Hostage
Chapter One
Traffic Ticket
Maxwell Sheffield couldn't have been more proud of all of his kids, as he was when they all were born. Maggie is married with two kids, Brighton is married and has a little boy, and Grace seems to be just enjoying who she is as a criminal phycologist. Jonah and Eve are both on the police force and very serious about their duties that they have to maintain. Since all of the kids are out of the house now, the only ones left there were Max and Fran. Niles has since passed away, and C.C. not having him in her life anymore, has just went crazy. She has even started talking to Fran about her insecurities, and striking up a friendship. Everyone who knew Niles, still grieves for him and his daughter Alex. Eve or Jonah, or one of the Sheffield kids, are always calling to check up on C.C. and Alex. Eve and Jonah are at the precinct one afternoon, and while Eve is looking at a picture of her beloved life long friend, Niles, the captian comes in and gives assignments for the day.
"Jonah is over on the south side today, Eve you take the north side and take Malone with ya. Jonah is going with Tracy to investigate a string of robberies. Missy, you take the west side, and Allen, you've got the east side. Eve, be careful today okay. The reason I've got you on the north side is because there has been a suspicious man roaming around over there. We don't know if he's homeless or what, but a little girl disappeared out of that area two days ago. That's why I'm sending Malone with you." The captian tells her.
"Not a problem sir. Come on Jason. We've got the north side today. I'm sure you've been informed of the kidnapping two days ago." Eve says, grabbing her jacket from her chair.
"Yeah. I just hope it hasn't ended in disaster yet." Jason replies. They head out and not ten minutes later, they are having to pull someone over for reckless driving. Jason puts him through a field sobriety test, and once the test is over, which he failed miserably, Eve takes over with making sure he doesn't run, while Jason is on the radio calling the captian.
"You really got to quit drinking if you're gonna be driving sir. I mean come on, you really don't look like the type that would want to hurt someone. Ya know, there are kids that play around here." Eve tells the man. He just nods his head and then without warning, the man pulls a gun and grabs Eve, and starts shooting at Jason while he's still in the car.
"Let her go! Come on, think about what you're doing man." Jason tells him.
"That don't matter to me. I ain't going to jail, you hear me! Now, you just stay where you're at. This little lady and I are going for a walk. Alright girl, move." The man tells Jason, then he turns his attention to Eve. He drags her in a gas station, and just takes over the place. Jason is radioing everyone in that he can think of. The man makes everyone sit on the floor alongside the walls. There's kids in there crying and the mothers are trying to keep them calmed down.
"Alright cop. You try anything, you're dead. Okay people, we're gonna be hanging out here for awhile together." The man tells everyone. Eve is trying to talk to everyone and tell them it's going to be okay, but the man gets even madder at her.
"Yeah, you keep telling them that, it won't do you any good." The man tells Eve.
Back at the house, Max and Fran may have everything packed in boxes since they are moving to a smaller place since it's just the two of them, but they still have the cable on for the time being. Fran is flipping through channels and she comes across the news. At first she sighs, cause she really wasn't interested in the news channel. She goes to the kitchen to get something to drink, and then she hears the broadcast.
"Police officers and dozens of citizens are surrounding the Circle R gas station as an armed and dangerous man is holding everyone in the store hostage. There have already been two shootings. The cashier has been shot to death, and officer Eve Sheffield is trying to talk the man down, along with trying to calm the other hostages. It looks right now as if officer Sheffield is one of the hostages." The news reporter says.
"Oh my God. Max! Come quick, the TV!" Fran hollers into the office where Max still spends most of his time at. Max comes out and sees what Fran has been hollering about.
"What the hell? Are there any updates yet?" Max says, with a look of horror on his face.
"The cashier was shot to death, they didn't say who the other one was that got shot, but there is another one that has been seriously hurt. Eve is in that gas station." Fran replies, with tears running down her face.
Back at the gas station, the captian has showed up and he's asking Jason how it happened.
"It's all my fault cap. We pulled him over for reckless driving. I gave him a sobriety test, that he failed, and while I was radioing everything in, Eve was standing out there by him keeping an eye on him, and the next thing I knew, he was grabbing her and shooting at me, then he dashed in there and starting shooting. He locked the door and just took over the place. Why did I leave her all alone?" Jason says, starting to lose it, and Eve is still in there trying to talk him down.
"Malone. It's not your fault. Eve was doing her job, so were you. Damn, all this over a damn traffic ticket. Has he made any demands, or made contact with anyone yet?" The captian asks.
"N No, not yet. Not as far as I know." Jason stammers. The captian knows that he's just fearing for his partner, so he goes and finds a phone to call inside the store, and he tries to reason with the man.
"Hello. My name is Captian Dansfield. How many people are hurt in there?" He asks the man.
"Just that mouthy cashier. There is one that is just hanging on by a thread. I think it's so cute how your little lady cop here, thinks she can patch this lady up and save her life. She's gone, and your officer just doesn't realize that. Here are my terms. I want a helicopter, and I'm a little hungry. I want you or one of your goons to go get me something to eat. You have an hour to get me what I've asked for, or every minute that you're late, another one dies. Starting with the young lady cop here." The man demands. No one has been able to get ahold of Jonah yet and let him know what's happened. They didn't have to though cause another squad car pulls up, and Jonah is jumping out of the car and he tries to run into the gas station. The man of course has the door locked, but Jonah not knowing that, he ran smack into the door. That startled the man inside with the gun, and the gun went off, shooting another innocent person.
Chapter Two
We've Got To Get Her Out
Jonah is sitting on the sidewalk due to a headache from him colliding with the door, and the captian can see that the person who got shot the last time, was Eve. She took one in the leg. It's her thigh, an inch or two away from her left knee. She takes off her jacket and starts applying preasure. A woman in the gas station tries to help her, and the man actually starts to feel bad for hitting her.
"I did not mean to do that. That was clearly an accident." The man tells her.
"Oh, yeah right. I heard you talking to the captian, and you telling him, I might be, the next one to go. You bastard." Eve replies, trying to stay awake. The man actually let the other people go, and now it's just him, Eve, and the woman who is trying to help her.
"What!?" The man yells, answering the phone again.
"It's Captian Dansfield again. We're having some trouble getting that helicopter. We do however have the food you wanted. Why don't you just give yourself up? No one will open fire if you just tell us before you come out the door. How is Eve? The one that got shot in the leg." The captian asks him.
"Oh Eve is it? I was wondering what her name was. She's still alive, but she ain't looking so hot. I'm releasing the last hostage, but Eve here, yeah I think she's gonna stay with me for awhile. You get that helicopter, and we'll talk about me letting her go. She can't walk though." The man says, laughing.
Back at the house, the news reporter is back on and giving an update. She tells about how all of the hostages but Eve got to walk out of there, and that Eve has been shot in the leg. The camera crew was able to get up close enough to the door to give live news footage, and Fran can see just how bad Eve looks.
"Max, look. She's not doing so good. If they don't get in there soon and get her out of there, she could bleed to death. I wonder if the others know yet." Fran says, talking about the other kids, and showing Max how Eve looks. The black tank top shirt that Eve wore under her jacket, is now soaked with her blood, and the blood of the people she tried to save. Her jeans are torn from where she had been trying to tend to her knee. Just as Fran said that about wondering if the others knew or not, here they all came through the door.
"Mom, what happened?" Brighton asks, seeing the TV.
"A routine traffic ticket, and it all went from there. She has been shot, but only above her left knee. She doesn't look so good, and they still have not gotten in there yet." Fran tells him.
"This is insane as all get out. Someone causes all of this, over a damn traffic ticket. What the hell is the world coming to?" Grace says, in anger and fear for her sister.
"Who knows baby? Who knows? All we can do is hope and pray that they get her out of there, and soon." Max tells her.
Back at the gas station, Eve is making every attempt to talk to the man.
"I know you from, somewhere don't I? You just look so familiar. It's uncanny. I know that I know you." Eve tells him.
"Yeah, you know me. I just forgot your name is all. Hell, people change so much after highschool, that when you see them again, they never look the same. You never gave me the time of day, why are you trying to have a conversation with me now?" The man replies. Eve is trying everything in her power to stay awake, but she manages to keep the conversation going.
"Because. I'm talking to you now because I'm in pain, and pain lets a person know that they are still alive, plus that, I'm mad. You had no right in doing this today. What was your motive? Because you failed the sobriety test, well here's an idea buddy, don't drink and drive and act stupid, and your dumb ass won't get pulled over." Eve tells him, almost afraid that she shouldn't have said that to him, thinking that it trigger his anger even more. The man just glares at her is all.
"Cap! What's going on now?" Jason asks, running up to him.
"I don't know. There's not been any contact for awhile. I can see in there somewhat though, and Eve is still holding on strong. I think it looked like she was trying to talk to him." Captian Dansfield replies.
"I have an idea. Come here." Jason says, pulling him to the side where they are out of sight of the gunman. Jason tells him his idea about telling the man that his helicopter is coming, however, it may take a few minutes. Then once they earn his trust, and the gunman opens the door, Jason is to go in there and grab Eve and run.
"That would work except you're forgetting one thing. With her already being wounded and down, we would only have just a few split seconds to get in there, get past him, and grab her, without him shooting her again. Right now, he's seeing her as his way out. Yes, she's injured, but that doesn't mean that he will let her go without finishing her off." The captian tells him.
"Listen to me. I can help you. My partner is out there, and he will not let you just kill me, or do whatever else you are planning to do to me. Why don't you just let me go? My partner can help you too. Just let him get me out of here, then he will make sure that no harm comes to you." Eve says, trying to plead with the man.
"No. I have a better idea." The man replies, going over to the phone and calling the captian.
"Yes, this is Captian Dansfield. What can I do for you? How is Eve?" The captian asks.
"Not looking good dude, not looking good. There is something you can do for me though. Send in Detective Malone. You send him in, or she is gonna be worse off than what she is now." The man tells the captian.
"Okay. Okay, I'm sending him now. Just stay calm." Captian Dansfield replies, getting a good look at Eve through the door.
"What did he say?" Jason asks, who's starting to worry again. The captian tells him that some of his plan just might work and that the man wants him in there. Jason signals for everyone else to get out of sight, and he tells them loud enough for the man to hear, to get out of there and that it is gonna end with him being taken instead of Eve. Eve heard this and she's saying to herself, "No Jason, no. Don't, come in, here. Stay back." Jason shows himself to the man and he is let inside. All everyone else can do, is just wait to see what the outcome will be for everyone involved.
Chapter Three
The Rescue
Jason is inside talking to the man and he is making it sound like he really wants to help him. The man is starting to buy everything that Jason is telling him.
"Are you sure you're not just saying all of this, just to save her?" The man asks.
"Well, I will be honest with ya. She is my partner, and a friend. However, when it comes to something like this, it's everyone for themselves right?" Jason tells him. The man didn't see that when Jason had his back to him, he slipped a small handgun to Eve, and she hid it underneath her good leg. She knows to wait until Jason can get the man to put his gun down.
"Well, yeah. That sounds about right. How long have you known about the credentials of the law? Can you get me a good deal, and tell them I cooperated with you?" The man asks.
"Well first, I need to know your name. Can you tell me that?" Jason asks him.
"His name is Jensen Toliver. I was in school with him, and I guess I wronged him, or something." Eve says, trying to go to sleep. The man gets mad at her for saying something.
"I told you to just sit over there and stay quiet. But yes, she's right. My name is Jensen Toliver. I was kinda the shy one in school, and just because I was different, and awkward and shy, she lead the other kids to pick on me day in and day out!" Jensen hollers, waving his gun around.
"Hey, hey. Come on man, take it easy. I don't want to see this end in a bad way for you. Put that gun down, and you and I will walk out of here, we'll go get some coffee, and leave her for now. Come on, put the gun down. Don't ya think there's been enough violence and bloodshed for one day? It's already dark out, so no one will see us walk out of here." Jason tells him. Jensen finally hands the gun to Jason, and Jason shoves him and yells "Now Eve!" Eve gets the handgun out from under her good leg, and shoots the man in his calf, taking him down. Jason cuffs him, unlocks the door, and hollers for the captian.
"Come on, let's get you out of here huh. Put your arms around my neck." Jason tells her. Eve gets her arms around Jason's neck and when he picks her up, she cries out in pain. She's so weak from the blood loss, and almost dehydrated from lack of water, but he gets her out of there.
"You asshole! You lied to me. You was only doing this to help her. You don't give a damn about me. No one ever has though." Jensen yells at him.
"You didn't care about any of the people you hurt or killed tonight." Jason replies. He takes Eve out in the parking lot and sets her in the back of one of the squad cars. The captain tells Jason that he's gonna call Eve's parents to let them know she's on her way to the hospital and she's safe now. Another officer goes in the gas station and places the man under arrest.
At the hospital, Eve is in surgery for about an hour for them to remove the bullet and repair all of the damage in her knee. Fran and Max, and all the other kids are there too, waiting for someone to tell them something on her. Finally after what seems like a lifetime, the doctor comes out.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield, Eve has lost a good amount of blood. There was a lot of damage in the tendons and ligaments in her knee, but she made it through the surgery, and she's starting to wake up. She was asking for you guys in the recovery room. She's going to be just fine. She may have to go through some therapy to get her knee working right again. She is a very brave, tough young woman. You should be proud of her." The doctor tells them, as he takes them to her room.
"She'll get that therapy doctor, don't you worry about that." Max says as they round the corner to her room. Fran is the first one to run to her side.
"Ma. Oh my God, I'm so happy to see you. Daddy, Maggie, Brighton, Grace? I knew Ma and Daddy would be here, but where did all of you come from?" Eve says, trying to get hugs in for everyone, and looking around for Jonah.
"We heard on the news, and went right to the house. How are you doing?" Maggie asks, with her hand on her shoulder.
"I've been better. I just never thought in the six months that Jonah and I have been officers, that something like this would ever happen. Where is Jonah anyway?" Eve replies.
"Oh, he had to go back to the precinct for a little bit. He should be here in no time. I think he's even bringing someone with him." Max tells her. Eve just nods her head, and drifts off to sleep. Fran tries to stay in there with her, and Maggie whispers, "Mom, come on. She's okay. The man is in jail, she's alive. Let her sleep." Fran finally gets up and goes out in the waiting room with them. They all sit and talk for awhile then Jonah and Jason show up, along with the captian.
"Where do we stand? How is she?" Captian Dansfield asks.
"The doctor said she's gonna need a lot of therapy on her knee due to some ligament and tendon damage. I think they said she lost a good amount of blood, but I don't think it was enough for a transfusion. She came through surgery just fine. We just got back from seeing her." Max tells him.
"Great. I was hoping she would be okay. I'll wait until she goes home to visit. Jason, you did great tonight." The captain says, as he turns to leave.
"Thank you sir." Jason replies. Everyone heads home for the night, thanking God that Eve is still with them.
Chapter Four
Recovery
When Eve gets released from the hospital, she's having lunch from the cafeteria and watching a movie when her mom comes in to visit.
"Hey Ma. Want a bite? They fed me spaghetti with maranara sauce, chicken tenders, cottage cheese, and a salad. I had a baked potato here, but since my roommate didn't like what they gave her, I let her have the tater. What's up?" Eve says, taking another bite of her tenders.
"I just came back from seeing your doctor and he said he may have some good news for you today." Fran tells her. Fran takes her up on her offer, and she joins her for a little lunch, when the nurse comes in and catches her.
"Now you look here. This chick told us she has not eaten since yesterday morning. Get your own and leave her alone." The nurse says, but in a positive upbeat kind of way, showing Fran that she's just messing with her.
"Really, it's fine. I'm getting full anyway. I don't ever eat that much. The cook out did himself with me today." Eve replies. The doctor comes in and tells her she is free to go home, and he has a list of instructions for her as well. She looks them over and gets dressed, then tells her mom, "Let's bail Ma. Got to get to the recovery part so I can get back to the station."
Two weeks later, Captain Dansfield announces that there is someone in the conference room.
"Who is it?" Malone asks.
"I'll give ya three guesses and the first two don't count." Eve says, hopping into the main office room.
"Hey! Welcome back. How are you doing?" Adams, who is new, asks her.
"Feeling great. Can't wait to get back at it. It's my first day back. I gotta stay here at my desk though. Don't get the wrong impression either. Getting shot is not all that people make it out to be." Eve says with her best smile. After everyone tells her how happy they are that she's back, they all head out to their assignments, and Eve heads over to the computer to do some networking for them. Captain Dansfield can't believe just how determined she is, but he knows he wouldn't be happy with someone who wasn't as good as she is at the job she was assigned to do. Eve sets to work on locating different addresses for them and anything else they may need her to do. She whispers to herself, "It's so good to be back here." Fran and Max are so proud of her accomplishments and being strong willed. They knew that when she got shot, even though they were worried, that she would not stay down for very long.
The End