Title: When in Doubt: Act III, Scene 5

Author: The GPP

Rating: NC-17 (Patience is rewarded... we promise!)

Tagline: When in Doubt... See a Doctor!

Author Notes: With only 6 more chapters to go, where will we find out heroes after the end of Act 3?

Marshall was released from hospital care forty-eight hours later. Though the nurse had followed through on her promise, he'd barely had a chance to speak to Mary since before the blast. After his release he moved from the bed beside her to the chair by her bed, otherwise nothing much changed.

Mary had woken with a fog in her brain. She knew something traumatic had happened, but she didn't know what or why.

"Marshall," she reached out to hold his hand, "where are we?"

Marshall took her hand and rubbed his thumb along the back of it. "You don't remember?"

She shook her head and tears began to well up in her eyes as Marshall moved to embrace her. The tears graduated to full sobs as he rocked her back and forth.

"What happened to us?" she cried into his shirt as he held her.

Marshall tightened his hold on her, his mind searching for the right words. He had to tell her; not telling her wasn't even an option. But the moment he told her, her world would collapse. The thought of causing her that much pain was more than he could bear.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I was sitting in a car with you," her forehead scrunched up as she tried to recall the events that got her into the hospital. Her eyes widened a little as she remembered where they were. "Why are we in Texas? Bumfuck Texas, to be precise."

Marshall pulled back so he could look her in the eye. He took both her hands in his and, taking a deep breath for courage began to speak.

"We found your father. He was living here, in Del Rio, Texas. We came here so you could see him, but..." he hesitated for a moment.

"But what, Marshall?" she pleaded with him, "Just tell me."

"We were too late." He squeezed her hands, "Your father is dead. Mare, I'm so sorry.

Mary grew silent. She had thought that was a dream; no, not a dream, a nightmare. Her lower lip began to quiver and she grabbed the pillow from behind her. She began to beat it with every ounce of strength she had." No! No, it's can't be true!" she was sobbing as she hit the pillow, "You're lying!"

"I'm sorry Mare," Marshall's eyes pleaded with her to trust him. "I wish I were. I wish..."

"What? You wish you could turn back time? Huh? You wish it could be you and not him?" Yells replaced her sobs as she turned on him, "Jesus, Marshall, just give me every fucking cliché you've got!"

He flinched at her angry words, but did not pull back. He was strong and he loved her. If that meant taking all of her bitterness on his shoulders, then he would do it. "There's a reason those have become clichés, Mare. They're all true. You know that."

She began to look around frantically, "I need to get out of here," she began to rip at the IVs in her arm and the monitors attached to her chest as she moved to get out of the bed.

Marshall grabbed her by the upper arms, his iron grip stopping her movement. "Mary. Stop. You almost died three days ago."

She stared at him with all the fury of a hurricane, "Let. Me. Go." her voice was liquid steel.

"Never." He pulled her against his chest and held her fast.

She pushed at his chest and slapped his cheek, "I said, LET ME GO!"

"No," He tightened his hold and placed a kiss on her hair, "I know you're mad. I know you hurt, but I will never leave you."

"What do you know, huh? You think you know everything, but you don't know this! It's not true! He's here Marshall, he's here in this hospital and I have to find him!"

A tear escaped Marshall's eye and fell down his face, landing in her hair. "He's gone, Mary. I'm sorry, my love."

"Fuck you, you don't know shit. Now, let me go." She pushed against him one last time and rolled over to face away from him. Mary did her best to slow her breathing as she pretended to sleep.

Marshall sank back into his chair, exhausted and heart broken. His Mary hated him; at least in this moment, and there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. Silent tears chased each other down his cheeks and he did nothing to stop them as he watched her breathe.

Marshall stayed at Mary's side without leaving for more than the time it took to relieve himself until the next morning when a nurse came for him.

"Doctor Tam has a few minutes if you'd like to get those stitches out this morning," the woman said with a smile.

Casting a worried glance at his sleeping partner Marshall rose to his feet. "Alright, thank you."

He bent and squeezed Mary's shoulder. She did not respond, but he hadn't expected her to. "I'll be back soon, Mare."

Mary was wide-awake as he said this and waited a couple minutes before ripping out her IV once again. Her legs were shaky and her feet cold as she set them on the tile floor. She paid it no mind; she was focused on her goal.

She gave her legs a few seconds to adjust before creeping out of her room. Mary scanned the hallway before making a left turn towards the nearest nurse. She found the nurses' station after a few turns and walked up to it.

"Excuse me," she asked in her most authoritative voice, "I'm looking for a James Griffin? He was brought in a couple of days ago?"

The nurse looked confused as she searched the hospital database, "I'm sorry, I don't have a record of any patient by that name."

"You've got to be kidding me, can't you look harder?" She huffed a frustrated sigh.

The nurse took in Mary's hospital gown and the blood seeping out of her hand where the IV used to be. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Listen here, Little Miss Nursey Pants, I just need to find Mr. Griffin and then I'll be back in bed like a nice obedient patient. So hurry up and find him before I get cranky!"

The nurse tapped a few keys on the computer, "Well, I'm sorry to say that the only J. Griffin we have in this hospital is down in the morgue."

Mary's knees grew weak; Marshall had been right. Her hands shook and her knees wobbled as she took in this information. Her father was dead. The memory of his face right before the explosion came flooding back to her. Darkness crowded at the edge of her vision and she fell to the floor, unconscious.

Marshall returned to Mary's room as soon as the Doctor finished removing his stitches and lecturing him on the importance of proper wound care. He felt a wave of panic when he saw that her bed was empty. The panic did not abate when an orderly entered the room seconds later wheeling Mary on a gurney.

"What happened?"

"She fainted," The orderly said as he transferred Mary's limp form back to her bed and fastened her wrists in padded restraints.

Marshall settled into the chair beside her and took Mary's hand in his. He used his free hand to send Stan a quick text message updating the chief on their status and then sank back in the chair, once again waiting for Mary. It wasn't long before his eyes fell shut and he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

It was an hour later when Mary opened her eyes again. Waves of memories flooded her and she fought to hold back her tears. Her father was dead… and she was the last to see him alive. He had looked right at her before the explosion. That face would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Mary had always missed her daddy; but knowing that she would certainly never, ever see him again brought on fresh waves of pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she made no move to stop them as they dotted the blanket she held in her hands. For the first time, she looked over and saw Marshall sleeping in the chair next to her bed.

Marshall.

The one man who'd never left her. He had every right to, but he remained by her side through thick and thin. She loved him more than life itself and she'd treated him like the enemy. Her breath hitched as she noticed the stains on his cheeks from tears; tears she had caused.

She had hurt him; in her blind rage, she had hurt the man she loved. She looked over at his sleeping form and began to weep silently. She was sure she'd ruined everything. There was nothing more to do other than watch him sleep. She would revel in this moment for however long it lasted; before he woke up and her world came crashing down.

Her fingers ached to trace along the welt on his cheek where she'd slapped him. Why hadn't he left her side? Why did he continue to stay with her when she was nothing but awful to him? She drew her knees up to her chest and began to rock back and forth. In a matter of a week, she'd lost her father and done everything she could to drive off her lover.

Marshall was the first man she could call 'lover'; she hadn't been able to call any other man that. Others had merely been playthings to her. Marshall was different. And she'd ruined it. Her heart broke as she thought about the pain she'd caused him and her sobs grew stronger by the minute.

Mary's sobbing was the first thing Marshall registered when he awoke. He snapped upright, so quickly his head swam and he was forced to stay seated for a few seconds until he regained his bearings. As soon as the room stopped spinning, he rose from his seat and reached for Mary, "Mare? Sweetheart, I'm here." He didn't pull her to him, though his heart was screaming its need to hold her, instead he gently clasped her shoulders, giving her a clear invitation and the opportunity to slip away.

"I'm sorry..." she sobbed, "I'm so sorry, Marshall."

No longer able to wait for her to come to him, Marshall sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her against his chest. He stroked her soft blond hair and pressed his lips against her temple. "Mary, my love, sweetheart, I know it hurts, but I'm here. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

"You keep saying that and I almost believe it," she forced her eyes to meet his, "but I also know myself and one day I'll go too far."

"You said I might have to remind you," he said with a watery smile. "No matter what happens; as long as I have breath and fight in me, I will always be here."

"You promise?" Her voice was childlike and insecure.

"I promise," he sealed the promise with a feather light kiss to her lips.

Mary pulled the lapels of his shirt closer to deepen the kiss. Relief flooded through her as she felt the honesty in his words.