A/N: I am really touched by the reviews for the last chapter. I hope this one will be just as entertaining.
Will swallowed down the golf ball size lump in his throat. The sight of the slain patrolman's blood against the white flooring was bad enough. But what disturbed him even more was the crimson staining the sheets of Natalie's bed. Small dots of blood indicated the guard was standing in close range of her when he was shot. At least he hoped that was case because if the blood were Natalie's then…
"Wh-Where is she?" he stared pensively trying to block the horrific images that were swirling in his mind.
"WHERE IS SHE?" He whirled around earning the attention of sympathetic and shocked co-workers.
Doris tuned her head, lifting her chin. Like the others, she too horrified to speak.
The elevator.
30 minutes earlier…
"Hey there," April Sexton flashed a contagious smile at the officer standing watch she stepped into Natalie's cubicle with two bowl size tubs of Tupperware. "I brought you both some of my Mom's famous chicken soup."
The tips of officer's ears turned pink. "Thank you, Ma'am but I'm on duty."
"Well then, I'll put it in the lounge and you can have it later." April said, making her way to her sick friend." And how's our patient doing?"
Natalie looked at the pretty nurse as she set the containers of soup on the over the bed tray and frowned slightly. Next to Will, April Sexton was one of her closest friends. She loved the compassionate nurse like her own sister. When Jeff died, April and Maggie had been the ones who had pulled her grieving pregnant ass out of bed day after refusing to allow her to wallow in her pity. "Other than this infection, I'm okay." She peeled the lid from the plastic container and closed her eyes inhaling the heavenly aroma from the soup and pushed it aside. "It smells delicious."
"You're anything but okay," April pulled her lips to one corner to her mouth. "Now spill it."
"I don't know what you mean," Natalie looked down at the braid of hair hanging over her shoulder and started to pick at the ends. For a year now she'd been setting aside her feelings for Will, waiting for her grief over Jeff to pass and now that she had tested the waters and decided to move on he wasn't available.
"Don't lie to me, I know better than anyone when you're at your worst, remember?"
Natalie blew out a tense breath. There was no sense in lying to April. She would tell Maggie and then the two of them would brow beat it out of her. "All right, Will and I kissed again and it was completely my fault."
April's infectious smile grew. "Did he kiss you back?"
"April!"
"I'm just sayin' that if he did maybe you should take that as a sign." April winked as the door opened and two orderlies' appeared.
"Dr. Manning, I'm here to take you down to radiology. Dr. Scarborough has ordered a CT scan."
"Why?" Natalie's frown was back. To her knowledge her abdomen was healing just fine.
"I don't know. It just appeared on the board but I can have him paged if you like."
"No, that won't be necessary," Natalie said conceding that her colleague must have a valid reason.
"We'll talk later." April leaned in pressing her cheek against the doctor's and began to whisper. "And when we do I want to hear more about this K-I-S-S."
"Stop!" Natalie giggled as they parted and the orderlies moved in setting the bed railings firmly in place to transport. The officer who said his name was Tom fell into step behind them as they maneuvered their way to the patient elevator.
Closing her eyes, she listened haphazardly as he made small talk with the other two men until the elevator dinged and the doors opened. That was when her world came crashing down for a second time in less than a week.
"Get down!" Her eyes flew open at Tom's shout. But it was too late; a man wearing a white mask sporting a blank expression had already pulled a gun. The officer drew his weapon but white mask was faster. One shot pinged from the silencing device attached to his weapon hitting Tom on the right side of his neck.
One orderly scattered while the other pulled the bleeding officer out of the way and yelled for help but white mask's hands were already on her dragging her from the bed. A large arm wrapped around her neck holding in a choke hold style while the opposite pressed the gun to her temple.
Once the elevator doors closed, white mask released his hold and pulled a loaded syringe from the pocket his black hoodie.
"What is that?" Natalie's voice shook when he grabbed her arm reeling her back. Her knees were shaking and she whimpered as the tip of the needle punctured the skin in her neck.
"Ketamine"
"We need this door open now!" Jay yelled pressing his hands up against the silver metal.
"SWAT and Chicago Fire are on their way," Ruzek said, stuffing his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "In meantime, Atwater and I'll take the stairs."
"Good thinking" Jay nodded, looking at this former girlfriend. "Erin will get with the hospital's technology and see try if they can locate our gunman and Doctor Manning on the video camera. If they were able to get out they could be anywhere in the hospital."
"On it," Erin answered taking off behind Ruzek and Atwater.
Jay looked at his brother. Will's face had gone almost ashen. "Ms. Goodwin and I'll start going over blueprints just in case he tried to take Natalie up into the ventilation system."
"He's going to hurt her isn't he?" Will managed.
"I don't know. All that I can promise is that I'll get her back. But I need you to remain calm and in area where a lot of people can see you."
Will's face darkened. "Natalie was in an area with a lot of people."
"Just stay out of trouble and let me handle this, please?"
Will raked his hand over his mouth and stared distantly in the direction of the nurse's station. He believed that Jay would get Natalie back but in what condition? "This is my fault," he said feeling Clarke and April step up beside him.
"You don't know that." April ran a calming down the center of his back and he flinched.
"She's right. You don't know what he wants. It may not have anything to do with you." Clarke added as Matthew Casey and crew came down the hall toward them barring Halligan bars and other tools.
"It has everything to do with me! The guy took a shot at Nina tonight!"
Clarke put his hands up in surrender. "Whoa, I'm on your side. Remember?"
"I'm sorry. Natalie and Nina it's…" Will tried to apologize as his phone started to buzz at his hip. He let it ring, letting the call go to voice mail. Whoever it was could wait. The only thing that matter right now was Casey and his team getting that door open. If Nat was inside...
As soon as the ringtone died it started again. Frustrated, he reached for it and switched it to ignore without really thinking. The number on the screen was from a blocked caller. A few moments later, a text came with a picture.
It was profile shot of Natalie. Her eyes were closed and her long dark hair was slicked back like someone had taken out from the braid she had been wearing earlier and wet it.
Do I have your attention now?
If so, walk away and call me back.
Will's first instinct was to call Jay but instead he pressed the home button on his phone and looked around. April and Clarke were busy watching the firefighters try to pry the door open.
Without so much of a sound he slipped away and into an empty family conference room and bolted the door, pressing down on the call back button. "Where is she?" he growled at the click before the person on the other end had a chance to express a greeting. For several moments, Will heard nothing but heavy, muffled breathing.
"Answer me, damn it!"
The voice that replied was mechanical, computer enhanced. "You shouldn't have hurt Dr. Shore."
"I haven't hurt, Nina," he said, calmly. "But while we're at it, if you're concerned about Dr. Shore than how come you took a shot at her?"
There was a hitch in the man's breathing. "You hurt all women you come in contact with," he reported angrily.
Ah… so it was someone who knew his track record with women. "Like you're hurting Dr. Manning?" Will countered. "She doesn't deserve this and you know it. I suck at relationships, personal and professional. She's just another would be notch on my bed post."
"Dr. Manning is a threat to your relationship with Dr. Shore."
Will shook his head with a manic smile. "No, you had it right the first time. Dr. Manning just wants to be my colleague. We-we're friends. So why don't we talk a trade? Her for me? Because that's what you really want right?"
The heavy breathing was back. Will's insides were liquefying. What if the guy hung up? "Look, I'm a man of my word. Tell me what to you and I'll do it."
"We both know that isn't true," the mechanical voice laughed.
"DON'T HURT HER!" he yelled into the hapless cell, quickly sucking in a breath.
"Why not? Her blood is already on your hands."
There was truth in that. Evidently, his friendship with Natalie had pissed major sick-o big time and she was taking the brunt of it.
"I'll ask you again. What do you want?"
"Stand near the window."
What? Will's eyes narrowed and slowly he turned around facing the large pane of glass that reflected the Chicago night. The cars and people below looked like ants scurrying about in the glow of the street light. Sick-O's intent was clear. "Do I have your word you'll let her go?"
"Absolutely."
"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked in time with the ding of his phone. Another text. This time it was a video shot, the camera panning a familiar room: the morgue.
"She's in drawer twenty-seven B," Will felt his stomach lurch as the masked Sick-O pushed the slab into the refrigerated rectangular compartment and closed the door.
"Is she alive?"
"Very much so." The next ding was group text, sent to both Will and Jay detailing Nat's exact location. If he was telling the truth then she was safe.
Will heard the sound of the bullet cutting through glass before he felt the punch to the chest. The shot knocked him backwards onto the thin carpet and he rolled onto his stomach, his outstretched hand, inches from his phone.
A/N: Eep! Nobody hate me for the double cliffhanger! There is a method to my madness!
