"We need to go..." Madeline struggled to say over Nikita's screams. Michael looked to Madeline and blinked his own eyes in shock. The words that Mia probably broke her back echoing in his head, causing a headache instantly. Nikita's screams weren't slowing either.

"No... this isn't happening..." Nikita struggled to say as she stumbled forward, trying to gather her thoughts, looking instantly terrified as she was. Nikita turned around in a circle and then stopped, narrowing her eyes on Madeline, finally nodding her head yes.

"She did this.. Didn't she...." Nikita trembled out as Michael reached out for his wife. He didn't want to think of the reasons why this happened. They had to get to the hospital, but his mind wasn't functioning correctly either. It was apparent to Madeline that no one was working with their full minds and that somehow, she had to struggle to stay sane, even work through the rages that Nikita was going to have, and Michael too.

"Nikita... she needs surgery... we have to...." Madeline started to say as she stepped forward and Nikita picked up her shoe and threw it to the kitchen. Madeline stopped as Nikita shook her head up and down and lightly pounded her feet into the ground, much like a little child having a temper tantrum for not getting their lollipop.

"She was speeding.. Right..." Nikita hissed out as her fingers trembled near her face. Michael reached for them, wanting to hold his wife during this time. His heart was being pulled like it was when he found Nikita sick.

"Nikita..."

"Oh God.. She did this to herself.... Didn't she! She was speeding... driving erratic..." Nikita continued to sob, not holding anything back. Her mind was automatically working without her, letting what she was thinking spew out of her mouth, and Madeline realized that.

"Nikita... you need to calm down.. Someone is going to drive..."

"NO! I can't calm down! My own daughter with a broken back! Why??? Because I gave her a car that goes too fast!" Nikita screamed out. Madeline waited a second; almost hoping that Nikita would collapse now. But Nikita kept her feet, beating herself up so hard.

"I should have never given that to her... I caused her to be bad.... I caused her to speed..." Nikita screamed as she pulled against Michael's grasp, with such heavy tears flooding her eyes that she couldn't see Michael's own tears. Michael held onto Nikita as he looked to Madeline, knowing that time was being wasted here.

"Nikita.. She needs surgery.. We have to get to the hospital.... NOW!" Madeline hollered loudly, her own voice cracking with the last word. Madeline couldn't hold onto her own tears, no matter how much Nikita was in pain, she couldn't hide her own pain for Nikita's sake.

"Isn't she in Section?" Michael questioned with a ghostly voice, more fear in his voice than ever before. Madeline licked her lips and pressed her hands together. She was going to have to explain everything now, or she wasn't going to get Michael and Nikita out of the house. Mia needed immediate surgery, but the doctors were holding off for parent signatures. They would call Madeline if they decide to go ahead without them.

"Mia was driving down the highway... the followers were behind her.... A trailer, eighteen-wheeler... crossed the divider and hit Mia at 78 miles per hour..."

"OH MY GOD!" Nikita screamed as she now collapse, all of her bones losing structure and strength.

"Her car flipped 6 times... the only thing saving her were the safety devices in the Z3... Nikita's choice in car saved Mia's life." Madeline pointed out, hoping that it would help Nikita's pain. Madeline swallowed and looked at Nikita, noticing that her pain was switching.

"It wasn't her fault?" Nikita questioned and Madeline nodded her head. Michael looked over Madeline's head, still seeking the answer to his question. Madeline reached out and pulled away.

"The watchers were behind Nikita... the trailer hit them and dragged them some 500 feet. Both men are dead." Madeline reported and Michael went to grab Nikita, but noticed that she had changed.

"I thought she did this... How could a mother think these things!" Nikita screamed as she pounded her hands into her legs. Madeline looked from side to side. Time was of the essence, but this wasn't going as planned. Madeline didn't know why she had an image of walking in here, getting her crying parents to the hospital with no problems. Nikita was beyond grief.

"Nikita... it doesn't matter now...." Madeline said as she shook her head, moving towards Nikita. Nikita slapped Madeline's hands that reached for her, heading towards a corner, away from those who were trying to support her now.

"No... I thought she was probably drinking.... I thought that Mia went out there and did this to herself... But she didn't!" Nikita hollered again and Madeline nodded her head. Nikita pushed at her hair, scratching her forehead with her nails, leaving the red marks very visible on the forehead.

"None of that matters...."

"YES! YES IT DOES!"

"Nikita... We need to go..."

"How can I think that??? Of my own daughter???"

"Nikita..."

"What kind of mother am I? I should be the one with the broken back... not her..."

"Nikita.. .you aren't..."

"THINKING? I'm not thinking! I can't stop thinking! I failed my daughter!"

"Wait... you can't..."

"I SHOULD HAVE DIED!!! NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!!!" Nikita's scream pierced the air with such a powerful content of pain and belief that the statement was correct.

"Nikita.. Don't say that. Don't ever say anything like that, again." Michael harshly stated out, turning his eyes to look at his wife. Her beautiful blue eyes that only minutes ago were enjoying the bliss of one another. He ran a trembling hand over his face, feeling the pressures of everything. He reached for Nikita's hand.

"We have to go..." Michael said and Nikita leaned forward, again boneless from the pain and emotional torture that she was going through. He rubbed his wife's head as his own tears splattered across her hair. Nikita closed her eyes and moved forward with Michael. He protectively placed an arm around Nikita as Madeline retrieved the shoe that Nikita had thrown; both of them still dressed in the party wear that they had for their dinner. Madeline grabbed the coats as she moved towards the slowly moving couple.

"Can't we have her moved to Section?" Michael questioned, worried about health care. Madeline opened the door and licked her lips.

"Actually, we have no further knowledge in spinal injuries than the regular world, Michael. And moving her now would only cause more trauma. Her back isn't the only injury." Madeline explained in soft words, wiping at her own tear-sticky face. Michael held onto Nikita as she lifted her head.

"Isn't her only injury?" Nikita questioned and Madeline sighed and waited to turn around and pull the door closed. Nikita stopped Michael's progression, towards the van that was waiting to escort them to the hospital, Madeline knowing that everyone was too emotional to drive.

"She has a broken leg that we know of... it's hard to assess... and she has a pretty good head injury." Madeline said and Nikita stumbled as Michael tried to move forward. He looked from side to side.

"I don't know if I have the papers....." Michael said as he looked over his shoulder, knowing that they would be needed. Madeline touched Michael's shoulder and waved a folder in her hand.

"I have the spares...." Madeline said and Michael nodded his head. They were all papers to make Michael and Nikita to appear as everyday people. Michael watched as the doors opened to the van, apparent that everyone knew what was going on.

"Who is there with her now?" Michael questioned and Madeline pressed her lips together.

"Walter... he took Aubrey to Section to be with Paul...." Madeline explained as she looked to Nikita. Madeline raised her hand, helping Nikita into the van as Michael held onto her tightly. She was taking this exactly as Madeline had feared. At least she had her credentials with her... she was sure they would be needed in a few hours, if not shorter than that.

"And Birkoff?" Michael questioned and Madeline blinked her eyes.

"He is camping for his Honeymoon. We have no contact with him until he comes back in 7 days." Madeline said and Michael nodded his head and entered the van, going to the seat and holding Nikita. The two suffering so badly that words couldn't describe what was being seen.

*

The big electric red lights glared as the van turned into the huge black building. It felt cold and foreboding just in appearance. The red lights glaring with what Nikita saw as pain. The word EMERGENCY blinking at her, making her know that everything was wrong.

The van pulled to a stop and the electric buzz around the neon sign seemed to snap as Michael huddled near Nikita, knowing that she was weak, that her reaction was liable to be anything and everything. She had said not a word the entire ride, as did everyone else. The silence was painful, but looking at the doors as they slide open, the glass opening to a huge waiting room with various people waiting.

Some were looking at Nikita as if she was the injured one. Michael kissed her head and squeezed her hands, which Nikita had snaked around Michael's hands, finding some source of strength from holding onto his hands.

Michael was afraid, that he was going to be in this giant room with Nikita for a long time. She was about to fall apart. He didn't know if these people needed Nikita around. There was one man holding a bandage over his eyes, blood running from it. Another had a little boy with a leg that was visible broken, but it hadn't pierced the skin. The injuries seemed so terrible, even though Michael had seen so many and had seen many of the conditions on himself or Nikita over the years.

The man with the gauze pushed onto his eye leaned to the woman next to him. The woman looked at Nikita and then at Michael before she nodded her head.

"It must be their daughter..." She whispered and Michael got a chill going down his spine, hanging on, and didn't let go. Michael turned and held Nikita tighter as Madeline went to a door with them and stopped. He didn't like it that his own daughter was being talked about in the waiting room.

"They are talking about her..." Nikita sadly gasped and Michael nodded his head. Madeline turned around and touched Nikita's cheek, pushing her hand to the door again, seeing the frantic movement behind the door. Finally, they opened.

"The private waiting room is over here...." A woman with very dark skin said as she turned her arm and started to lead them down the hallway. Nikita watched the rooms they were passing, room after room of patients alone and without staff. They started to turn the corner and then Nikita saw the room and stopped in her tracks.

"She is in there...." Nikita whispered as she looked as the trauma room door pounded open and slammed behind the running nurse. Michael tried to go with Madeline, but his arms hugged Nikita and wouldn't move as she stopped.

"Please.. I must insist..." The nurse said as she turned back to the parents. Nikita looked at her and then to the room. Nikita swallowed as the tears started to roll again.

"Come on, Sugar..." Walter whispered from a far off distance.

"DAMN! GET ME THAT CARDIAC SURGEON STAT!" a man yelled from the trauma room. Nikita's eyes sweeping the area.

"I need to see her..." Nikita said to Michael and started her attempt to break free. Michael held her squirming body, and allowed his tears to fall at the same time. Nikita struggled as the nurse stepped in front of her.

"You can't... They are very busy.... And we need you to sign some paperwork..." the nurse said as she touched Nikita's shoulders. Nikita stared at her and shook her head. Michael knew that look and didn't blame the nurse for taking three steps back.

"Nikita..." Madeline softly said, trying to get Nikita at least in the room. As of now, Nikita had a straight on dash to the trauma room. They needed to get her into the waiting room; at least then there would be a barrier.

"I need to see my daughter! SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!" Nikita screamed loudly as another nurse walked down the hallway, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am... but you are going to have to wait." The new nurse, much larger than the first said as she stepped in front of Nikita.

"I don't care what you say! I need to see her! MIA!!! MIA!!!" Nikita screamed out and Madeline looked to Michael as he vainly tried to hold onto her. Michael pulled at Nikita, bringing her back about three steps, but her body was still leaning forward, reading to sprint away.

"I have a Pneumothorax... get me a chest tube...." The same man yelled in the trauma room, his voice echoing down the hallway. Michael almost let his grip going.

"NO! Her lung is collapsed.. You have to let me see her! NOW!" Nikita cried out and the nurses looked over to Madeline, surprised with Nikita's medical knowledge. Madeline shrugged her shoulders and stepped back into the hallway.

"Nikita... they will sedate you... You need to come into the room." Madeline slowly explained and Michael looked at Madeline and shook his head. He didn't see how that was going to help this situation. Nikita stepped back in shock. It was a movement that lured Michael into letting the tight grip of Nikita go.

"MIA!!! MIA!!!" Nikita screamed as she scrambled away, pushing through the stunned nurses. They turned and tried to grab her. Nikita fell to the ground and started to crawl, continuing her screams for her daughter. Michael snatched Nikita up and held her tightly.

"I think you should sedate her now." The bigger nurse said as she looked directly at Madeline. Madeline blinked her eyes and looked to Michael. Nikita shook her head back and forth.

"I have to see her... I have to tell her that I love her... Michael... she doesn't know!" Nikita screamed and Michael nodded his head. He fully understood the pain that Nikita was going through. It was the same pain that he was going through, but she just didn't have the control right now. Michael tried to hold back his tears and kissed Nikita's head.

"We'll see her in a little bit... they got to work on her... Nikita.. Please..." Michael said as he slowly made it back to the room. Madeline looked to the nurse and slightly nodded her had. Michael was almost in the room when the nurse came back with needle.

"NO!!!! You can't do this! NO! What if she dies while you drug me!" Nikita screamed as she started to swing and swat at the nurses, even while being held by Michael. Michael turned his head and glared at Madeline for such a move. Michael moved deeper into the private waiting room, Walter standing there, reaching for the both of them.

"NO! I want to see my daughter! NOT THIS!" Nikita screamed, never even seeing Walter. The nurses approached, about to take advantage of Michael's hold. Madeline shook her head, knowing that this wasn't going to end up nicely. Nikita could kill them in about a half a dozen ways from the way she was positioned.

"Let's not do that yet." Madeline said to the nurse as she waved her hand and opened the door.

"STAT!!! I MEAN STAT! We are losing her..... We need to get her stabilized and to surgery!" The man's voice yelled from the room, as the door to the waiting room swung back and forth as the two nurses left. Nikita slumped backwards again, Michael not letting her go. He had learned his lesson.

"Come on, sugar... let Walter hold you..." Walter offered and Nikita turned around and saw Walter. She reached for him and Michael nodded his head. Slowly, he shifted his hold as Walter took hold of Nikita. He felt her tears instantly soaking his shoulder.

"Walter... I did this to my daughter...." Nikita sobbed out and Walter shook his head, never stopping his bear hug. He swallowed and licked his lips.

"Sugar... no one knew this was going to happen...." Walter said and Nikita nodded her head in agreement. Walter slowly moved his hands away and Nikita didn't make a break for the door. Madeline breathed a sigh of relief, never one thinking that sedation was a good thing to do in this case. Nikita had pointed out something very important. Mia was so critical now that she might not make it out. Madeline wasn't about to point that out, but it was already something that was understood without having to state it.

"Isn't there something I can do?" Nikita questioned as she started to pace back and forth. Michael slumped into the couch, worn down to the bone, feeling like someone weight 500 pounds was standing on his shoulders. He couldn't shake the feeling as Nikita paced back and forth.

"Why don't you try sitting down, Nikita?" Madeline softly suggested, knowing that the behavior was going to run Nikita to the ground. She was just starting to get her stamina back now, and although Mia was the main concern, one couldn't forget Nikita's own precious hold onto good health.

"I gave her that damn car! I gave it to her!" Nikita cried out as she rubbed her fingers across her lips, now starting to pick at the dry flaps of skin that scattered the lips. Michael looked at Nikita and shook his head. He couldn't say the words, that it wasn't her fault. His mind knew that but something was hurting him deep inside.

Michael wanted to blame Nikita. His heart wanted to blame that car and Nikita's impulsively in buying the outrageous gift. He wanted to blame Nikita so badly.

"I shouldn't be her mother.... You'd take better care of her Madeline... I should have given her to a family.... I shouldn't have been selfish... I don't know what I'm doing.... I never did..." Nikita started to cry, as her pacing grew erratic, growing into a circle, with her arms flailing in all directions.

Michael looked at Nikita and now felt guilty for wanting to blame Nikita. She was lost right now. Destroyed about what happened. How could he have even entertained the thought of blaming Nikita on this? Nikita had nothing more to do with this than Mia had to do with this. Circumstance had napped them all in the butt.

"Nikita... please..." Michael softly groaned as he reached his hands out, hoping to seek comfort with his wife. He wanted to hold her now, to cry with her. Nikita pulled at her hair, until she winced.

"It hurts so bad! I JUST WANT MY DAUGHTER!" Nikita screamed and threw her hands up in the air. Her face stopped though, and Walter looked to Madeline as they both saw Nikita. Michael leaned up off of the couch, watching Nikita pulling her hands down to her face.

"My ring..." Nikita cried out as she dropped to the ground, holding her hand. Michael reached out for Nikita, trying to get her off of the floor. Madeline looked to Walter and Nikita continued to crawl.

"I have to find it Michael.... It was on.... I need it..." Nikita tried to explain in broken words, her body starting to push at the various chairs that were around the room. Michael scanned the floor and saw it by the door. Michael picked up the pink ring and Madeline nodded her head. Michael had told Madeline about the gift and he must have given it to Nikita. Madeline could see why Nikita was obsessed about it now. It meant that she was a survivor of one thing, and that symbolically, it gave her strength.

"Nikita..." Michael softly said as he reached out the ring. He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her fingers. Nikita was defeated. She dropped back soundly into the couch and started to curl up into a ball. Her legs curled to her chest as she dropped her head.

"Madeline!" Nikita finally cried out. Madeline stood up from the chair that she had been in since they had settled into the room. She moved and touched Nikita's arm softly.

"What do you need Nikita?" Madeline questioned as she looked up with her blue and swollen eyes. Madeline pushed at Nikita's hair and swallowed. Nikita was destroyed in this moment.

"Can... can... can..." Nikita said and then she dropped her head. Michael sat down next to Nikita and rubbed her rigid shoulders and closed his eyes.

"Can... you get me something to calm down.... But not to knock me out.... I just can't stop thinking.... About..." Nikita said and then trailed off. Everyone knew that Nikita couldn't stop thinking about the bad things. Madeline nodded her head and looked into Nikita's eyes.

"I promise... it won't knock you out..." Madeline said and Nikita reached out and grabbed Madeline's arms. Her eyes looking much like a child's.

"No nurse... you can give it to me." Nikita said and Madeline nodded her head. She turned at patted Walter's arm. She was going to see what else she could find out about Mia's condition. Too much time was passing without an update and hospitals seemed to like withholding information.

"Please hurry." Nikita sobbed out and Madeline nodded her head and slipped away.

"As quickly as I can." Madeline said as she looked to the cupboard and swallowed. How she hated the bad things.

*

Nikita rolled her hands back and forth, faster and faster. The medicine was starting to wear off and they still were in the private emergency waiting room. They hadn't been able to stabilize Mia. They all knew it. Time was taking too long, the longer that things waited, the less likely it was for Mia to survive.

"Will they let me see her.. before.." Nikita softly questioned and broke down in tears. Michael pulled her limp body as it felt like rocks to his body. He rocked back and forth for their comfort. Madeline stood up and moved to the door, looking out to the bed.

It had been opened once it was clear that Nikita wasn't going to charge for the door. Her legs were unsteady with the medication and Madeline was able to gather bits and pieces of what they were talking about, but not enough. From what she had been able to gather, there were three major injures. Her back, which there was no further information about, Her head, which showed some cranial bleeding and building of pressure, which meant surgery and soon, and a partial fracture of her pelvis, which probably also meant surgery.

Madeline didn't want to talk about the possible ways that showed that Mia was paralyzed. The lungs weren't working, meaning that the muscles weren't getting the signal from the brain. It was scaring Madeline but she wouldn't speak of those thoughts to Michael and Nikita at this point.

Suddenly there was movement again; the entire room of the trauma room moving, equipment being pushed out the door and Nikita sprung.

"MIA!" Nikita screamed and then she dropped to the floor, staring as the bed passed in front of them, the tube down Mia's throat, the wires and more machines hooked up to her. The brace around her neck. There was not a stitch of clothing on her, but wires and minor sheets covering her.

"NO!!!! Not my baby!" Nikita cried out as she pressed her hands together in front of her, before her entire upper body leaned forward, her head smacking the floor. Michael didn't notice the behavior, he watched as the bed rolled quickly to the elevator, everyone screaming to hurry up.

"Nikita!" Walter cried out as he saw her head hit the ground, but it bounced back up, and her screams continued, that of a grieving mother. Of a mother that had been silent to her own daughter for months because she was trying to make her daughter come back. To a mother who may remember the last words her daughter ever said to her was 'Whatever'.

"GOD NO!!! NOT MY BABY!!!" Nikita screamed out and the nurses walked to the room, looking at Nikita, seeing the little run of blood from her head. They were pulling out gloves to take a look at it when Madeline reached for them.

"Nikita.... Let's go sit down... I'm sure the doctor's will be in soon to explain what is going on..." Madeline said as she pulled the first glove on. She looked at Nikita as she turned around and reached for Michael, pulling herself off of the ground like a heavy weight on a crane.

Madeline moved forward and pressed the gauze to Nikita's forehead, seeing the small cut that was there. It might give Nikita a minor headache if she could even feel pain like that right now. Her eyes continued to bleed tears and Madeline was sure they weren't going to stop. Her hands moved constantly, rubbing her fingers compulsively together, doing anything to stop herself from screaming again.

"Can you close your eyes..." Madeline softly whispered, knowing that no doctor would be able to talk to Michael and Nikita with her in this kind of state. Nikita shook her head defiantly back and forth, indicating strongly that she wasn't going to close her eyes.

"Madeline.... What are they doing to my baby? Please..." Nikita whispered now and Madeline nodded her head. There was too much going on, but this needed to be done. They had waited for almost two hours, while Mia had already been there for one. Answers were needed and Madeline no longer could wait. If someone didn't come with the official answers, she was going to need to give the unofficial ones.

A man walked into the room and cleared his throat. His gray hair was messed as he pulled at his blue scrubs. The blood was still on them and Nikita stared up at him with horror. She squeezed both Michael's and Madeline's hands.

"I would like to talk to the parents alone..." the doctor said and Nikita shook her head as she looked at Madeline. Madeline definitely was something that was keeping her sanity and her hold onto what control she did have. She wasn't going to let that go. Michael kissed Nikita's hand and stood up. The doctor couldn't know what was occurring here, he only had one patient, Mia.

Michael pulled him towards the door. He looked over his shoulder as Madeline hugged Nikita tightly and Walter reached out and squeezed her hand. The doctor couldn't be allowed to cut them off of that now, not only did Nikita need them, Michael was sure he was going to need them.

"My wife just survived breast cancer, doctor... She is very fragile... We are all very close..." Michael said as he lifted his eyes and looked at the doctor. The blueness shined back at him, strangely like someone else. Michael shook his head and tilted it.

"I understand... it explains her behavior." The doctor said and Michael turned towards Nikita and blinked his eyes at Madeline. Madeline allowed Michael to take over the hug and the doctor moved in front of Nikita. He knelt down and touched Nikita's knee.

"She is going to live." The doctor stated and Nikita nodded her head. They were the sweetest words she every heard. Yet, everyone in the room heard the unspoken but. Michael looked at the doctor and swallowed.

"Right now.. She has gone into surgery... First, they are going to relieve the pressure in her skull... It is a long procedure and afterwards... they will switch staff and go into her back..." the doctor continued and Nikita nodded her head, her chin quivering. He squeezed Nikita's knee, knowing a very brave woman when he saw one. He saw the breast cancer ring and swallowed. Why did it always happen to the ones that already had to fight for so much?

"Is she paralyzed?" Nikita questioned. She watched the blue eyes flicker with uncertainty. The brave chin was falling. She bit her lips and swallowed.

"They are going to be some rods into her back to support the spine where it broke. Then... in a few days... more surgery will go in and remove the chips of bone... It probably won't be for several weeks to a couple months before they know.. As the spinal cord was not severed." The doctor reported and Nikita gasped, not knowing if it was good or bad.

"Will she walk?" Nikita questioned and he shook his head.

"I can't answer that...." The doctor said and Nikita looked to Michael and closed her eyes.

"And her pelvis?" Madeline questioned and the doctor nodded his head. He leaned back and lowered himself to his knees; the hours of being by Mia's bedside had worn him.

"Right now... we have some other problems... Her lungs aren't working properly.. One collapsed totally, the other partially.. She seemed to have some functioning of breathing but can't now... We don't know if that is from the head trauma or the back trauma... If that doesn't improve, more surgery will be needed for that..." The doctor said and Nikita looked to Michael. She sucked in her sob of pain. The doctor nodded his head, knowing how hard this was. The accident should have never happened; the eighteen wheeler didn't pass inspection and should have never been out on the road.

"Her pelvis might be fractured. We can't move her well enough to get a clear x-ray...."

"When will she wake up? When can I see her?" Nikita questioned and he licked his lips. This mother tore at his heart. He wished all the mothers he saw where like this. She loved her daughter so much it was written across her face. She looked sick still, but that was probably from the torturous cries she had been putting herself through. It wasn't that he could blame her either, he would have done the same thing if it had been his son.

"Hopefully.. After surgery... You will be able to see her for five minutes in ICU.... It isn't likely she will be waking up this week... it might be a while... But it is for her own good." The doctor said and Nikita looked at Michael and she reached for him.

"How long will the surgery be?" Madeline questioned. He shrugged his shoulders and looked to his watch. He had sent out for the best neurosurgeons around the city, this girl tugging at his heart. No one turned him down; they had seen the crash on television and had wondered where this girl was. Her grandmother had worked hard at keeping the location of the hospital a secret; it proved that she had some high up connections.

"At least six hours. I'm going to take you up to the surgical waiting room... They can get you food, drink... possibly even clothing.. Since I'm sure that the parents will be staying." The doctor said as he looked at Nikita's dress. It must have been pretty. It must have been a celebration. He looked to Michael and swallowed.

"How long has it been?" The doctor said as he touched Nikita's ring. She looked at her hand and swallowed.

"Six months." Nikita stated with her voice cracking with more emotion. He nodded his head and stood up. He looked to her and touched her head.

"Your daughter has proven to be a fighter like you...." He stated as he turned and motioned for Madeline. Madeline smiled at Nikita and moved with the doctor.

"You may want to sedate her... she is looking very exhausted and looks as if she has had chemo." The doctor stated and Madeline nodded her head and swallowed. "Ten months."

"That's a lot on the body... and the stress... She needs to sleep.. No matter how much she protests... At least for six hours..." the doctor stated and Madeline sighed. It wasn't what she really wanted to do; Nikita tended to have violent nightmares when sedated.

"I'll have clothing for her husband to dress her in... and I'll alert ICU to have another room prepared for parents to wait in... I don't think she'll be leaving." The doctor said and he turned to grab the paperwork. Madeline knew that he would be back to escort them up to the waiting room that he had indicated.

"He saved her life.... She arrested twice..." the dark skinned nurse who first confronted Nikita whispered to Madeline. She looked at her and went to Nikita, with the needle and syringe.

"Nikita..." Madeline softly said, knowing that she hadn't seen her before.

"Let me sleep, Madeline.." Nikita said before she lifted her eyes and extended her arm. Madeline leaned down and kissed Nikita.

"You'll be up before the surgery is over, Nikita... and someone will always be awake.. I promise..." Madeline said and Nikita nodded her head and leaned against Michael, awaiting the drugged induce sleep.

*

Madeline stood outside the waiting room, having dimmed the lights. She leaned her head back against the wall, the hours droning on painfully silent. The waiting was not only dangerous; it was destroying off of her nerves. Madeline turned and viewed the room, Walter, Nikita, and Michael all sleeping, albeit restlessly.

It was almost seven hours ago that they arrived in this room. Michael by then was carrying the sleeping Nikita. He placed her on the couch and looked at the blue scrubs that they had been able to find her. The fine party dress that she had been in, ruined. During her need to get to Mia, it had ripped often and was beyond repair. It even exposed most of her, which Michael didn't realize until he banished everyone out of the room until he could dress Nikita in the scrubs.

When they did return, Michael settled on the couch with Nikita, holding her tightly, not letting go, even though she was very much asleep and not waking soon. Madeline tried for three hours to tell Michael that it was ok to sleep himself, as he had had a long day. Michael wouldn't hear of it. Yet, as Nikita started to cry silently in her sleep, Michael drifted off to sleep, rubbing his hand over Nikita's face.

Walter was a different story. The man had some sort of eternal alarm clock. Madeline was sitting in the room, waiting for some sort of news, and noticed Walter. He would sleep for ten minutes and then wake up. He crumbled about the room, wondering if he should drink so coffee, and then go back to sleep for about ten minutes. The cycle was starting to drive Madeline crazy and which was way she had taken her strong tea outside into the hallway with her.

This waiting room was removed from the surgical area; they had learned about Nikita. There was no way to pick up on passing gossip, or shouts from the room. There was no way to tell what is going on, and if there were complications that meant more heartbreak and heartache for the people asleep in the waiting room.

"Are you the only one up?" the doctor from the emergency room questioned as he moved down the hallway from the opposite direction that Madeline was watching from. She turned and smiled at the doctor, finding him almost familiar and instantly able to trust.

"Yes..." Madeline commented and he nodded his head. The bloody scrubs were gone, now the older and distinguished man was wearing jeans and a fisherman turtleneck. He held a coat, but he left it on the nurses' station as he moved closer to Madeline.

"Dr. James LaGouche..." he said as he extended his hand. Madeline shook it and stared at the man, the man who had the same last name as Paul. Madeline shook her head, denying the connection and went back to her worries about Mia.

"Madeline..." Madeline finally supplied and he smiled as he looked into the waiting room. He saw Nikita and saw how her daughter looked so much like the mother. James was thinking of retiring soon, finding emergency medicine grueling and filled with heartache. In fact, the letter of resignation was sitting in locker when the ambulance bringing Mia pulled in. The girl's fight and the fight that James had to save her, made him realized that he couldn't leave yet. That he still had more people to save. Yet, he felt strangely connected to this family and needed to seek them out.

"Did they tell you that they started with her back?" Dr. LaGouche questioned and Madeline shook her head back and forth. She raised her mug of tea to her lips and swallowed some. It was good that they had moved onto her back. At least she hoped.

"Well... they delayed about an hour for a specialist to make it in from the suburbs... he is the best in the country..." Dr. LaGouche commented and Madeline closed her eyes. They were pulling out all the stops for Mia, and she was grateful.

"I don't think they would mind... they only what is best for Mia...." Madeline stated as she turned and viewed the couple on the couch. They were tangled in one another, seeking the strength by pushing their bodies closer and closer together.

"Do you need anything?" Dr. LaGouche questioned. Madeline turned and walked into the room. She reached out and touched Nikita. She was cold in her hand and feet. It was fairly warm in the room and Madeline dropped her head.

"Can I get a sheet for Nikita, please Dr. LaGouche?" Madeline questioned. He nodded his head and moved to the closet in the hallway. He pulled out the large green sheet, knowing that it would give Nikita warmth but not heat Michael too much.

"Here... and call me James... I hate titles." James said and Madeline took the blanket without a thank you or a nod of her head. She spread the sheet out and rubbed Nikita's face. In her sleep she seemed to be getting worse, almost green.

"You are concerned about her." James said as he moved to Madeline's shoulder and looked down to Nikita. He reached over that shoulder and stroked her hair back lightly. He pulled his hand back and looked to Madeline. "A slight fever is breaking out.... Stress is never good in cancer patients...."

"She is a survivor." Madeline snapped out and James lifted his hand up in retreat. He looked to Nikita and dropped his head.

"She probably is making herself sick. Has she done that in the past?" James questioned and Madeline slightly nodded her head. She reached for Nikita's head and was surprised when Nikita's eyes opened, fully staring at Madeline.

"Mia?" Nikita questioned out with a hoarse voice. Madeline reached for Nikita's hand as she started to move, disentangling her body from Michael's body. Nikita pulled away from Madeline's touch.

"The surgery is taking longer... but the specialist is a leading specialist Nikita..." Madeline said as her eyes studied Nikita. The color of green was growing as Nikita looked around the room.

"And we thought I had the best doctor." Nikita snapped out as she threw the sheet off of her body. She studied the scrubs that were on her body and then tried to stand up.

"I'm... going..." Nikita said as she started to collapse forward. Madeline leaned to take Nikita's shoulders, not liking what she was seeing.

"Nikita... talk to me..." Madeline said loudly as Nikita's words stopped. Michael was roused from his sleep with Madeline's voice. He stirred and reached for Nikita also. James stepped in from the hallway with a large basin.

"Here, Nikita... Use this..." James said as he placed it underneath Nikita's head. He stepped aside as Nikita retched up the contents of her stomach. Madeline looked to him and pushed at Nikita's hair, concerned deeply for Nikita. Mia was going to need her mother and this was Madeline's concern right now.

"I don't feel well..." Nikita said and Dr. James LaGouche stepped closer to Nikita. He helped her lean back in Michael's arms and touched her head. He reached for her arm, not surprised to find the racing pulse. The woman wanted to see her daughter so badly.

"I'm going to get you some Gatorade to replenish the fluids you threw up... and then I'm going to give you a small antibiotic.... And while I'm gone... I'm going to see about your daughter... I just want you to relax, ok?" James said and Nikita nodded her head. He moved passed Madeline without a glance. He pulled outside of the hallway and readying himself for the battle with the surgeons. They needed some answers and he was going to get them for them.

*

The line was steady. It was a good sign. Up and down it fell, continuously, never changing. Of course, the machine still aided breathing that hadn't changed. It only echoed that the break to the back was probably more severe than anyone had hoped for. Her chest muscles weren't working correctly. No one told the parents that it was probably a sign of paralysis, it was as if they already knew that. Yet, some movement and control may be regained, and since she was still trying to breath on her own, it might be one of the things to return to her.

There was a lot of equipment in the room and a lot of things that were being explained. Mia's head injury was virtually taken care of, and now, time was needed for the brain to heal. It was possible and most likely going to happen. Yet, it had been explained several times to the blonde mother that her daughter will not be opening her eyes now, nor will she be opening her eyes for some time. Time was going to heal the daughter because the paramedics and emergency treatment had been so quick.

It did not go past the nurses' the ring that was on her finger. Often, they worry about the parents period. This time, they knew the concerns were more than just an emotional break down. No one knew what caused cancer for sure, and stress couldn't help the survivor. They wanted her to see her daughter, but they also saw the look on her face as she looked into the room.

It was what the ICU staff called adjustment. Allowing the parents or family visitors to look into the window at the member in the room. To get use to the equipment, to get use to the look of their loved one. Most would stop there for long periods of time, the first time being the most difficult. Often, the staff would have to assist the parents into the room, before the half-hour of visitation was over. No more than five minutes per person, one person at a time.

That rule was being lifted for Mia. No one believed that her mother would survive going in there now. Her body was shaking so badly as she looked at the glass, pressing her hand to the glass, tears running down her face. The father wasn't far, holding a hand around her waist, still in his own shock.

He had seen tubes down operative's throat. He had even seen a few down Nikita's throat and he was sure that Nikita had seen a few down his, but this was different. It was their daughter. Mia. It changed everything. No image, no matter how gruesome and horrific that Michael had seen in his entire bloody life, didn't match the horror that he found looking at Mia.

"Are you both ok?" James asked as he came up behind them. Madeline didn't understand the good doctor's motivation, even though he explained that he felt something for everyone in this situation. He told Madeline silently that he had lost his own wife to cancer. Not breast cancer, but to lung cancer. Madeline looked at him and realized that suddenly he found faith in his skills again and possibly faith in the medical profession.

"I have so much to tell her..." Nikita said as she looked to Michael. Michael rubbed his hand up the side of Nikita's face, feeling the constant stickiness of the tears that had fallen. They were given the chance to see Mia now, the next visitation ring for her, in her condition, wouldn't come around for another 32 hours. The hospital believed in rest, but somehow they knew that Nikita and Michael would be staying. Some nurses would find a way to get them in again, something about the parents that made them feel so much more for them.

Madeline heard the statement and stepped to the side. She had seen Mia and was blinking back her own tears. The image from the window was quite tame to what was going to be seen inside. She didn't speak a word in the room, going in to the room before Michael and Nikita were even allowed into ICU and sneaking out before she was noticed. Madeline had the medication waiting for Nikita, not sure if she would make it away from the railing.

"Nikita... don't try to say everything..." Madeline suggested as she touched the woman's shoulders. Nikita turned her head and looked at Madeline. She knew that Nikita wanted to tell her everything in case nature decided that too much damage had been done. It wouldn't make Nikita feel any better. Her words weren't really needed now and they probably wouldn't be needed for some time.

"But..." Nikita started to protest and she looked into the room. The heart rate was up some and Nikita swallowed as a nurse went to check on Mia. She was afraid that now, being this close to her daughter, that they wouldn't allow her to get in there and see her. Nikita stepped forward and pressed her nose to the glass again. The nurse nodded her head and adjusted a knob. She turned and motioned Nikita to come in with Michael.

"What do I say?" Nikita questioned as she stepped forward and looked back to Madeline. James was holding the glass door open and Madeline stepped in front of Nikita. She rubbed her hand across Nikita's cheeks as Michael had firm grasp of Nikita's shoulders.

"You be strong... and you tell her the important stuff... Everything else can wait." Madeline said and Nikita blinked her eyes. Madeline closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer to give Nikita strength. Madeline pressed the kiss to Nikita's forehead before pulling her hands down and off of Nikita's face.

"Come on..." Michael softly said as Norma walked into the ICU. Michael glanced at her and walked into the room, following behind Nikita. He didn't want an audience watching them in the room with Nikita, but there was no choice. Walter refused to go into the room and he wouldn't have a chance again for sometime. He wrapped his arms around Norma and allowed more of his tears go, finding comfort with a woman that understood the severity of the situation and the love for Walter.

Nikita found the strength and that alone surpassed anything that Michael had expected. She moved to the railing and started to twist her hands back and forth. It didn't surprise Michael. Nikita wanted to touch her daughter, but didn't know where. Every place seemed bruise and the tube was distracting Nikita.

"It's ok, Nikita..." Michael said as he tried to wrap his hands around Nikita, telling her and allowing her to know that it wasn't needed to touch their daughter. Nikita moved them away as her eyes looked at Mia carefully; her forehead bruised black straight from one head to another. Her neck was still being braced and Nikita couldn't even get her hands to her daughter's hair.

Nikita swallowed back the need to cry. She saw her daughter and knew that it had to wait. Michael closed his eyes and shook his head; he was the one that was close to losing it in the room. Nikita looked around and slowly touched Mia's hand, finding a finger between the cords and then wires. Nikita gaped at Mia, and shook her head.

"Mia... Mommy is here... and I'm not leaving you... I'm right here..." Nikita softly stated out and the sobs from the hallway were heard. Michael swallowed back as he wanted to scream of how unfair all of this was. He pushed one hand through his hair, the other one firmly on the shoulder that was covered with the borrowed scrubs that the hospital gave Nikita to dress in.

"I don't want you to worry, darling... Mia... I love you..." Nikita stated out as she looked at her daughter. She ached to see any response, even though she was told that none would occur, at least not now. Nikita almost felt her world spinning, but pulled it back to the steadiness she needed. Her daughter needed her to be weak, and Nikita wouldn't fail her now, not when she had failed her before.

"Michael..." Nikita said and Michael reached down and touched Mia in the same area that Nikita was. Their fingers lightly brushing against each other as they touched their comatose daughter. Nikita looked to their hands, the hands of the people that had created her life.

"Mia... I'm here too... With your Mommy... Your Daddy is going to take care of all of this..." Michael said smoothly, his voice not echoing the tears that solidly slid down his face as if on automatic drip. He had learned from Nikita that they didn't stop.

"I love you, Mia... and you got to fight this... and come back to us..." Michael said firmly and he looked to Nikita and kissed her cheek. If there was one thing that Mia needed from her mother's genetics now was that fighting instinct. He knew it was in there, it just had to be there.

"Time is up..." The nurse softly said as she walked into the room and looked at the parents. She looked at Nikita, finding it amazing that she was still standing up. The woman was a fighter, as Dr. LaGouche had claimed.

"Mia... We have to go... but we are staying nearby... We aren't leaving you..." Nikita softly said, stressing the ending. Michael started to step backwards and felt that his arms weren't moving from that anchored spot. Five minutes just didn't seem like enough. Nikita didn't want to move and Michael didn't want to blame her. Yet five minutes was almost perfect, anything more would make leaving so much harder.

"Nikita... Mia knows we aren't leaving her..." Michael softly stated as he moved closer to Nikita and picked up Nikita's hand. She lifted the hand that had been touching Mia's skin, suddenly tingling. Nikita shook her head and looked at her daughter's face again. There was a cut on her cheek that was red. Nikita swallowed.

"I love you, Mia... Never, never forget that darling... my little girl." Nikita said and then turned. She crossed the room with Michael right behind her. The door again, being held open by James and he looked at the couple as Nikita moved down the hallway, Mia's room being closest to the exit, the waiting room in which the Samuelle's would be staying in was just on the other side of the security doors.

Nikita didn't make it that far. She slipped down out of Michael's arms and down to the ground. Her sobs so loud that everyone huddled around her. Michael held onto her as Madeline hugged them both. Walter held onto one of Nikita's hands and Norma rubbed her back. It wasn't enough support, Nikita was dizzy and losing her world.

"Help me..." Nikita moaned out into Michael's ear. He looked at the nurses as they circle around, the other families of patients who were also in the ICU staring at them. Michael picked Nikita up and moved to the door, blinded in his own tears, only working off of instinct.

"Here Michael..." Madeline said as she opened the small room that she was sure that Nikita would be spending significant time in. There were two cots in it and a couch. It wouldn't hold everyone that was there right now and Walter took Norma's hand and blinked his eyes.

"You still have time." Norma pointed out and Walter shook his head and looked down the hallway. He had been aging decades with each passing hour and Madeline was concerned and she saw that Norma was concerned also. He had spoken candidly to Norma about the time that he shared with Mia when she was little. She must have been a great little girl.

"Why don't we go get something to eat... some grub and joe?" Walter said and Norma nodded her head. She was sure that Walter needed some fresh air and she wrapped her arm around him. She kissed his head and started down the hallway, leaving Madeline to tend to Michael and Nikita.

They were swaying in the room, clinging to one another. Nikita was clearly the weakest, but Michael was showing the strains of what was happening, the cracks of his own strength. Somehow the two stood together, finding some sort of balance or strength from the force between the two of them.

A nurse walked over to Madeline and asked if the sedation was going to be necessary. Madeline shook her head and sent her away. Nikita did have one nightmare from the medication about four hours ago. Madeline wasn't sure if Michael could take to hearing Nikita crying that she had killed her daughter again. It was painful the first time; the second time would be destructive.

Madeline did the only thing that she could have done. She moved into the room and pushed the separate cots together. There was no way that Nikita and Michael were going to allow the other one go. As soon as it was done, they sat down together, sobbing and rolling onto their sides.

Sleep would follow.

*

A smile was on Birkoff's face that just didn't drop. His new condo was beautiful and Mary wept with joy as she found all of the wedding gifts labeled and tagged by Nikita. She looked at the presents and saw that Nikita even left her something person, a copy of her cookbook. Mary laughed and pushed Birkoff playfully out the door.

Both of them were to report back to Section One during the day. Mary would be following Birkoff in about a half-hour, but she needed to take care of some things, include listening to the blinking answering machine. She was sure that with the 50 some messages that most of them were advertisements. She just knew that practically everyone in Section One knew of their wedding and knew that the two were going camping. Everyone joked; they couldn't see Birkoff without the computer. Mary smirked she moved and started to listen to the answering machine.

The first message was Mia, thanking Mary for allowing her to stay in the wedding as a bridesmaid. Mia sounded happy and said that she was going home that day and talk to her mother about solving the problems. Mary was so happy, knowing that the two, mother and daughter needed each other. The next message was Madeline saying that either one of them needed to get in touch with her immediately. The next one was from Walter, with the same cryptic message and voice.

Finally, the message came and Mary jumped to her feet. Madeline revealed that Mia had broken her back and was in the ICU and things were looking pretty bad. She wanted Birkoff to call her immediately on her phone. Mary started to pace, knowing that Birkoff had run off to Section. She gathered her bag, pushed at her black hair as she jumped into her car and went off to Section, hoping that she didn't get lost this time.

Birkoff stared at the metal crumble that was in the back of the parking lot. He didn't know what it was suppose to be. He cocked his head to the side and then shrugged his shoulders. He didn't always know what he was going to find next in Section One's parking lot. He moved to the elevator down to the chamber below and waited to find the world below.

No one really noticed him as he walked down the hallways. Yet, Birkoff noticed everyone. They seemed all a bit more ragged, a bit more edgy. It didn't seem like the Section One he left to go on his honeymoon. Birkoff shook his head and moved to the computer desk and sighed at the look. That hadn't changed.

He had expected Walter to strut over right away and demand on how sore his honeymoon had made the young man. Birkoff rolled around on the chair and looked over to Walter's area and stared, as there was no Walter there. It was the height of the afternoon and Walter should be there.

What if something happened to Walter?

Birkoff swirled around in the chair, his team only raising their hands to them, seeming to be deep into the incoming intelligence. He made a quick scan of the current missions and noticed the low amount of them. Birkoff shook his head and turned around in his chair again. He looked up and saw Operations sitting in the office above him.

Where is Michael? Where is Nikita? Where is the welcome home party that Nikita promised him? Where was Madeline?

Birkoff pulled at his e-mail and started to read. Nothing seemed pressing. He smiled and opened up the e-mail from Mia. He hadn't seen that e-mail address in ages. He read it, Mia thanking Birkoff for allowing her to still be in the wedding. He was sure that Mia had changed a good bit and saw that Michael's and Nikita's tough love plan was working. Mia admitted that she was ready to have her mom back and he smiled as he closed the e-mail. He pulled the cell phone out and dialed Mia's phone instantly.

There was no answer. Birkoff tried Michael's and Nikita's line. There was no answer. Birkoff shut the phone and studied the e-mail and the news. Michael and Nikita weren't on vacation.

Where is Aubrey?

Birkoff looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. He stopped and narrowed his eyes as the operative that just walked down the hallway, quickly. He tapped his fingers on the keyboard, knowing that his computer junkie's just never got the news and gossip as quickly as everyone else has.

"Jetter..." Birkoff called out and the young man turned and looked at Birkoff. His face turned white as he turned to Birkoff.

"This place looks cryptic..." Birkoff said and Jetter nodded his head and sighed heavily.

"It's been that way for six days, Birkoff.... Michael and Nikita are all holed up in the hospital with Mia... and Operations is having..."

"What? Why are Michael and Nikita at the hospital with Mia?" Birkoff demanded and Jetter blinked. He couldn't believe that no one had told Birkoff yet. The news had shocked all of Section One. It virtually brought it to a halt to say the least.

"She was in a car accident... Didn't you see her car in the parking lot?" Jetter questioned and Birkoff swallowed and felt his heart stopping. He shook his head, knowing that it was a piece of metal that was in the parking lot, not a car.

"No... it can't be her car..." Birkoff spoke out loud as he felt the world around him spinning. Jetter nodded his head and leaned into Birkoff.

"Maybe I should get Operations to talk about it with you...I really thought you would go right to the hospital..." Jetter said and Birkoff leaned his hands down on the desk to stop his spinning world. He was piecing together what was going on. The accident had happened six days ago. Birkoff couldn't believe that the operatives had been so quiet. Not one had come to find him. He wasn't that hard to find!

"I didn't know..." Birkoff said as he looked around the area. Everything was explained. Walter was with Michael and Nikita. Probably Madeline too. It probably counted on how serious things were. Birkoff stopped and found it odd that Mia was in the hospital and not Section One. That worried Birkoff.

"Well... we haven't seen or heard of Nikita now that Mia is in ICU..." Jetter said and Birkoff blinked his eyes. Everything the man said was getting worse. Birkoff shook his head, not able to take this. Mia was only 16 years old. This stuff wasn't supposed to be happening.

Birkoff felt numb. He wasn't able to feel anything. His hands felt nothing, his feet felt nothing. It didn't matter what was going on. His ears were only tuned to what was being said about Mia, about the things that he was missing. Birkoff blinked back his tears, but he knew that they wouldn't hold off long.

Mary heard Jetter and knew that she wanted to tell Birkoff the news. She knew that her now husband loved Mia more than the sympathetic young man would admit. In a way, Birkoff had matured into the man he was today as Mia grew up as a child. They both had learned many things from one another.

"She broke her back, Seymour..." Mary softly stated and Birkoff slumped forward with nothing. He couldn't scream, he couldn't cry. He sat there, leaning forward, with a lost look on his face. Birkoff couldn't move. He stared at the floor, wondering if the universe had just swallowed him up. The emotional quicksand swept him under until the tears started to fall.

"Birkoff.... Seymour... talk to me..." Mary softly said as she stroked her husband's hair. He blinked his eyes and allowed the tears to fall. She nodded her head and lightly hugged him.

"No... no..." Birkoff started to mutter back and forth as he held himself, creating a shell around him so tight that Mary was worried.

"Seymour.... Seymour..." Mary said as she reached for him, but his body didn't even react to her touch. She looked to the side, wondering if someone was out there to help her with him, someone that knew how destroyed Birkoff was going to be with this news. She wasn't surprised to see the other operatives dropping their heads, solemnly noting what was going on and dealing with it in their own way. Although Mia in the past few months, or maybe the past year, had been a devil child on wheels, she had touched many hearts in Section One, and many learned it was with her very existence that caused change in Section One.

"No... OH DEAR GOD NO!" Birkoff cried out as he looked up to the towering ceiling. He swallowed and shook his head. Birkoff turned and looked at his computer. This couldn't be happening. Mia was going to go talk to her mother about working things out. Mia was trying to make the first step.

"How did this happen?" Mary questioned Jetter. The operative swallowed and rubbed his hands together. He had been one of the men often assigned to watch Mia for a day or two. He had begged off of his turn that day because he had an upset stomach with some food poisoning from the Section One kitchen. Had the kitchen not made that mistake, he would be dead now.

"An eighteen-wheeler jumped a divider and slammed into Mia's car... her car flipped I think six times before it stopped... the Z3 had safety designs that saved her life... The watchers in the car behind her... they both died." Jetter said and Birkoff shook his head, not able to stop the movement.

Everything was surreal. He just came back from his honeymoon. Bad things aren't suppose to happen while you are on your honeymoon He couldn't move to rub his own eyes, he couldn't move to rub his own neck. This was Mia. Mia, the little baby that he watched grow up.

"Birkoff... talk to me..." Mary said as she looked into his eyes. He shook his head and then slumped forward to his desk, hugging it with his arms. Mary blinked her eyes, not knowing what to do.

"Birkoff... Mia is alive and is expected to live." Operations' voice came over to the area as he appeared in the hallway. It emerged that Operations hadn't slept much in the past six days either. He looked at Birkoff and knew his words weren't comforting him.

"You can go to the city and visit her...." Operations said and Birkoff lifted his head.

"Is she awake?"

"No."

"Will she wake up?"

"Yes... In time."

"Soon?"

"We hope."

"Will she walk?"

"Possibly."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Birkoff... everything is dependent on too many variables..."

"Will she walk?"

"We don't know... breathing is most important now, Birkoff." Operations stated and Birkoff opened his mouth to cry, but now moan of pain came out and only a few tears ran out of his eyes. It was too much for Birkoff.

"What if I took my computer, Mary? I might have talked to her.. And she would have missed that accident..." Birkoff started to say and Mary shook her head back and forth with more tears in her eyes than her husband. She touched his face and felt how cold his face was.

"Birkoff.... You don't know that." Mary stated and Birkoff shook his head.

"This is Mia, Mary! Not just another person... this is MIA! All she wanted was to tell her mother that she was sorry! That was what she was going to do!" Birkoff cried out and Operations blinked his eyes. He didn't know that. That information was new to him and he was unsure of what would happen if Michael and Nikita found that news out.

"Mary... I shouldn't have gone... she was reaching for help... It's my fault..." Birkoff stated out flatly as he turned his back on his wife and Operations. Operations looked at Mary and was concerned. Birkoff hadn't faced trauma like this in sometime. Nikita having cancer was a blow to Birkoff. This announcement and injury to Mia was harsher than Nikita's illness. Someone that Birkoff watched grow up. Someone he had held as a baby. He was supposed to go first, not Mia.

"Birkoff.. It is no one's fault... Nikita is in the hospital swearing herself for buying the car... No one knew that this would happen.. It was an accident." Operations explained as he tried to reach for Birkoff. Birkoff stood up and backed away from Operations and his wife. He extended his hands and shook his head. Not ready to stop his current thoughts. Suddenly, Birkoff knew he had to do something.

"What does she need?" Birkoff questioned as he leapt back down to his chair, pulling up his list of doctors. He looked to Operations and saw the older man shaking his head. His eyes were drawn back, showing the stress of everything. Suddenly Birkoff realized that Operations hadn't even seen Mia yet.

"She has everything she needs... now she needs our support...," Operations said and Birkoff pulled his hands from the keyboard and slammed his hands to the desk. Operations knew that Birkoff wasn't thinking rationally.

"I have to be able to do something!" Birkoff shouted and Operations swallowed back his own shout. Seeing Birkoff like this was tearing him apart and he knew that Michael and Nikita had to be worse. He knew that Madeline was trying to get one of them to go home for a few hours, but that hadn't happened so far. He also knew that Nikita had barely been eating and sleeping and had been carefully monitored.

"You can go visit her.... And you can be there for Michael and Nikita." Operations softly replied and Birkoff looked around and slumped, slipping out of his chair. Operations stared at Mary leapt over the desk and held Birkoff.

"It's ok..."

"No... I should have been here..."

"No, Birkoff... You heard Operations... it isn't anyone's fault..."

"It's mine... It's mine..."

"No... no.. It was a fluke of fate."

"There isn't no fate... this is evil... wanting to hurt everyone around me..."

Operations stepped back and swallowed. He looked to the wall, trying to gather himself again. He rubbed his growing beard and looked to other operatives, listening to Birkoff. All were in various states of sobbing. He hurried away.

Operations would not cry in front of them.

*

Rest did something to Michael's soul. Twelve hours out of the hospital, eight hours at home sleeping, four inside of Section, finding that all hell was breaking loose. It pained Michael to see Section as it was, Birkoff running away from him, hiding, unable to look at the father of the girl that was hurt. Michael blinked his eyes and just left the orders for Birkoff.

Now, some twelve hours after he left, Michael knew he had the strength to return and deal with Nikita. It wasn't seeing Mia now that hurt. It was seeing Nikita wasting away in the waiting room, refusing to do anything more than sit there and wait. Michael knew that she needed to home, get some quality rest and some real food. No more gelatin from the cafeteria and no more coffee. She needed real food, and Walter was at home preparing that for Nikita.

It was the rest of his soul that even made these thoughts even possible, knowing that Mia needed Nikita to be strong when she woke up. Seeing Nikita as she appeared now would bother their daughter, it would hurt the situation even more. Michael stood at the doorway, Madeline looking at him as he studied Nikita on the cot. She appeared to be sleeping, but all knew that she wasn't sleeping.

"Nikita..." Michael softly said as he sat down and Nikita immediately sat up with a regular pace, not hurrying into Michael's arms or staying away from him. She moved to him like it was something that her body did without her mind telling it to do. Although Mia was allowed more visitors now at more frequent rate, Michael and Nikita were held to one visit every eight hours. Michael was going to just make it in for his visit this time.

"They took the respirator out." Nikita commented and Michael smiled. That was good news, it meant that Mia could breath on her own now. Michael reached out and stroked at Nikita's hair.

"I want you to go home... get a good rest and some real food." Michael softly said, wishing that Nikita would nod her head and do as suggested. It wasn't Nikita, Michael knew that. She threw her head from side to side, upset that Michael even mentioned that she go away from her daughter.

"I'm not leaving my daughter, Michael!" Nikita screamed and Madeline lifted her head. The woman that had been there almost the entire time that the Michael and Nikita had been there. She was taken back to Section One twice to crack some terrorists, but then came immediately back. Yet, even though she may have had less sleep than Nikita, she was holding up better.

Then, she hadn't battled breast cancer, either.

"When was the last time you ate, Nikita?" Michael questioned; hoping that some old-fashioned good reasoning would help get Nikita out of the waiting room. He tilted his head to the side as Nikita rubbed her hands through her hair.

"It wasn't long ago..." Nikita stumbled about, lifting her eyebrows in thought, definitely having a difficult time pinpointing when she did eat last. Michael took Nikita's hand and rubbed at it softly before looking into Nikita's eyes again.

"About how many hours ago?" Michael asked, simplifying the question he had asked. Nikita looked to Michael and shrugged her shoulders. She rubbed her own neck and swallowed. Michael the rumbling of Nikita's stomach in his own body, but Nikita didn't pay attention to it at all, pretending that it wasn't there.

"About four hours ago..." Nikita stumbled out and Michael looked over his shoulder at Madeline. Madeline solemnly shook her head from side to side. Michael had expected that it sounded too good to be true. Madeline looked at Michael and mouthed the word, 'Eleven' and dropped her head, knowing that Michael was worried and concerned. She was too, she was more than concerned, already have spoken to James about possibly knocking Nikita out to give her IV fluids and proteins.

"So what did you eat?" Michael questioned and Nikita tried to pull away. She felt trap. Her mind wanted to think about Mia, not about what her mouth was eating and not eating. Michael didn't let go and Nikita heavily sighed.

"Ah... I'm not sure, Michael... Its not like food is my concern." Nikita countered, and Michael touched Nikita's face.

"You didn't eat four hours ago..." Michael said as his voice trailed off. He looked around the room and turned back to Nikita. "You haven't slept since I left, have you?"

"No... Someone has to be ready for Mia." Nikita stated out firmly and Michael dropped his head to his chest. The rest that he had found was starting to get drained instantly. He looked at Nikita and it was like his heart was singing a tragic opera song, knowing that it was painful to look at her in this state.

"Nikita.. They said four days until they even think of waking her up... It's for her own good." Michael said and Nikita shook her head back and forth and pulled her legs up to her chest. Michael watched Nikita hug them tightly, shutting him out.

"I'm not going until I'm sure she hears me Michael... Until I know that she knows that I love her!" Nikita screamed out and Madeline lifted her head again. She had tried to tell Nikita that Mia did care about her and that Mia knew the love her parents had for her. That attempt fell flat and it appeared that Michael had tried that several times.

"Fine... I'm going to see her..." Michael said as he stood up and left the waiting room. Nikita leaned her head back and swallowed the tears that ran into her mouth. She looked at Madeline and started to shake her head.

"I can take you, Nikita... Make sure you get a comfortable bath... When was the last time you washed up?" Madeline said and Nikita looked to her hands and swallowed. She didn't even think she had. Madeline shook her head as Nikita lifted her quivering chin.

"Not until I know that she loves me! And not until I know that she knows that she is my life! She is MY BLOOD MADELINE! MY DAUGHTER!" Nikita screamed and Madeline dropped her head. She looked at Nikita. She knew what Nikita was feeling now. It was the same pain that was going through her heart looking at Nikita in this condition.

"She knows..." a soft and quavering voice echoed in the room. Nikita lifted her head and saw Operations standing in the doorway, tears streaming down his face. Nikita looked to him and swallowed. He stepped further into the room.

"I just saw her... Oh god..." Operations said as he dropped his head, breathing in heavily, trying to stop his tears, knowing that these people didn't need to see his tears. He lifted his head and saw Nikita with her arms extended.

Nikita cried as she hugged Operations. He really did see himself as her pappap. Nikita bit her lip and swallowed as his hands hugged tightly at her. Nikita felt his tears on her shoulder and knew that he could feel her tears on his shoulder.

"Birkoff.... Had a message and e-mail from Mia... saying that she was going to see you, Nikita... Because she knew how much you meant to her... and how... and how... Oh god, Nikita... She has to be fine..." Operations moaned into Nikita's shoulders, trying to comfort her and himself in the same gesture. He had passed Michael in the hallway and Michael placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She said she wanted her mother back..." Operations cried out with grief and Nikita sobbed loudly, feeling her heart expanding, knowing that her daughter was coming back to her, but then contracting, knowing that her daughter was on the line of life and death.

"You need to be strong, Nikita... You should go with Madeline and go home..." Operations voiced as he leaned back and pushed the tears off of his face with the wrinkled palms of his hands. Nikita looked to Madeline and dropped her head, not ready to give into the demands.

"He is right, Nikita... The time is going to come that your daughter is going to be awake and if you don't get sleep now, you won't be able to be at her side.... You need your strength." James said from the doorway. Nikita looked to Madeline and pulled her hands away from Operations, strangely finding them still around his chest and back. Madeline stood up and smiled.

"Thank you...." Operations said as he turned and swallowed. "James..."

"You know each other?" Madeline questioned and Operations lowered his head. He lifted his head, knowing that right now he was an example of what Nikita needed to be, strong.

"He is my brother, Madeline... Now take Nikita home... I'll deal with this." Operations said and Madeline wrapped her arms around Nikita, absolutely sure that Walter was going to have to carry her from the car, asleep. Madeline looked as Operations wiped at the last of his tears. Madeline rubbed Nikita's neck as Nikita lifted her head.

"Are we compromised?" Nikita carefully questioned and Operations shook his head from side to side. Nikita looked to Madeline as she started to walk with Nikita. Nikita looked over her shoulder, allowing Madeline to led, and looked at the brothers looking at each other.