Tag to the Musical. Spoilers for that episode and any episodes before are fair game.

Author's notes: I am not a fan of musicals, but I enjoyed this episode. If you haven't watched it, I recommend it! I felt it was slightly unrealistic when Shawn was hanged and was completely fine afterward. Have you ever seen the 3rd Back to the Future? Well Michael J. Fox was accidentally hanged in that scene and apparently, it was not good! Poor guy lost consciousness, oops! So, here's my take on what could have/should have/would have happened if I was involved in the production.

Disclaimer: I certainly was not involved in the production of Psych nor will I ever be, unfortunately.

PSYCH~PSYCH~PSYCH

"You're losing it, Shawn!" Yang yelled toward an incredulous Shawn, still perched atop the stage prop. "You don't even know you were followed here!" She waved her knife with emphasis on every word. Shawn looked down at her in utter frustration. Yang was uncontrollable, psychotic, and driving Shawn crazy. And he had trusted her. What could she possibly mean by "followed"?

"What are you talking about?!" He clenched his fists in front of him. As he did, a cloaked figure dropped next to him. "Holy-uh!" was all Shawn could say as he was shoved roughly to the side. "Oh Gah!" He ground out as the figure, who all but manhandled him, forced Shawn's body close to his. Shawn thought this was a strange position to attack someone in, but immediately realized his attacker's intentions as he saw the thin blue rope pass over his eyes momentarily.

This is so not good.

Shawn managed to slip his fingers between the rope and his vulnerable neck. "Ah!" Shawn involuntarily yelled as he was pushed to the other side of the landing. He was prepared to faceplant but was caught by the impromptu leash. His fingers continued to struggle for purchase on the thin fabric encircling his neck. However, the rope tightened and he found himself unable to draw in a breath. The rope dug into his skin and he wanted nothing more than to call out to his best friend located in the side room. Before Shawn could attempt to subdue his attacker, the man jumped over the side railing, still holding the loose rope. Shawn was momentarily confused but discovered first-hand the reason for his attacker's plummet.

The rope tightened to levels Shawn thought impossible as the rope lifted him off the ground. His attacker landed and Shawn's ascent abruptly halted and he was left dangling over twenty feet in the air. He kicked his legs wildly in panic. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe! That is the single most important part of life and he couldn't do it! His stomach somersaulted as his weight dropped only to be stopped mere inches from the ground and hauled back up again. The sudden weight shift made his already pounding head feel like it would explode at any moment. The skin around his neck was already beyond bruised and raw. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a very blurry Gus making his way down the stairs. Below him, he could vaguely hear a fight ensuing between his attacker and Yang, but he quickly realized he didn't care.

He was dying.

It had only been about twenty seconds since he was swept off the ground but for Shawn, it might as well had been hours. He no longer had the strength to struggle. He reached behind him blindly, feeling for whatever was keeping the rope in place but gave up as the black dots dancing at the edge of his vision fought to consume him. His fingers fought weakly to separate the rope from his abused neck. The crushing pain it had caused was unbearable and his lungs were screaming for air. The worst part was Shawn knew it wasn't his lungs' lack of air that would kill him. Instead, it was his brain's lack of oxygen that would.

This was confirmed as he felt his heart beat slow and a cacophony of pins and needles overcome his arms and legs. C'mon buddy, you gotta do something to save me. Shawn's life was literally hanging in the balance, and he was helpless to stop it. As the darkness continued to envelop his rapidly dulling senses and aching body, he briefly thought of his father. They were finally on good terms, despite the argument about Shawn contacting Yang. Overall, they had become a good team. And now that is about to be taken away. He didn't even want to consider what Gus would think. He has to watch it. Oh my God. Shawn wished he could make himself invisible. At least that way he'd spare his best friend the pain and nightmares of watching him die. And Jules. Shawn realized he'd never see her again. As he lost his grip on the last fibers of consciousness, he only thought of her. The last thing his oxygen-deprived mind registered was the feeling of weightlessness.

PSYCH~PSYCH~PSYCH

Gus opened the loft door only to be confronted with the most terrifying sight of his life. And that was saying something because Shawn had gotten them into some terrifying situations over the years. But this...this was on an entirely new level. His best friend was hanging-hanging!-more than twenty feet in the air, struggling wildly as he fought to escape the suffocating grasp of the rope. He immediately began descending the stairs but his feet felt like lead. He could not compel them to move any faster despite the fact that his best friend was being murdered right before his eyes.

He could hear Yang and the cloaked figure fighting but that was not his priority. He needed to get the hell down these stairs and save Shawn! The stairs were neverending. It had been over thirty seconds since he started his descent and still had several flights to go. He looked up briefly and saw Shawn was now barely moving. His fingers lazily pulled on the rope and his eyes started to close. That was all the motivation Gus needed to sprint the rest of the way down, nearly breaking an ankle when he heard Yang yell and he glanced up to see her slash the rope holding his best friend captive. He looked up in horror as Shawn's limp form was now controlled by gravity. He didn't see him land but he heard it. Oh, he heard it all right. Can anyone survive that? His heart was beating faster than his feet were moving as he sprinted up the stairs to where Shawn's involuntary acrobatics landed him.

"Shawn!" Gus's eyes fell on his best friend. His fingers were still positioned between the rope and his neck but were no longer moving. Gus collapsed next to him and immediately untangled Shawn from his captor. He's still not moving. Careful not to upset any possible unknown injuries, Gus positioned Shawn's head so his airway would be opened as much as possible. As long as the rope didn't crush it. He could see Shawn's chest rising and falling shallowly and much too fast. Knowing that Shawn needed more help than he could offer, he called 911.

Within seconds, Gus positioned himself over his childhood friend again. "Shawn! Can you hear me? Come on buddy!" He pleaded. He winced as he looked down at Shawn's neck. It was an angry red mixed with the beginnings of bone-deep bruises. How does he get himself into this? "Shawn!" Gus was surprised when Shawn inhaled sharply in response or at least attempted to inhale. Gus could tell from the strangled cough that escaped seconds later that not much oxygen had entered Shawn's lungs. Shawn's eyes were screwed up in pain but shot open in panic when he realized he couldn't breathe. Gus noticed the red spots standing out in the whites of Shawn's eyes. This was so not good.

PSYCH~PSYCH~PSYCH

When Shawn opened his eyes, he truly thought he was dead. This thought dissipated as the pain radiated throughout his entire body, gaining in strength until he attempted to suck in a lungful of air. When barely any came, he coughed and reached toward his neck for the rope that was no longer there. He could hear someone shouting at him but his necessity to breathe outweighed the shouting's importance. Everything was blurry and the pounding in his head beat in a steady rhythm with his too-slow heart. He didn't know how he was awake, but he knew he hurt a lot less when he wasn't. He allowed himself to slip back into the merciful embrace of darkness.

PSYCH~PSYCH~PSYCH

Gus watched as Shawn's eyes slipped shut again. He felt completely helpless and it terrified him. His only saving grace was the sirens that sounded in the distance. "Hang on, buddy. Help is coming. Don't you dare give up on me now!" As he heard the doors to the theatre open, he noticed that Shawn's chest was no longer rising or falling. "Shawn! Hey!" He grabbed Shawn's upper arm and squeezed but elicited no response. He looked at the approaching paramedics in panic. "Hurry! He's not breathing!" That seemed to make them pick up the pace, and before he knew it, Gus was being shoved aside. He tried to see what was happening to his friend but a swarm of white uniforms surrounded him and jumbled medical words floated through the empty stage.

"Need to intubate."

"Ready one. Two set?"

"Set."

"Tube in. Compress."

"Breath sounds in both lungs. What's his pulse at? BP?"

"Pulse 52 and weak. BP 80/60 and falling."

"Okay, we need to move! Any chance of a spinal injury? What happened?"

Gus was watching a paramedic artificially pump air into Shawn's body. It did not seem right that Shawn was this still.

"What happened?"

The other paramedic's voice cut through the fog in Gus's mind.

"Uhhh, he was...hanged. Then dropped about twenty feet. I...I didn't see him land. He woke up for a few seconds...I think."

"Okay, spinal precautions everyone. Howard, check for other injuries. Let's move, people!" The head paramedic all but yelled at his team of two paramedics and three firefighters were performing various tasks to prep Shawn for transport. A soft neck brace was placed around Shawn's neck which Gus was thankful for instead of the harsh C-collar. However, he still felt gut-wrenching sympathy for Shawn. Within minutes they had expertly placed Shawn on a backboard and were carefully carrying him down the stairs with one paramedic still pushing air into his friend's lungs. Gus looked at the still figure of Yang. Two firefighters had bent down to check on her but at the shake of one's head, Gus knew she was gone. He looked away and continued out the door behind the herd of paramedics.

"BP is crashing, get another line in him!" The head paramedic yelled as they were loading Shawn into the waiting ambulance. The ambulance was filled with three people all doing something to tend to Shawn's rapidly diminishing health. Gus attempted to join but was held back by a fireman. Gus felt his heart clench. He needed to be with Shawn.

"He's in the best hands possible. You can follow behind and meet him at the hospital." The fireman said with a comforting hand on Gus's shoulder. Gus looked longingly at the Nike's-the only part of Shawn he could see-before the ambulance doors closed and the siren began to wail. He jumped into the Blueberry and sped off after his friend.

Gus had never gone more than 5 miles per hour over the speed limit in his life, but now he was going 85 in a 55 and was extremely thankful when the exit for the hospital so graciously appeared. He skidded to a halt behind the still-wailing ambulance and shot out of the driver's seat. He saw a rush of nurses and doctors exit the building and swarm the arrived ambulance. Shawn would make a joke about zombies and how this would make a great movie scene. The double doors opened, revealing the faces of several tense paramedics. One of them held two IV bags in the air as Shawn was transferred to the ground. Another was still steadily pumping air into his system as they all ran as a group toward the emergency room doors. Gus only caught a glimpse of his best friend, but immediately noticed something that made his recent lunch want to be reintroduced to the outside world. Shawn's shirt had been ripped open and Gus immediately recognized the two AED strips taped to Shawn's chest. Gus was frozen in the spot as Shawn vanished behind the automatic doors. Gus knew even if he went in there after him he'd have to wait in the waiting room for God knows how long and he was not going to do that alone.

As much as he wished he didn't, he had some phone calls to make.

PSYCH~PSYCH~PSYCH

This was harder to write than I thought, but I stuck with it. I love writing Shawn's character, and frankly, being hanged makes that impossible! But luckily, there's more to come if that is what you want!

Reviews make me smile