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“ You ok?” Nick asked looking at Brian once he had gotten him into the house.
“ My head hurts and I am betting I have a bruise?”
“ Yep you do. What did he hit you with?” Nick asked handing him an ice pack.
“ A gun I think but I don’t know. He took Kathy didn’t he?” Brian asked looking around the room.
“ Yeah, she wasn’t down there when I found you. I am sorry.”
“ I can’t believe he took her. Why did he take her?” Brian asked thinking out loud.
“ I’ve got the money.” Kevin said looking at Brian. “ And you’ve got the black eye.”
“ Yep I do.” Brian said holding the ice over his eye.
“ We will wait for the call and give them the money and get them both back.”
“ I hope.” Howie said shaking his head.





AJ opened his eyes and looked around the room. His head was killing him again. He was so hating this woman and the man that came with her. He noticed her arms where tied in front of him instead of to the bed. He slid his arms over his face and felt the bruises on his cheeks. He looked towards the wall and noticed there was a window, he knew with all the stuff Courtney had been giving him he wasn’t strong enough to make his way to it.
“ I hate my life.” AJ muttered closing his eyes again.
“ I wouldn’t hate your life. But you might want to worry about it. We brought you a gift.” Courtney said entering the room. AJ opened his eyes and looked towards her. Courtney moved aside and let Simon walk in.
“ What did you do to her?” AJ asked seeing Katherine in Simon’s arms. Her body slack in his arms her eyes closed.
“ Just gave her something to sleep don’t panic.” Simon said laying Katherine down on the bed. AJ noticed her arms where chained instead of tied with rope.
“ Why this?” AJ asked touching the chains with his fingers.
“ Because you cant untie her this way.” Simon said leaving the couple alone.
“ By the way what I gave her is also a poison. Hope your friends come up with the money or she dies and then you die.” Simon said taking Courtney from the room. AJ looked down at Katherine’s closed eyes and wanted to cry.
“ Baby talk to me.” AJ said touching her cheek. Katherine moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at AJ’s worried face and reached up and touched him to make sure he was real.
“ Alex.”
“ Hey you ok?” AJ asked looking into her cloudy eyes.
“ Head hurts. Everything hurts, what did he give me?” Katherine asked.
“ It’s not important you’re alive and so am I.” AJ said running his fingers over her cheek. Katherine lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes again. AJ was terrified that he was going to lose her. His friends had to come up with the money he couldn’t bare if he lost her.
“ Your scared.” Katherine said opening her eyes and looking at him.
“ Yes that I admit. I’ve been through a lot in these last few days.” AJ said running his fingers threw her hair. Katherine looked down at her arms and saw the chains.
“ Well that’s a nice touch.” Katherine said holding her arms up.
“ He said that way I couldn’t untie you.”
“ But I can untie you.” Katherine said looking at the ropes that held AJ’s arms. “ Once the room stops spinning.” She said laying her head back.
“ Close your eyes and don’t worry about it.” AJ said kissing her forehead.
“ Ok.” Katherine said closing her eyes and finally going to sleep again. He looked up as Courtney and Simon entered the room again.
“ You bastard you cant just leave me and my family alone.” AJ growled looking at Simon. Simon laughed at him and moved to touch Katherine.
“ Don’t you touch her!” AJ said placing his bound arms over Katherine. Simon just placed his hand on Katherine’s forehead.
“ She’s warm. The poison is working faster than expected. Courtney we might have to give her the antidote sooner than we wanted to.”
“ No if we give it to her now she will live and I don’t want that.” Courtney said looking at him.
“ The part of the deal was if we got the money they live. Where you lying to me?” Simon asked looking into her eyes. He took as step back when he saw the crazed look in her eyes.
“ I want her to die.” Courtney said laughing and leaving the room. Simon stood for a moment and started to follow her.
“ She can’t let my wife die, you can’t let my wife die. They will get the money. Please don’t let her die.” AJ said looking at Simon.
“ I don’t know what to do. She’s never been this crazy and I’ve known she’s loved you for a long time but never really willing to kill your wife to get you.” He said standing in the doorway.
“ Then let us go. I can take my wife to a hospital and get her some help.”
“ I can’t I’m sorry.” Simon said turning and leaving the room. AJ looked down at Katherine and sighed.



“ What are you going to do?” Simon asked Courtney.
“ Just what I was going to do. If I cant have him neither can she.”
“ But are you willing to kill her for it? What about that child she has?”
“ I will love Alex I will love his son. We will be a happy family.” Courtney said
“ Court let that fantasy take over our lives. Baby I know you love me. Why are you letting this happen?” Simon asked.
“ Because I care about him. And I know he cares about me.”
“ He cares about his wife and son. Come on let’s just get the money and run. We can make a better life and you can have anything you want.” Simon said coming up behind her kissing her neck.
“ Yes that would be nice. Alright we will do it that way.” Courtney said smiling. Simon kissed her cheek and smiled again.







“ Kevin do we have the money?”
“ Yep right here. We have all of the money. All we have to do is wait for the call.” Kevin said sitting down, the brief case sat on the floor full of the money needed to save their friend. Kevin about jumped from his skin when the phone rang.
“ Hello?” Kevin said into the phone
“ Want your friends?” She asked.
“ Yes, we have the money.” Kevin said.
“ Good. Now bring the money to 1450 Sherman Oaks rd. way outside of town, we are the last house, if you come alone they live, if the police are with you they both die.” Courtney said.
“ Agreed.” Kevin said
“ Be here in an hour.”
“ On our way. Please don’t hurt our friends.” Kevin said only to end up begging dead air. “ Damn it. We have an hour to make it to this address or they die.” Kevin said handing the paper to Howie.
“ Let’s go.” Brian said grabbing his coat and heading towards the door.





“ Guess what lovers time to go.” Simon said entering the room. AJ opened his sleepy eyes and looked at his captor.
“ What?” AJ asked shaking Katherine to wake her. Katherine moaned but never opened her eyes. “ Damn it.” AJ said touching her, her fever had gone up she was burning up.
“ Carry her.” Simon said looking at AJ.
“ I can’t do that with my arms like this.” AJ said holding out his arms. Simon moved forward and cut the ropes that held AJ’s arms.
“ Try anything stupid and I wont hesitate to shoot you.” Simon said pulling a gun from the inside of his long coat.
“ I wont.” AJ said lifting Katherine into his arms. “ How am I supposed to get around? My legs aren’t strong enough for me to walk.” AJ said knowing that he could walk slowly alone but with Katherine’s extra weight it was difficult.
“Use this.” Courtney said coming into the room pushing a wheelchair. She pushed it up behind AJ, who sat down while still holding his wife in his arms.
“ Put your arms on the arm rest.” She told him.
“ How can I hold her and do that?” AJ asked. Courtney pulled a strap across Katherine and then strapped it behind AJ.
“ That’s how. Now do as your told.” Courtney said as Simon tied AJ’s legs to the chair. AJ nodded and placed his arms on the arm rests, she then tied his arms there and pulled a gag into his mouth silencing any protests. AJ looked down at Katherine’s sweating face, he couldn’t touch her, to whip the sweat away from her face.
“ Let’s go.” Simon said motioning for Courtney to follow him outside.
“ If you had loved me this never would have happened.” Courtney said to AJ. AJ’s eyes drifted up towards her, fear and anger filled his brown eyes. Courtney touched his face softly and then pushed him outside, she looked to see the group that had assembled.



Kevin watched from his place in front of the group, he watched Courtney push AJ and Katherine into site. AJ’s arms and legs tied directly to the chair, Katherine strapped across AJ’s chair. From where Kevin stood Katherine didn’t look good at all. Her face pale and he wasn’t sure what to think.

“ Do you have what we want?” Courtney asked, her hands on AJ’s shoulders.
“ Yes right here.” Kevin said setting the bag down.
“ Return them to us.” Brian said stepping forward. He could see the fear on AJ’s face, the worry in his eyes.
“ I am not really sure if we should.” Courtney said running her fingers over AJ’s cheek.
“ Please return them, haven’t you done enough?” Kevin shouted, Courtney only seem to find this funnier as she finally shoved the wheelchair forward towards them.
“ Fine, their yours but she’ll be dead before sunrise.” She said with an evil smile. Simon moved towards them and took the bag as the group rushed towards AJ. Courtney took Simon by the arm and they ran away from the group, getting into their van they sped away.
“ AJ man you ok?” Kevin said pulling the gag free.
“ They poisoned her.” AJ said looking into Kevin’s eyes and then down at Katherine.
“ What?”
“ When he kidnapped her, he said he injected her with something that made her sleep and then he told me he had poisoned her. We have to help her. She’s feverish.” AJ said looking down at his wife. Kevin put his hand on her forehead and pulled it back.
“ She’s burning up. Nick get over here and help me untie them.” Kevin said dropping down next to then. He untied AJ’s arms and watched as AJ ran his fingers over Katherine’s face.
“ Give us the antidote.” Brian said looking towards the house.
“ Their gone Bri.”
“ I know the police are on their way, the ambulance is coming too. We can’t get her there fast enough. Alex are you sure your alright? Man I’ve seen the video of what they did.” Brian said looking at AJ.
“ My back has no pain, Courtney made sure of that. Some kind of white pill made all the pain go away. I wasn’t sure why she did but I don’t care, please we have to get help for Kathy. I can’t lose her tonight.” AJ said looking at his wife. Katherine moaned and nearly fell out of AJ’s arms.
“ Hey, shush now it’s alright.” Kevin said looking down into her confused blue eyes, he could see she didn’t know where she was or even who he was at that moment.
“ Kev?” Katherine said moving her arm so she could touch his face.
“ Yep, don’t worry we have someone coming to help you.” Kevin said looking at her.
“ Their here.” Brian said moving aside as the paramedics came towards them.
“ Sir let us take her.” The Paramedic said looking at AJ. AJ released his death grip on Katherine, he felt her weight being lifted off his legs. He listened to the paramedics.
“ She’s running a fever of 104, we need to get her cooled down.” The medic said.
“ Do you know what was given to her?” the medic asked AJ.
“ I don’t know he just said it was a poison.”
“ Alright.” The medic said calling it into the hospital. AJ watched as they loaded Katherine into the ambulance.
“ I want to go too?” AJ said more a question than a statement.
“ Sure come along.” The medic said helping him into the back. He folded the wheelchair and placed it on the other side of gurney. The medic watched how AJ held Katherine’s hand and brushed his fingers over her forehead.
“ Will she be alright?”
“ If we’ve gotten to her in time yes. If not I’m not sure.” He said looking at AJ.





AJ sat alone in the church, his hands folded in front of him as he looked towards the cross at the front of the church.
“ Why? Why her?” AJ asked, the same question he had asked everyday for the last six months. His son stayed with his mother as he greeved. He walked around his home in a fog over the last twelve months. He had lost everything he had ever wanted had ever loved.
“ Alex, come on.” Kevin said coming into the church.
“ Why?” AJ said looking up from where he was praying.
“ You can’t stay here forever.” Kevin said sitting down next to his friend.
“ Yes I can. Maybe if I pray enough he will let me be with her.”
“ Doesn’t work that way J.” Brian said sitting on the other side of him.
“ Why not? Cause I haven’t prayed in a while, what did I do to deserve this?” AJ asked getting to his feet. Kevin watched as AJ walked from the church. His head down, he knew his friend was lost in thought as they got into the car. He drove AJ home, the one place AJ hated to be.
“ Daddy.” Brandon said running to AJ. AJ smiled to his son and lifted him into his arms. “ When’s mommy coming home?” AJ looked into his son’s blue eyes, he saw so much of Katherine in them he wasn’t sure what to tell him. Setting him down AJ walked into the bedroom and closed the door.
“ Uncle Kevin what’s wrong with daddy?” Brandon asked walking up to Kevin. Kevin looked down at the two year old boy, so much had changed since the original accident.
“ Daddy misses mommy.” Kevin said pulling Brandon into his arms.
“ But mommy will be home soon?” Brandon asked hopeful. Kevin like AJ wasn’t sure what to say to him
“ Yeah soon.” Kevin said.
“ Ok, grandma is coming to get me soon. I want to stay with daddy.” Brandon said looking at Kevin. Kevin couldn’t believe that Brandon was already two and he was talking so clearly for someone so young.
“ I know buddy. How about I let you stay with me?” Kevin said looking at him.
“ Ok, I’ll go tell daddy.” Brandon said hurrying down the hallway. Kevin looked towards Brian and Nick.
“ Has anyone called Howie?” Brian asked.
“ I called Howie earlier today and he said he was stopping by the center and then he was coming here.”
“ Alright. I think I am going to call Denise and find out if we can keep Brandon for the night.”
“ I thought you where staying here?” Brian asked.
“ I am. I don’t dare leave AJ alone. Plus I got a call from management they want us in the studio soon.”
“ No, I don’t ever want to do that again.” AJ said looking back at them.
“ You can’t stop living. What about Brandon?” Kevin asked seeing AJ standing in the doorway.
“ My son can live the rest of his life with my mom, I had a wonderful life as a child with her. I can’t handle this.”
“ Howie’s on the phone.” Nick said holding out the phone.
“ What does he want?” Kevin asked.
“ He wants us to come to the center.” Nick said looking at them.
“ I wont” AJ said looking at them.
“ We are all going and find out what Howie wants.” Kevin said looking at him. “ Brandon we are going out, come on buddy.” Kevin said down the hall. Brandon rushed down the hall way as fast as his little legs could carry him.
“ We going to go see Mommy?” He asked looking at Kevin with hope in his eyes.
“ Yep buddy we are.” Kevin said lifting Brandon into his arms. Linda walked over and took him from Kevin. Her own children walking closely to her.
“ Aunty Linda is mommy coming home?”
“ I don’t know. Duane take your cousin and go wait in the van.” Linda said looking at her son.
“ Ok mommy.” Duane said taking his cousin’s hand and heading out the front door.
“ Come on Alex.” Linda said taking AJ’s hand.




“ Good afternoon Mr. McLean.” The young woman at the desk said as Linda led AJ into the center.
“ Yeah.” AJ said looking at the floor.
“ Mrs. Dorough your husband is waiting for all of you in room 245.” She said looking towards Linda.
“ Thank You Patty.” Linda said leading AJ and the others down the hall. Brandon happily walked down the hall holding Kevin’s hand. They came to a stop in front of the room.
“ I’m not going in there.” AJ said sitting down outside the room.
“ Alex please.” Linda said looking at him.
“ No.” AJ said pouting.
“ Ok your not a fucking two year old get into the fucking room NOW!” Kevin shouted looking at him. AJ looked up at Kevin wide eyed and walked into the room with his head down.
“ I don’t know why we do this. She’s gone.” AJ said sitting down in a chair just inside the room.
“ MOMMY!” Brandon shouted running to the bed that was in the corner.
“ She’s awake Alex.” Howie said looking at his friend.
“ She’s been awake D. She’s been awake for the last six months, her eyes have been open but that’s it.” AJ said looking angrily at his friend.
“ He means awake.” Linda said to him.
“ She’s not talking.”
“ She can’t.” Kevin said to him.
“ Why not?” AJ asked moving to the bed. He watched as Katherine’s eyes followed his movements.
“ Because she doesn’t at the moment know how.” The doctor said entering the room.
“ But she knows who I am right?” AJ said, he couldn’t handle her not knowing him not again.
“ Yes she does, you can see the recognition in her eyes. Just give us time.” The doctor said.
“ Time is all I have.” AJ said taking Katherine’s hand in his own. Katherine smiled a bit at him and then looked around the room.
“ Mommy.” Brandon said happily hugging Katherine.
“ It will take us several months to get her body back to where it was.” The doctor said as AJ noticed that Katherine didn’t hug Brandon back.
“ What exactly happened?” Kevin asked. “ It’s been a year since the kidnapping and her getting poisoned. “
“ Can we discuss this without the little ones?” He asked, Kevin nodded and looked towards Linda.
“ Yeah I know.”
“ Please hurry back.” Howie said looking at his wife.
“ I will.” Linda said taking Brandon and Duane from the room. Returning a short time later she looked around waiting for the doctor to explain.
“ Alright the children are gone what’s going on?” AJ asked, his fingers running over Katherine’s hand.
“ Katherine sustained a lot of damage when she was poisoned, since the poison had made it’s way threw her body as quickly as it did it was hard to stop. We used a counter agent to keep it from killing her. Problem was it wasn’t stopped fast enough as it seemed to have caused some damage to her brain.”
“ Are you telling me my wife will never be normal again?”
“ It’s hard to say. Due to the fact she’s spent as much time as she has in a coma we think she may have some minor brain damage.”
“ I want my wife back. I want the woman I married six years ago, the woman that gave birth to my son, that looked at me with stars in her eyes, that has a laugh that I will never forget.”
“ We aren’t sure if we can ever get that person back. But we will work on it. She will be here for a while to work on that.” The doctor said. AJ looked Katherine, his fingers tracing her gentile features.
“ How long will she have to stay here?” AJ asked never looking away from Katherine.
“ Well now that’s she’s awake in the literal since it depends on how quickly she recovers for now she stays here I am sorry.” The doctor said
“ Don’t be. If I feel it nesiscary I will have a home nurse and bring her home.” AJ said kissing Katherine’s hand.
“ I wouldn’t advise that sir.” The doctor said.
“ I don’t care.” AJ said looking towards the doctor, his eyes full of anger. He had been separated from her for to long.
“ Alright sir that’s fine. I wont argue with you sir.” The doctor said leaving the room.
“ You will get better I promise.” AJ said kissing Katherine’s forehead.
“ Visiting hours are over.” The nurse said looking into the room. AJ leaned forward and kissed Katherine again.
“ I’ll be back tomorrow.” He said to her. Katherine smiled and watched them leave. The nurse walked over and tucked Katherine in.
“ Looks like your husband loves you deeply. He hasn’t been here much since you came in.” The nurse said looking at her. Katherine looked at her and then looked towards the window.
“ I know sweetie, your voice will return, everything will return.” The nurse said as she checked Katherine’s meds. She watched the young woman for a few more moments then turned and left her alone. Katherine let her eyes drift around the room, she saw small bouquets of flowers and pictures drawn by her son.