Magnus immediately tries to jump up to help Alec close the doors, but the police officer holds him back. Magnus calls out Alec's name, but he doesn't get a response. He hears a lot of shouting, and guns firing off in the distance, and then there's silence. The officer sitting across from Magnus radios in to one of the other officers on the scene to find out what's going on. "There was a gang member hiding. He fired off a round, trying to get a hit on one of the other officers, but he missed. We don't know where the bullet hit, but we've apprehended the assailant and he's in cuffs now."

Upon hearing that, all of the blood rushes out of Magnus' head, and a feeling of dread seeps into him. He jumps out of the ambulance and sees Alec face down on the ground with blood pooling around him.

"Call for another medic! Alec's been shot!" Magnus shouts into the ambulance. He grabs the first aid bag, flips Alec over, and sees that there's a gunshot wound in Alec's abdomen. He immediately applies pressure, and yells for Aline to come help stabilize him until another medic unit arrives.

"Magnus! I can't find a pulse!" Aline yells out.

"Start chest compressions!" As soon as Aline starts the compressions, more blood starts coming out of the wound, despite the amount of pressure Magnus is applying.

"Stop stop stop! He's losing too much blood. Just do mouth to mouth!" Magnus is trembling at this point. He's practically at the point of hysteria. He can't lose his Alexander. As he works on Alec, he feels like he's going through an out of body experience. He knows that he's doing everything he can in order to keep pressure on the wound, but it still doesn't seem real.

At this point, the other ambulance arrives. Aline is informing them what happened, while Magnus swiftly moves aside to let the other paramedic handle Alec. He knows that in his current state, they can help more than he can. They rush him off to the hospital, and alone with the patient that wasn't Alec. Magnus still feels numb inside. This isn't real. This can't be happening to Alec. Magnus must be having a bad dream.

On the way, Magnus is monitoring their patient while Aline is on the phone to Chief Jeffries to let him know about Alec.

"So you must be Alec's new partner." The officer says to Magnus, pulling him away from this thoughts.

"Have you worked with Alec before now?" Magnus asks confused, "And yes, I started working with Alec back in May."

The officer chuckles and shakes his head, "No, I've never worked with Alec before, and I don't mean 'partner' as in work partner. I mean 'partner' as in boyfriend." The officer stretches his hand, "My names Adam Barke, I dated Alec for almost two years." Magnus continues to look at the mans hand, and then the recognition clicks. He's the closet case! He quickly glances at the mans hand and sees a wedding ring firmly in place.

"Ah yes, I do know who you are. How's the wife you use to keep up appearances? Still fucking men on the side?" Magnus snears. He is not in the mood to deal with this shit right now. It's already taking all of his willpower not to break his professionalism and crumble into the emotional mess he is inside. But this guy is acting like nothing has happened, like they're meeting in a completely mundane way, like they just stumbled upon each other at a grocery store, or coffee shop. Alexander is in a different ambulance at this very moment, and his stupid ex doesn't even seem to care about the fact that Alec could be dying for all they know!

"Uh... yeah... ," Officer douche clearly doesn't know how to respond to Magnus' snark. Magnus would have grinned in satisfaction at burning Alec's ex, but he can't bring himself to care at the moment. .

"I guess it's a good thing Alexander didn't propose like he was planning on doing. Lightwood-Barke just sounds too cliché," Magnus says with an air of arrogance. Magnus really can't believe this asshole. All Magnus is trying to do, is keep his composure in check long enough to get this guy and the patient to the hospital, so Magnus can focus solely on Alec and his condition.

"Woah! He lets you call him Alexander?" Cop Douche Nozzle asks in surprise, not even catching on to the insult Magnus just threw his way.

"Yes, why does that matter?" Magnus can't help but ask. He's been calling Alec, 'Alexander' since the day they met. Granted, he did say that he prefers Alec, but he's never once corrected Magnus when he'd refused to comply. In fact, if Magnus can recall, he said that he liked that Magnus calls him Alexander.

They pull up the the Emergency Room doors and Magnus hops out of his seat. "Well this is your stop, I'll pull the gurney out and you can follow behind Aline and I." Magnus says as he's getting out of the ambulance. He gives the report to the ER doctor as they head to a trauma bay. After the patient transport is complete, doctor Loss comes running up to Magnus.

"Thank God you're here! He's in surgery now, I can take you to the waiting area. Clary and Jocelyn are already there." She says. Magnus looks over to Aline, and realizes that he needs to help her get the gurney back in the ambulance before he can do anything else. Doctor Loss appears to be reading his thoughts, tells him to go ahead and she'll wait for him to finish.

"I spoke to Chief. He said to leave you here with Alec while I take the ambulance back. He's already called the PRN crew in and they're waiting. We're on temporary leave until we know more about what's going on with Alec." Aline says as they walk.

"Thanks Aline, I owe you one." Magnus sighs in relief.

"You owe me nothing. I'll be back in about an hour or so. I'm not leaving one of my two best friends alone right now." She nudges Magnus and gives him a hug, then hops in the ambulance and takes off.

Magnus rushes back in the hospital, and goes straight to doctor Loss, "What's his condition?"

"Honey, the only thing I know so far is that the bullet nicked his lung, causing a partial collapse. Based on the location, I have to assume that it hit the pancreas, but I don't know for sure. Valentine insisted on being one of the surgeons to assist with the surgery." Magnus nods as they round the corner to the surgical waiting room.

Doctor Loss opens the door and ushers Magnus in. As soon as Jocelyn and Clary see him, they rush over and pull him into a hug. That's all it takes for Magnus' professional walls to crumble down around him. Now all Magnus can see is Alec's body lying in a pool of blood. Then there's the guilt, the last words spoken to Alexander, were done out of anger.

"Has anyone called Jace or Izzy?" Magnus says after he calms down.

"I called Jace. He's at the restaurant. I think your dad offered to give him a ride up here. Jace told me that he was going to call Izzy." No sooner had the words left Clary's lips, Izzy appears, rushing in, closely followed by Jace and Magnus' dad.

"What happened? Where's my brother? Who did this?" Izzy yells.

"Isabelle, honey, he's in surgery right now. We'll know more when it's over," Jocelyn says in a calming tone.

"How did something like this even happen?" Jace asks. His voice is calm, but Magnus doesn't have to be a genius to see that Jace is on the verge of a breakdown. He knows the emotions hiding on Jace's face, for they are the same ones in his heart. It feels like one more crack and Magnus will crumble.

"We got a call about a gang fight. When they told us that the area was safe, we went in and did what we had to do. We got the patient in the ambulance. I was already inside and Alexander was about to close the doors when a gunshot went off," Magnus takes a shaky breath and stares at the tile floor of the waiting room. "The officer held me back so I wouldn't be exposed. At first, I thought Alec went to the side of the ambulance to keep out of the line of fire, but when they said they caught the guy, that's... that's when... I... found... him!"

Everyone is so stunned. There was total silence, as if no one knew how to reply. Magnus, Izzy, Jocelyn, and Clary are all sniffling by the time Jace speaks up, "I thought they were supposed to have the area fully secured before they let emergency personnel on the scene."

"They are, which is why none of us were expecting to get shot. NYPD didn't exactly do their job thoroughly," Magnus says, voice laced with anger.

Magnus finally looks up at all of the people he's surrounded with. Jace has his good arm wrapped around Izzy. Clary and Jocelyn are still wrapped around Magnus, and Asmodeus is standing on the other side of Jocelyn typing away on his phone. Magnus can only assume he's texting mother. Magnus lets out a sigh and rests his head on top of Clary's as they all take a seat.

The only thing they can do now is wait...

~oOo~

Aline arrived about an hour after Jace and Izzy, and about forty-five minutes after that, Jon walks into the waiting room. At this point there hasn't been any more news on Alec's condition, and Magnus' anxiety continues to climb.

"I just left the surgical pavilion, and they've gotten all of the bullet fragments out of him. Apparently they used a hollow point bullet. It messed him up pretty bad. The pulmonologist is working on getting the lung closed up, then they're going to set up to remove the head of his pancreas. They've already closed the nick in the liver," Jon says as he hugs his mother. Jocelyn nods in response. Magnus can tell there are a million scenarios running through her mind - with her also being a doctor - but he has no idea on why she hasn't vocalized any of them. This doesn't leave Magnus with much confidence in Alexander's outcome.

"All we can do is wait," Jocelyn says after a moments silence.

"I'm going to the cafeteria for some coffee, would anyone else like some?" Asmodeus asks. Everyone else in the group accepts the offer absently, but Magnus remains quiet.

"Son?" Asmodeus looks expectantly at Magnus, all he can do is shake his head in response. Asmodeus leaves the room.

Magnus has so many thoughts running through his head. They're still consumed with the argument they'd had before the call. Did he overreact? He just wants to be apart of Alexander's whole life, rather than glimpsing a small part of it. The more he thinks about it, the more regret seeps into his soul. He's praying to every God known to man that Alexander will make it out of surgery alive.

Asmodeus returns, hands full of coffee and begins to hand them out. Magnus smiles gratefully to his father when he too gets one. Magnus has never been much of a coffee drinker, but right now, the coffee makes him feel closer to Alec.

Another two hours pass before Valentine finally enters the waiting room. He's still in his surgical scrubs, and has a grim expression marring his features. Magnus sucks in a breath, waiting for news.

"He's in stable but critical condition now. We're keeping him in the ICU for at least the next five days. It would have been a simple procedure if it were just a regular bullet, but the hollow point made a mess of quite a few of his organs," Valentine starts somburly, but is interrupted by Isabelle.

"What is a hollow point bullet? Why is it so much worse than a regular one?" She asks, clinging onto Jace for support.

"A lead bullet has one entry site and stays intact, causing damage to the intended target. A hollow point bullet may be bladed or sectioned, with a cone shaped cavity in the center of the nose. When the bullet meets resistance, the head of the bullet releases, putting shards all throughout the area, which in turn causes more damage than a single lead bullet," Valentine patiently explains. "We had to remove his gallbladder, the head of his pancreas, as well as small portion of his small intestine - due to the extent of damage that was caused - and parts of the bullet lodged into his lung, which is why you couldn't do chest compressions on him," he says towards Magnus who nods.

"The shards also nicked his liver, and the damage was irreparable," Valentine continued. "We had to remove a small portion of the liver as well. We need to keep him for roughly four to five days to monitor his liver function, and make sure he doesn't go into liver failure. We're keeping him heavily sedated for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours so he can rest easily while he heals, but you all can go in and see him if you'd like. Just no more than two people at a time please. He's in a private room, but it is very small."

Magnus releases the breath that he's been holding. It feels like he's in a tunnel. Everyone around him is discussing the order in which they are going to visit him, and Magnus can't help but feel like he's in a terrible nightmare. It still doesn't feel like this is happening to him. Are they really all standing around talking about who gets to visit Alec's hospital bed? Any minute, Alexander will walk in from some ward with a smile on his face, laughing at how silly they were all being. Then Magnus's mind was filled with an image, and it's Alec's lifeless body laying on the ground next to him.

The first two going in are Izzy and Jace, naturally since they are his siblings. Then Jon and Clary, then Jocelyn and Valentine, and finally Magnus and Aline. It takes about forty-five minutes before Aline and Magnus get to go in, and Magnus isn't even sure if he wants to see his boyfriend. He's too ashamed of his behavior from earlier in the evening.

"You better get your ass in there to see him," Aline says as they stand outside of his door. Magnus looks at her with pleading eyes. "Magnus, yes you two had a fight, but none of us had any idea this would happen. You need to be strong for him, he's stable, but that could change. You need to see him. If you want, I'll go in first." How can Magnus argue with that logic, right? Aline gives him a hug, then disappears into the room.

Five minutes later, Aline walks out and Magnus takes her place. Looking down at Alexander, Magnus' tears come back at full force. Alec's so pale and lifeless laying in the hospital bed. Magnus laces his hand with Alec's - the hand that's not hooked up to the IV - and he feels so cold! With Magnus' other hand, he runs his fingers through Alec's hair, much like the way he does when he watches Alexander sleep at night.

"Oh, sweetheart. Please be okay. I'm so sorry for fighting with you today. None of that matters to me. I just want you to be okay," Magnus says.

He continues to cry and hold his love. It feels like he's going through some of the stages of grief as he sits here with Alec's life still so uncertain. He's already gone through denial, and bargaining. He's also so angry; angry at himself for the way he treated Alec before the inciped phone call, but most of all, he's angry that this even happened in the first place. But Magnus has no choice but to accept the fact that this has happened. This isn't a nightmare, this is real life. Alec is lying here, his body trying to heal from the damage that was caused to it. The hardest thing about the situation, is that there is absolutely nothing that Magnus can do. He just gets to sit here and wait. He's not even sure how much time passes when there's a knock on the door. Magnus glances up for a moment to see Valentine walk in with a pillow and a blanket.

"Here Magnus," he says kindly, holding up the blanket. "I thought that you would want to stay with him tonight. The chair reclines so it'll be a little more comfortable for you."

"I thought that maybe one of his siblings would want to stay with him," Magnus says, without looking at Valentine.

"No, everyone thinks it would be best for you to stay. You're the one he's in love with afterall." At those words, Magnus looks up so fast that his neck cracks.

"What do you mean? He's never said that to me," Magnus says too quickly, cringing at how vulnerable his voice sounds.

"Son, just because he's never said it, doesn't make it any less true. I've known Alec for a long time - I dare say that I know him as well as I know my other two children - and he does love you," Valentine carefully sits on Alec's bed and glances at his surrogate son. Then he turns to look Magnus in the eye. "Alec has had a rough go of things ever since his parents kicked him out. He doesn't love easily. In fact, I still don't think he believes me or my wife when we tell him that we love him. He is our son, blood or no blood, and he will always be our son. So when I tell you that I know he loves you, know that it's the truth. I see it when he talks about you, and I saw the way he looked at you on his birthday. It may take him a while to admit it out loud, but be patient with him. He'll say it sooner rather than later." With that, Valentine pats Magnus' shoulder and leaves the room.

Magnus just sits there and thinks about what Valentine just told him. Now he feels even worse about their argument earlier that day. If he had more patience, the argument never would have happened. He knew everything Valentine had said about Alexander, and yet, he still managed to push him. I truly am the worst human being in the world. I never should have said what I did today. I was being so insensitive. Magnus sighs and lays his head next to Alexander's chest on the bed. The reassuring beeping of the machines comfort him, as does the gentle thumping of his lover's heart.

Magnus finally starts to feel the weight of the stress and emotions from today. It's so heavy, that within seconds, it feels like he can pass out with exhaustion.

Instead, Magnus stands up, kisses Alexander's forehead, and whisper in his ear, "I love you darling. Please come back to me."