EPISODE 43

Emily's Hospital room ---

"What about Jason?" "He's being tended to here at the hospital. He's going to be charged with a whole list of felonies, I'm sure. And ... Lorenzo, he's dead. Marcus ...."

"He saved your ass didn't he?"

"Yeah he did. I owe him."

"I owe him too ..." she replied and pulled him to her in an embrace, but not before she gave him a kiss, thankful he was alive.

"I love you so much, Zander ...."

"I love you too."

Zander pulled back from her noticing he was bleeding from the patch on his shoulder and he didn't want to get any on her. "I'm going to have my shoulder checked out. Are you going to be okay here by yourself for a little while?" he asked concerned for her.

"Yeah I'll be fine. Go get checked out. I'll feel a lot better once you do."

He walked towards the door and turned his head back towards her. He gave her wink and then made a quick escape out the door. She laid back against the pillows and smiled.

It was over, finally. Lorenzo was dead, Jason would be behind bars, they were no longer in danger. They could finally go back to living a normal life, as normal as the life they led would allow. The future was looking a lot better then it had, and she sighed as the stress she was feeling began to disappear. She could finally concentrate on the family and the new addition that would be making his appearance real soon.

In the ER --

Zander sat on the end of the hospital gurney waiting for someone to tend to his gunshot wound. The gauze bandages that were wrapped around his upper arm were soaked with blood, the bleeding hadn't stopped. He could hear familiar voices coming from the other side of the drawn curtain, and as he waited, he was startled when the curtain was pushed back. He was surprised to see Mac standing there and his expression shown his discontent.

"What do I owe this pleasure, Commissioner?" Zander asked as Mac stepped towards him.

"I heard you had an eventful night?" Mac remarked as Zander reached his hand up and applied pressure to the wound in his arm.

"This? Just a scratch." Zander remarked about his bullet wound.

"Looks like a bullet wound to me. Care to tell me how you got it?"

Before Zander could answer Mac's question, someone else did it for him. "No he doesn't." Alexis said as she stepped forward.

Zander relieved to see her, he figured she'd be along any time, Ric was bound to call her, at least he had hoped. Alexis stepped towards Zander and stood next to him. She glanced at Zander to reassure him she was there to help him and that he shouldn't worry.

"My client has nothing to tell you, Mac."

"It would be in your client's best interests to explain what happened right here, or do you want me to drag him down to the police station?"

"Mac, the man is hurt, can't we get him looked at first?" Alexis pointed out to the Commissioner.

"Oh right, the scratch. Yeah get him looked at and to make sure his next stop is the police station, I'll just leave a few officers outside to make sure he gets there." Mac replied before leaving and drawing the curtain closed the way he found it.

Alexis waited till Mac left, then turned her attention to Zander. "What happened this time?"

"Didn't Ric tell you?"

"No, Ric didn't tell me .. why don't you tell me." she ordered as she looked over at his blood soaked bandage.

Zander about to tell Alexis what happened, but he was interrupted. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Zander." Bobbie said as she pulled back the curtain and stepped towards him with a metal tray in her hand.

"I'll wait outside for you." Alexis excused herself and stepped out to wait for him.

Bobbie tended to Zander's wounds and stitched it. She re-wrapped his arm and then cleaned up the mess she had made as he slid off the end of the gurney and thanked her. "You shouldn't have any trouble with it, but if you do, just come back and see us, okay?"

"Thanks Bobbie. I'm sure it will be fine." Zander smiled and stepped out, only to be met with two police officers. Alexis came up to him quickly to save him from the officer's clutches.

"May I talk to you a minute." Alexis smiled as she took a hold of Zander's arm and whisked him away from the officers.

"I guess we should talk, huh?"

"Yes we should if you want me to defend you in whatever kind of mess you're in now." Alexis replied.

Alexis and Zander sat down in the waiting area as the officers looked on. "It's complicated." Zander answered as he and Alexis sat down on the couch together.

"Well, why don't you try to explain it to me."