-------------------

Emily squeezed Matt's hand just as the paramedics loaded him 
into the back of the ambulance and out of her reach.  She 
turned toward her car, and was startled to see Cheryl right 
behind her.

"How is he?"

"He's--ah--I'm not sure, but--ah--"

"Is he conscious?" Cheryl asked crisply.

"Yeah."

"Did he know what was going on?"

"Too well.  He's freaking out about having to go to the 
hospital.  Something about a respirator--"

"They have him on a respirator?"

"No!"  Emily rushed to reassure their boss.  "He was afraid 
of that, but the paramedic said it wouldn't be necessary."

Cheryl placed both her hands on Emily's shoulders and looked 
her squarely in the eyes.  "All right, Lehman, I need to you 
listen to me.  Are you with me?"

Emily nodded.

"Matt's going to be all right.  If he's conscious and 
complaining, that's a very good sign.  You know that."

"Right."

"So what I need you to do is head over to the hospital and 
be with him.  He's going to be scared.  He doesn't like 
hospitals.  Bad experiences in the past.  You have to keep 
him grounded.  That means you have to keep yourself grounded 
first.  You got that?"

"Yes ma'am."

Cheryl smiled.  "Good.  I'll take care of having his car 
towed, and I'll talk to the police.  You just take care of 
your partner."

Emily was behind the wheel almost before Cheryl finished 
speaking.

-------------

"Mr. Flannery, I take it you're in a lot of pain.  I want to 
help you out with that.  Do you know if you're allergic to 
any drugs?"

Matt thought frantically.  Was he?  It seemed like there was 
something... "Penicillin," he finally said.  "I'm allergic 
to penicillin."

"Have you ever had a bad reaction to any pain medications, 
Morphine, Demerol?"

Matt tried to shake his head no, and grimaced when his 
shoulder screamed.  "No."

"Okay, great.  I'm going to put some medication in your IV 
now that will help with the pain."

"Don't knock me out!"  He fought against the full-blown 
panic that tried to consume him. Even an irrational fear is 
a valid fear, he told himself.  And considering how his 
mother had died, this fear might not even qualify as 
irrational.  It might just be a little misplaced.

"I won't give you enough to knock you out.  You need to be 
awake to talk to the doctor when we reach the hospital.  It 
will probably make you feel drowsy, but it won't necessarily 
put you to sleep."

Even as the man spoke, Matt felt the instant head-rush that 
comes from intravenous morphine.  Seconds later, he was 
floating on a cloud.  The pain was still there--he could 
feel it as if from a distance--but somehow it didn't really 
bother him at the moment. Modern pharmacology, he decided in 
his blissfully fuzzy state, was a miracle.

By the time the ambulance reached its destination, Matt was 
much calmer.  He tried to look around for Emily as they 
wheeled his gurney off the ambulance, but there were too 
many people around for him to get a clear view.

"You okay, Mr. Flannery?" the paramedic whose badge read 
'Jason Elbert' asked.

"Looking for my partner.  She said she was gonna follow."

"The tall, good-looking one that was with you at the scene?" 
Jason grinned.

Matt returned his smile, feeling as if the world was moving 
in slow motion.  "Yeah."

"I think I see her running across the parking lot right now.  
I'm going to turn you over to the nurse now.  I'll tell your 
friend what's going on.  Good luck to you, Mr. Flannery."

By the time Matt processed what Jason had said and returned 
a weak, "Thanks," he was inside a curtained cubicle.  

"Sir, can you tell me your name?"

Matt looked up at the young nurse with the perky smile, and 
felt his panic returning.

"Matt Flannery.  Where's my partner?"

"Mr. Flannery, I'm going to check your vital signs.  Can you 
tell me what happened?"

"Stupidity.  Car wreck.  Is Emily here?"

"I'm here."  Emily stepped through the curtain and moved to 
Matt's side, taking his hand gently in hers.  "I'm right 
here, Matt.  Everything's going to be okay."

-----------