Thank you for all of your support and encouragement x

Molly stood silently as everyone and everything rushed by. It was all happening so quickly, as though life had been switched to fast forward. It felt like only minutes since she'd been arguing with Captain James; angry with him for not telling her everything. Now here she was, stood in the hospital waiting for the MERT to bring him in. She didn't know what injuries he'd sustained, but she immediately feared the worst.

A flood of people rushed past her, rousing her senses and bringing her back into the room. She glanced up, seeing his motionless body being wheeled along the corridor. She watched on, refusing to focus in on their muffled voices in case she heard the worst. As they entered the Emergency Department, she remained fixed on the spot, frozen with panic.

"Molly?" Sara shouted out. "Come on, sort yourself out."

Molly took several deep breaths, furiously trying to calm herself down before she ran into the room. There were several medical personnel stood around the bed, all busy carrying out initial assessments and taking notes. She felt utterly useless compared to them, all moving around with such obvious purpose. She edged closer to the bed, the sight of his blood stained face making her knees buckle. Nobody seemed to notice as she grabbed the bed, desperately trying to steady herself.

"What happened?"

"We've got an injury to the head," Jackie replied, holding out his damaged Mark 7. "Bullet caught the edge of the helmet, but it appears to have either ricocheted or made contact in travel, and caused the wound to the side of the head. It's caused a slight gouge which will require suturing, but there's been minimal blood loss. He's remained conscious throughout."

Conscious? Hearing that word instantly lifted the weight off of Molly's shoulders. She looked at him again, properly this time, and breathed a long sigh of relief. He was ok! She pushed her way to the edge of the bed, looking down at him with a relieved smile.

"Mo…Dawes," he whispered, his voice husky. He looked up at her, so weak and vulnerable. Her instincts were screaming at her to reach out and protect him. She so desperately wanted to hold him in her arms and reassure him; but knowing that she couldn't was torturing her inside and tugging at her already pulled heart strings.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, risking a fleeting touch of his hand.

"Felt like… being punched in the head."

"I want to get a head CT done; check there's nothing else going on that we can't see." As soon as the doctor finished speaking, everything sped up again. In a split second everyone had moved and he was being wheeled back out. Molly stood, staring at the open door that was left behind them. The room was unnervingly quiet, her thoughts and worries becoming louder in her head. She felt so crippled by them.

"Molly," Jackie gently touched her arm. "You need to go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere, Molls, maybe back to your tent? I know I'm not the brightest spark, but I'm not blind. You and the boss…"

"I'm a medic in his platoon," Molly interrupted. "It's my job to treat him."

"It's fairly obvious there's more going on between you two than just that. You know I should be telling Major Beck. This goes against everything, every regulation going! But I'm your friend, so I'm telling you – warning you - to go… now."

"I can't leave him, Jack." She felt utterly helpless, her head falling onto Jackie's shoulder as she let out silent sobs.

"I'm sorry, but you have to. I'll come find you later."

Molly took a deep breath, nodding in agreement. She walked the length of the corridor lost in her thoughts. She couldn't get the sight of him lying there out of her mind. She could feel her breath shaking, everything around her becoming a blur. She didn't know where to go, or what to do. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to scream or cry, or just run away. She stared into the open space that confronted her as she left the building. It was like a horrible nightmare.

"Moll?" She heard Fingers call out. She wasn't even sure where she was, her eyes focused on the ground below her feet. "Are you ok, Moll?"

"Molly?" Now it was Kinders she could hear. Even the voice of her Corporal didn't make her stop. All she could think was that the further she walked, perhaps the more chance she had of it all seeming less real. She heard Kinders footsteps nearing, catching up with her. "Dawes?" His voice was softer this time, sensing something was wrong. "Molly?"

She continued walking, still oblivious to where they were or where they were going; following an invisible path with no certain destination. Her arm was tugged, pulling her to a stop. She finally looked up, struggling to focus through the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

"What's happened?"

"Captain James," she looked up at him, her voice choking.

"He went on patrol with…" his mouth fell as the realisation kicked in. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I don't know!"

"Is he alive?" Molly managed to nod. "Thank God for that. Does Major Beck know?" This time she could only shrug. "Ok, it's ok. Would you like me to find someone for you to talk to?"

Someone to talk to? The only person she wanted to talk to was lying in a hospital bed, after dodging a potentially fatal injury by mere millimetres. Suddenly she couldn't tolerate standing any longer, collapsing to her knees with an uncontrollable scream emitting from her lungs. The sand at her feet flew into the air as she landed, instantly covering her. She didn't even care about that, or the tears that were racing down her cheeks.

"Molls?" Smurf ran over, grabbing hold of her and pulling her straight into his arms. "It's ok… let it all out. Come on, it's ok."

"Smurf, perhaps you should take her to get some water? I think we've finished moving everything."

Smurf nodded, helping Molly to her feet and directing her towards the nearby coffee shop. She remained bent over as they walked, holding her head in her hands. She didn't even look up as Smurf guided her into a seat, or as he placed a glass of water in front of her.

"What's happened, Molls?"

"There…was…an attack. The boss…got shot at." As soon as the words left her mouth, she started sobbing again. Just the thought that she so nearly could have lost him was unbearable. She put her head to the table, desperate to shut the world out.

"Is he alive?"

"Yeah. But what if…"

"Shut your cakehole. He'll be fine, he's a fighter."

Molly lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the blinding afternoon sun. "It's all my fault, Smurf."

A/N - Mark 7 is the type of helmet they would have used.