SOOOOO, as current Nevada resident (i do not live in Vegas, i live in Reno) i can not express how sad and scared i feel for our world. No words are good enough to say how sorry i am for the lives lost and those still fighting to survive. However, i do know there is good in the world and hope one day we can fix our broken systems and our broken people.
Now, i hope no one is upset at my timing of this story. The truth is i'v ebeen writing it for a while and jsut finished it. I don't mean to offend or upset anyone with the plot. Just a stroy that came to mind. If you like it, let me know. If you want to see me write something else, i'm always open to new ideas.
My eyes were darting fast around the huge open space in front of me. My hands were sweating under my black gloves and I was getting very hot. But I continued on my path along the wall, two men in front of me, and one behind me. My rifle was raised at eye level as I ganced over the dead bodies on the mall floor. Somewhere, down in my stomach, I knew very soon I was going to come face to face with either the shooter or my own flesh and blood. It made me almsot loose focus. Almost.
The first guy in our line raised a closed fist and we all stopped, squatting down. There was absolutely no noise in the mall except for an alarm going off about 8 stores down the row. I heard in my ear peice someone talking quietly, but I ignored it. I adjusted the butt of my gun on my shoulder and swallowed hard squinting over a few bodies laying close to me. None of them looked familiar. That made it worse for me. It wasn't until I heard a soft, small cry I perked up and looked to my leader at the front of the line. He turned to me and pointed to me and the guy in the back. He tapped his shoulders twice and then pointed to the store we were stopped in front of. I stood up quick and hurried past the two still on the ground, gun still raised. I felt a hand on my back as I walked in the store strong shoulders, gun cocked and ready. I scanned over the tipped over manniquines, racks of clothes knocked over and clothes strewn everywhere. I sighed out quietly suddenly stopping my walking hearing the cry a litte louder. I took one more step, left foot in front of the other, and heard a scream. "Please! I don't want to die!" I hurried forward gun still raised and peered around the cashier counter. Nothing in the entire world could have prepared me for seeing my son, proped up against the counter, unconsiouce and bleeding heavily from the gut. I lowered my gun quick seeing the crying, red faced scared teenage girl clutching onto him. Before moving towards them I clicked the walkie on my shouder hearing a beep in my ear.
"Two victims. One bleeding and unresponsive. Send in EMT'S." I glanced over my shoulder to my partner who was no longer behind me. Instead he was doing a sweep of the store, calling for the other two in. When i turned back to the two on the ground, I swallowed hard, bending down. I put my gun on my shoulder and reached out putting my two fingers on his neck and closed my eyes feeling a slow and steady pulse. I opened my eyes quick hearing a small cry. The girl, my son's girlfriend was still clutching him and I did the only thing I could think to do. I took off my black helmet quickly and set it donw next to me along with my gun, after putting the safety on. She glanced up at my face and cried out again. I reached out quickly and pulled her into me. She threw her arms around my neck and tried to climb up onto my chest. I swallowed hard, glancing down to my son just as two bodies, in the same S.W.A.T. gear i was wearing stopped by his body. I looked up to commrades, my friends and held the crying girl as they both took off thier helmets. As the girl, I knew her as Emily, cried and started to scream on my chest, all I could do close my eyes again and pray to God i'd see my sons green glistening eyes once more.
The next 20 minutes went by in a blur. We waited, checking more bodies, until we got the all clear from the captain that the mall was safe. The shooter, who acted alone, was shot in a stand off, and the clean up was starting. I still had a job to do. Check victims, check for more weapons...anything. But my eyes never left my son's body. Max was wearing the same thing he left the house this morning in. A pair of back skinny jeans, one knee frayed open. And he was still wearing one of my old band shirts I gave him a few years back. A Led Zepplin one, but it was now diffrent. It was soaked in his blood. As the paramedics came in with a stretcher, I watched them lift him gently on it, already checking vital signs. One of the paramdeics started to rip at his shirt as he was pushed out and my heart dropped down into my toes. There was a gash bleeding out on his semi sculpted stomach. How the hell could I have let this happen?
"Knight?" I snapped my head to my left seeing my captain was walking beside me, with the girl on clutching onto him. "Go with your boy. Take her. I aready called Saint Mary's. Dr. Mitchell is there, requesting she come with you two." I nodded not really understanding why a doctor woud want to see an unhurt victim but went alogn with it. I started to undo my bullet proof vest watching the two paramedics raise my son into the back of an ambulance. I gently pulled the girl inside and followed after real quick. I sat her down next to my son's head and she grabbed the hand closest to him, crying out. I sat beside her, watching as the rather young looking paramedic start to get an IV ready. I reached in one of my pant pockets, down on my leg by my knee and pulled my phone out. As I turned the screen on, my heart started to pound fast. I had 20 missed calls from my wife, and a slew of scared texts from her as well demanding answers. I glanced up to my son seeing the medic put a needle in his arm carefully. I leaned forward feeling the ambulance start and opened my phone, quickly calling my wife. The phone only rang once before I heard her panicked, crying voice.
"Kendall? What's going on? Are you aright? Logan called and told me to go to Saint Mary's. I'm here and he isn't telling me anything. What happened?" I closed my eyes running a hand over my freshy buzzed head sighing out.
"I..." I stopped feeling a pained breath leave my body trying to figure out how to tell my wife, our only child was shot.
"Kendall?" Her voice was quiet and laced with fear. "Is Max okay?"
"No." I said it quietly and quickly hearing beeping coming from in front of me. I glanced up seeing Max's heartbeat on a monitor. "He was shot Jules." I didn't hear anything from her. Instead a small shaking body threw itself on me and I sat back quick raising my arm. She dove under it and clutched onto my vest and sobbed out loudly.
"We're almost there Kendall." I glanced up to the front to see we were speeding down the street, lights fashing, siren screaming.
"Jules...go to the ambulance drop off." I hung up quick putting my phone back in my pocket looking back down at my son. "How is he doing?"
"He sounds good. He's lost a bit of blood but he's going to make it. The bullet is pretty deep in but taking it out shoud be a breeze. He'll be alright Kendall." I nodded looking back out to the front seeing the hospital maybe two blocks away. "I heard the shooter was shot in a stand off. Is that true?" I looked back to the paramedic working on my son and nodded once watching him shake his head. "Good." I looked away quick, down at the girl crying on me still and tried, with a heavy heart to prepare mysef to see my wife.
When the ambuance stopped the back doors were pulled open quickly. I turned to them, not surprised to see four doctors, all in blue or green scrubs waiting to help. When they started to pull my son out, the paramdic not far behind hoding his IV a familiar face caught my eye. Logan my best friend was in a tan button up shirt, with a white lab coat over top. Usualy his face would make me happy. He has been my best friend for almost 35 years. Yet today, right now, all I coud think was what if my son died. And then it hit me. "Daddy?" Emily pushed off me fast and jumped out of the ambulance running to Logan who looked clsoe to tears letting her jump in his arms. He held around her tight squeezing his eyes shut hard whispering he loved her over and over. As Max was wheeled away, loud talking already starting, I found i couldn't move out of my seat. The first tears started to drop seeing Logan grip onto his daughter. And I ony started to cry because what if i couldn't hold my son like that again?
"Kendall." I clenched both fists together and set my elbows on my knees so I could prop my head up on my fists. A sob left my throat hearing a familiar, strong voice get closer. "Come on man. Max is going to be okay. Let's go inside and get some water." A hand gripped the back of my neck and pulled me into a strong chest. He was wearing his whoel gear still, just like I was. Carlos was another very clsoe friend. He was also my partner on the force. He had my back so many times in my life, I figured one more time coudn't hurt.
I trusted him as he walked me out of the ambulance and into the loud, busy hospital. My vision was clouded with tears, but I could see bodies rushing past, some bloody, some crying. Alot of people, I could tell, were staring at me. For what, I couldn't tell. Maybe because I was silently crying, letting Carlos lead me through the halls. And maybe it was just because Carlos and I were there, in S.W.A.T. gear still. It didn't matter however, as I was walked into the ER, and stopped by a nurses station. Standing in a tight, knee length black dress, with a black cardigan over it, holding around herself, crying looking up at a TV was my wife, Juliet. Her hair usually in a tight bun on the top of her head, was down around her shoulders. The little make-up she was wearing around her eyes, was smudged. And if it were any other day, any other situation, I would have ran to her and kissed away her tears. But how was I supposed to do that when my own were falling as well. "Juliet." She turned to Carlos and I quick and cried out. She rushed to me, pushing past doctors waking by and collided into me. I wrapped one arm around her back while my other hand tangeled in her hair closing my eyes rocking her gently. I felt a pat to my back and heard heavy boots walk away, knowing Carlos was giving us space. Her arms, skinny and long wrapped around my back tight. She pulled down on my vest in the back and cried openly on my chest. As I held her and opened my eyes to see Logan standing about 15 feet from me, still holding his daughter, talking quietly with Carlos something struck me. I needed to chin up. I needed to start acting like the strong, brave guy my wife needed right now. So I gently pulled her off my chest, set my hands on her face and forced a smile wiping at the tears with my thumbs.
"He's going to be okay. There going to take the bullet out and he'll go home, and he'll be okay." Her eyes closed and she pressed her lips together hard. I leaned forward quickly and kissed her forehead locking eyes with Logan. I motioned him over to me and he did, Carlos and his daughter walking along with him. When he stopped behind us I let Juliet put herself back on my chest and sighed out calming my breathing down. "Do you know where he is?" Logan nodded brushing Emily's hair back off her shoulders clearing his throat.
"He's in an operation room right now. From what I uderstand James made it his mission to be the one to be in there. He's going to take good care of him." I nodded and looked down at Emily who was staring at the crying woman on my chest.
"Emily...can you tell me what happened?" Her eyes found mine and she sniffeed wiping her face off on Logan who didnt seem to mind.
"We...we just left the food court. He bought me a pretzel." I nodded letting Juliet turn in my arms. When the two of them faced each other, Emiy started crying again. "We walked inot Forever 21...he was helpign me pick out a dress for the dance coming up. I was about to walk in a fitting room when I heard...popping sounds. And then people started screaming. Max...he grabbed me. He shoved his body into mine and pushed me on the floor. He covered my head with his and told me to call 911, and tell them someone was shooting at the mall." She took a deep breath wiping her face shaking her head. "The popping sound stopped and he slowly stood up telling me to stay down. I didn't know what he was doing until i saw him trying to get to his phone. That's when he got shot." Her voice trailed off and she looked to her dad, crying out. He held her face and kissed her nose before looking at me. I shook my head and looked over his shoulder, seeing his office door closed tight.
"Can Juliet stay in your office, until Max is out of surgery?" He nodded fast and turned pulling Emily with him. I followed, Carlos close behind and let Juliet go. She reached out to Emily who looked to her, bottom lip quivering. Juliet pulled her to her and carefully walked her to the leather couch. The girls sat down and I turned to Logan. "I want to see him." He only nodded turning to hsi daughter pulling off his doctors coat.
"I have some water bottles in the fridge over there. And I have a few blanekts and pillows if you get cold. Have a nurse call me, if you need anything." He set the coat by Emily who was already curled up under Juliet's arm. When he turned back to me, before leaving his office i pulled off my bullet proof vest and unbuckeled my utility belt around my waist. I set them both on Logan's desk and turned following after Logan, again Carlos behind us.
It was almost too much to watch. To see my son shirtless on an operating table, blood covering his stomach and chest. He didn't look like my 17 year old son. Instead he looked like the small boy I used to put on my shoulders as we watched hockey games. He looked like the 5 year old who I used to pay hide and seek with, who loved to get tickled. He looked like the tiny, 4 pound premature baby I thought I was going to loose when he was born. I didn't see my 17 year old son. I saw a victim. And i saw a child. And it hurt me down to my core. The only silver lining was seeing the surgeon opperating on my child. James, who was again one of my best friends, was also one of the best surgeons in the state. He also happened to be married to Logan. They were my best friends, plus Carlos and as the three of us looked in at James and my son I realized how blessed I actually was.
"The bullet's out. He's gonna sew him up." I glanced down to Logan who had his hands in his pants pockets looking directly into the room. His voice was so quiet, he almost sounded hurt. All I could do was nod, however, and look back in the room seeing only the still face of my child. "Kendall...you will never know...Max will never know how grateful I am...how James is going to be when he finds out what your son did. There are not enough words in the world that can express how much love i have for you and your family." I reached out blindly and pulled Logan into my side letting him hug me tight. He was going to be the third person to sob on my chest, but I didn't mind. Logan needed to let it out and I was going to let him, in anyway. "I thought I was going to lose her." He said it through painful crys making me start to tear up again. But as I held my small shaking fragile friend I saw James talk to a nurse pointing out to us. I frowned and looked to Carlos who also looked confused. When the nurse walked out to us lowering the mask over her face I perked up seeing a bullet, still bloody from my son, on a plastic small plate.
"James wanted you guys to see this. He said it would make more sense to you if you looked at the tip." I frowned and let Logan go taking a pair of gloves out from a case on the wall. I pulled them on and grabbed the bullet turning it up. My stomach immidetly turned and I ganced in the room to see James still working on Max.
"Hollow point?" I nodded turning to Carlos who gave a small smile to Logan as the nurse walked in. "Hollow point bullets can cause a lot of damage. The idea is that they expand once inside the target. They can cause a lot of tissue damage. But as logn as the removal was easy, it shouldn't be too bad."
"Why do you think James wanted you guys to see it." I ganced down to Logan before walking to the sink in the corner and washed the bullet off with hot water.
"Because...hollow point bullets aren't a huge seller in the city. Someone had to search for these. Which means..." I turned inturupting Carlos and felt my anger start to rise.
"Which means the person who did this, has been planning it, and wanted to cause a lot of damage".