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Anya was in a sheer daze as she stepped out of what had been her prison for at least two days. Everything was covered in a thick haze within her mind, unable to tell the time of day or even the date for that matter. But, what mattered was that she was free. The officers had swept into the building with great force, firing bullets into the three men who had caused her such terror. Now, each was being pushed into a black body bag while she, Howie, Nick, Brian, and Kevin stood outside with itchy wool blankets draped around their bodies. Paramedics were already inside working on AJ and Stephanie while officers attempted to question the others. Anya seemed mute, though.

"Look, we've been stuck in that Hell hole for how many days? Can you please just leave us alone for two seconds?" Kevin finally snapped, getting tired of the redundant questions and the urgent need to relieve what they went through.

"It's just best to get the details while they're fresh in your--"

"They're dead, it's not like you're going to prosecute them."

"Leave us alone."

The officer looked as if he might fight the request, but he reliniquished the thought. Shaking his head sadly, he put away his small notebook. "I'm sorry for the trauma you had to endure. We'll be getting your friends to the hospital as soon as possible and we'll do whatever you need us to do."

"Thank you," Kevin nodded as the man walked away to give them a moment alone. Thankfully, the press was blocked out so it was a somewhat private moment.

"What happens now?" Nick murmured after a thick period of silence.

"We pray for Stephanie and AJ. There isn't much else we can do..." Brian trailed off, rubbing his cross again.

Nick looked as if he might object to the suggestion, but his thoughts were pushed aside as AJ was wheeled out on a stretcher. Several pieces of equipment were already attached to his stripped body as one paramedic held the IV bag above his head, rushing beside the others pushing. Foreign words were shouted as he was quickly loaded into the ambulance without another word, careening down the road.

"What... what did they just say? All I heard was words that are like twenty letters long--"

"Don't get riled up," Howie interjected as Anya continued to just stare at the ground, practically oblivious to her surroundings.

"But--"

"It's not going to do any good, Nick," Brian agreed softly.

"How are we getting to the hospital, then?" Nick actually relented.

"I imagine the police will drive us..." Brian guessed as another gurney was wheel out. This time, Stephanie was strapped to the boards. The machines strapped her to were the same as AJ, though more varieties of medications were being pumped through her IV start. It was obvious that the paramedics were leery of her situation, hurriedly piling her in without saying a word, just hollering to get the lights and sirens going.

"That can't be good..." Brian voiced, though Anya just watched in sheer shock.

"You think, Frack--"

"Stop it," Kevin quickly intervened, trying to tell himself not to get overly worried. Paramedics didn't diagnose patients. They simply cared for them until reaching the hospital. She would be fine. He promised himself that she would be fine. And, he wouldn't think anything different as another EMT approached the group."Is anyone here hurt?" he asked.

"Well... Anya, she was... the men... they..."

Anya glanced up from her trance like state when she heard her name connected with the captors. She noticed Kevin gesturing toward her with obvious embarrassment, causing her to cringe. She had done her best to block the pain of the gang rape, but it seemed impossible with everyone staring at her. "I'm fine--"

"Come on, we need to check you out," the paramedic gently took hold of her arm and pulled towards another ambulance.

"Get the Hell off me!" Anya seethed in shock, yanking away sharply.

"Ma'am, please. You need to come with us--"

"Hell no!"

"Ma'am--"

"I don't want you touching me!" she shrieked, ripping away from the stranger when his hand accidently slipped against her waist as he tried to calm her. She immediately stumbled backward, landing hard on the pavement. But she didn't seem to care as she heaved ragged breaths, throwing herself into a panic attack as she clawed at her skin, just wanting to catch her breath.

"Anya! Anya, stop!" Howie bent down and tried to stop her from making her skin bleed as Kevin ordered for a female paramedic.

"I don't want him touching me!" she breathed hard, attempting to push Howie's hands away as he tried to clasp hers.

"Okay, he's not going to touch you. He won't touch you, he didn't know. Just calm down! Calm down for AJ and Stephanie. Please."

"I--"

"Anya? My name is Nicole. Can you come with me, please?" a woman about ten years older than Anya interrupted softly.

"Nothing happened," Anya mumbled somewhat defiantly, never matching Nicole's gaze. She just stared at her hands intertwined within Howie's, trying to concentrate on something, anything, to make her forget.

"Alright, but I still need you to come with me."

"No--"

"I don't know a lot about what's going on, Anya... Or about what happened out there... But I do watch a lot of SVU when we're touring... I think it's important for you to go to the hospital and get checked out. To make sure you won't get sick or anything. Because, Stephanie is going to need you well and healthy," Howie attempted.

"Stephanie's going to need me?"

"She needed you the whole time we were in there but you thought different."

"Stephanie's never needed me in her life--"

"You're sisters. You always need each other."

"But--"

"Please, Anya, let's get you to the hospital and make sure you're okay."

"...I don't want to go by myself..."

"One of us will come with you," Brian offered softly.

"AJ's my best friend, I can give you all the dirty details on him," Howie offered, gently squeezing her hands with a playful excitement.

"Okay," Anya cracked a small smile as she nodded and stood up. "Let's go."

"The officers will give the rest of us a ride," Kevin informed, passing Howie an overly grateful smil.

"See you there," Anya replied as she, Howie and Nicole climbed into another ambulance.

~*~*~*~*~


Anya shifted uncomfortably as she emerged from the examination room in a pair of hospital issue scrubs. She had been through a grueling rape examination and felt completely drained of any bit of self confience that might have stared to spurt when the rapists were shot. But, like every person who had stepped into the examination room said, she needed to get it done. Samples were taken and she was assessed. She would have to make a routine follow up for several months to assure that no sexually transmitted disease had been acquired. Pain medication was ordered because of the severeness of trauma to her genitals from the repeated rapes. They would also send her to a therapist along with a special gynecologist for further assessment because of the severe damage. What had been most helpful was Howie sitting at the head of the examination table. He had kept her calm as the proceedures continued and he saw nothing. It was soothing and she forced a somewhat thankful smile when she noticed him waiting patiently in the hallway.

"Hey. Long time no see," he joked softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they walked towards the waiting room.

"You really didn't have to do that," she returned, allowing him to pull her close into his friendly embrace. She naturally tensed underneath his control, but relaxed within the soft tones of his voice. Howie was only there to comfort her and help her. He'd never do anything to harm her.

"I know. I did it because I wanted to. I honestly consider you one of my friends and it was the least I could do," Howie pressed a kiss to her temple as he rubbed her back.

"And now you know all those intimate details of my life," Anya attempted to joke, though it still stung her.

"We won't talk about that unless you want to."

Anya swallowed the lump building in her throat, gingerly rubbing the back of her neck in attempts to alleviate the stiffness. "...Thanks..."

"You're welcome," Howie replied as they reached the waiting room where the other men were sitting and waiting.

"Anya... Hey..." Kevin trailed with obvious surprise, boosting himself instantly when he noticed the young girl. Reaching out, he drew her into a protective embrace, thankful that she was at least okay. They hadn't heard any word on Stephanie or AJ, though Kevin assumed that Anya would only be able to recieve the news on Stephanie. Hospitals were funny that way.

"Hi..." Anya answered in surprise.

"How are you?"

"Fine... I guess..." Anya replied as they pulled away. She looked towards Brian and Nick, seeing they were still somber and afraid. "No word on them yet?"

"No... But they wouldn't give us any information on your sister anyways..." Kevin trailed, afraid to even think about the condition Stephanie was facing. He had so many vivid dreams of attending her funeral that he feared it was a preminition. He would have rather dreamed about their first date. "Did they treat you okay?"

"As best as they could with all the tests. I'm fine," Anya shrugged, walking past Kevin to sit in a chair in the corner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kevin questioned with confusion, glancing to Howie.

"They're not pleasant tests. We'll just leave it at that, Kev."

"Is she going to be okay, though?" Kevin asked, considering Stephanie's fierce protectiveness over the young girl. If something bad happened when Kevin promised to take care of Anya... He couldn't even begin to think of the ugly consequences that may occur...

"Yeah, of course. She just needs to keep checking in with the doctor and consult a therapist to deal with it all..."

"I really hope they didn't give her anything..."

"Kevin, she's sitting in the room. Don't talk about it."

For once, Kevin looked like the scolded child. "Sorry."

They were quiet for what seemed like hours, Anya not speaking to anyone until a shuffle and clearing of a throat interrupted the groups thoughts. They looked up and saw two doctors.

"I need to speak with Anastacia Lord about Stephanie Lord," one announced.

"And I need to speak with you other four concerning Alexander McLean."

~*~*~*~*~

Kevin exhaled a shaky breath as he stood from the uncomfortable plastic chair to greet the doctor taking care of AJ after Howie had made the intial greeting. He wasn't sure that he wanted to hear what news that the man had brought, especially considering the seriousness of AJ's condition. He was afraid that AJ would never wake up again and they would face another list of heavy complications. As if their weekend hadn't been bad enough. And, noticing Stephanie's doctor off to the side caused his stomach to cramp with pain. He didn't want anything malicious to happen to the girl, because he felt something strong for her. But, he attempted to focus, finally holding his breath. "We're ready."

"Should I go get something to drink?" Anya whispered uncomfortably.

"No... Anya, please stay. AJ cares about you and you have a right to hear about his... condition," Kevin swallowed hard as Nick and Brian came forward to greet the doctor as well.

Anya nodded with a soft compliance as Howie guided her into a warm embrace. He seemed to understand her need to be held and smiled hopefully toward the doctor. The older man seemed to understand, flipping briefly through his variety of notes.

"My name is Dr. Hoffman, I'm the chief neurologist that evaluated your friend. Seems Mr. McLean suffered three different traumas to the brain. The first was in the back of his skull and caused a deep laceration that needed repaired. The second was toward the side with another deep laceration that needed repaired. And the third caused a deep linear crack within his skull. To say he suffered a severe concussion is mildly putting it. From the trauma, blood started to accumulate, adding pressure to the brain. There was some mild brain cell death, but nothing that should profoundly affect him. I had to drill a hole into his skull in attempts to allieve most of the pressure. He was also intubated to make it easier to over oxygenate him, which will also help with the pressure. We have a tool in his cranial cavity monitoring the pressure right now..."

"Umm... I'm sorry... can you put that into English?" Nick asked, actually being polite as he watched Anya's skin pale at the news.

"Your friend is a very sick man," Dr. Hoffman attempted to explain with a soft sigh. "He's been unconcious since he arrived, which is due to the pressure accumulating in his brain. If I can continue to release the pressure, then there's a chance that he'll wake up. Since he has so many breaks in his skin and the skull fracture, there's a chance of developing a severe infection known as bacterial meningitis. I have him on high doses of antibiotics to prevent the occurence. Until then... I really can't say either way..."

"So... it's on God's hands," Kevin whispered, placing his hands on Nick and Brian's shoulders as they stood in silence.

"That's correct. It's between Him and AJ now. I can only do so much on my part."

"Can we see him?" Howie murmured, obviously mournful of his best friend's condition. He had been through everything with AJ and it seemed disrespectful not to wait by his side till he awoke.

"I'd rather not, at least for tonight. He's in the ICU and resting comfortably... Besides, you've been through enough tonight. I suggest you rent a room, rest, and return tomorrow."

"Alright... will you call us if there's anything new?""Of course."

Kevin stepped to give him a list of their cell phone numbers, most of which had actually been salvaged from the crime scene. And, as he did so, Anya stepped off to the side to speak with her sister's surgeon privately. No one was offended by this, knowing it was an intirely different scenerio. They just waited patiently as the neurologist excused him, practically studying Anya for any cues. But she was masked in stone as she slowly stepped back toward the group, wringing her hands.

"Anya? What did they say?" Howie asked softly, rubbing her back.

"My poor Phi," Anya whispered, rubbing her tired face with sheer exhaustion. If having to battle with her sexual assault wasn't enough, but now she had to deal with her very sick sister.

"She's not... she didn't--"

"No!" Anya blurted.

"I'm sorry. But... what did they say?"

Anya held her breath in order to collect her emotions, glancing up at Howie with vacant blue-green eyes. "The bullet did a lot of damage inside her abdomen. It practically burst her gallbladder, which she had to have removed. The internal bleeding was terrible. They had a lot to repair and had to infuse several units of blood. On top of it, since her intestines were knicked, the fluid inside leaked out and several infected her abdomen. They have her on tons of antibiotics, but she's really sick... Really, really, really sick..."

"Oh, Anya... I'm sorry..." Howie continued to rub her back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"If she can beat the infection, she'll be okay," Anya mumbled against his shoulder.

"She will, we've just got to have faith, remember?"

"I remember..." Anya promised, holding still for once.

"Can she... do they allow visitors right now?" Kevin spoke after a long period of silence, rubbing his eyes to prevent the tears from falling. To hear that two people he cared about had a chance of dying scared him.

"She's in ICU... They said I should go home and I can visit tomorrow..."

"So it's only family," he nodded before continuing. "Why don't you stay at the hotel with us? We can find one close to the hospital."

Anya shook her head, "I just want to go home--"

"Then could we go home with you?"

"Excuse me?"

Kevin mustered some kind of smile, though it looked to be more of embarrassment than silliness. It had been a blunt reaction, but he felt a strong need to protect the young girl. He didn't want her home alone, not after what had happened to her. He was afraid she might do something foolish or something horrible would happen without Stephanie there to protect her. It was what Stephanie would have wanted. "We're not hard to keep happy. Hell, Nick's like a dog. Feed him and give him a place to sleep at he's content. A home just sounds really nice right now."

"Why?" Anya murmured in confusion.

"We've barely been at home lately and the hotels are just... cold and bare. A home is warm and inviting. Something I think we all need after what just happened."

"It's not lavish..."

"It doesn't matter."

"But--"

"If you don't want us to, I can't force you."

"That's not what I meant..."

"It's okay--"

"I just don't think it's going to be up to your expectations or maybe... I don't know... I mean, if you want to stay at our house, I'd be more than happy to make sure you're comfortable--"

"We didn't grow up rich and famous, Anya. The homier, the better."

"Are you sure that's what you all want?"

"More than sure."

"Then I'd be happy to offer our home to you guys. It's the least I can do after everything..."

"We'd be happy to take it, too," Kevin promised as each man leaned to give her a hug of thanks, assurance, and hope.