Danny sat in the line of traffic drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, "What's going on up there?" he said aloud. Each second he was forced to remain there was one more taken away from finding Michelle.

The traffic inched forward. Finally, he was able to see the red flashing lights head. Must be some kind of accident, he thought to himself. Traffic stopped once again. "This is ridiculous," he stepped out of his car heading for the action. He needed to find out how long he was going to stuck there and if there was any other way around this mess.

He approached the officer in charge of directing traffic, "Excuse me," before Danny was able to finish he saw the tail lights of what he was sure was Michelle's little red MG. He felt nauseated immediately blood running cold through his veins. He walked forward for closer inspection.

"Sir....sir I need you to step back," the officer's words fell on deaf ears. Danny was moving in a daze. He forced himself to peer over the bank.

"Oh my god," his voice barely a whisper, "MICHELLE," his voice now echoing off into the night. "Oh my god, Michelle," Danny was climbing down the embankment without even thinking. He could still hear the officers calling to him, for him to stop but they were only noise in the distance. All of his senses taken over by the need to get to her. The need to do whatever he could to save her.

"Michelle," he tried to touch her to no avail from the passenger side window. "Michelle, can you hear me?" his tone thick with the oncoming tears.

"Where the hell did he come from?" Danny heard a voice say but he wasn't moving.

Michelle's tiny car wasn't more than a hunk of mangled steel. He could see the gash on her forehead, blood flowing down soaking her white top. She was pinned by the door and the steering column.

"Why aren't you trying to get her out of there?" Danny was just a helpless bystander.

"Who are you?" a fireman asked disgusted having to explain his actions.

"I know this girl," Danny stared, "I was supposed to meet her tonight and when she didn't show up I came looking for her...."

"Who are you?" he said again.

"Her boyfriend," Danny lied hoping that would carry some weight.

"We are doing everything we can right now to stabilize her. Her blood pressure is pretty low. Due mainly to the great deal of blood she's lost........."

"Why aren't you getting her out of there then?" Danny interrupted the man's speech.

"She pinned in. We are going to have to cut her out of the car. We're waiting on the team right now."

"She's gonna be okay right?" Danny looked back at Michelle's lifeless body.

"We'll know more once we get her out of the car." That wasn't the most reassuring thing that Danny had ever heard.

Danny leaned into the car as far as the open window would let him, but Michelle was still just beyond his reach. He felt a hot tear trickling from his eye

"Michelle, baby, you hang in there. These guys are doing everything to get you out of here," he choked back the sobs as he continued to talking, "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you. This is all my fault. I promise you, I'm going to make sure whoever is responsible this pays." Danny knew all to well that Nino was connected to this in one way shape or form.

Michelle let out a soft moan as she moved her head. "Michelle, sweetie don't move," he was talking to her as calmly as he could.

"Hey," he started screaming trying to get anyone's attention, "Hey...get over here she's starting to come around."

"Miss, can you hear me?" the EMT asked.

"Michelle, her name's Michelle," Danny stammered trying to get closer to her.

"Back up buddy! I need to get a better look at her."

"She's got to be okay. Please make it okay," he pleaded as he stepped away from the wreckage. "Please god, please god let her be all right," Danny looked up towards the night sky. He only hoped someone was listening.

Danny watched powerless as the team went about their work of freeing Michelle from her constraints. The grinding noise of the saw through the thin metal of that very tiny car echoed in Danny's ears. Sparks flew past his eyes yet he couldn't move. He wanted to be as close as they would let him be. His body was trembling as they cautiously removed Michelle's body placing her on a stretcher. The neck brace obstructed his view of her beautiful face. She looked lifeless as the EMT's did their best to bring her back to street level.

"I'm going with her," Danny said forcefully pushing his way into the ambulance along side her. The EMT's looked to the police for their assistance.

"Sir...sir," Danny was hell bent on his destination, "Sir," the officer shook him by the arm. "You can't do this. I need you to move your car. You can't just leave it there."

Danny knew that the officer spoke the truth but that made no difference to him. He wasn't planning on letting her out of his sight. Not until she was safe.

"Ticket me then!" Danny said throwing his arms in the air.

"Calm down. They need to get this girl to the hospital ASAP. You know that as well as I do. You're not doing her any good with all of this." The officer spoke to the part of Danny that he was sure was listening. His heart.

"Where are you taking her?" Danny asked breathless turning to the EMT.

"Chicago University Hospital. You can meet us there."

"I'll give you an escort," the police man offered.

Had it been for any other reason Danny would be laughing, thinking that Danny Santos, next in line to head the Santos Crime Family, was getting a police escort was laughable but right now he was thankful for it.

Drew struggled against Nino's tight grip on her hair. He continued pulling her back into his room kicking the door closed.

"So, Santos was here?" Nino snorted.

"Yeah." She winced as the tugging on her scalp intensified. Nino had turned her to face him all the time never letting go of her hair.

"What did he want?" Nino said again.

"I don't know," she spat sarcastically.

"What the fuck did he want, DREW!"

"He was looking for you. That's all I know."

"Like hell. Santos never does anything without a reason."

"He came up on the porch looking for you."

"Drew," Nino pulled her face to his, "I will ask you one more time. What did Santos want?" Nino's voice filled with rage as he spoke through clenched teeth. It was hard to miss the tequila bottles out front. He knew how she fancied that drink and he also knew how loose her lips got when she drank it. That was all he needed right now for her to have run her mouth to Danny Santos.

Drew stared back into Nino's cold eyes with indifference. She wasn't even frightened. More like numb. Totally not caring what happened to her. She knew what Nino was capable of. She knew that if she said the wrong thing it would be over in a heartbeat but none of that matter right now. Drew was so tired of all of this, all of them. She just didn't give a damn anymore.

"DREW!" he yelled shaking her hard.

"What?"

"You know damn well what," Nino threw her to the floor. He picked up the glass that she had been drinking from and sent it crashing to the floor beside her head. She didn't even flinch. Actually she began laughing. Laughter that was void of any humor. She cackled as she lay there looking up at him.

Nino felt the hairs on the nape of his neck bristle. Fury building with each wave of her laughter. He grabbed her hard by the arms forcing her to look at him once again.

"Drew," he said calmly this time. There was an errie tone about him, "I want to know what you told Santos. What was he really doing here?"

"I told you he was looking for you!" she yelled tiring of playing 20 questions.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to check Shooters," again came her laughter.

"YOU WHAT?" Nino's blood boiled. "What the FUCK would you do that for?"

"You're always there. Always waiting for Michelle Bauer to drop you any scrap of attention. I knew that's where you went earlier when you left here without so much as a good-bye."

"YOU BITCH!" Nino swung wildly at her, "You just fucking ruined everything."

His fists landed hard against every part of her body. She cried out but the blaring music from below drown them out.

"I should kill you!"

"Go ahead," Drew remarked, "I've been dead for a while now."

Nino picked his belt from the floor and snapped it before her eyes. No response was elicited. No fear, no terror only vacant eyes looking back at him.

She lay there silently watching and waiting. "What else did you tell him?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah like I fucking believe that!"

"How much does Santos know Drew?"

"I don't know!" she said pushing her body to a standing position. She could see the bruises already forming from his assault.

"Santos came here for a reason."

"NINO I don't know!"

"Well you better start remembering," before she knew it he had slipped his belt around her neck. She could feel the pressure begin closing off her breath. She tried wildly to slip her fingers between the belt and her neck. Each attempt was unsuccessful.

Nino was enjoying watching as the life slowly drained from her body. He should have done this a long time ago. Drew was a loose end in all of this that needed to be tied off.

"Nino," she gasped.

"What? Your memory starting to return?" he commented dryly.

"Please," her eyes pleaded with him. He looked at her naked body and desire filled him again. She was a pretty good fuck he thought to himself. He loosened the belt slightly.

"So you ready to talk?" She nodded. "I want to know everything you said to him."

Drew grabbed for her throat as the belt fell to around her waist. Nino was still holding on tight. She took a deep breath. Oxygen filling her lungs. "He came here looking for you. I told him to check Shooters."

"Damn it, Drew, you told me that already," Nino inched the leather belt closer to her neck again.

"I was sitting on the porch. I was mad at you. You left this morning and I didn't know where you went. I was getting drunk. I was thinking about Jesse. Looking at his picture. Thinking about all that Michelle Bauer has cost me. Then he appeared out of nowhere. He kept on and on about needing to find you. I told him you weren't here. Told him you hung out at Shooters to be closer to Michelle," The back of Nino's large hand made contact with Drew's jaw. That was the last thing he wanted Danny Santos to know. Especially after knowing for sure that Danny and Michelle had been together the previous night. Drew pulled back as blood trickled from her broken lip.

"GO ON!" he yelled never letting go.

"I told him about Michelle. How every guy within a 50 mile radius wanted her. I think I even said I was surprised that she hadn't gotten to him yet."

Oh, but she has, Nino thought to himself.

"I told him about how I seduced Jesse. Trying to take him away from her. I even showed him the article about his suicide."

"Damn it Drew!"

"What?"

"You are a dumb bitch you know that?"

"Must be, cause I couldn't even get him to sleep with me," she said softly not meaning for Nino to hear.

"WHAT!!!!!"

Drew hesitated for the moment. She wasn't sure if she should say what was next or not. Nino would go completely ballistic.

"WHAT!!! What else did you do?"

"I said that sex was great with Mick but I bet he was much better." Drew did her best to cover her body as Nino began beating her again.

Danny climbed behind the wheel of his car weaving his way out of the line of traffic. He followed the blue and red flashing lights of the police car.

The world was moving around him in slow motion. Nothing seemed real to him. He kept picturing Michelle pinned behind the wheel of her car. All the blood that she lost saturating her shirt. Only hours before, he had been kissing her, holding her, touching her. This was unreal.

A wave of guilt came over him remembering the fall she had taken earlier. "Damn it," he said aloud. "I knew I should have taken her to the hospital." This truly had been his fault. She had one hell of a lump on the back of her head. Maybe that's what caused the accident. Maybe Nino had nothing to do with any of this.

Thoughts ran rampant through his mind, Carmen, Mick, Nino, Carlos, Drew, this Jesse person and Michelle. All of them danced through his head. Each of them playing a part in the bigger picture. Everyone of them expecting something different from him. He felt as if he were drowning.

No one else but Michelle mattered right now. "To hell with the rest of them" he thought. "I have to do whatever I can for her."

Danny pulled in right along side the ambulance. He looked on as they moved her inside the ER. She still was motionless.

"How is she?" Danny tried to ask one of the EMT's. His question went unanswered. Helplessly he followed them inside.

The motion of the ER was one of frenzy. Each person having a task to handle. Danny stood in the corner watching in awe. Doctors shouting out orders, nurses and orderly scampering in and out of the room. Each and every person doing all the was necessary to help Michelle.

He rubbed his temples trying to bring it all into focus. He looked on as they stripped her of her clothes, took her vitals, inserted the needle for the IV. "Is she going to be all right?" he asked finally finding his voice.

"Things don't look so good right now. She's lost a massive amount of blood. We're doing our best to keep her stable. She needs a head CT and some x-rays to determine if anything is broken."

Danny swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "Please do whatever it takes. If she needs anything don't spare the expense. I'll be taking care of everything."

"Fine. You will need to make the arrangements with the desk."

"Doctor," the nurse called out, "Doctor her pressures dropping. Pupils are fixed and dilated."

The doctor rushed back to Michelle's side. Danny hugged the wall for support. For the first time in his life he felt faint. The whirlwind of activity left him breathless.

"Michelle," he called. Trying desperately to be by her side. He needed her to know that he was there for her.

"Get him out of here!" the doctor ordered.

Danny was ushered out of the room without a moments hesitation. He stood just outside nose pressed to the window. He resembled a child looking through a toy store window at a toy he hopelessly wanted but couldn't have.

He paced back and forth and back again waiting for someone, anyone to come and give him some news.

"What is happening with Michelle Bauer," Danny asked a women at the desk when he could wait no longer.

"Michelle Bauer?" she questioned.

"Yeah she was just brought in....a car accident," Danny was quickly losing what little patience he had left. He felt as though he had been standing out there for an eternity. Yet it had been less then 10 minutes.

"Have a seat sir. I'll try to get some information."

Have a seat Danny mused. He was jumping out of his skin and she wanted him to have a seat. What a joke. He continued pacing. He could have worn a groove in the floor by the time the women returned.

"Sir," she tapped him on the shoulder, "The doctor should be out momentarily to speak with you."

"Is she all right?" desperation was the best emotion he could muster.

"The doctor will be out soon to speak with you."

That hadn't sounded good to him. Something must have really been wrong. Panic filled every inch of him. Again he went to the window, Michelle was gone. Terror had replaced panic.

"Where's Michelle Bauer!" he heard himself screaming but was unable to stop it.

"The doctor will speak....."

"Forget about the fucking doctor! Where did they take her? What happened to her?" Danny leaned across the desk grabbing the women's lab coat. He had no idea what he was doing even but the only thought that was running through his head was the she was dead. That he had lost her too. That thought was more then he could bare.

The young women stared at Danny calmly. She had seen this reaction so many times before. She had grown to expect it. She knew better then to take offense. "The doctor will explain everything."

"I don't give a damn about the doctor..."

"Sir," Danny was stopped mid sentence but the quiet voice of Michelle's doctor. He turned to face this man. All Danny's instants had flown the coop. Nothing he did enabled himself to read this man. "Let's sit down over here," he pointed to the bank of chairs along the wall. "We have a few complications that you need to be aware of."