On heavy feet Madison dragged herself to the hospital, which she had actually reached without being stopped by anyone or fainting. She only got a few funny looks, but nobody spoke to her. It's actually sad if you think about it, but in her case it was probably better that way.

Panting, she pushed open the doors of the entrance to the hospital, multiple gasps echoed through the hallway. The extra bright light made her squint her eyes for a moment, which were still used to the darkness outside. Once she reached the reception she immediately supported herself on the counter, her body swayed to the side while she could hardly keep her eyes open.

“Oh my God!” The woman behind the reception jumped up in shock and told a colleague of her to bring her a wheelchair. “And get a doctor!”

“Tara Knowles, I need Dr. Knowles please”, the brunette murmured weakly, hoping Tara had a shift right now. “Can I use the phone, please?”

The slightly older woman just stared at the brunette in disbelief as her only request was to use the phone. However, she wouldn't refuse her wish.

“Yes of course, here”, she carefully pushed the receiver into Madison's hand and placed the rest of the phone on the top surface of the reception desk. “Shall I call someone? The police?”

“No, no cops!” Madison's voice was sharp, but there was also a hint of panic in it. Her survival instincts had already been used up, she couldn't face the Cops right now and answer hundreds of questions.

“Okay okay”, the woman immediately said, she would only call the police on the doctor's orders anyway. “But please sit down, Miss. You don't look good.”

“No, it's okay. I'm okay”, Madison assured the woman, but of course that wasn't the truth. After dialing Happy's number, she waited only a few seconds later he picked up. All Madison could do in the first moment she heard his gruff, raspy voice was letting out a sob of relief. He was okay.

“It's me, Hap”, she croaked between the sobs, her body already too weak to even keep  her on her feet. “I'm at St. Thomas.”

Everything that Happy said to her over the phone, she could hardly take in properly because everything was spinning in her head and the dizziness was getting worse. She leaned against the wall behind her with trembling arms and legs, put the receiver down and slid down the wall. Her bloody back left streaks on the light-colored wall. Great, she probably had to pay for that now too, because someone had to clean it.

“Madison!” Tara immediately ran towards the young woman who was now sitting half unconscious on the floor and put a hand over her mouth. Right now the older brunette could hardly remain professional and react calmly like she should as a doctor. Seeing in what a bad shape her sister in law was made her swallow hard.

“Y⸺you have to call Happy again. I couldn't⸺”, Madison gulped, each word was painful  to say as her throat burned like fire from being dried out.

“Shh, I'll make sure the others know where you are”, she promised the slightly younger woman, but at the moment she had to take care of Madison first. She motioned the two nurses closer who were with her. “We need to lay her down and possibly a free operating room, but I have to examine them first.”

“Tara..” With her face twisted in pain, Madison gasped over and over again, her right hand clutching the left side of her aching chest. “I⸺ I can't breathe”, she choked out between the gasps.

“Shit!” Tara, who wasn't  someone to curse at all, jumped up and ordered the nurses to put Madison on a gurney while she called a second doctor, who luckily came around the corner right away. “Suspected heart attack, she's an emergency!”

All Madison noticed was how she was hastily pushed through the hallways, doors opened and closed and the two doctors talked about different treatment methods, which she hardly understood anything about, her head was too foggy from the pain and the blood loss. The unbearable pain that coursed through her entire left arm and chest was increasing and her eyes rolled back in her head and everything around her went pitch black.

⸺

Happy paced around in the waiting room. Not knowing how Madison was doing, what was going on right now only worried him more than he already was. Gemma and Jax, who were both here as well, felt the same way. Gemma also paced around while they were waiting for news. Jax, on the other hand, sat impatiently waiting on one of the many chairs, nervously running a hand through his hair over and over. Other than a sigh that could be heard from time to time, it was quiet in the room.

When Happy got Madison's call, hearing her voice for the first time in weeks, he felt his heart drop. At first he thought it was a stupid joke, but he recognized her voice immediately and the desperation, fear and tiredness in it made him feel an anger that he had never known so strongly. Whoever had done this to her had signed their death warrant.

“Hey, I've got news”, Tara announced after stepping through the door, all three immediately stood in front of her and looked at the doctor.

“Where is she? What happened? How is she?” Happy demanded to know, his tone unintentionally harsh and his gaze intense. He just wanted to know what the fuck was going on and if Madison was doing okay.

“Is she still alive?” At Jax's question, Happy's and Gemma's heads snapped to the blonde, who just shrugged in defeat. “It's a possibility that she didn't make it.”

“Jesus Christ, what is wrong with you, Jackson?” Gemma hissed at her son, already at her wits end and close to a mental breakdown.

“She's not dead”, Happy growled, not wanting to hear or accepting anything else.

Before the three started another argument, Tara cleared her throat to get their attention. She looked at the trio reassuringly and lifted a corner of her mouth, which she wouldn't do if Madison weren't alive anymore.

“Her condition was critical, very critical. All the injuries were bad enough, especially the blood loss was heavy. But what made it worse was the heart attack she had”, Tara explained matter of factly, yet she also still had to digest what had happened to her sister in law.

“She had a heart attack?” Happy's features hardened, his jaw clenched massively.

“That stupid family flaw”, Gemma snorted, quickly wiping some tears from her face and leaning into Jax as he put an arm around his mother.

“How bad was it? The heart attack”, Jax asked, looking gratefully at his Old Lady. Without her help, Madison might wouldn't even be here anymore.

“Fortunately it was only a mild one. She didn't even need surgery and will recover quickly once she starts taking the pills regularly again. Which she absolutely must take every day again.” Tara glanced at the clipboard balanced on her arm. “She's on fluids for now as she was pretty dehydrated. We had to give her a blood transfusion because of the blood loss, without it  her body wouldn't have been able to recover.”

Happy had to see her, only then was he really convinced that she was fine. Although she probably wasn't feeling well and he hoped that he could help her somehow, that she would get over what had happened to her.

“What about the injuries?” His otherwise rough voice was now darker, almost sharp. He needed details to know how much he had to make the person who did this to Madison suffer.

“She's got bruises all over her body, a few small cuts on one side of her face that should go away completely. She was starved and dehydrated. Her back was more the problem. The two cuts were really deep and long, that's how she lost most of the blood”, Tara explained with a sigh and scratched her brow. “But the blood on her hands and everywhere else on her clothes wasn't just hers. But that's all I know.”

Happy narrowed his eyes, anger and disgust chewing at him, he wanted to let all the anger guide him and search for the person who hurt his woman right away, but he had to see Madison first. He needed to see that she was okay, that she was really back. But alongside the anger and the desire for revenge, he also felt pride. He was proud of his Old Lady who had fought her way out alone and hadn't given up.

“Oh god..my baby”, Gemma's shaky voice snapped both Happy and Jax, who was also seething with anger, out of their thoughts.

“We'll find the guy⸺ and he'll get what he deserves”, the blonde snarled through gritted teeth.

“You bet”, Happy seethed, turning back to Tara. “Can we see her?”

“Yes, but we gave her strong sedatives. She may sleep for a few more hours. Please don't wake her up and don't overwhelm her as soon as she wakes up”, Tara said urgently before letting  out a sigh. “Oh, there's something else. I think she will need a lot of support. Not physically, but mentally. She was kidnapped and who knows what the person did to her.”

⸺

As he waited in a chair next to Madison's bed, his hand steady on hers, he stared at the brunette. As if she could disappear at any time, he would only blink once. Besides, Tara's words still lingered in his mind.

Was he even able to give her the help she needed? He couldn't even prevent her from being kidnapped and then he hadn't even managed to find her. No, instead she had to save herself. What kind of partner was he if he couldn't protect his own girlfriend?

It wasn't the first time he had these thoughts. This had scratched his ego often enough in the last few weeks. Shit, he should never have let that happen. When he realized how tight the pressure of his hand was holding Madison's, he immediately let go and grunted softly.

His ego was so bruised that he had seriously considered letting her go should she ever come back home, to let her find someone who could take better care of her. But he quickly dismissed the thought. She was his old lady and he certainly wouldn't leave her to anyone else⸺ it was his job to protect her and make her happy and that's exactly what he would do. He would be even more careful and possessive in the future and keep an extra eye on her.

“Who do you think did this to her?”, Gemma asked, the first to speak up in over two hours.

“It can only be this Steven guy behind it. Madison had had a feeling it was him”, Happy grumbled.

“The guy is dead, she was so sure. It doesn't make any sense”, Jax chimed in with a sigh, rubbing his face.

“It doesn't matter who did this to her”, Happy snarled, already memorizing all of his girlfriend's injuries. “They will suffer.”

The first moment he walked into the room and saw her lying in bed so frail and weak with all the cuts and bruises, it was hard for him not to snap, not to let his anger get the better of him. She was also so skinny, so famished. The bones were already showing everywhere and the picture they were given was really frightening. And yet she was still the most beautiful woman he knew.

It was another two hours before Madison finally woke up. Barely able to open her eyes properly, yet within a few seconds she sat bolt upright in bed and looked around in panic. Gemma and Happy, who were each sitting on either side of her bed, straightened up immediately.

“Hey, it's okay, you're at St. Thomas, little girl.” Happy's gravelly voice was gentle and empathetic in a way only Madison heard it before, who by the way calmed down immediately when she heard his voice and then looked right into his dark eyes.

Wordlessly, she stared at him for a long moment and slowly raised her hand, which she carefully brought up to his face and tentatively let her fingertips ghost over his cheek.

“You're here”, she whispered before letting out a sob. “You're really here, I'm home.”

“I'm here”, he assured her, his hand resting on hers as he looked into her green eyes, clearly seeing how much she had suffered in them. “And I'm not going anywhere, babe.”

“I thought I'd never see you again”, she choked out between her sniffles, a few silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I'm sorry Mads. I'm so fucking sorry for all of this.” Happy cleared his throat to hide the emotion in his voice, to hide how much it hurt him to see her like that. But he failed and besides Madison, both Jax and Gemma got to see his vulnerable side.

Madison, noticing immediately how much Happy was struggling, just shook her head and ran her thumb down his cheek. “There's nothing to be sorry about, Hap. I know you did everything in your power to find me.”

“Who did this to you, baby?” Gemma asked softly, her hand protectively on Madison's arm, who just gave her mother a faint smile.

“It was Steven. He wasn't dead. Apparently he recovered after I hit his head and bribed the cops with money to still declare him dead so he could plan his revenge.” God, how glad she was to be back and to have her family around again. She would never take her family for granted again, that was for sure.

Jax, who had quickly poured her some water into a glass, also sat down by her bed and handed her the water. “You know we're taking care of him, right? You don't have to be afraid of him anymore. He won't ever hurt you again.”

“He's going to suffer for it, little girl, I promise”, Happy rasped, who only got a glimpse of her back now that the hospital gown Madison was wearing had shifted slightly.

“Fucking bastard”, Happy added, his voice dripping with anger as he ran a hand over his bald head and then over his exhausted face.

“Don't look at it, please”, the brunette said pleadingly, not wanting Happy to feel even more anger just because of her and destroy himself in the process. She only had to look at him to know that he blamed himself for everything⸺ which was bullshit. He was the last person that should blame themselves.

“Where is he?”, he demanded, his hand grasping Madison's. “I'll take care of him tonight.”

“I'll come with you”, Jax determined. He would want a piece of that fucker too.

“Uh”, Madison, who had to realize again how weak she really was when she felt a little dizzy again, ran her hand through her still knotted hair, which was still covered in blood. Steven's blood. “I killed him. For real this time I think.”

Did she really know? She wasn't so sure, or? No, she knew she did kill him. There was no chance Steven had survived all the stab wounds. She had literally gutted him from the inside out.

“Are you really sure, baby?”, Gemma asked, her expression filled with both pride and concern.

Madison nodded as she gently squeezed Happy's hand. “I am sure. He was definitely dead this time.”

On one hand, Happy was glad, and his pride only grew when he heard that his Old Lady had killed that fucker. And yet there was this feeling of melancholy that he hadn't been able to do it himself. He would've loved to cause Steven all the pain he deserved and use every method to make people suffer he'd known.

“You did good, little girl.” Happy stood up and leaned forward a little to place a kiss on top of her head, not caring about the blood in hed hair. “I'm proud of you.”

“Not for something like that”, she mumbled. Due to the sedatives and painkillers she had been given, she felt no pain at the moment and could easily put her arms around her Old Man, snuggling her face against his chest.

Again her eyes filled her tears, this time they were tears of joy. The brunette could finally inhale his scent again and wrap her arms around him.

“Yeah, you can be proud, darlin'”, Jax said seriously, standing up as well, his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it gently. “You fought your way out of this hellhole on your own, not everyone can do that. Still, I want to know where the guy is so we can wipe down the place and get rid of his body.”

“I want to come with you”, she insisted, her eyes now on her brother who gave her a 'no way' look, as did Happy.

“No, you're definitely not coming”, the SAA said decisively, grabbing her chin and lifting it gently. “You stay here until you feel better.”

“Then please wait until I feel better! I have to see it with my own eyes..that he really is dead”, she practically begged, which made both men soft.

“Can't you understand her?” Gemma chimed in, who was sympathetic to her daughter's wish. “I would want to be sure, too, if I were her. After all, he woke up from the dead before.”

Jax finally sighed after exchanging a look with Happy. “Okay fine, but you don't do anything stupid and stay with us the whole time. And we won't leave until Tara gives you permission to leave the hospital.”

“And never leave my side, understand?”, Happy grunted almost sternly, looking at her intently.

“Promise”, she nodded slightly at both men before taking small sips of the water. “But I just have to make sure. Only then can I sleep again.”

Although she probably wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep anytime soon, even if Steven was dead. She still felt the events that happened in her bones and while she hated to admit it, she was definitely traumatized.