After helping Michelle in to the wheelchair, Trace manuevered it through the door and down the hall to where Tony was waiting.  He honestly had to say that he was surprised Tony was still in that seat and not off wandering around.  Especially after he mentioned heading to the waiting room to reclaim his bag of cheetos.  But as he got closer to his friend, Trace quickly realized that the only thing that probably kept him from his mission was the fact that he was literally on the verge of passing out.

"Tony.  Come on man.  We're getting out of here."  Trace said, giving his friend a light shake.

"Huh?"

"I said we're leaving.  Come on."

Trying to get his bearings, Tony let his back fall against the chair behind him and just started up at his friend.

"Can he even walk?" Michelle asked, studying the glazed over look in Tony's eyes.

"Well it's either he'll get up and walk or he'll spend the night here."  Trace growled, more so directing the comment to his friend than replying to her question. 

"Alright.  I'm coming already.  Geez."  Tony said, placing his hand on the wall for support so that he could stand up.  Once he was fully upright, he glanced down at Michelle and smiled.  "So...you the pretty little thing that has Justin all wired up huh?  It's nice to finally meet you.  I'm Tony."  he continued, extending his other hand out to her as his smile widened.

"Michelle."  she replied, placing one hand over her ribs and handing him the other. "Nice to meet you too."

"Alright Romeo, can we just go now!?  I mean...God!  Do you ever quit?!"

"Nope.  I can go on all night." he said, arching one eyebrow before placing a kiss on the top of Michelle's hand.

"God damn it!  Knock it off!"  Trace yelled, giving Tony a slight shove backwards to break the contact he had with Michelle.

"I'm just messing around dude!  Honestly...chill the fuck out!  What the hell is your problem!?"

"Just leave her alone.  I told you we have to get out of here."

"Fine!  Let's go!"  Tony yelled, quickly pushing himself away from the wall and heading back down the hall towards the waiting room.

"Whoa, we're not going out that way."

"Isn't that where you're parked?"

"Yeah, but we're going out through the main entrance."

"Why?"

"Because I said so.  Now let's go."

After throwing his hands up in defeat, Tony followed behind his friend as he wheeled Michelle down the hall and through the double set of doors.  Once they had reached the main lobby, Trace wheeled her out on to the sidewalk and quickly grabbed his keys from his pocket.

"Alright.  I'm going to go back around and get the truck.  Keep an eye on her and for Christ sake Tony...don't fucking harass her.  She's been through enough as it is."

After rolling his eyes, Tony motioned for Trace to be on his way.

"I'm serious."

"Yeah yeah.  I heard you."  Tony snapped back.  "Do you just want me to go wait inside?!"  he asked, motioning back to the set of doors.

"NO!  Stay here and don't let her out of you're sight!"

Shaking his head in utter disbelief over the way Trace was acting, Tony refused to acknowledge his friend's presence.  After a few seconds, Trace felt comfortable enough to leave them alone and quickly headed to the parking lot. 

"So...what's the deal with you and Justin?"  Tony asked, crouching down beside her.

"There isn't any 'me and Justin' anymore and anything that there may have been at one point is over and done with."

"According to you?"

"Yeah, according to me."

"You know...I don't think Justin is at that point and the whole over and done with part...I don't think that has even crossed his mind."  he said, quickly grabbing the arm of the wheelchair to keep from tipping over.  "Normally on a night like this, he'd be here partying right along with us...but he isn't.  He's out God knows where looking for you....still."

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, Michelle placed her hand up for him to stop and just shook her head 'no'.  She didn't need to hear this right now.  She didn't WANT to hear this right now.  Too much stuff was already going on.

"I don't really know what Trace meant when he said you had been through enough already and it's not my place to ask, but...I've known Justin for years.  He's a good guy."

Unable to hold back any longer, Michelle felt a few tears spill down over her cheeks and quickly attempted to wipe them away once she saw Trace pulling up to the curb.

After placing his truck in park, Trace saw that Michelle was crying and quickly jumped out.

"Man, what the fuck?!"

"Trace it's ok.  He didn't do anything."  she said, continuing to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Are you sure?  I mean, don't be afraid to say anything if he did something."

"Oh geez.  There's a ringing endorsement for friendship."  Tony growled, quickly pulling open the back door.  "Thanks a lot."

"I'm sorry man.  It's just....."

Not wanting to hear anything Trace had to say at that point, Tony simply responded with the middle finger and slammed the door shut.

"Are you alright?  Seriously?"

"Seriously.....no.  I'm not.  But it doesn't have anything to do with Tony."

"It's going to be ok.  I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep Trace."  Michelle replied, slowly trying to push herself up from the wheelchair.

"Hold on.  I'll help you."

Quickly moving around to the side of the chair, Trace placed her arm over his shoulder and helped support her weight so that she could stand up with as little discomfort as possible.  After making sure he had a good hold of her, Trace pulled open the passenger side door and slowly helped her in.

"Are you good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright." 

After pushing the wheelchair back inside, Trace closed her door and headed back around to the driver's side.  Once he had his seatbelt fastened, he pulled his phone back out and once again tried to call Justin's cell.  As he suspected, a few unanswered rings and it went in to voicemail.  Letting out a slight groan frustration, Trace tossed the small device on the dashboard and put his truck in drive.

"I just have to drop Tony off at his place and then we'll head to Justin's"

"Trace...I really don't think that is a good idea.  I mean, it sounded good before, but....."

"I can't take you home, I'm sorry.  I don't want to see you get hurt and I'm afraid that if I do take you home...that's exactly what is going to happen.  Just come back to Justin's with me.  Please."

"I guess I really don't have a choice now, do I?"

"Not really."  he replied, trying his best to offer her a smile.

Shaking her head in defeat, Michelle allowed her head to fall back against the headrest and just stared out the window. So many thoughts were now rushing through her mind.  Could she seriously go back to Justin's and face him after everything that had happened.  After knowing he now knew about her relationship with Wade?

Wade....where was he?  Was he alright?  She needed to know if Chris had succeeded in his mission.  Chris....GOD!  What was he going to do when he found out she had disappeared.  Would he take it out on Tanner?  Would he come looking for her and what would he do if he found her?  Would he just do the same thing to Justin and Trace that he had done to Wade?!

Feeling herself become short of breath, Michelle sat up slightly and tried to take in a few deep breathes.

"Hey...you alright?"  Trace asked, quickly glancing back and forth between Michelle and the road ahead of him.

Not bothering to answer him,  Michelle's eyes just widened in fear as he breathing continued to become more and more labored.

"Michelle?!"

Quickly realizing that something wasn't right, Trace glanced up in the rear view mirror at Tony in a panic.

"Just pull over man!"

Not wasting another second, Trace made sure the lane was clear and quickly pulled over to the median.  After throwing his truck in park, both men quickly jumped out and ran over to the passenger side door to open it up.

"Michelle....what's wrong?!  Look at me?!"  Trace yelled, fear evident in his voice that he didn't know what was going on or what to do.

"Relax man."  Tony said, quickly stepping in front of him so that he could address Michelle.  "It's alright.  Come on, just get out of the truck."  Tony said, gently taking her hands to help her out.

"What are you doing man!?  You're going to hurt her!"

Not bothering to justify what he was doing with a response, Tony continued on and finally managed to get Michelle out of the truck.

"Stop!"  Trace yelled, watching on in horror as Tony quickly pulled both arms up above her head.

"I know what the fuck I'm doing Trace!  SHUT UP!"  Tony snapped back.  "Michelle...look at me."

As her eyes widened in fear, pain quickly consumed her features and her complexion began to fade to an eery shade of white.

"TONY, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Michelle...look at me.  This is going to pass.  Just take a deep breath in.  You can do it, come on.  Deep......breath."  Tony said, taking a large breath of air in between the two words.

Watching Tony mimic the same patterned breathing he wanted Michelle to do, Trace suddenly found himself doing the exact same thing.  The shallow breaths he was taking, quickly replaced by slower steady ones as he continued to watch his friend.

"That's a girl.  Deep breath.  In......and out.  I got you."

After a few seconds of standing there in awe, Trace realized that Tony was actually helping her.  Her breathing was now returning to normal and her complexion was slowly beginning to show some signs of color.

"Are you alright?"  Tony asked, slowly lowering her hands back down to her side.

Not even having the strength to speak at that point, Michelle's body slowly relaxed against his and she nodded her head.

"Alright, let's get you home.  You need to lay down and rest."  Tony said, wrapping his arms around her waist to help her back in the truck.

After getting her settled back in, Tony shut her door and was about to get back in the truck when Trace stopped him.

"How in the hell did you know what to do?"

"My sister used to suffer from panic attacks.  I knew by the look on her face and her shallow breathing that she was probably having one.  Especially when you said she's been through a lot."  he said, and once again attempted to get back in the truck.

"Look, I'm sorry for going off the handle on you.  It's just that..."

"Don't worry about man."  Tony said, cutting his friend off.  "You just need to get this girl home."

Nodding his head that he agreed, Trace patted his friend on the back and headed over to the other side of the truck.  After turning down the volume on the radio to keep things as calm and quiet as possible, Trace put his truck back in drive and pulled on to the road. 

After about fifteen minutes of thankfully uneventful driving, Trace pulled in to the parking lot of Tony's condominium and in put his truck in park.

"You need any help getting in man?"

"I'll manage."  he snickered, pulling his own set of keys from his pocket.  "Go take care of this one."  he continued, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Alright.  I'll call you tomorrow."

Nodding his head, Tony shut the door of Trace's truck and headed up to the front door of his building.  Once he was safely inside, Trace pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Justin's house. 

Chapter 162

Staring at Chris in utter disbelief as he stormed out his bedroom door, Jackson just shook his head. There seriously had to be more to this than he knew. All of this wasnt just coming out of nowhere.

Once he was out in the hall, Chris quickly headed toward the stairs. He didnt really know where he was going, but knew he needed to get the hell out of that house.  If he didn't, he knew that the mirror wouldn't be the only thing in that house that he would have destroyed by night's end. 

Taking the first set of stairs at a rapid pace, Chris hit the small landing and had made it down two more steps before something suddenly caught his attention.  Slowly turning his head to the right, Chris glanced back at the sparkling object and let out a heavy sigh. 

After slowly taking the two small steps back up to the landing, Chris crouched down and picked up the small object. Standing up straight once again, he let the delicate piece of jewelry dangle from his fingers as he studied it.

Shaking his head at the irony of what he held in his hand , Chris let out an almost disgusted laugh before letting his back fall against the wall behind him. Feeling an almost sickening feeling wash over him, Chris allowed his body to slowly slide down the wall until he reached the floor.  Stretching his legs out in front of him so that he wasnt so scrunched up, Chris stared at the now broken necklace that he had purchased for Michelle only hours ago.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Jackson watched his friend transform right in front of his eyes.  It was a rare occassion for Jackson to feel too much pity or sympathy for anyone, but to have both emotions and have them be directed at Chris was beyond disturbing. It was a site he never thought he would see, let alone have to deal with.

Cautiously taking the steps one by one, Jackson made his way down toward Chris who still hadn't acknowledged his presence.  Once he hit the small landing, Jackson hovered over him for a moment and simply stared down at him.  He was hoping that Chris would say something...anything to break the uncomfortable silence, but he soon realized that was a lost cause.

Unsure of what else to do at that point, Jackson reached behind him and removed his gun from the waistband of his jeans.  After sitting it down on the step beside him, Jackson placed his own back against the wall and slid to the floor to join his friend.

After letting his hand with the necklace drop to the floor between his legs, Chris hung his head and let out a heavy sigh.  A mixture of hurt and dispair consuming him as he continued to study the tarnished stone.

As Jackson looked over at his friend, a lump caught in the back of his own throat. He was at a complete loss as far as what, if anything, he should say. He and Chris had been through a lot together as friends.  They had been through hell and back with business, family and everything in between, but this.....this was definitely foreign teritory for both of them.

Opening his mouth in an attempt to say something, Jackson quickly decided better of the idea and continued to sit in silence with his friend.

After another five minutes of near silence, Chris let out a slow shaky breath and turned to face his best friend.

"I dont know what I'm doing Jackson." Chris finally spoke. His voice strangely soft as he continued to stare at the piece of jewelry.

Not wanting to jeopardize the only conversation that had been uttered since he sat down, Jackson simply keep his mouth shut and allowed his friend to speak.

"I dont know what I'm doing." he repeated. "I hurt her man.......and not just tonight. I mean....the fuckin shit I did to that girl...."

Cutting himself off mid thought, Chris sat there shaking his head. He felt disgusted as the words rolled off his lips, but that was nothing compared to the utter contempt he felt for himself at that particular moment. 

Finally making eye contact with Jackson, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It wasnt a smile of happiness, but one of just complete emotional abandon. He reminded Jackson of one of those paintings of a crying clown, it just....wasnt right.

"I hurt her Jackson...........in every sense of the word."

As both men sat there silently, a stiff sense of discomfort began to loom over them. Chris was left still trying to gather his thoughts, while Jackson sat there trying not to imagine what Chris meant when he said he hurt her in 'every sense of the word'. 

Letting out another shakey breath, Chris ran his free hand through his hair. His chest was tight and it seemed like taking large breaths was really the only way to get air into his lungs at the moment.

"I really am losing it man!" Chris stated with a laugh. "I'm losing it! I fucking.......I pulled a fucking gun on her man! A gun!"

Throwing his head back, Chris let it hit the wall behind him with a slight thud.

"I would have killed her too. I was going to kill her......I think...........Fuck! I dont even know what I think anymore! This isnt me!  I dont even know whats going on in my own fucking head anymore! I just.........."

Once again cutting himself off, Chris brought his fist to his forehead. Holding it there sideways, he let a small sound escape his lips. It sounded like a cross between a cough and a laugh, but both men knew what it was. There was really no mistaking it and the feeling of akwardness continued to increase by the second. Knowing his friend had a lot he needed to get off of his chest, Jackson made no attempt to hault Chris' in his confession

Looking back over at his friend, Jackson watched as he briskly banged his head against the wall. His eyes were still closed tight and his fist was still clenched tightly against his forehead. The only thing managing to escape his lips was a barely audible 'fuck'.

As the two friends sat in silence, each passing minute seemed like an eternity. 

"....I cant let her go, but I cant love her either." Chris continued suddenly.

Caught slightly off guard by the four letter word that had just fallen from his best friend's mouth, Jackson quickly turned his attention back to Chris. Feeling his friends eyes on him, studying him, Chris turned to face the only person who had ever seen him in such a weakend state. 

"Jackson your my best friend, the only person on this earth I truly respect. Tell me what to do. I'm fuckin up man, please, just tell me........something."

"You really fell for this girl, didn't you?" Jackson asked, his voice holding a slight sense of disbelief as he tried to process it all.  He had to admit that he genuinely felt sorry for Chris at the moment, but it was hard to fully grasp and understand the emotions that his friend was sharing with him. 

Not bothering to vocalize his response, Chris simply gave his friend a weak nod.

"It hasnt even been a week man and I'm fucking crazy over her.  It's as if she's been mine for years!" Chris spat out. "How fucking pathetic is that?!"

Taking a deep breath, Jackson finally decided that if there was ever a time to be brutally honest with his best friend, it was now. Clearly Chris needed to hear what he had to say.  Especially when there were so many other things that needed addressed before he could even begin to point him in the right direction.

"You know, I think you're in to this girl because you think shes like nothing you've ever seen before and your right....she's not.  So why do you keep treating her like she is just another piece of ass you picked up from some club?!  Why do you continue to see how far you can push her  Do you like watching her fall apart?!  I mean, you're sitting here telling me you care for this girl and correct me if I'm wrong man, but does this give off that 'I'm really in to you' vibe?!"  Jackson yelled, quickly grabbing his own gun and jamming it in to Chris' temple.  "Cause I DON'T THINK IT DOES!"

"Man, get that thing away from me!"  Chris yelled, slapping Jackson's arm away from him before standing up.  "What the fuck is your problem?!"

"No, what's your problem?!  You sit there and act like you're the fuckin victim in all this, but what about her Chris?!  Where is she, this new 'love of your life' that you're fuckin crying about?!  Huh?!"  Jackson shouted as he took up stance in front of his friend.

"You need to back the fuck up right now."

"And what if I don't?"  Jackson snapped back.  "Come on Chris?!  Why can't you answer me?! Where is she?!  Where did you put that girl?!  She's in the emergency room right now, isn't she?!" 

"Do you really want to do this right now?  I mean...do you REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?!"

Not bothering to answer his question, Jackson simply took a step forward and waited for Chris to make the first move.  Normally he was the rational one of the two, but clearly things had to be done differently this time around.

"You're fucked up man!  You really are!"  Chris said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"WHY?!  BECAUSE I'M CALLING YOU OUT ON ALL YOUR BULLSHIT?!  BECAUSE I'M MAKING YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT'S SHE'S GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW?!  YOU HURT HER MAN!  SHE DIDN'T DO SHIT TO YOU...AND YOU FUCKIN HURT THAT GIRL!"

"DO YOU THINK IF I......."  Chris started to yell back, but stopped when he felt a lump rise in the back of his throat. "Do you think if I knew how to do this shit right, how not to hurt her, that I would intentionally keep doing it!?"  Chris asked, the look on his face begging Jackson for an answer  "Do you?!" 

Shrugging his shoulders in response to Chris' comment, Jackson offered him little more than a slight raise of the eyebrow.

"I don't want to hurt her man.  It's just...it's who I am."  Chris said, leaning back up against the wall  "You know, when you've spent the last ten years of your life focused on building up your image...your reputation...you start to forget who you really are.  I don't know who I am anymore man."  he continued, his voice cracking slightly as he turned away from his best friend.  "I'm not saying I haven't fucked up, I know I have!  But that doesn't mean I don't want to fix things or that I don't feel bad for what happened, because I do!  It kills me to know what I did to her!  I just don't know how to fix it."

"Well if you want her in your life, then you better figure it out Chris.  I'm not saying it's going to be easy, it isn't going to be easy by a long shot and to be honest, you don't deserve for it to be."

Nodding his head that he understood what his friend was saying, Chris heaved a heavy sigh.

"Look, if there was ever anything there between the two of you, then you can turn this around.  You just have to let it be on her terms.  You can't go out there and pursue her man.  If you do, she's going to feel trapped...cornered."

"So what am I supposed to do?  Sit around and hope she somehow moves past all the shit I did to her and come running back to me?!  It's not going happen Jackson....you and I both know that."

"Well that's your only option at this point. If you cant let go of the control and just let this thing happen on it's own, then you've already lost."  Jackson said, letting out a heavy sigh.  "For once in your life man, you dont get to call the shots.  You just have to wait it out and hope for the best." 

Chapter 163

After dropping Tony off at his apartment, Trace headed back to Justin's house and hoped that by some miracle that he would there. 

"Are you ok over there?  You're awful quiet all of a sudden." Trace finally asked.

With the back of her head resting against the seat, Michelle slowly rolled her head to the left and looked over at Trace.  She knew he meant well but she really didn't want to discuss the things on her mind right now.  Especially with him.

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Anything you want to talk about?"  he asked, glancing back and forth between her and the road.

"Not really."

"That's cool, but if you need to talk to anyone or ummm....ask me anything, I'm here."

Letting out a slight cry of pain, Michelle pulled herself in to a more upright position and stared at him.  She knew exactly what he meant when he made that comment.  This was clearly an attempt to strike up a conversation about his best friend.

"You mean ask you anything about Justin?"

"Yeah Justin...or anything in general."  he replied, trying his best to play it cool.

"Nice try Trace, but to be honest, I think I know all I need to as far as Justin is concerned."  she said, turning her attention back out the passenger window. 

"Yeah but that's the problem.  You think you know everything there is to know, but in reality you don't know the half of it.  You jumped to conclusions with him.  You didn't give him a chance to explain."

"What was there to explain Trace?!  He told me to my face that I was just a piece of ass!"  she yelled, quickly wrapping her arm around her ribs to try and dull the pain as she raised her voice.

"Ok, yeah.   He did said that, but it's because he thought you were back with Wade.  That you were just using him."

"And if he would have given me a chance to explain things, then he would have known I wasn't there by choice!"

Knowing that her comment was in reference to what she had been going through with Wade, Trace cleared his throat and knew he should just drop the subject all together.  Unfortunately, Michelle thought otherwise.

"What is it with men?!  Why do you always assume that we are all a bunch of whores sleeping around on you?!  HUH?!  I mean, first Wade thought I was fucking around on him with Marty and then Justin thought I was fucking around on him with Wade?!"  she yelled, tears now pouring from her cheeks. 

"Michelle...."

"What?  Are you telling me I'm wrong?!"

"Look, I'm sorry for even bringing it up.  I just thought that...."

"Yeah, well you thought wrong Trace."  she snapped back, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.  "Look, this is a bad idea....I knew it was.  Can you just please take me home?"

"I told you I can't do that.  You shouldn't be home alone."

"Actually, I think I should."

"Well, I signed your release papers from the hospital so technically, I'm responsible for your care.  That being said, you're staying here tonight."

"Why can't you just take me home Trace?"  she asked, continuing to wipe her eyes.  "I can't deal with this...with him.  There is just too much going on right now."

"Well, chances are pretty good that you won't have to either." he said, pulling up to Justin's gate to punch in the security code.  "Because honestly, I have no idea where he is." he continued, clearly still bothered by the fact that his best friend had not returned any of his calls.

After the gate opened up, Trace drove up the large driveway that led to Justin's house and parked his truck as close to the door as he could.  He was hoping that lady luck would be on his side and that Justin would in fact be home, but sadly once he reached the top of the driveway, he knew that wasn't the case.

"Hold on and I'll help you out."

Simply nodding her head, Michelle distracted herself from her surroundings by twisting the hospital band around on her wrist.  She thought that she would be able to handle being back here, but truth was, it bothered her. It bothered her a lot.

After Trace got around to the passenger side of his truck, he opened the door and slowly helped her out. 

"If you want to get a shower and change out of those clothes, I can get you one of Justin's t-shirts to sleep in."

Althought the mere thought of having anything of Justin's on her body made her cringe, staying in her blood covered dress made her cringe even more.

"Actually, I'd love to get in the shower and out of this mess."  she said softly, studying the crimson stains that littered the bottom of her dress. 

"Alright, well I'll go and get you something and lay it out on the bed for you.  Then when you're done, you can either crash out in one of the spare bedrooms or you can come back down here."

"Thanks." 

Noticing the look of hurt spreading across her face as she casually looked around at her surroundings, Trace took a deep breath.

"Look, if you ever want the truth...the whole truth...all you have to do is ask.  There is so much more to this than you know."

"If there is something you want to say Trace, then just say it."  she sighed, briskly rubbing her thumb across a small spot of dried blood on her forearm.  "I just...."

"I'm sorry.  Go shower.  There isn't anything that needs to be said that can't wait."  he said, tossing his keys and hospital paperwork down on to the table.  "Come on.  I'll help you upstairs."

As Trace extended his hand to her, Michelle placed her hand in his and he wrapped it around his arm.  Going as slow as he possibly could, they took the steps one at a time until they finally reached the top.

"You know where everything is."  he said, nodding towards Justin's room.

"You want me to shower in his room?"

"What's wrong with J's room?"

"Nothing."  she replied softly.

"You can always shower in one of the guestrooms.  I just thought Justin's room was closer."

"It's fine Trace."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."  she said, slowly walking in to Justin's room.

Once she was fully inside the room, she let out a heavy sigh and let her eyes wander around the room.  It had only been a few days since she was last in that room, but to her it seemed so long ago.  So much had happened in that short amount of time between then and now that it was almost hard comprehend.

"I'll just grab you something comfortable to slip on and lay it on the bed, alright?"

"Huh?"

"I just said that I was going to lay your clothes on the bed."  he repeated himself, glancing over his shoulder at her as he headed over to Justin's dresser.  "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm just tired."

"You know, you should probably be laying down right now.  Didn't they give you something at the hospital?"

"Yeah, I'll lay down. I just really need to get in the shower first."

"Just go ahead.  I'll leave you're clothes out and if you need anything, just holler."

Nodding her head, Michelle headed in to Justin's bathroom and closed the door. 

After finally finding something for Michelle to wear, Trace laid the clothes on the edge of the bed and headed back downstairs. 

"Alright, let's try again."  Trace moaned, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and heading in to the kicthen.  "Come man.  Answer the fuckin phone!" 

Unfortunately, as he suspected,  after few more unanswered rings and it kicked in to voicemail. 

"Damn it!"

Forcefully flipping his phone shut, Trace tossed it on the kitchen counter and grabbed a beer from the refridgerator.

"Of all nights to not answer your phone man, why did it have to be tonight?" 

"Maybe because I'm tired of dealing with everyone's bullshit tonight."  Justin chimed in, closing the front door behind him as he walked in to the house. 

"Dude!  Where the fuck have you been?!  I've been calling your cell and leaving messages for you for the last two hours!"  Trace yelled, quickly closing the distance between him and his best friend.

"Yeah I know."  Justin said, letting out an aggitated laugh as he plopped down on his sofa. "So, what's the big emergency?  Tony need to pitch me another idea before he passes out?" 

"Yeah, that's funny.  Really it is."

"So then fill me in.  What the fuck was so important that you felt the need to repeatedly call me?  I mean, you knew damn well I didn't feel like talking to you!"

"Yeah, well this world doesn't revolve around you."  Trace snapped back, quickly growing annoyed with Justin's attitude.  "Did you even stop to think that the call might have been important?"

"The fill me in!  Jesus Christ!  How many times do you want me to say it?  I'm here!  What?!"

Then before Trace could even form a thought, Justin glanced down at the table.

"Please tell me you didn't bring him here."

"Who?"

"You know who."  Justin replied, grabbing the stack of hospital papers from the table.  "Tony."

"I dropped Tony off at his place."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Justin tossed the papers back down on the table and turned to look at his best friend

"So...he's what?  So drunk that he forget to take his shit with him?"  Justin asked, leaning back against the sofa.

"That's not his paperwork."  Trace said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"So whose it is?  Yours?"

"Nope."

After a few seconds of waiting for Trace to fill him in, Justin let out a chuckle of disgust and sat up to grab the papers.  After scanning his eyes over the set of discharge papers, Justin's face turned a pale shade of white and he glanced up at his best friend.

"And just think, maybe next time you'll answer your phone."  Trace said, walking back in to the kicthen to make his point perfectly clear.

"Where did this come from?!"  Justin yelled, quickly getting up from the sofa to follow after him. 

Then before Trace even had a chance to answer him, the sound of crying began to echo throughout the house and both men turned toward the stairs.

"SHE'S HERE?!"  Justin asked, quickly running toward the stairs.

"Justin wait!  I need to talk to you first!"

Ignoring his friend's comment, Justin continued across the room and sprinted up the steps as fast as his feet would take him.  Once he reached the top of the stairs, he realized the sound of her crying was coming from his bedroom and quickly made his way inside.

"Justin!  Stop!"  Trace yelled, grabbing his friend by his arm.

"What?!" 

"You can't just go rushing in there!"

"The fuck I can't!"

Ripping his arm from Trace's grasp, Justin quickly opened the bathroom door and saw Michelle curled up in a ball on the floor of his shower crying.

"Jesus Christ."

Taking a few steps closer, Trace's concern for Michelle forced him to peer over his friend's arm and in to the bathroom.

"We need to talk man.  A lot of shit went down tonight and..."  Trace began to say, but Justin quickly cut him off as he pulled the door closed slightly.

"Look, whatever it is can wait.   Just get out of here and close my bedroom door when you leave."

"Justin you can't just pull her out of there. She's messed up!"

"You think?!"  Justin yelled, his eyes wide with rage over the fact that his rambling was keeping him from Michelle.

"God!  Look at you!  Will you just stop for a minute and listen to me!"  Trace yelled back, his heart racing in his chest as he continued to hear the sound of Michelle crying in the bathroom.  "Something happened tonight. I don't know what exactly, but she's hurt."

Studying the look of concern on Trace's face, Justin let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What do you mean...hurt?  What the hell happened?"

"I don't know.  I mean....I tried to see if she wanted to talk to me about it, but she didn't." Trace said, nervously biting on his bottom lip. "Look, I know you have to get her out of there, but just be careful with her.  I don't know what all she went through tonight, but I do know she has a few bruised ribs." 

"Jesus Christ."  Justin sighed, his heart literally breaking in to pieces over the revealtion.  "I have to get her out of there man."

"That's fine. Go take care of her."  Trace replied, as he headed back across the room and out the door.  "Just make sure you come back down though, because we have to talk."

Chapter 164

After giving Chris a few minutes to let his words to sink in, Jackson let his own head fall back against the wall as they sat on the stairs and mentally began to prepare himself for the conversation he knew Chris wouldn't want to start.  Unfortunately, he really didn't have a choice.  He just couldn't allow Tanner to bring Michelle anywhere near his best friend until he knew the full story. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Jackson ran his hand briskly down over his face and looked directly at his best friend.  His stomach twisting in knots as Chris' earlier confession begged for elaboration.

"Look, I know this is probably the last thing you want to be doing right now, but you have to be honest with me man.  What the fuck went down between you two?"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean...what the fuck did you do to this girl?  Obviously it's something worth talking about or you wouldn't be this thrown off by it.  Right?"

"Yeah, your right.  I don't want to get in to this." Chris sighed, quickly breaking the eye contact he had with Jackson so he could head down the stairs.

"Well you know what, now you don't have a choice.  All I did was ask you what happened and you couldn't even look at me anymore?  That right there telIs me we should get in to this.  Fill me in here Chris.  Are we talking..."

"Drop it man!  I can't deal with this shit right now!"

"Well you better learn how to deal with it, because I'm not leaving here until I know what the fuck went down!"

"God!  It's not like I can undo it, so why the fuck does it matter?!   It happened!  It shouldn't have, but it did!  SO JUST LET IT GO!" 

"Now you're starting to freak me out!  WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO CHRIS?!"  Jackson asked, quickly jumping to his feet.

Letting a disgusted laugh escape his lips, Chris continued down to the bottom of the stairs before turning around to address his best friend.

"Let's just say that after forcing a few lines of coke up her nose and running a few myself,  the question you should be asking is what the fuck DIDN'T I do."

"Please tell me you are joking."  Jackson asked, a slight sense of disbelief evident in the tone of his voice as he finally reached the bottom.  "You're joking right?"

"WHY IN THE FUCK WOULD I JOKE ABOUT IT?!  I MEAN, DOES IT SOUND LIKE AN AMUSING TOPIC OF DISCUSSION TO YOU?!"

"So you're telling me that while under your 'supervision', you forced this girl on to coke?!"

"I told you I didn't want to talk about this shit man!"

Picking up on Chris' obvious discomfort reliving what went down, Jackson stopped following after his best friend and collapsed down on to the sofa.  There had to be an easier way to do this.  A way to get the answers he needed without putting his best friend through the obvious hell he was now in.

"Alright look.  We've known each other for years man.  We've both done our fair share of things we regret, but I'm honestly just trying to help you sort this mess out.  Can you talk to me?  Please?"

Stopping dead in his tracks, Chris laced his hands on the top of his head and stared across the room.  He really didn't want to get in to the details concerning what he did or didn't do with Michelle, but at the same time he knew that if anyone could help him right the wrongs, it was Jackson. 

"Chris...talk to me man."

Letting his arms fall back down to his sides, Chris let out a heavy sigh and remained in place for a few more minutes.  After buillding up enough nerve to lay it all on the line, Chris slowly walked back in to the livingroom and prepared to answer the question Jackson had asked him only moments ago.

"I wasn't there her first time out of the gate with coke, but I'm the one who opened that gate for her." 

Letting a confused look wash over his features, Jackson waited for Chris to elaborate on exactly what he meant by the comment.  Unfortunately he quickly realized that he wasn't about to volunteer any information willing. 

"So, you weren't there the first time she did coke, but...you were responsible for her doing it?" 

"Yeah, something like that."  Chris replied, his body falling back against the sofa as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Is this like a game.  You know, where you'll give me pieces of information and I'm supposed to decipher it?"

"I don't want you to decipher it man, It's just that....I really don't want to look back at what put me in the situation I'm in right now."  Chris said, quickly leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I'm here because I put myself here.  Can't we just leave it at that?" he continued, now worried that telling Jackson would do him more harm than good.

"Yeah, I get it.  Really, I do.  But what YOU don't get, is the fact that I know you Chris!  You make these messes and wait for me to clean them up!  It's been that way for years!  Except this time, things are a bit different.  You can't just sit there tight lipped and wait for me to step in and fix it.  I can't fix this!  I can't smooth this over with some fast talking and a bit of cash flow."  Jackson stated rather bluntly.  "I'm just trying to help you 'sort' this out.  You know, it might not even be as bad as you think it is.  Did you even stop to think of that?" 

"It's bad Jackson!" Chris yelled, quickly jumping to his feet. "When you take a fuckin girl like her and force feed her coke...it's bad.  And when you keep that girl against her will for days on end and use her to satisfy your own sexual needs, IT'S BAD JACKSON!" Chris continued, his stomach literally twisting in knots as he processed the words coming from his own mouth.  "But when you somehow manage to get that same girl to put a small amount of faith and trust in the fact that you won't hurt her...and then you do...the feeling is worse than anything you could even imagine."

After hearing Chris' emotional, yet rather blunt confession, Jackson finally realized why Chris had been acting the way he was.  This thing with Michelle wasn't a mess, it was a disaster.  A disaster of major proportions! 

"I umm...I don't know what to say man."

"There's nothing you can say.  That's my point."

Watching Chris collapse back against the sofa, Jackson couldn't help but wonder how and why it all started. It wasn't like Chris was hard up for female attention.  In fact, it was quite the opposite.  If he just wanted someone to pass the time with, there were plenty of girls at the club who would kill for the opportunity. It just didn't make sense.

"You wanna tell me why her though?  I mean, yeah.  I understand the whole fascination you have with taking things that should be off limits, but she's not even your type." 

"And how the hell do you know what my type is?"

"Well, she isn't like the other girls you've brought back here.  That's for sure.  Hell, when I first saw you two together, not that she looked the part, but I just assumed she was another new girl who couldn't pay her tab."

"Yeah, well obviously you were wrong."

"Obviously."  Jackson replied, now studying the distant look in Chris' eyes as he stared across the room. "So, now...I know Wade originally ties in to this mess somehow, but I figured after all that, you wouldn't be able to get within fifty feet of that girl.  How in the hell did you manage to get near her or where did you manage to for that reason?"  he continued, his own curiousity now begging for answers.

"I saw her at the club a few nights ago.  She was there alone so it really wasn't that complicated."

"So you basically just waited until she was alone and...snatched her?"

"No, I didn't snatch her."  Chris snapped back, his face distorting slightly after hearing Jackson's comment. 

"Don't give me that look!  You know as well as I do that it wouldn't be a stretch for you.  Especially after the shit that has been happening lately."

"Yeah well, that's not how it went down."

"So then, fill me in."

Unfortunately before Chris even had the chance to open his mouth, Jackson's phone began to ring. 

"Hold that thought." 

Leaning to his left, Jackson pulled the small device out of his pocket and glanced down at the caller ID.  After seeing that the call was coming from Tanner, Jackson stood up and headed across the room. This was a call he knew he needed to take, but he really didn't want Chris overhearing right now.

"I have to take this call man, but I'll be right back."

Nodding his head, Chris watched as Jackson made his way across the room and up towards the foyer. Once he was out of sight, Chris headed over to the window and gazed out across the illuminated horizon of the city.  The previous curiousity about Jackson's sudden need for privacy during a phone call quickly taking a backseat to the jumbled mess of thoughts now filling his mind.  Was Jackson right?  Could he somehow turn this all around?  Could he have her in his life?

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming up from behind him, Chris broke his train of thought and turned around to face his friend.  Once he caught a glimpse of Jackson's face however, he wished he would have just stayed facing the other direction.

"Don't tell me we have problems with the new shipment coming in Jackson, because I really can't handle that right now."

"No.  The shipment is on track.  I spoke to Benny yesterday.  It should be here within a day or two.  He just has to get it packaged up for distribution."

"So then why the look?"  Chris asked, as he headed back over to where his friend was still standing.

"Look, I really don't know how to say this in a way that won't have you flying off the handle, so I'm just going to say it."

"You know what, whatever it is, it can wait.  I have enough to worry about with Michelle as it is right now."

Hearing Chris mention her name, Jackson glanced down at his phone and let out a heavy sigh.

"Yeah....umm...about her."

"What?"  Chris asked, his face instantly taking on a more serious expression.

"That was TJ, down at the hospital."

"And?"

"He went to get an update on Michelle from the nurses and they uh...they told him she was released about ten minutes ago."

"So...what am I mising here?  She was released.  Are they on their way here?"

"No.  She was released, but TJ didn't sign her out and he doesn't have a clue where she is."  Jackson replied, his reluctance to go any further quickly taking it's toll on Chris' patience.

"Is this suposed to be funny...because it isn't."

"I'm not trying to be funny man.  She's just not there."

"What do you mean she's not there?!  Where the hell is she?!"

"I don't know where she is man, but someone signed her out."

"WHO?!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jackson just stood there with a blank look on his face.  He really didn't know any more than that.  How many times did he need to say the words 'I don't know'.

Growing annoyed with Jackson's lack of information, Chris just shook his head and quickly headed past his best friend and back up the stairs.  Obviously if he wanted answers, he was going to have to drive over there and get them himself.

"Where are you going?"

"To change clothes and then down to the hospital to find out what the hell is going on!"  Chris said coldly as he headed across the room.

"You know that's where they took Wade right?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" 

"Do you really think this is a good idea?"  Jackson asked, now joining Chris on his trip back upstairs.  "I mean, I understand that you have a lot going on right now, but stop and think this through man.  What if he said something?"

"At this point, I don't care!  Someone left there with her and I want to know who!  I mean, did you even stop to think that maybe Rich  got her out of there somehow?!"

"Don't you think that's a little bit too advanced for him?" 

"Hey, if the thought crossed my mind, then there is a very good possibility that it could have crossed his mind as well."  Chris stated, quickly disposing of the shirt he was currently wearing and grabbing another one from his closet.  "I'm not about to leave it to chance.  Not after that shit he tried to pull earlier."

Knowing that Chris did have a point, Jackson shoved his phone back in his pocket and followed Chris back downstairs towards the front door.

"Well, if you insist on heading over there, then I'm coming with you."

Not bothering to debate the issue, Chris grabbed his keys from the table and headed across the room.  As he continued out the door  and down the walkway, he saw his Ferrari parked a few feet away and let out a soft groan.

"Fuck!  I can't drive this down there.  Can you pull this around back and put it in the garage for me."  Chris said, tossing his set of keys over to Jackson.  "I'm going to go back in and get the keys to the Hummer."

"Isn't Michelle's car still parked in there?"  Jackson asked, disengaging the alram and opening the car door.

"Yeah it is, but there's room.  I had TJ drop the Shelby off to get detailed the other day.  Just pull it straight in and I'll move it when I get back."

Nodding his head, Jackson climbed in to Chris' Ferrari and started it up to head around back.  Once he got to the back of the property, he pulled up to the garage and put the car in park. 

After a few minutes had elapsed, the lights came on inside the garage and both doors began to open. Seeing Chris motion for him to pull it forward, Jackson placed the car back in drive and began to maneuver the expensive car in between Chris' other collection of cars.

"Come on...you got room."  Chris said, waving him on with his hand and he stood in the small space between his Merceds and the Ferrari that was slowly inching closer to him.  "A little more man."

"Do you want to become the new hood ornament?!"  Jackson asked, worried that he was already too close.

"You have about another three feet.  Come on."  Chris replied, his frustration growing. 

After slowly inching up another two feet, Chris quickly put his hand up.

"All right stop.  You're good."

Placing the car in park, Jackson stepped out and closed the door.  After he engaged the alarm on the car once again, he headed towards the front of the vehicle and tossed Chris his set of keys back. Seeing the barely there space between the two vehicles, Jackson let out a slight chuckle and headed back to the rear of the vehicle.  The mere fact that Chris managed to stand in the small space without so much as flinching as he was pulling in only further proving his point that the boy was not thinking straight.

"Alright, let's go.  We've wasted enough time already."  Chris said, opening the drivers side door and climbing in.

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time."  Chris groaned as he started the vehicle up and glanced over at him.  "But I don't recall me saying you had to accompany me on this trip either." 

"I know you didn't, but I'm coming anyway.  Someone has to make sure you don't fuck yourself over or end up in jail."

Ignoring his smart ass comment, Chris just shook his head and shifted his truck in to drive.

Chapter 165

Making her way back from the assortment of vending machines that sat in a small nook at the end of the wall, Cameran caught a glimpse of the clock hanging just outside the waiting room and let out a heavy sigh.  More than three hours had passed since they got there and she still hadn't received any word on Wade's condition. 

"You know what, this is ridiculous. Someone has to know something."  she mumbled, taking a few sips of her coffee as she approached the nurse's station. 

"Can I help you?"  the nurse asked, looking up at Cameran from above her glasses.

"Yeah, a friend of mine was brought in about three hours ago and I still haven't heard anything.  Is there someone here who can go back and find out what's taking so long?"  she asked, her shaky hands resting the paper cup on the counter top.

"What's the name?"  she asked, grabbing a pen.

"Wade Robson."

After typing a few things in to the computer she turned to look over her shoulder.

"Janice, can you head down to the OR and find out if someone can give you an update on the young man they have down there named Wade Robson."

Simply nodding her head, the nurse offered Cameran a small smile and headed down the hall. 

After she approached the double set of doors that lead to the operating rooms, the nurse hit the small silver panel on the wall to activate them.  Once the doors opened up, she proceeded down the hall and over to the small nurses station. 

"Patty, do you still have a young man down here by the name of Wade Robson?"

"Yeah."

"Any update on his status?"  she asked, quickly taking notice at the lack of staff normally seen standing around.  "We have a young girl up there inquiring about him." 

"Honestly, you're going to have to tell her that someone will be up there shorty with some information."

"She said it's been three hours.  You can't go back and find something out?  Anything?"

"I could, but they have a packed room back there right now."  she replied, glancing back at the clock across the hall.  "He had a few rough patches during the surgery and by the time they finished up and started trying to ween him off of the anesethesia, something happened and he went in to cardiac arrest.  They called a code blue about fifteen minutes ago and the few people that were up here ran down to assist.  No one has come back since, so I don't know what is going on."

"He's a young kid, isn't he?"

"Yeah.  Early twenties."

"And he went in to cardiac arrest?"

Nodding her head, the nurse typed a few things in to the computer and then glanced over at the clock once again.

"If you want, I can go back there and try to see what's going on.  I can't guarantee you that you'll know anything more than what I told you already, but it's worth a walk back there.  You'll just have to watch the phones for a minute."

"Yeah I'd appreciate it.  Thanks."

Sliding her chair backwards, the OR nurse stood up and headed around to the other side of the desk. 

"Ok.  I'll be right back."

"Alright."

Once the nurse walked down to the operating room where Wade was being treated, she heard the beeping sound of various alarms going off and let out a heavy sigh.  After heading over to the double set of doors, she tapped lightly on the glass window.  As she did, one of the nurses standing off to the side saw her and headed over.

"You still don't have him back yet?"  she asked, glancing around the room at the people frantically attending to Wade.

"No.  Not yet."  she replied, glancing over her shoulder.

"Janice has someone up in the trama waiting room inquiring about him.  She wanted me to see if there was anything to tell her."

"Not yet.  Just tell her they are still working on him and that once they know anything that they'll send someone up to talk to her."

"Alright."

Hearing the doctors and staff once again scrambling around the room, both nurses glanced back across the room to where they were still working on Wade.

"Check for a pulse." the doctor ordered, glancing down at Wade once again.

"Still no pulse."

After the nurse reported that Wade still didn't have a pulse, the doctor let out a soft groan and rapidly began scanning his eyes across the various monitors.  Was there something he was missing? 

"Resume CPR."  he finally ordered, quickly grabbing Wade's chart. 

"I have to get back in there.  Just tell Janice to tell her that someone will be up shortly.  There's really not much more I can say at this point.  We really don't know what the outcome is going to be."

Nodding her head, she let out a heavy sigh and headed back up the hall to inform her of the news while the other nurse headed back over to see what help she could offer.

"He's not coming out it." another doctor said, stepping forward to join in on the assesment of the monitors.  "We've done all we can.  This is just a waste of time and resources.  It's time to call it."  he continued. 

"I'm the attending on this case and if it needs called, I'll be the one calling it!  Continue with CPR and charge the paddles to 360." he fired back, flipping through a few more pages of Wade's chart.  "For Christ sake, we're not talking about an eighty year old man with degenerative heart disease.  He's a young kid with no previous medical history!  He can pull through this!" 

"And yet he isn't!  That right there should tell you something.  We've done all we medically can.  It's out of our hands." 

"We're not going to lose this kid!" the attending doctor yelled, his emotions finally getting the best of him. "Not like this."

"Paddles charged."  the nurse chimed in, the pained expression on her face now matching that of the attending.

"Alright hold CPR."  the doctor instructed, letting out a heavy sigh.  "Do we have a pulse?"

"Still no pulse."

After reaching out to take a hold of the defibrillator paddles, he quickly glanced around the room at the faces of those who watched him.  Whether they thought he was wrong or not, he wasn't about to give up. 

"Clear?"

"All clear."

"Come on Wade.  Help me out here." 

Once the staff were out of harm's way, the doctor placed the paddles back against Wade's chest and once again set off the charge.  After silently saying a prayer, the doctor glanced up at the ECG and waited for Wade's heart rate to fall off once again like it had so many times before.  Except this time...it didn't.

"We have a normal sinus rhythm!"  the nurse yelled out in shock as she locked eyes with the doctor from across the gurney.

"Check for a pulse."

Not wasting any time, the nurse quickly reached down and took a hold of Wade's wrist.  After pressing her fingers in the area on his wrist right below his thumb, her eyes widened slightly and she quickly looked up.

"We have a pulse.  It's weak, but it's there."

"Alright, get me a current blood pressure reading."  he ordered, quickly grabbing at Wade's opposite wrist to check for himself.

"His blood pressure is 76/44." the nurse stated, turning back around to face the doctor.

"Alright run a rapid fluid change of 250cc normal saline." he contiuned, now directing his attention to the respiratory therapist.   "Hyperventilate him and then get me two grams of Lidocaine in 500cc of normal saline and run it at 30cc/hr."

After the nurse had everything hooked up to his IV, she allowed a few minutes for the medication to do it's job and then turned back to look at the readings on the monitor.

"Blood pressure is still only at 78/44."

Once the doctor confirmed the reading and checked a few more monitors, he turned his attention back to the awaiting staff.

"Get me 800cc of Dopamine and run it through another 250cc of normal saline at 19cc/hr.  We have to get this kid in to a more stable condition or we're going to lose him again."

"You don't want him on Norepinephrine?"

"No, his systolic is above 70.  If it was under 70 then yeah, we would have went with the Norepinephrine." he answered, adjusting a few of the numbers on the monitor.  "After you get that started, get the restraint protocol paperwork filled out and find his family.  I don't want him coming out of this in ICU and trying to pull out that ET tube." he continued, writing down a few more things on Wade's chart.  "I want to make sure he'll be able to breathe on his own and not relapse before I remove it." 

"I guess sometimes persistence pays off huh?"  the nurse said, taking the chart from him and adding a few more pieces of paperwork to his file before handing it back. "Seemed to make a world of difference in his case."

"I wouldn't say it's persistence. I'd simply like to think that it's the difference between knowing when it's the right time to call it and when it's not." he replied, signing off on the last of Wade's paperwork.  "All this kid needed was someone to believe in him.  He needed a chance.  I hope that's what I gave him."

Offering him a genuine smile, the nurse took the chart back from him once again and watched as he headed out the door.  After he was out of sight, she headed over to the phone hanging on the wall and made the necessary arrangements for Wade's transport over to the ICU recovery room. 

Once everything was in order, she walked back over to where Wade was laying and gently placed her hand over his as she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Don't give up Wade.  Make the most of what you've been given."

After removing her hand from his, the nurse stepped back so that the other two doctors remaining in the room could get him ready for transport.

"Do you think he is going to pull through this?"  one of the nurses asked, moving some of the equipment out of the way for the transport team.

"I hope so." she replied, taking a few more reading from the monitors and writing them down in Wade's chart.  "He's young so I'd like to think that his chances are pretty good.  Then again, these next 48 hours are critical." 

"Yeah."

Suddenly hearing the sound of commotion coming from behind them, both nurses turned around and saw the ICU transport team heading down the hall.

"Well let me go get the last bit of his paperwork filled out so they can get him upstairs.  I'll talk to you later."

Nodding her head, the other nurse headed back to the other side of the room to finish getting things back in order.

"Is he ready to go?" 

"Yeah, I mean he's cleared medically for transport.  The only thing I don't have yet is the restraint paperwork."

"Is there a problem getting it signed?"

"No, we just haven't located his family yet.  I'm going to go back up to the desk and see if I can get any contact numbers for him.  Once I have this taken care of I'll bring a copy down to ICU."  she said, handing him a copy of Wade's chart.  "Just make sure they know that I'm working on it.  I don't need them calling up here yelling that they don't have it on file."

"I'll tell them, but I can't guarantee you that they won't call down here anyway.  You know how they are about that stuff."

"Yeah I do.  That's why I am going right now to see what I can do."

Letting out a slight snicker, they secured the last of Wade's IV's to the bed and disengaged the brakes.  After maneuvering him out the double set of door, they headed down to the patient elevators and pressed the button to head upstairs. 

"Take good care of him for me."  she called out, taking a few steps out in to the hall to watch them.

"We will.  Just make sure you get that paperwork filled out."

"I will.  I'm going to go work on that right now."

Hearing the small ding of the elevators, she let out a heavy sigh and watched them wheel Wade inside.  Once they were out of sight, she turned back around and headed off to work on the paperwork.