Shotgun

Premise: I was in a conversation playing with the multiple meaning of words. So, a few thoughts (potential chapters) hit my brain playing with the word shotgun

Timeline: This is in a timeline of some prior works, kind of after There is a first time for everything. So, it involves Lucy (a character of mine). Though you probably don't have to be a rocket scientist to follow my simple writing.

Bobby Goren stood in his garage. He loved to stand in his garage. He loved to think about the words his garage. He had never owned a house with a garage. Hell, he had never owned a house. Though, he and Lucy and their baby girl Addie hadn't yet moved into their house (their house, he loved that). They had signed the papers about 2 months ago, but there were some renovations that Lucy had wanted to do, including a major overhaul of the kitchen. So, on days off they would work on the house together. Sometimes, if they had a lot to do, Lucy's sister Laura would watch Addie. Bobby was actually working today and had stopped by the house just to see how Lucy was doing with some of the painting. He was surprised to not find here there. He guessed that maybe she had gone over to Laura's to check on Addie.

Bobby looked around the garage, fairly empty except for some minor construction supplies. He closed his eyes and imagined his garage full, but he didn't imagine it full with a car, he imagined plastic ride-on toys, big wheels, maybe a tiny little bicycle. He imagined bouncy balls, small and large. He imagined a plastic climby thing with maybe a small slide. He imagined all of the things that he felt sure would make Addie smile and laugh. He could barely believe that Addie would be 6 months old soon. It seemed as if Ada Elizabeth Goren had only entered the world yesterday. At 6 months she was babbling non-stop, sitting on her own, clapping and smiling. She definitely was beginning to know who was who, and he felt each and every time that he held her that she loved him.

At work, he was still assigned to the task force that cut across a few major cities on organized crime and drug trafficking. He had managed to pull Eames into the fray, so things actually felt pretty good. Hectic, but good. This week had been especially difficult. They were on the verge of potentially bringing in two major players, and he figured things would really jump in a day or so. Therefore, part of the reason for stopping by the house in this relatively quiet time was to simply see Lucy and maybe see Addie, not necessarily to check in on how Lucy was doing with the painting.

Bobby glanced at his watch, starting to feel slightly disappointed that he might miss them. He didn't have much time. He was a bit warm standing in the garage. He still had on his Kevlar vest between his undershirt and his flannel shirt. They had raided a house earlier in the day. It had been disappointing and hadn't yielded much. Now, he was starting to wish he had taken a moment to take it off before driving out to the house. Though, any moment changing his clothes would have been a moment lost, and if he had stopped to do that he might not have been able to step away and drive out to the house.

He stepped out of the garage into the driveway to look down the street. He had his hand on his cell phone in his pocket when someone stepped from the side of the house in front of him. At first, Bobby could only see the shotgun barrel. Then slowly, Bobby's eyes traveled from the barrel of the gun, up the man's arm, to the man's face. Bobby immediately recognized Theo Fernandez, one of the key 

players in the case he was working, one of the men the task force was going to arrest in the next day or so. Fernandez was smiling, coldly, his eyes fixed on Bobby's. He was carrying the deadly weapon almost casually. Bobby had been about to pull out his phone to dial Lucy. Instead he pressed redial for Eames. He hoped that Eames would pick up and listen to what was about to go down.

"Detective." Fernandez said, and walked forward. Bobby automatically walked backward into the garage. "Sorry to ruin your weekend plans."

"I didn't realize I had weekend plans." Bobby replied, keeping his tone neutral, careful. Bobby's mind was racing trying to figure out how Fernandez came to know about the task force plans to apprehend him that weekend, let alone how Fernandez came to find out Bobby's personal address, and how Fernandez knew that Bobby would be stopping by the house at this particular time. Not even Bobby knew he was stopping by until he spontaneously found himself with a free hour. Bobby figured that Fernandez had somehow followed him, which actually didn't make much sense, because Bobby felt he would've noticed being followed.

"Come now Detective, exactly how clueless do you believe me to be?" Fernandez's tone was pleasant, almost conversational. "I'm somewhat surprised to find you here Detective. Don't the police ever actually do police work anymore?"

Bobby's heart began to thud in his ears as his brain fully comprehended the last thing Theo Fernandez had said. Fernandez hadn't followed Bobby. In fact he wasn't even there for Bobby. It was clear to Bobby that Fernandez was most likely there for Lucy, and coming across Bobby was unintentional.

"Oh, did I just give my master plan away?" Fernandez faked surprise. "I can see the little wheels in your brain turning Detective."

"What is it that you want Fernandez?" Bobby asked, his hands automatically a bit in the air. Bobby looked at the shotgun again, thinking of the shotgun he had in his departmental vehicle.

"Well clearly you have already masterfully put together that I didn't want you." Fernandez shifted the large weapon slightly in his grasp. "But now that I have you, what do you suppose I should do?" Again, Fernandez continued in a strangely civil tone.

"Well you should probably take me. Whatever it is you want, I'm thinking I would make a pretty good bargaining chip for you." Bobby moved to take a slight step forward. His chest was starting to constrict thinking about the possibility that Lucy would be returning soon, and what if Addie was with her. He wanted to be gone. He wanted his family to stay safe.

"That would be lovely wouldn't it? For me to take you." Fernandez did not follow Bobby's subtle lead. He did not take a step backward. "But it was you that I wanted to bargain with… so taking you would not exactly advance my position."

Bobby could feel his mouth go a bit dry. "Well, then you should probably change your position, because you have me now." Bobby managed to keep his tone cool, conversationally echoing Fernandez. Again, 

Bobby took a slight step forward, hoping Fernandez would follow his lead and take him and his family would remain safe.

Bobby felt an opening to turn things around as he watched almost in slow motion as Fernandez's attention was turned toward the honk of the horn from a car down the street. Bobby drew his weapon from the holster fastened to the small of his back and fired. Fernandez had changed position, so Bobby hit him in the arm. The shotgun discharged, blasting Bobby square in the chest. Bobby fell backward from the force of the blast, his head slamming into the cold concrete of the garage floor. For a moment, Bobby couldn't seem to open his eyes. He was struggling, he had to get focus, but he had no air inside of him, and his head felt like he had split it open. He blinked, opening his eyes, his vision blurry. He located his gun a few feet away. He looked up to find Fernandez standing over him, the shotgun trained at his chest.

"Aw Detective. Now you've ruined all my plans, and my shirt." Fernandez sardonically referred to the blood on his shirt from where Bobby had shot him in the arm. Bobby was trying desperately to keep his eyes open, but the pain in his chest was blinding. "So, tell me detective," Fernandez asked in a pleasant tone, "how is it that I just shot you in the chest and you're not bleeding out all over the floor?"

A/N: Please let me know if you would like more... I love the conversation from reviews :)