It happened so fast.

One moment Matt talking about an X-Box and the next he was in frantic motion, shouting, "Get down! Get Back!", shoving Kaden and herself down. Gunshots rang out, louder than she expected, as Alesha crouched by a wrought iron fence, shielding her face and freezing until the shots stopped.

Her ears were still ringing when she looked up and took in the chaos around her. Having picked themselves up from the ground, uniformed constables and barristers were running about. Kaden was sitting up in front of a brick wall, a look of shock on his young face.

"Matt! Matty!" Ronnie reached his partner's side first, calling his name and pressing his coat onto Matt's chest. From where she stood, Alesha could see Matt's legs moving listlessly, but he said nothing as Ronnie shouted for someone to call an ambulance.

On numb legs, she stepped forward and gazed down at Matt. His big, blue eyes stared up into the sky, not focusing on anything and his normally healthy complexion was chalky white. Though Ronnie's coat covered most of Matt's chest, she could see blood on his neck and a thin stream trickling from the corner of his mouth.

As Ronnie put more pressure on the wounds, blood quickly seeping through his coat and staining his hands, Matt began gasping for breath, bringing up greater amounts of frothy blood bubbles. His eyes were unfocused and glazed, roving wildly as he was wracked with violent tremors. Lying, palm up, on the pavement, Matt's right hand spasmed, grasping at air.

That galvanized her into action. At once the reality of what had happened hit home and she dropped to her knees, taking his hand in hers and saying, "Hold on, Matt. Please!"

"There now son, listen to her," Ronnie said and Alesha could hear the suppressed panic in his voice. "You'll be fine."

It wasn't clear how much Matt was understanding, but she saw pain and fear in his unfocused gaze. Gently stroking his hair, she murmured reassurances and prayed that help would arrive soon.

Almost on cue, a pair of paramedics appeared in a flurry of medical lingo and swift, competent motions.

"Stand back," the senior paramedic said briskly, pulling Ronnie's coat off of Matt and ripping his shirt open. Her younger partner cut the rest of the shirt and jacket, taking his pulse and blood pressure. "Cardio/pulmonary penetrating injury, diminished breath sounds on the right."

Two bullets had hit Matt in the chest.

"Tachycardia, decreased systolic pressure," her partner stated, "Setting up a rapid infusion line."

Slapping a patch of something over the wound on his right side, the senior paramedic announced, "Pneumothorax…urgent needle decompression…"

"Cardiac tamponade!"

"Putting in a Foley. We need him stabilized for transport."

Alesha wasn't entirely sure what they were doing, but they were calm, going about their duties then strapping Matt to a stretcher. "I'm riding with him," Ronnie said and, receiving no protest from the paramedics as they hustled toward the ambulance, called over his shoulder, "Meet us at St. Anne's."

"I'll be right behind you!" she replied, watching them board the ambulance and roar off.

The plaza around her was still in chaos. Constables moved around, securing the scene and reassuring civilians. Another pair of medics were tending to another wounded officer. In the distance, she could see news crews setting up cameras to report on the shooting.

One reporter was pointing at her.

She had blood on her hands.

Matt's blood.

"Ms. Phillips?"

She jumped as Kaden touched her arm. In the shuffle, he'd been largely ignored and was standing by her side, biting his lip and trying not to look at the blood.

"Can I go to the hospital with you?"

He sounded so young and scared. He was young and scared.

It was probably (definitely) against protocol, but she nodded, giving him a wavering smile. "Yeah, let's go. Wouldn't want Matt waking up before we get there, right?"

Hospital waiting rooms were all the same. Antiseptic white walls, stiff, plastic chairs, a lumpy couch if you were lucky, fluorescent lighting and the lingering smell of sickness and bleach. Monotonous, canned muzak pouring softly from the PA system and the squeak of rubber shoes on linoleum.

When Alesha and Kaden arrived at St. Anne's, a harried nurse in the A&E department directed them to the surgical wards waiting room. There they found Ronnie pacing like a caged bear. He informed them that Matt had been whisked off to surgery within minute of arriving.

No one had been out to bring him any updates since then.

"Guv's on her way," he said, clearly worried for his friend. "She's called his mum…or a sister, I'm not sure who she got, but if one of them knows they all know…Meanwhile, these forms are a nightmare!"

He was holding a clipboard that clearly contained Matt's admittance paperwork. Understandably, he hadn't yet made much headway into it.

"Let me have that," she said gently and he blinked as she slipped the clipboard from his hand.

It was as though he really hadn't registered them before. He looked startled as he asked, "Kaden?"

The boy squirmed a bit under his gaze before mumbling, "Just wanted to make sure he was okay, is all."

Alesha perched on one of the uncomfortable chairs, preparing to balance the clipboard on her knees, as Ronnie nodded and clasped Kaden on the shoulder. "Good lad. Let's grab a tea for Ms. Phillips and ourselves."

"Okay." Kaden seemed relieved no one was forcing him to go.

"Thanks," Alesha said, forcing a smile as they stepped away. Once they disappeared from sight, she let out a breath that had caught in her throat and placed the clipboard beside her.

When she'd fallen to her knees by Matt to hold his hand, she'd scraped her knees, tearing the skin open. At the time, she hadn't even noticed, there had bee too much going on, but now she stared. Matt's blood had gotten everywhere, her hands, her coat, her skirt, legs, boots…on her knees. She couldn't even tell what was hers and what was his.

Touching the drying blood with one hand, she felt tears escape her eyes and covered her mouth with her scarf. Alesha allowed herself to let the fear and shock out for a minute before giving herself a shake.

Yes, today had been terrifying, but Matt was strong. He'd survive.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes before picking up the clipboard and pen and looking to see what headway Ronnie had made.

"Alesha."

She looked up to see DCI Natalie Chandler, Matt and Ronnie's superior officer, entering the waiting room. To her surprise, Jacob Thorne, her own boss at CPS was with her. "Natalie, Jake…Matt's in surgery. Ron's taken Kaden to get tea…."

Natalie crossed the room and sat at Alesha's side, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Me? Yeah, of course…Matt, he pushed me out of the way. The shots were so loud and….""I know," Natalie said kindly, clearly not wanting her to have to relive the events just yet. "Matt's mum is on her way. Perhaps we should get you cleaned up before…."The blood. "Yes, of course," Alesha agreed, not wanting the poor woman to have to see her covered in her son's blood. That was a shock she didn't need.

"I'll find a nurse, get a change of clothes for you," Jake said, clearly at a bit of a loss as to how to react in this situation. He was still finding his place in the interpersonal dynamic of their group, but he was there and trying to help, so credit to him.

It took a rather long time to clean up, even with Natalie's help, but when they emerged, Alesha clad in loose, blue scrubs, Ronnie and Kaden had returned and were sitting in the waiting room with Jake. A tense, worried silence filled the room as they sat there, waiting for news.

Soon after, two women appeared, looking wide eyed and worried. The older of the two looked to be in her 60' and was gripping the younger woman's hand. Their features spoke of their close family relationship and no one could have missed the resemblance to Matt.

"Maggie," Ronnie said, rising from his seat, eyes on them. "I'm so sorry, dear."

The younger woman - Maggie - gave Ronnie a half hearted smile and replied, "We know, Ron. This is my mum, Katherine…."

"What happened to my boy?" Mrs. Devlin demanded, her thick Irish accent something of a surprise, given the Kilburn tones of Matt and his sister. The redness of her eyes said she'd been crying, though her cheeks were dry now and Ronnie froze slightly.

Stepping forward, Natalie said, "Mrs. Devlin, I'm Natalie Chandler, Matt's DCI. I spoke with you earlier. Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell you what we know."

With a resolute nod, Mrs. Devlin strode toward the chairs, then squeezed her daughter's arm. "Go on down to see if they need blood while I speak with Ms. Chandler here."

Maggie looked like she might protest for a moment before taking in her mother's expression and relenting. "Yes, Mum," she said softly, then hurried out of the room, flat soled shoes nearly silent on the floor.

After she disappeared, Mrs. Devlin asked, "How did this happen?"

"Matt was shot outside the courthouse," Natalie said evenly. "The paramedics stabilized him and he's in surgery now."

The older woman reacted by blessing herself and murmuring something too low for Alesha to hear.

The room fell quiet again as they all sat back, worrying and waiting for any news.

TBC….

Comments, pretty please?