The hospital ER --

Elizabeth pulled back the curtain, and was taken back by what she saw. A white gauze patch on his forehead held in place with opaque hospital tape, an IV hooked to his left forearm, wires pressed against his chest, an oxygen mask that was covering his nose and mouth, her husband was in critical condition. She slowly walked towards him and took his hand in hers. Amy was checking his vitals on the machine that was standing next to him and jotting down the numbers on her clipboard.

"You can talk to him, but I doubt he'll respond. He's on a lot of medications, it may be a while." Amy remarked as she pulled the curtain closed and left Elizabeth alone with her husband.

Her head fell to the metal sidebar along the gurney and she sobbed. This was her worst fear coming true and she couldn't control what was going to happen. She said a little prayer and squeezed Jason's hand. She told him that she loved him and that he would be alright. He was in the very best hands, the doctors would take care of him. As she spoke the words to Jason, she needed to believe them herself. Tears trickled down her cheek as she sat with him for a while hoping that he would know she was there with him.

Monica appeared and walked up behind her. "I have some news."

Elizabeth startled by Monica's presence she rose from the swivel stool she was sitting on and waited to hear the prognosis. Emily came to be with Elizabeth as she heard the news about Jason.

"We have done the best we can right now. Jason will need surgery to remove the bullet, however I don't want to go in there blind. So we have administered a self inducing coma medication to keep him sedated for a while. We can slowly bring him out of it when we think it is safe enough to go in and removed the fragments. His vitals are not stable enough to do that now, thus we need to get him stabilized before we go in search of the bullet and the fragments it may have left. Xrays tell us that it doesn't look like it punctured any major organs, which is good. However the bullet has lodged itself in a compromising position, and for us to remove it, we need to know that Jason is strong enough to handle the surgery. He is by no means out of the woods, the next 24 to 48 hours are critical." Monica knew that it was a lot for Elizabeth to comprehend right now, but she needed to know how things were looking for Jason.

Elizabeth gave her a tearful thank you for telling her all she could and returned to be with Jason.

The hospital chapel --

A few hours had passed and Emily had tried to stay positive about Zander. She had left Devon with Alexis and Ned who had come to see what they could do for her, while she went to the chapel to light a candle and to say a prayer.

She pushed open the chapel doors to find Sonny kneeling at the alter. She was hesitant to enter, but she had a few choice words for him so she moved forward. The doors swooshed closed and Sonny rose to his feet. He turned and saw Emily standing in the back of the chapel, her hands folded in front of her, her eyes filled with anger.

She took a few steps towards him before he stepped down from the alter.

"Emily....I'm so sorry." he spoke softly as her arms fell to her side, her fists clenched in anger. Emily stiffened as he walked passed her and through the double doors.

She turned and watched him go, not saying a word to the man who put her brother and her husband against one another. Her heart filled with hate for the man, everyone called Mr. Corinthos.

She lit a candle for Zander, and a candle for her brother Jason. She took a seat the nearest pew and whispered a prayer for them. She heard the doors open once again and she looked up to find her dad standing in the doorway.

"We have news about Zander."

Emily stood up slowly from the pew and turned towards her father. She took a deep breath and approached him, unsure of was coming next. Alan reached for her hands and held them tightly in his. Her father's hands strong and always comforting to her, she knew the news about Zander wasn't good.

"Zander's out of surgery. He stayed strong during the procedure and is stable." as he finished Emily sighed relief.

"May I see him?" she asked as she sniffled back the tears.

"Come, I'll take you to him." he dad said as he escorted her out of the chapel.

"How's Jason?" she asked as they turned the corner and headed towards the recovery room.

"The same. Elizabeth's with him." His concerned look didn't help comfort her own fears as they reached the enclosed room where Zander lay lying in a hospital bed connected to all sorts of machines.

Outside Zander's room --

The large glass windows revealed to her, her husband who lie lifeless. She cautiously peered around the corner and stood in the doorway. She walked slowly into the room and towards his bedside. The small stool squeaked as she rolled it closer to the bed. She sat down and took his hand in hers. She held it close to her lips and kissed it gently as her free hand brushed back the few strands of coal black hair of his forelock from his eyes. Her hand brushed against his cheek as she brought it back down to her and wrapped her hands around his. She kissed his hands once again as she whispered against them how much she loved him.

She sat and listened to the silence. The distinct sound of the breathing machine continued as the deflator moved in an up and down motion with every breath. Zander was pale, his color had not returned to what she had remembered, the bronze tone had vanished from his face, his arms, his hands were cold to the touch. She knew she had to bring him back to her. He had the fight of his life staring him in the face and he had to stay strong and fight to be with her ... yet again.