At DC General Melissa was pacing her office. In the hours that had passed she had managed to restore some normality to the place. It had kept her occupied. Now that she was done though she began to fret.

This was all taking way too long. Liam should have been here hours ago. The fact that she knew the reason for the delay did nothing to ease her fears.

Sandoval was not helping either. Over the last few hours he had begun to pay her little visits. He kept probing her for information. Despite the evidence that had cleared her name he still treated her like a suspect. At one point he had even gone so far as to ask her why Liam had not been released yet. That time she had all but chased him out of her office.

How Liam could have turned out the way he had with that man for a father was beyond her understanding.

Sighing she pushed her chair away from her desk. Leaving her office she went to the E.R. She had been there at least ten times during the last few hours, had checked every piece of equipment over and over. All was as it should be. She knew that, but she could not help herself. Deep in thought she entered the E.R. and nearly cried out in shock when she collided with Agent Sandoval.

�What are you doing here?� she demanded, suddenly angry with the man, �This area is off limits to everyone but the hospital personnel.�

�Curiosity,� stated Sandoval, �I have been in Emergency Rooms before, but was on those occasions not capable of fully enjoying the experience.�

He smiled a little at his last words and turned away, leaving Melissa to stare his retreating back in bewilderment. Would this man ever cease to be an enigma to her? She very much doubted it.

Commotion in the hallway made her follow Sandoval out and she caught the last words of the young Volunteer in front of Sandoval.

�It could be them now, sir.�

�Get your men ready, sergeant. And tell them that we want these people alive!�

The Volunteer nodded once, saluted Sandoval and sprinted away. Sandoval turned and looked at Melissa. He smiled grimly.

�Now we�ll get to see if you�re really the doctor everybody says you are,� he stated.

�Only if your goons manage to keep their trigger happy fingers under control.�
Melissa bit back. Having said that she jogged to the main entrance of the hospital, not waiting to see if the implant followed her or not.

Outside she joined the small group of Volunteers and nurses already looking in the direction of the speeding van. As it neared them Melissa thought she saw a glimpse of Renee Palmer behind the wheel, wearing a mask to conceal her blond hair and her face.

Next the back doors of the van were thrown open and Liam�s darkened form could be seen, squatting in the opening.

Realizing what he was about to do, Melissa could only just keep her cry of worry inside. But at the same time she realized that this was probably the only way, with Sandoval and the Volunteers present.

Involuntarily holding her breath Melissa moved forward to see Liam better. In the light cast by the streetlights she could see him pace himself, getting ready to jump. He hesitated slightly and then jerked forward, giving the impression of being pushed out onto the road. He hit the ground and his momentum carried him as he rolled over and over, until the curb caught him. Then he lay completely still.