It was only after Taylor was several yards outside the door that he realized his mother was not behind him. Then the sickening realization hit him, why she had told him to keep running no matter what, and why he had heard the sounds of a struggle behind him. All Taylor could think about at that moment was getting help. He frantically began digging through the kidnapper's car looking for his phone.

He was never so happy to see a big black Lincoln as he was a minute later when John screeched to a stop next to him and he and Fusco leaped out of the car.

John grabbed the teen by the arms, "Where's your mom?" he asked frantically.

Taylor looked up at him with tears in his eyes, "She's still in there, she stayed behind…." Taylor could not finish his sentence but both men knew what he meant. Joss had stayed behind to cover her son's escape. John's eyes went dead and his face became the hard and cold mask of the trained killer.

"Where is she?" he asked in a low, deadly tone. Taylor indicated the stairwell door, too winded and upset to talk any further.

"Stay with Fusco." John commanded, drawing his gun. Fusco drew his gun too and moved over to stand next the teenager.

John tried the door Taylor had exited just a few moments before, and found it locked. He pumped a couple of bullets into the lock and the door opened easily. He stormed up the stairs and found two cartel members beating Joss's unconscious body. The one holding her up threw her across the stairwell landing and both men turned to face John. John did not bother with knee capping this time; he dispatched each one efficiently with a single, well-placed shot to the chest of each man.

He turned his attention to Joss. Her body had landed against the wall across the landing, twisted like a rag doll, facing away from him. She wasn't moving and he couldn't see her breathing. The stone cold killer's mask crumpled into the agonized face of a man who realizes he may have just lost the woman he loved for the second time in his life.

John dropped to his knees next to her, tears running down his cheeks, his cries sounding more like a wounded animal than that of a trained killer. She sacrificed herself for her son, he thought. Gently, he turned her over and he gasped at the damage to her face. It was already so bruised and swollen that he almost did not recognize her.

Gently he felt for a pulse and for a heart stopping minute he couldn't find one. Finally his fingers detected a very faint one and he cried with relief. She was still alive, barely.

"Stay away from her!" said a female voice with a heavy Colombian accent. John looked up and saw Elsa Vasquez descending the stairs with a gun aimed directly at him and Joss. John immediately cuddled Joss's body close to his and turned slightly, trying to shield her as much as possible.

"Put the bitch down, she killed my Carlos! The father of my children! I will kill her now for that!" Elsa hissed at him

John shook his head, "No Elsa, I killed Carlos when he took a shot at me. Kill me, not her."

Elsa's beautiful face contorted with rage into the one of the ugliest John had ever seen, "Then I will kill you both."

"Don't think so," John said. During their brief conversation, using Joss's body to cover his actions, he had picked up his gun again and now brought his gun arm up with unholy speed, emptying the last few rounds in the clip into Elsa's chest. Elsa looked down in surprise, then slowly toppled forward and slid down the last few steps. Her body hit the landing and she lay still. John calmly went back to assessing Joss' s condition.

John was so engrossed in Joss that he didn't notice Fusco coming up the stairs behind him with Taylor. Suddenly the teen was dropping to his knees next to John, looking at his mother with a shell-shocked expression on his face. "Mom?" he said, his voice cracking a little.

Fusco looked over John's shoulder at Joss. "Oh my God," he gasped when he saw Joss's battered face.

"Fusco, call an ambulance and stay with Taylor. Finch and I will meet you at the hospital."

A sob from Taylor stopped John and he laid a hand on the teen's shoulder, "She'll be OK, we'll get her the best possible medical care."

Taylor looked at John with tears in his eyes, Joss's eyes, John noticed for the first time. "You were supposed to protect her, you promised. You said she was safe!"

John snatched his hand back like he had been bitten and stared at Taylor with the most heartbroken look on his face. Fusco had never seen Reese look so vulnerable, so hurt, and his own heart hurt a bit in his chest in sympathy.

"Hey, don't blame John…", Fusco started to say.

"No, Lionel, it's OK, he's right. I failed." John took a shaky breath, "Get them to the hospital." And John gathered up the shattered remnants of his dignity and made his way down the stairs and out the door.

John climbed into the car and drove away, all the while his inner demon was sneering at him, "Failed the woman you love again! You didn't save Jessica, and you may lose Joss!" John fought back against the bile that rose in his throat. What good was he if he couldn't save the one person who mattered most to him in the world? The picture of Joss's battered face and body forced itself into his mind, and he had to pull over.

An ambulance went screaming by a few minutes later, followed by a couple of patrol units and he knew they were on their way to the warehouse. A few minutes later the ambulance shot by going in the opposite direction and all John could do was watch until it was out of sight. He desperately wanted to follow it but he knew Taylor didn't want him anywhere near his mother and Taylor's feelings trumped his.

John put the car into gear and drove to the nearest liquor store. Today was a good day to fall off the wagon and drink to forget.

Finch limped into the hospital and headed for the waiting room where Fusco had told him to meet them. He was unable to hide his surprise when he noticed that John was missing. He would have thought nothing would keep Reese from the hospital, given his feelings for Carter.

Fusco saw Finch enter the room and pause in the doorway, obviously confused. Fusco got up to meet him. "If you're looking for John, he's not here."

Finch looked at Fusco in confusion, "Why, did one of the kidnappers escape?"

Fusco jerked his head the direction of Taylor, "Naw, the kid went off on him for not protecting his mom."

Finch stared at Fusco for few minutes while he absorbed the implications of that. "Taylor blames Mr. Reese for the kidnapping and the injuries to his mother? Oh, dear, I guess Mr. Reese did not take that well."

Fusco snorted, "That's the understatement of the year. John looked like the kid kicked him in the gut."

Finch felt a bit sick. He knew well how a grieving John had beaten himself up over Jessica's death. Being held responsible for Carter's injuries by her son would destroy him. He glanced over at Taylor, who was sitting with his head down; obviously the boy had no idea what demons he had unleashed in Reese.

Finch limped over and sat next to Taylor, "I owe you an apology."

"Why?"

"I too thought it was safe for you and your mother to return to your apartment after Carlos Vasquez was killed. Mr Reese does not bear the entire responsibility for your mother's injuries. Please blame me and not him. Your mother is very important to him."

Taylor looked squarely at Finch, "If you're trying to stop me from being mad at John, it's cool. It was a dumb thing to say to him and I'm sorry I said it. I just freaked out when I saw my mom so beat up."

"I'm sure Mr. Reese will be happy to hear that."

Taylor looked miserable, "Is that why he's not here? Because of what I said?"

Finch nodded, "Most likely he is under the impression that you are angry with him and do not want him near your mother."

"Mom's going to want to see him when she wakes up. You know, she looked really happy when we talked about him this afternoon."

"Taylor, if I know John, he will move heaven and earth to make sure you and your mother are happy."

"I know; that's why what I said was so stupid. Do you think you could call him? Tell him I'm sorry and he should come down here and be with mom?"

"Of course." A very relieved Finch pulled out his phone and punched the preset for John, but there was no answer.

Finch rose from his seat, "I'll go find him. His phone is still on so I can track him."

"Thanks, Mr. Finch," Taylor said miserably, "I'm sorry I shot off my mouth and caused all this."

"You were upset, Taylor, please do not worry about it." And Finch limped off.