Warning: This chapter deals with school shootings and mentions of child abuse in various forms. Unfortunately, school shootings are on the rise (my community was hit by one not very long ago) and I'd like to make this clear: if you must have a firearm, make sure it is out of the reach of children. The idea for a school shooting was inspired by The Fosters.
Chapter Eleven: Alone
Mary was leaning over Olivia's computer, going over a flyer that was to be released for the upcoming fall harvest festival, when David walked in. She looked up and smiled.
"Well, what do I owe this surprise to?" She made her way around the desk, kissing him. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Emma forgot her lunch." He held up the bag. "Figured, instead of tracking down her in the halls and ultimately embarrassing her, you could call her down later."
"Also embarrassing her?"
"Better you than me."
Mary laughed, playfully rolling her eyes at the same time.
"Neal was okay at daycare?"
"As usual. I swear I heard him taunting me when I left."
"Oh David, you jealous man." She patted his chest.
The door to the office opened and Graham walked in, looking disturbed.
"Graham, I know I'm running a little late, but…" David was swiftly cut off by his deputy.
"I got a call from Jason Scarlet. Is Will in school today?"
"Uh, I can check." Mary walked over to the secretary's desks and used the other one's computer to check the roster from homeroom. "It looks like he was in homeroom, but then he didn't show up to first period. Why?"
"Mr. Scarlet says that his gun is missing. The only other person who has the combination to the safe is Will."
David felt his blood run cold. What kind of parent let their child have access to a firearm? He knew it wasn't odd for them to learn how to shoot, but to know where it was and be able to take it? Then again, it was the Scarlet family. They allowed their kid to run rampant. Before he could suggest they go check the parking lot, Lily walked into the office.
"Lily, what's up?" Mary tried to keep the panic out of her voice.
"I uh, saw Will not too long ago. Something didn't seem right."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know. He was acting shiftier than usual."
"How long ago was this?" Graham asked.
"Maybe 10 minutes. I was heading to class, but I just had this feeling…"
"You did the right thing coming here," Mary assured her, putting a hand on her arm. "Olivia, pull up the security footage from the parking lot. We'll see if Will's car is there. Graham, can you please go inform the principal?"
As the deputy went to the back office to get the principal, the secretary pulled up the footage. Sure enough, Will's all too familiar BMW was parked in the very front. By the time this was realized, the principal, Jasmine was making her way over.
"He's in school, but not in class," Mary told her.
"We need to put the school on lockdown," Jasmine replied.
"I'll put the call in," Graham said, we'll get the school on lockdown.
Mary could see Lily's panicked face and she gently lead her over.
"You're going to stay with me, okay? Don't worry, you're going to be safe." The teen slowly nodded. "Sit down, okay? Get low to the ground, you remember the lock down drill we just had?" Lily slowly sunk to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. Mary went to grab the mic to make the announcement, when he saw David going towards the door. "David, where are you going?"
"Just going to make sure Emma isn't out in the halls or something. Then I'll go wait for the SWAT team." He went to leave again, but Mary grabbed his arm. "Mary…"
"Just be safe, okay?"
David saw the fear in her eyes and cupped her cheek. "I'm going to be fine and so is Emma."
"I saw her heading to first period, it's on this floor," Lily spoke up.
"See? I'm just making sure she got there okay and make sure all the kids get in the right rooms."
With that, he left. Mary drew a deep breath and grabbed the mic back, pressing the red button. She had been trained for this, but no amount of training was preparing her.
"Code blue, I repeat code blue. This is not a drill; the school is on lockdown. I repeat, this is not a drill. The entire school is on lockdown."
David walked quickly through the halls, watching the students scream and scurry into classrooms. He guided them in, assuring them it didn't matter where they were. There was no sign of Will or Emma. He spotted Ruby scurrying for a door and she saw him.
"Mr. Nolan, what's going on?!"
"You're going to be okay, Rube. It's all going to be okay. Just go into that classroom. Have you seen Emma?"
"I think she was going to her class."
With that, the teen was pushed into a classroom by some other students. Doors were shutting, quickly as his wife's voice rang over the intercom. He headed towards the back doors, looking around. No Emma. He just had to tell himself that she was safe, that she was already in a classroom. With that, he walked out of the building to wait for the SWAT team. Graham had paged him that he had called it in and that they would be there soon.
Meanwhile, Emma was standing in the bathroom, taking some quiet time before class. Her earbuds were in her ears, an old ACDC song on blast. As it came to an end, she could hear her mother's voice over the intercom.
"Code blue, this is a code blue. The school is on lockdown."
Quickly, she pushed the iPod into her purse along with the earbuds, racing out the door. All the surrounding classrooms already had the doors shut. She banged on the nearest one.
"Let me in! It's me, Emma Nolan." Nothing. Tears prickled her eyes as she remembered back to their lock down drill. Once the doors were shut, no one could be let in. It was a safety issue. Her breath hitched and she did her best to calm herself down. She just had to make it to her mother's office. There was no way that she would turn her away, policy or no policy. But as she made her way down the hall, a fear crossed her mind.
What if the gunman was walking around too? What if they found her and shot her? Her mother's office was on the other side of the building. It was too dangerous and suddenly, the bathrooms seemed too far away. The closest thing she could find was a janitor's closet. Luckily for her, it was open. She went inside and locked the door behind her, sitting on the floor, drawing her knees to her chest. She so badly wished her phone worked, she wanted to call her mom, make sure she was okay. Call her dad, let her know that she was fine.
Sitting on the ground, surrounded by all the cleaning supplies, made her remember back to when she had to hide in another closet. Instead of bleach and solvent, there were clothes. Back then, she was hiding from bad people too…Ed and his friends. It was her one way to ensure that no one touched her, that she wasn't going to get hurt.
The memories swarmed in her head and her breath no longer stayed normal. She fumbled for her purse, trying to find her inhaler, but came up short. It didn't matter anyway, it wasn't an asthma attack, it was a panic one. She had pills at school…in her mother's office. It wasn't long until she blacked out.
Mary sat on the floor, Lily by her side. She was squeezing her hand, shooting her reassuring smiles every few minutes. Graham had given her his walkie so she could communicate with David, they weren't supposed to have their phones out. Jasmine took a seat beside her and set a laptop in front of her.
"We're getting the roll calls from the teachers," she told her.
Lily sniffled, wiping a stray tear. "Roll call?"
"Unfortunately, school shootings are happening more often, we have a plan in place so the teachers can e-mail us rosters of the students," Mary explained. "See, look, this room has Ruby in it."
Lily smiled a little, relieved. "Bae texted me earlier, he was running late to school. I don't have my phone, I left it in my locker…I can't tell him not to come…"
"Don't worry, David will tell him not to come inside," the vice principal assured her. "The only people who will be able to get in are those who can help us."
Jasmine got one final e-mail. "And that's it, all the classrooms. Will isn't with anyone."
Mary examined the lists, a sinking feeling going through her stomach.
"Emma's not here."
Lily's eyes widened. "What?"
Jasmine put a hand on her colleague's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure you just missed her name, you're bound to be stressed." But a thorough second look over, proved what the mother feared. She quickly sent out a message to all the classrooms.
Does anyone have Emma Nolan?
A response came through a moment later.
She was heard in the hallway after the doors were shut. We assumed she found another classroom.
Any hope Mary had, was gone. She jumped up and headed straight for the door. Graham jumped in front of her, grabbing a hold of her arm.
"Whoa, Mary Margaret."
"Let me go! I have to go find my daughter!"
"Shhh…"
"She's alone and scared!"
"We don't know where she is," Graham whispered, harshly. "Maybe she's hiding in a bathroom or something."
"Then I'll go find her. So, help me Graham…"
"What if Will is walking the halls?"
"That's sort of my point."
"And if he shoots you? Emma and Neal need a mother, David needs his wife. I know you're scared, but I'm sure Emma is okay. In the meantime, you have to sit down."
Mary stared at her husband's partner and felt tears fill her eyes. He was right, she knew he was right. Emma was a smart girl, she had to be somewhere safe. Still, the safest place in her mind, was with her. She let out a deep breath and sank to the ground, fumbling with her walkie.
"David? We have all the kids…except Emma. She was heard knocking on doors, but no one's seen her."
From his spot behind the truck outside, David felt his heart sink his chest. He had done a clean sweep. Emma was nowhere to be seen. Where did she end up? Where was she? Deciding to chance everything, he sent out a text. Maybe, just maybe, her phone would start magically working.
Princess, where are you? Are you okay? Please text me back if you get this.
Nothing. Not even a read. He shut his eyes, tipping his head back, praying that everything would be okay. That his little girl was safe.
"Mr. Nolan!" David whipped around to see Baelfire running towards him.
"Shhh, Bae, get down." He yanked the boy down.
"What's going on?"
"The school's on lockdown. You need to go back home or go to your father's store."
"Lockdown? Someone has a gun?"
"There's a good chance. Just go home."
"But what about Emma? Or Ruby and Lily?"
"Ruby and Lily are accounted for. Emma's going to be fine."
"You just said Ruby and Lily are accounted for, why didn't you include Emma in that?"
David sighed. The kid was smart. "She wasn't on any of the lists. But we're going to find her, it's going to be okay." He saw the panic in his eyes. "Seriously, Baelfire. You have to go home. When all of this is over, Emma will call you."
It was then that the SWAT team and ambulances were showing up, along with some parents. He had to make sure they stayed away from the school. He gave Bae one last look.
"Go home, I'm not kidding."
Emma came to, feeling dizzy. Darkness was still surrounding her, along with the smells of various cleaning supplies. She was still in the closet, alone. Things were quiet, eerily quiet. She slowly sat up, leaning against a mop. She hated this feeling, she hated being alone. She had been through it enough as a child. Back then, she was able to hear the group getting high or drunk, laughing loudly or arguing. The noise had been too much for her little self to handle, but now she wished there was at least some noise.
She wanted her parents. She didn't care how childish it sounded, she wanted her mommy and daddy. She felt safe with them. She knew, realistically, that they couldn't really stop anything, but she still needed them. Hugging her knees back to her chest, she felt so incredibly alone. All those times she pushed their parents away, rejected their comfort, she regretted it. She would do anything for a hug. To know that she was safe, that she was loved.
The smells of everything were giving her quite the headache. She realized people probably weren't intended to hide out in a janitor closet, but it was too late. If she tried to leave, she'd be in a ton of danger. She just had to breathe through her mouth alone, instead of out her nose. Anything to make her stop thinking the thoughts that she was.
She dug her phone out of her purse and tried to send out a text, but it wouldn't let her. There was no LTE coverage in the closet either, so she couldn't even use Facebook Messenger. Whimpering, she hugged herself tighter. How long could a lockdown possibly last?
In the office, as the phones rang off the hook (most likely parents and reporters, but due to policy they weren't allowed to answer them), Mary leaned against the wall, thinking about Emma. The first time they had met, how scared she had seen, how lost. She had always vowed to protect her. She said nothing would ever hurt her again, that she would never be alone. She couldn't even keep that promise. Her poor baby girl was somewhere, alone and probably scared. What if Will had done something to her? He hated her, he had targeted her numerous times. Her muscles tightened at the thought of not just the teenager, but his parents. They constantly covered for him, said he wasn't a bad kid. And there she was, huddled on the floor with her principal, secretaries, daughter's best friend and a deputy. All because he brought a gun to school.
"Emma's going to be okay," Lily's whisper broke her thoughts. Mary looked down at her. "She's tough, if Will tried to do something, she'd kick his ass. She's not who she used to be."
The vice principal gave her a watery smile. She wanted to believe it, she did. Emma had changed, she was different. But what if this undid all of the progress she had made? What if she didn't trust them anymore? What if she blamed Mary for not protecting her more? Mary was beginning to blame herself.
David's soft voice carried through the walkie. "Lily's with you, right?"
Mary picked it up, pressing the little button. "Yeah, why?"
"Mal's out here, she just wants to hear Lily's voice."
The brunette passed the device to the teenager, showing her how to use it.
"Hey Mommy, I'm okay."
Listening them interact left a heavy feeling in her chest. She would do anything to talk to her daughter, anything to just soothingly be able to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Before she knew it, the walkie was being passed back.
"Listen, we have the SWAT team preparing to do a sweep of the halls, then they'll start evacuating everyone. We think Will may have gotten spooked and left, but everything's going to be okay," David explained. "I called the daycare, just to check on Neal and he's fine too."
Mary sighed in relief. Her husband thought of everything. "Alright."
"It's going to be okay, we'll find Emma, we'll get her out of there."
"You're not going in, right?"
"No. They'll come get you soon, baby. Just sit tight."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Mary let the walkie drop back to her side. Soon, she'd be free. Hopefully, her family could be reunited. She just didn't know in what condition they would find her daughter.
She could hear the doors opening to the front of the school. Heavy footsteps, most likely the SWAT team. Still, she pulled her daughter's best friend a little closer to her, wrapping an arm around her. Lily couldn't be with her mother and Mary couldn't be with her daughter. At least they could comfort each other.
Another 45 minutes later and the door burst open. Members of the SWAT team came in.
"On your feet," one demanded. "Hands in the air and follow us out of the building."
Everyone scrambled to their feet, doing as told, knowing it was all just procedure. There were a ton of people already outside, parents reuniting with students, paramedics waiting in case anyone needed to be looked over. Thankfully, it looked like press hadn't been allowed past a certain point so they could all be in peace. Mary gently pushed Lily towards the waiting area, knowing she was supposed to go there too but she couldn't. She saw David and headed straight for him.
"Mary…" Then he saw the look in her eyes. She wasn't going back to where the other staff and students were. So, he pulled her close to his side, kissing her cheek.
"Have they…" She didn't even complete her thought. Of course they hadn't found Emma. If they had, there's no way she would be back there. David wouldn't be letting her go. She finally allowed herself to cry. "Where is she? Why can't they find her? Where is our baby?"
"I don't know," David whispered, he stroked Mary's cheek, frowning. He had the same thoughts rattling around in his brain. Where was his sweet little princess? "But they're going to, they haven't swept the whole school. It's going to be okay."
Mary nuzzled her head into his shoulder as she watched the team bring out another group. Ruby was among them, her hands high in the air, tears streaming down her face. David, still holding his wife, turned to watch her reunite with Granny. Lily was with Mal, even Marvin had shown up. Bae had refused to leave; both his parents were there waiting as well. Suddenly, a member of the SWAT team approached them.
"I just thought you should know, one of your officers found Will. He was completely inebriated, at the park."
David didn't know whether he should be completely pissed or relieved. The teen had put the entire school through complete and utter hell. "Is he being arrested?"
"Yes."
"So, that means that no one is danger, in there?"
"Well we can't know for sure if he was the only one who brought a gun to school…"
But David wasn't listening, not anymore. He gently got Mary out of his arms and kissed her temple, before heading towards the school. He couldn't wait anymore. The only thing that held him back was the thought that if he got shot, Neal and Emma would grow up without a father. Knowing that Will was taken care of, meant he could go looking for his baby girl. He ignored the calls of his colleagues, he didn't care. He was going to find Emma, one way or another. Mary couldn't believe it, she just stood there in shock. Yes, Will was no longer a threat, but so many other things could possibly go wrong. She just shut her eyes, silently now worrying about two of the most important people in her life rather than one.
David made his way through the halls, his hand on his holster the entire time. The hallways were like a ghost town, bags discarded everywhere. He peaked into a classroom, trying to see if Emma had maybe just been unaccounted for, only to come up short. He continued to make his way down the hall, his heart pounding in his chest.
Emma's thoughts were too much to handle. She could hear the SWAT team in the halls, helping others, but she was still too scared to move. Suddenly, there was swift knocking at the door. She screamed, throwing her hand over her mouth as the tears poured down her cheeks. She tried to back away further from the door, but it was only so big. They swung it open just as she went to move and it hit her forehead. She felt a sudden surge of pain but ignored it. She screamed as she saw two members of the SWAT team standing there, guns in their hands. She whimpered and tried to hide, remembering the last time she had been found by law enforcement in a closet. They promised everything would be okay but it wasn't, not for a very long time.
"Hands in the air, on your feet!" They demanded. Emma scrambled to her feet, raising her hands. That's when they got a better look at her, they had been warned that other than Will, one student had been unaccounted for and had gotten a radio call that her father was looking for her. "What's your name?"
"Em…Emma. Emma Nolan," she stuttered out.
One of the men lowered their gun. "Emma, I'm going to pat you down, okay?" He did a quick pat down, which made her wince a bit, but when it came up clear and checked her bag, he turned to his partner, letting him know. "You can lower your hands." She shakily did as told and was lead out into the hallway. "We're going to go find your father." Emma was confused, but followed him out into the hall while the other one charged off. "Don't worry Emma, you're going to be okay."
"I'm a good guy, I promise, I'm going to bring you to a better place."
Lies. It had all ben lies then and she knew the words out of his mouth were wrong. She was shaking, her mind wouldn't shut up. Nothing was ever going to be okay ever again, not as far as she was concerned.
David was turning the hall, ready to check the bathrooms if necessary when he heard his name being called.
"Nolan?" He whipped around. "I need you to come with me."
"I'm trying to find my daughter."
"Just come with me."
He reluctantly followed, soon to have zero regret that he had. There, in the middle of the hall, was his daughter. She had a small cut on her head, it was bleeding a bit and a small bruise forming, but the man assured her it was just from having the door hit her head. He quickly nodded, his eyes not leaving his baby's.
"Emma." Never in his life had he been more relieved to see his little girl.
"Daddy," she cried out.
He ran to her, scooping her up into his arms, cradling her close. He didn't even care who saw, she was okay, she was safe. She threw her arms tightly around his neck, squeezing him tightly. He rest his head against hers, shutting his eyes.
"Shhh, I'm right here. You're safe."
"I…I…I tried to find Mama…"
"It's okay, we can talk about all of this later. Mama's fine."
"She is?"
"Yes, she's outside. Oh thank God you're okay." He kissed her cheek multiple times, feeling like if he let go, she might disappear. She was clinging on for the same reasons. Because there was that word again.
Okay.
She wasn't sure if she was ever going to be okay again. Her mind was still going back to her old life, to what she had been through. She had just spent a few hours trapped in a closet, alone, scared.
"I want Mama," she mumbled into his neck.
"She's right outside." He wanted to keep holding her, to carry her out there. To be honest, he never wanted her to leave his sight ever again. Then he thought it would be better to warn her. While in the moment she felt safe, he didn't want her to inevitably be embarrassed by being carried out by her father. "Everyone's out there. I don't mind carrying you but…"
"I can walk."
He set her down and she latched her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her and they slowly followed the man towards the exit. A very, very worried Mary was waiting on them. David had a feeling she wasn't going to be happy that he ran back in there, but he didn't care. His baby needed one of them to be there when she was found and given the fact that she was still semi-shaking, he was damn glad he had.
Man, I got a lot of people worried that one of the Charming family members were going to die. I didn't mean to scare everyone…or did I? Seriously folks, I'm not that evil! To the guest that assumed since the title says "I Won't Let Go" instead of "We Won't Let Go" that MM or David was going to die, I got the title from the Rascal Flatts song, haha. Anyway, this was the big event, the one that will be the main focus for quite a while. Was it what you expected? What do you want to see happen as a result? As always, thank you guys for the awesome reviews (10 in the course of just a few hours! Definitely the reason why this one got written as fast as it did!), hope I really didn't scare you all that much! Next chapter, we get Mary's reaction to reuniting with Emma.
