A/N: Thanks for all the comments about the last chapter! I hope you all have recovered. Please take a deep breath and then read on… *hands out more complementary tissues*

CHAPTER 27

A rattling noise filtered through his drowning mind. It stopped. Then it started again. Hardy's eyes jerked open. A sudden pain in his chest took away the little bit of air that was left after a violent coughing spell had shaken his body. Barely able to calm down, he located where the sound was coming from. His mobile was buzzing on the broken glass table.

He struggled to reach for it. It slid through his fingers and fell on the floor, going off a third time. Hardy groaned and rolled over on the sofa. He stretched out his long arm, patting blindly for the phone. Finally, his fingers curled around it and he dragged it slowly towards his head as if it was a heavy weight.

"Hardy," he breathed hoarsely into the speaker.

"Did I wake you, sir?" Swenson's chipper voice greeted him.

Hardy moaned instead of answering. He briefly held the phone at a distance to squint at the time – 4:11 A.M. – and put it back to his ear. Too tired, he didn't sit or move, while he willed his heart to settle. He wasn't very successful.

"I'm sorry to ring you this early, but I thought you would want to know right away." She paused and despite his drowsiness the image of an eager puppy proudly jumping up and down in front of him popped up in his mind.

"Go on," he prompted her, voice gravelly. "Or are you holding back for dramatic effect?"

"Sorry, no I'm not… I mean… maybe… you were right though…," his DC stuttered, flustered by his sarcastic remark.

"Swenson!" he growled impatiently.

"Right. We found the car!" she revealed with a victorious undertone.

Hardy sat up quickly, sending the world around him spinning. "Did you get SOCO to search it?"

"No, we –"

"What are you waiting for? Seriously, you should –"

"Sir, we don't have it yet," she hurried to explain. "We know where it is though. Thanks to your brilliant idea of putting a trace on Claire Ripley. She led us to the place Ashworth sold it at and from there we were able to track down the new owner. We're in the process of locating him and the car, but this time at least we know where to look."

Hardy scrubbed a hand over his face. Of all days, they had to find the stupid car on this day. "Any idea how long it's going to take to do that?"

His thoughts were racing. He should be there, to make sure everything was handled properly. The chances of finding any evidence were slim, but at least there was one. The continued erratic thudding of his heart and the tingling in his hands made it very clear though that he might not be able to, even if he dragged himself along.

"I don't know, sir. Hopefully, we'll find it in time before we have to let Ashworth go," Swenson stated.

The vertigo made him nauseated and he could feel bile rising in his throat. "Swenson, I've got to go," he pressed through clenched teeth. "I'll let you know who's going to be there from the lead team. Keep me posted, would you please." He gagged, cupping his mouth with his hand. He muttered "Good work," and hung up not giving her a chance to reply.

Stumbling over his own feet, he made it to the guest bathroom. He clung to the toilet bowl and retched up whatever was left in his empty stomach. His limbs were shaking while he sank to the floor, patting down his pockets for his pills. Emily had told him not to eat or drink anything but that couldn't include his medications? He dry swallowed the pills and hoped they would stay down. After he had settled down a bit, he pulled himself up, hanging onto the sink. He rinsed out his mouth and washed his face. The cold water sent shivers down his tired body.

Then he slowly padded back to the living room where yet again he had fallen asleep while waiting for Tess to come home. The procedure was supposed to happen in three hours from now and he still hadn't talked to his wife. Anxiety was raising his heart rate and he collapsed onto the sofa. He had no idea what to do. He needed to finish the job he'd begun but if he didn't take care of himself, he'd never be able to make it through the end. The inability to make a decision left him paralyzed and panic was taking hold over him.

His phone that he'd dropped onto the cushion was poking his thigh uncomfortably and he fished it out from under him. Without thinking any further, he dialed Baxter's number.

Baxter eyed the display of his mobile. Hardy better had a very good reason for ringing him at half four in the morning.

"Alec, why the hell are you calling me?" he barked into the phone. Louise, his wife, rolled her eyes when she heard who was disturbing their sleep. Maybe he shouldn't have complained so much about the obstinate Scot the previous evening.

"They've found the trace of the car. We'll have it within a few hours," Hardy answered with much less enthusiasm than what Baxter would have expected.

Baxter sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. "That's fantastic, Alec. Why the mopey tone?"

"I should be there when they search it, shouldn't I?" Hardy stated, a sharp edge to his voice.

Baxter's brain was still recovering from sleep inertia. "Of course you should. Why wouldn't you?" he asked, yawning loudly into the phone.

There was silence on the other end.

"Alec?"

"I…," Hardy trailed off and Baxter could have sworn there was a choking noise.

And that's when it hit Baxter. The damn heart procedure was today. Baxter closed his eyes briefly, cursed under his breath, and then said, "Alec, don't even think about it. There are more than enough qualified people around to babysit SOCO while they are conducting a car search."

"But –" Hardy tried to cut in.

"No but. Under no circumstances are you allowed to come to work today. The only thing that you are going to do is get that procedure done and have your ticker fixed. That's an order." Baxter's stern voice must have fallen on some fruitful ground, because Hardy growled "Aye" and didn't protest any further.

"Who in your team do you want to take the lead?" Baxter flipped through the options in his own head. Tess was obviously out, but DS Thompson should do the trick or maybe DC Swenson. It didn't register at first what Hardy's answer was.

"Sorry, Alec. What did you say?"

"I said, the only one I trust besides you is Tess," Hardy replied quietly.

"Fine. I can be there, if you insist." Baxter didn't feel like it, but he'd do it for his friend. "How long until they think we'll be able to lay hands on it?" Maybe he could get a decent breakfast in before dragging himself into the field. Might be fun, he hadn't done it in years. His musings were interrupted by Hardy's sudden outburst.

"I haven't told her yet." Hardy was panting on the other end.

Baxter's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" he snapped into the phone. Louise shot him a puzzled look and he made a strangling motion, mouthing 'I'm going to kill him'. Louise sniggered quietly.

"I didn't get a chance last night. She never came home and I fell asleep and now the procedure is in less than three hours and I'm so stressed out about the thought of telling her now that it all might become a moot point and I might not even make it there." Hardy stopped, catching his breath.

His speech had been pressured and the combination of his hastily expelled words with an increasing Scottish accent left Baxter guessing about half of what he'd said. The message was clear though. Baxter had to admit, Hardy didn't sound like he could handle much more. The wheezing gasps on the other end of his mobile worried him more with each heartbeat that passed.

Regardless, Baxter wanted to throttle his friend. Badly. But just like a few days ago in the park, his instincts told him that Hardy needed something else. "Do you want me to come with you and send Tess to deal with the car search?" he proposed gently.

"Would you?" Hardy croaked.

"When do you need to be there?" Baxter asked with a resigned voice, sighing inwardly. This was a shit plan, but in a way so typical for Hardy.

"No later than 7 A.M., better by half six," Hardy muttered. Baxter noted with relief that Hardy's breathing had calmed down.

He groaned. Bloody doctors and their unreasonable need for an early start. So much for a nice breakfast. Still holding onto the phone he got up and gathered his things. At least he'd have time for a shower.

"I'll pick you up by a quarter till six. Be ready at your door," Baxter growled into the phone. "And you'll have to tell Tess that she's in charge but needs to report to me. Hopefully they'll let me use my phone in the hospital. What reason are you going to give her why you won't be there?"

"Dunno," Hardy mumbled. Baxter could almost see the sheepish glance and picture him rubbing the back of his thick head.

"For God's sake, Alec, at least tell her that you have a doctor's appointment or something. I don't want her to not have the slightest idea where are you are. What if I had to call her and tell her that something –"

"Fine," Hardy interrupted, not letting him finish his morbid thought.

"All right then. Get something to eat while you wait," Baxter tried to distract from what had been unsaid.

"Can't. Not allowed to have food before the procedure. No tea either," Hardy whined. Baxter softened with Hardy's forlorn tone. How lonely he must be, there in his house, still hiding what could happen today from his family.

"Did you talk to Daisy?" Baxter inquired carefully.

"Aye. We talked and made peace. I read her a book last night until she fell asleep." It always amazed Baxter how Hardy's rough Scottish tongue turned into a soft purr when he talked about his daughter. A smile played around the corners of his mouth.

"I'm glad you did. I'll see you in a bit. Bye Alec."

"Bye. Oh and… thanks, Ed." Hardy hung up quickly. Sitting down on the bed, Baxter dropped the phone with a big sigh and buried his face in his hands.

Louise's hand sneaked around his shoulders. Her thumb rubbed the groove above his collar bone. "What's going on?" she asked curiously.

Baxter snorted. "Alec Hardy is driving me nuts."

Louise chortled. "What else is new?" Baxter looked up into her smiling eyes.

"Yup," was all he said when he got ready for what he was sure would be a long day.

Hardy held onto his mobile. Baxter's reminder that Tess should at least have some idea where her husband was going to be while she took over made his chest feel tighter than it already had. His friend was right though. He had procrastinated until he couldn't hold out any longer. Gathering his courage, he pushed up from the sofa and silently padded upstairs.

The door was ajar, allowing for a thin sliver of light to penetrate the dark in the room. His gaze was caught by Tess' half lit face. Her mouth was slightly open and her chest was rising and falling with her breaths. Maybe it was the awareness of where he was headed to today or maybe the fluorescent light from the hallway making her look paler than usual that triggered Hardy's memory. His thoughts drifted back to a day thirteen years ago, the day she'd survived the life-threatening bleeding after giving birth to Daisy. They had finally brought her back from the operating room and he was waiting for her to wake up. Daisy was snuggled against his chest, safe and reminding him of life and happiness. When Tess finally stirred, he kissed her and placed Daisy in the crook of her arm, knowing that his daughter should be with her mother, despite him immediately missing her warm little body. Watching his sleeping wife, he knew Daisy would be fine, as long as one of them was around. And maybe it was time to hand her over to her mother.

With a heavy heart, he stepped up to the bed and carefully sat down. His hand brushed over her hair and shoulder.

"Tess," he whispered. She didn't stir. He smiled. She'd always been a deep sleeper.

He gently tugged on her arm. "Tess," he repeated, louder this time. She moaned and turned over.

"Love, please wake up," he urged her. She uncoordinatedly swatted at his hand.

"Leave me alone, Alec, it's too early," she grumbled, voice muffled by her pillow.

"You can go back to sleep in a minute. I need to tell you something," Hardy insisted softly.

She rolled onto her back and lazily looked at him through half-opened eyes.

"They've tracked down the car. We should get to it in a few hours," Hardy explained.

Her eyes opened fully. "It's about time," she yawned. "Why're you telling me now? Can't it wait until the morning?" There was annoyance in her voice.

"'Cause they'll be calling you once they've got it and you need to know," Hardy replied, squirming at the edge of the bed. A questioning frown crept onto her face.

"Tess, I have a doctor's appointment today that I sort of can't miss. Baxter is making me go." He'd apologize later to Baxter for using him as an excuse. "He wants you to keep him updated about any progress."

"Oh. All right, I'll keep you guys posted," she mumbled sleepily, turning back and hiding her face in her pillow.

Hardy's hand reached for her hair again and ran his fingers over her scalp. Half asleep, she let out a soft growl like Hardy knew she would. He smiled. He didn't stop until she'd slipped away into her own world of dreams. He bent over his wife's head and pressed a kiss on her temple.

"Bye, my love," he whispered into her ear.

He rose from the bed, grabbed his clothes and left her behind in the warm bed.

Hardy showered, shaved, properly combed his unruly hair and slicked his fringe back. Then he put on a button down shirt that Tess had bought for him, a tie that Daisy had given him for his last birthday and his favorite suit. He brought a small hold all with some more comfortable clothes for after the procedure.

Before he went downstairs to be picked up by Baxter he took another quick peek into the bedroom. Tess was fast asleep. His gaze lingered on her slender form that so often had given him comfort and consolation. Not today though, but hopefully tomorrow.

Then he sneaked into Daisy's bedroom. She was entangled in her blankets, one leg sticking out over the edge of the mattress. She'd always been a restless sleeper, and many times they would find her upside down in the bed by the morning. He gently pushed her foot back under the covers, straightening out the sheets and duvet. To his surprise, the unicorn was snuggled into her arms. Like so often when he checked on her during the night, he brushed her hair out of her face. His lips caressed her forehead, a quick peck this time. He didn't trust himself and he didn't want to wake her up. With one last look, he closed her door.

He tiptoed downstairs, put on his shoes and coat and left the comfort of his home. Sitting on his front stoop, he waited in the dark cold morning to start the day that could change his life forever.

They rode in silence to the hospital. Hardy felt Baxter's glance on him several times but he didn't turn and continued staring out into the grey morning light. He was grateful that his friend didn't try to make conversation.

Baxter held him back right when they reached the large glass sliding doors. The same doors he had accompanied Baxter through almost a decade ago on that night Baxter had believed his child would die.

"Alec, no matter what happens today, you know you can always count on me. To support you and your family," Baxter said in a hushed voice. Hardy could feel his cheeks heating up and before he could get his frazzled mind to produce a proper answer, Baxter had pulled him into a tight hug. It was quick, but heartfelt. When Baxter let go of him, the two men exchanged an embarrassed smile.

"Right. Let's go or you'll be late. God, how I hate these early appointments. I mean, why can't doctors act like civilized human beings and start their days at a reasonable time. Nine o'clock would be nice. Eight could be acceptable. But no, it has to be this ungodly hour. Doesn't even leave enough time for breakfast. No wonder that patients are grumpy. And then they dare to complain that they are not being treated with respect," Baxter ranted while they were walking through the hallway.

Hardy was flabbergasted. He'd never heard his boss babble like this. It was usually him who would go off on a rant when he was nervous enough to lose the internal filter that kept his mouth disconnected from his wandering brain. He stopped.

"Ed," he called Baxter who was storming ahead. Baxter spun around, his face pale and eyes wide. It had never occurred to Hardy that being back in this hospital and keeping him company during a risky procedure might remind his friend of a very dark time in his life.

"What?" Baxter snapped.

"Thank you for doing this. It can't be easy to be here. I really appreciate it," Hardy muttered under his breath, not quite looking at Baxter. Baxter stared at him, grey eyes cloudy and wild. Then Hardy looked up and a small grin played over his face. "I think it's a conspiracy. They know a proper human can't function without tea in the morning. They make you get up at the crack of dawn and tell you to not eat or drink anything, so by the time they get their hands on you, you're all mellow and won't argue. Clever."

Baxter's mouth gaped open. He wasn't used to Hardy making jokes. Then his expression changed into a smirk. "Precisely."

He stepped up to Hardy and clasped his shoulder, gently nudging him onward. They both seemed to be more relaxed by the time they reached the cardiology reception area. Hardy signed in and they waited in silence until he was called in. Baxter had promised to stay with him as long as they allowed him to. His quiet presence made the walk towards the doors of the exam room feel like less of a daunting task.

Baxter stayed outside the door while Hardy changed into the hospital gown. Maybe one day they'd make one that was long enough to cover at least part of his legs. He felt rather self-conscious when he called Baxter back in.

A grin was brightening his friend's face.

"Don't you dare say a word," Hardy growled, tugging on the gown.

"Why? I was only going to say that this is perfect for a Scot. What are you wearing un –" Baxter never got to finish because Hardy whacked him on the arm and barked, "Ah, shut it."

Baxter chortled right when Emily Abbott walked through the door.

"Well, hello, someone's awfully happy for an early morning like this," she greeted them.

Hardy and Baxter exchanged a glance and Hardy mumbled, "See, conspiracy." Then they both broke out in laughter. Emily eyes flicked back and forth between the two. She pulled up an eyebrow, crossed her arms and waited until they had settled down.

"I'm glad that you're in a good mood, Alec. Would you like to introduce your friend?" she said. There was an undertone in her voice that Hardy couldn't quite place.

"Emily, this is Ed Baxter, a good friend and also my boss. Ed, this is Dr. Abbott, my cardiologist," Hardy complied.

Emily took Baxter's hand reluctantly, eyeing him with a frown. Hardy was confused why she'd be so standoffish, despite her usual very friendly disposition.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Abbott. I know you were expecting someone else. Believe me, so was I." Baxter shot Hardy a daggered glance.

"I see we're on the same page, Mr. Baxter," Emily replied and joined Baxter in staring Hardy down.

Great. They were already ganging up on him and the day hadn't even started yet.

"What?" he pouted, very well knowing what the two were thinking about.

Baxter sighed. "Dr. Abbott, someone should give you a medal. You must be a saint to take care of this stubborn knob over there."

"Well, you're his boss. Maybe we should share it?" Emily suggested, a smile pulling up the corners of her mouth.

"You know I can hear you, right?" Hardy grumbled.

"Is he always like this?" Emily asked, ignoring Hardy completely.

"Yup. He has worse days though." Baxter tried to keep a straight face when he heard Hardy's snort.

"Are we doing this procedure or are the two of you going to stand there and wallow in self-pity?" Hardy growled.

"Did he say something?" Baxter asked, winking at Emily.

"Possibly," Emily conceded, smirking.

Hardy groaned and plopped onto the exam table. "Unbelievable," he muttered to himself. He should have known better. Of course the two would have a go at him. Baxter had probably been waiting for this opportunity for the last decade.

"I think he's mad at us," Emily stated, gesturing with her head towards Hardy. A snort confirmed her assessment.

"That's all right. It's his default state to be grumpy, especially if he didn't get his tea in the morning. I wouldn't pay attention to it. He's a good boy and –"

"That's it. I'm not a 'good boy'," Hardy exploded and jumped off the table. Unfortunately, his angry outburst was somewhat thwarted by the fact that the white crinkle paper was sticking to his bare skin and entangled his long legs completely. Being tripped up, he looked less than graceful when he caught his lanky body against Baxter.

Emily bit down on her lips to hold back laughter, but Baxter couldn't. There was a faint smile flicking over Hardy's face.

"I appreciate your eagerness, but please don't hurt yourself, Alec. I need you in one piece when we do the cath." Emily's tone of voice was back to more serious matters. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. A nurse was picking him up to get an echocardiography before they would get started.

"I'll see you after it's done and then we'll go over what's going to happen during the cath and the pacemaker placement," Emily said.

"Oh, so you're doing that for sure?" Baxter asked in surprise. "Thought that was a maybe." His questioning look rested on Hardy whose face turned red.

"Erm…" Hardy stuttered, looking anywhere but at his friend.

"Alec! You didn't tell him? Jesus, you're impossible," Emily exclaimed in exasperation.

"No. He said it's a consideration," Baxter sighed, still taking in Hardy. His voice was soft when he continued, "It's all right though. We talked about what needed to be talked about. I'm here no matter what happens, Alec."

Hardy raised his eyes to Baxter's who was smiling at him and giving him a reassuring nod. And despite all the anxiety and rising panic, Hardy felt calm for the first time that day.

Hardy was back in the room, perched on the exam table. It was cold in there and he shivered. For the tenth time or so he was annoyed by the fact that the gown didn't have pockets where he could hide his restless hands in. He ripped off another piece of crinkle paper.

"Stop it, Alec. You're driving me crazy with the fidgeting," Baxter scolded him.

"Fine," he pouted and crossed his arms. It didn't last long before his fingers found their way back to the paper. Baxter's hand clamped down on Hardy's.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay," he reassured Hardy with strong conviction in his voice.

What Baxter didn't know was that Hardy had not only been getting an echocardiography of his heart but had also met the anesthesiologist who painstakingly went over all the risks that the sedation carried. It appeared to Hardy that there weren't any real good options. Most of the drugs could trigger an attack, but not being appropriately sedated leading to agitation and pain could do just as much damage. In the end, he had shrugged, asked the doctor what choice did he really have, and swallowed the sedative he'd been handed. So far, it didn't seem to have any effect.

When Emily finally entered, Hardy was so on edge that he jumped at the door opening. Emily raised her eyebrow.

"Did you get the sedative?" she inquired.

Hardy nodded silently.

Baxter huffed. "If that's his sedated state, then I wouldn't want to see him without any drugs on board."

"Oi, thanks a lot," Hardy snapped back. They glared at each other.

"Hm, didn't seem it helped much. We'll get an IV in you and then do it properly. But first let's go over what's going to happen," Emily stated, ignoring the bickering between the two men.

Hardy slumped onto the exam table. There was no escape now. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and sucked in some air. Baxter had stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"All right Alec. We'll start off with giving you sedation and pain medication to make you comfortable. You won't be knocked out completely but we want you to be pretty out. Once you're sedated, we will insert the catheters into the big blood vessels in your groin, most likely the right side, but if needed we might go through the left." Emily was showing Hardy a cartoon. He vaguely remembered that she had done that previously, but nothing had stuck with him. Embarrassment was flushing his cheeks.

Emily shot him a quick glance and when she recognized how uneasy he was, she smiled. "Most people can't commit any of this information to memory. That's why I usually explain things again right before. Are you following so far?"

Hardy nodded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Great," she picked up where she had left off. "The catheters will be advanced to your heart. We'll use them to trigger your arrhythmia as well as monitor and treat it. Once we've got all the information we need, we'll be able to pick the correct device, most likely a dual-chamber pacemaker combined with an ICD as we talked about yesterday. Any questions?" Emily paused again.

Hardy shook his head. He did recall her discussing different devices. It had been very confusing but he trusted her to do what was needed.

"For the pacemaker, we'll make a two-inch incision under your left collar bone on your chest. That's where the little box, the pacing generator, goes. The wires that will connect the box to your heart will be inserted via the large veins that run right under the collar bone. Once everything is in place we'll suture it up and you're done."

She made it sound very simple and easy, but Hardy's stomach was clenched up to a knot. The thought of a wire sticking into his heart was disconcerting and the idea of being dependent on a little piece of technology was something that Hardy had a hard time reconciling.

"How long is it going to take?" Baxter asked. He had been listening intently, taking in all the information with a quiet calm demeanor. Hardy wondered how many times Baxter had been sitting in a room with doctors listening to explanations about his daughter's health.

"Probably several hours for both procedures. And then he'll have to stay in recovery for another four to six hours for the blood vessels to close properly. Are you going to stick around or come back?" Emily wanted to know.

Hardy's head snapped up, training his anxious gaze on Baxter. He didn't want to ask, but he wished very much that Baxter would stay. Baxter looked straight at him.

"Not going anywhere. I'll be here," he reaffirmed Hardy more than answering Emily's question.

"Good." Emily focused on Baxter, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. "It might not be the worst idea," she added hesitantly.

"Agreed." Baxter gave her a small nod.

Hardy looked from one to the other, witnessing their exchange that was more about what wasn't voiced than about what had actually been said. The knot in his stomach loosened up, and he was grateful to have both of them around.

"You can stay with him until he goes to the pre-op area. After he gets picked up, there is a waiting room down the hallway you guys came from." Baxter nodded again, hand still resting on Hardy's shoulder.

"Let me call the nurse, so we can get you settled," Emily said and quickly left the room, leaving the two men by themselves.

"You all right?" Baxter asked, voice soft.

Hardy shrugged. "Have to be, right?"

"It's frightening and it's okay to say that, Alec." Baxter patted Hardy's back. "When Emma had to go for her first round of radiation therapy, I was so scared, but of course I didn't let on. At least I thought so. Kids are so perceptive though. She picked up on it quickly and told me that it's quite all right to be afraid because it's a sign of intelligence if you are scared of things that are really scary. And that you can only be brave, if you're frightened first."

"Smart kid," Hardy mumbled, tugging on the gown again.

"Well, she is my daughter," Baxter bragged unabashedly. That earned him a small smile from Hardy.

"I am scared, Ed," Hardy admitted aloud for the first time since he'd learned how risky the procedure was.

Baxter circled his arm around Hardy's shoulders and tugged him close. "I know."

He held Hardy until they came to wheel him off to the pre-op area.

"Good luck, my friend. I'll see you when you wake up." Baxter said his goodbye and Hardy felt his eyes resting on him while he was taken away.

Hardy was lying on a stretcher, covered by a thin sheet that was too short and didn't keep out the chilly air. The IV fluids that were running into him made one of his arms feel like a brick of ice. The other arm was burning from the sedation medication that was slowly dripping into him. He stared at the ceiling tiles, counting them for the third time. Noises from the other patients in the large pre-op room filtered through the curtain that separated him from them. They didn't help him to stay calm, and neither did they drown out the beeping of his monitor.

The irregularity of his heartbeat unnerved him. It prevented him from zoning out despite the increased feeling of drowsiness. He briefly dozed off and when his eyes jerked open again, he was utterly disoriented. A face swam into focus and he recognized Emily.

"Alec, we're going to take you to the cath lab now. You go back to sleep. When you wake up, everything will be over," she said.

Hardy tried to say something but his mouth didn't want to cooperate. He let it go and drifted back to sleep.

He woke up, sun shining into his face. He squinted at the bright light and Tess wrapped her arm around him. The grass tickled his cheek and he lazily moved his hand to brush it away.

"Please don't move, Alec," Tess said with a man's voice. Hardy blinked into the harsh light that wasn't the sun at all. Something was still irritating his face. When he tried to wipe at it, someone was holding down his hand.

"He needs to be more under," another voice chimed in.

Something was pressed onto his mouth and nose, choking him. He turned his head away, but they didn't let him. The air had an odd smell to it. The odor was all-encompassing and it pulled him under, deeper and deeper until the grey water surrounded him completely. There was no light no up or down, only water rushing down his throat, flooding his lungs. He gasped for air but to no avail. It burned. His chest was on fire and the pain was unbearable.

And then she was there. Smiling just like she had in the photo. Something was off. He squinted at her and her cheeks were swelling, puffing up, paling and turning into a sick shade of blue until her whole face and body was bloated. She flung herself at him, toppling him over and burying him with her dead weight that was still tugging on his arms. She was pressing all air out of him, sitting on his chest, crushing him. He wanted to scream but couldn't, his breath caught in his lungs until they seemed to burst. His world exploded into pain and he faded away into nothing.

And then she was there. Smiling just for him. Her long hair was framing her beautiful face and her warm loving hazel eyes looked at him. He saw her lips mouth the word "Dad" and he so wanted to tell her how much he loved her but couldn't, too choked up with his overwhelming feelings for her. She took his hand and pulled him out of the dark water into the warm sun, leaving behind the pain in his chest. His breathing became easier and finally he found peace.

A/N: About the cliff hanger… at least I didn't have a sound of a flat lining heart monitor in the background and then cut to commercial like they did on the actual show (for the US folks – that's what they did during the UK broadcast of S02x06) Although I have to admit, if this would have been a TV series I might have felt very, very tempted to do something like that.

Hazelmist's comment of the day "HFDJSKHFDJSKFJDKSHJFDKHSJK! THE FEEELLLSSS. Good luck with the mob" may reflect some of your feelings. I have hunkered down and I am ready for whoever wants to come at me with pitchforks, cursing or anything the like is welcome. Maybe telling you that the following chapters have all been written and are in the final editing stage might console you?

Oh, and one more thing... I truly enjoyed Emily and Baxter finally meeting. I hope you did too. And in case you want to refresh your memory about the unicorn and Baxter and Alec's friendship you may want to read "A Unicorn In The Snow" (and for a change it has some fluff and only a wee bit of angst in it).