, knowing that she would never recognize him.

"Hello, Mary."

Mary walked around in front of the hospital for a few minutes, absorbing the sunshine. She wanted to be with Marshall at all times, especially now that she was officially suspended. But she was realizing that she had to take the occasional break. Maybe next time she could pick up some pie and sneak it in to him. Pie always made things better.

A soft smile touched her lips as she thought of all the times she had shared pie with Marshall. Yes, she would have to get him some pie.

Suddenly the hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she got the feeling that someone was watching her. Instinctively she began searching her surroundings, but she came up empty. Shivering slightly, she shook her head and headed back into the hospital.

Dominic watched Mary hurry back into the hospital, and he wondered what had spooked her. He knew that she hadn't seen him, but he wondered…

"Don't worry, Mary. You'll see me soon enough. Promise."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Uh oh, trouble is brewing! Hope everyone is enjoying this! Also, I put up a new poll on my profile to choose my next Mary/Marshall songfic. Be sure to stop by and vote. You can choose up to three different songs, so have fun! Thanks for reading, and please review!