Shane sat impatiently on the examining table and tried to hear if anyone was saying anything on the other side of the curtains. Lawrence had taken his watch the day before, so Shane had no idea what time it was. But he was sure it had been at least an hour since they had arrived in an extremely chaotic and crowded emergency room.

Neil had dragged him into the area and run a battery of tests - a lung x-ray, multiple blood tests, and had repeatedly forced Shane to blow air into the machine that measured his lung capacity at regular intervals. Now Shane had several electrodes stuck to his chest and back and a clip around his index finger to monitor his heart rate and blood-oxygen levels. An orderly stood in the corner, watching Shane like a hawk for any sign of the toxin's effects returning. In the ambulance and after he had arrived at University Hospital, his vision had gone blurry and he had begun to feel the heaviness returning to his limbs. The symptoms had been weaker than before, but they had given him some of the remaining antidote. A half-filled vial with the blue label sat on a surgical tray just in case Shane experienced any further relapses.

None had occurred for more than an hour, though, and Shane was anxious to get out of the enclosure. His frustration was mounting. Shane knew Kim had to be nearby. She would have insisted on coming here as soon as she made sure Andrew was okay. He knew she would have demanded to see him.

So where is she? He got up off the table and began to pace. An uneasy feeling began to creep over him. He needed to find Kim. He wanted to pull her into his arms, hold her, and never let her go. This nightmare was finally over.

The curtain pulled back and Neil stepped inside.

Shane stopped pacing and looked at the doctor expectantly.

"I've got the results back of your lung x-ray and the preliminary blood tests," Neil said.

"So when can I get out of here?" Shane asked impatiently. "I'm okay, Neil." He looked past Neil into the emergency room, hoping to spot Kim somewhere.

Neil held up a hand. "Hold your horses, Shane, and please, let me be the doctor here. I want to go over these results. . . . Starting with your lungs."

Shane knew that had been Neil's biggest worry. With Shane's lung capacity already diminished by Cal Winters' bullet, Neil had insisted on checking whether Shane's breathing had been further compromised.

"So what's the verdict?" Shane asked.

"I don't see anything to indicate that your lungs have suffered further damage," Neil replied. "But that's based on what an x-ray can show." He pulled over the machine that tested lung capacity and handed Shane the tube to blow into. When Shane rolled his eyes, Neil gave him a stern look.

"Okay, you're the doctor." Shane took a deep breath and blew into the tube as hard as he could. He waited while Neil checked the results.

Neil looked through his charts. "Well, I can't see any decrease in terms of function." He flipped the page. "As for your blood, Carly went over to the refinery and snuck out some samples of whatever Lawrence had stored there."

"Snuck out?" Shane asked.

Neil nodded. "She says she was just leaving when the ISA descended. They shut down the site pretty quickly."

It made sense to secure a crime scene, Shane thought, but Carly was part of the ISA's science team. She had been brought in to work on the toxin. "But they didn't confiscate the toxin when she took it?"

"No, she said she told them she needed a few vials of the antidote so she could begin replicating it immediately in case of accidental release." Neil paused. "And she told them we might need some more in case of relapses. . . ."

"And you think I'm going to have more relapses?"

Neil shrugged. "I can't say. Carly ran a quick test on what she took and said she thinks there's still some toxin in your system, but the recurrences seem to be getting progressively weaker. She's still studying the toxin, but she thinks you might experience some brief dizzy spells or momentary weakness over the next week or so while it works its way out of your system, but she doubts anything too serious will happen." He handed Shane a full vial of the antidote. "She said you should keep this with you and drink a little if you feel symptoms."

With a nod, Shane took the vial. "Thanks. I'll have to find Carly and thank her too. If not for her and the lab, things could have been a lot worse." He looked at Neil. "And the hospital, too."

For a moment, Neil seemed to blanch. Then he set down the chart and shook his head. "I guess I understand why you wanted Carly's work to be secret. . . ." Neil looked up. "But, Shane. . . . Why didn't you let us know so we could have been been better prepared."

"You were as prepared as you could have been," Shane said evenly, not knowing if any explanation would make Neil feel less betrayed. "Carly and Kayla knew. They were looking for the first symptoms. You couldn't have done more. It's not like you could do emergency preparedness drills for a toxic gas attack. It would have raised red flags and sounded alarms from here to Chicago, and started a bloody panic. And more than likely, Lawrence would have taken his poison to another city that wasn't prepared for him."

With a sigh, Neil seemed to debate the point silently, but he finally gave up and nodded. "Okay, I see your point. I won't even say I wish you'd have trusted me, at least."

Shane decided against saying that he knew Neil couldn't have sat idle and done nothing. That would not help. It would take time more than anything else for Neil to get over feeling betrayed.

At least you'll have that time now. It was a thought that made Shane smile a little. Now that they had stopped Lawrence, he could deal with the ISA and get the charges dropped. That meant he would be able to continue living in Salem with the circle of friends and family that had become such a significant part of his life over the past seven years.

"What's so funny?" Neil asked.

"I was just thinking about time. . . ." Shane knew that sounded cryptic, but he didn't want to explain right now. "Look, Neil, you've run your tests. Everything looks good and I've got this-" He raised the vial of antidote in his hand. "-if anything starts up again. Can I please go find Kim?"

Neil almost seemed amused, but he just said, "Fine." He helped Shane remove the electrodes and the other monitor, then handed Shane a clean dress shirt. "I keep a couple extras in my office."

Shane took it, thanked Neil as he and the orderly left, and got dressed. Then he left the curtained enclosure.

The emergency room seemed less chaotic than before. Shane suspected most of the people brought in from the Spectator had been sent home or had been moved to rooms. Neil had told him earlier that some of the older victims were being kept for observation, but that was purely precautionary.

Exiting the emergency room doors, Shane spotted Bo, John, and Isabella. John's arm was in a sling, but he was alive and looked okay. His other arm was wrapped around Isabella's shoulders, but he let go of her, rushed toward Shane, and broke into a wide grin.

"You did it, partner," he said. "Exactly according to plan."

Shane had to laugh. "Not exactly, mate. Your getting shot was most definitely not part of it."

John harrumphed. "A minor detail." Isabella had reached them and she wrapped her arms around John's waist.

"I'm just glad you're all okay," she said. "When they started bringing people in and we heard about the attack on the Spectator, John insisted on checking out. Then we heard you and Steve were in the ER. Another few minutes and we would've been heading down to the refinery ourselves."

The mention of Steve made Shane ask where he and Kayla were.

"Marcus is patching him up," Bo said. "I don't know if they're going to try to put him in a room, but I'd lay odds they can't get him to stay the night."

Shane chuckled at the thought. "That's one bet I wouldn't take. Marcus knows better than to even try. . . ." Shane looked around. "And Kim? Shouldn't she and Roman be here by now?"

John and Bo exchanged looks that made Shane grow uneasy. Something obviously was going on.

"Where's Kim?" Shane asked. He looked at John and Bo, and asked again, "One of you . . . tell me, where is Kimberly?"