Dr. Theo Hunter was on a break after working since 3:00 am. I haven't called the missus yet today, he mused. Might as well call now. Whipping out his phone, Theo dialed his wife's number.
"Hey Theo!" his wife said.
"Hi dear, I'm on a break now. How's your morning going?" Theo looked up to see his colleague and friend, Bashir Hamed, across the cafeteria also on his phone, likely texting his sister. He raised a hand in greeting and got a smile and nod returned.
"It's good, I just dropped the girls off at school. It's pyjama day, so they went to school in their onesies!"
"I wish I could see that," he replied, smiling fondly at the image of his youngest daughter wearing her Frozen II onesie, loudly stating, "It's AH-nuh, not AN-uh!"
"Hey, I get next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. How about I fly in and surprise the girls?"
"I'm sure they'd love that." His wife replied. "As would I."
They chatted idly for about ten minutes before Theo ended the call with a fervent "I love you". Sighing, he slipped his phone in his pocket and walked up to Bash who was eating an apple, still texting. Smirking, Theo grabbed an extra scalpel from his jacket and sliced a neat section off the apple before popping it in his mouth. Bash sent him a playful glare and tossed the stem on his lap.
"How's Amira?" Theo spoke around the apple piece, his left cheek puffed out like a chipmunk. He biffed the stem at the compost bin and whooped when it landed.
"She's still in bed!" Bashir responded with a fond eye-roll. Moving the phone to his face, Bash proceeded to rapidly speak Arabic into the phone before pressing send. At Theo's questioning gaze, he shrugged. "I said 'get up you lazybones before I come home and drag you to school!'" A quiet ding drew their attention to Amira's response, also an Arabic voice recording.
"What did she say?" Theo asked curiously.
"I am not translating that." Bashir muttered. "Too much swearing!"
The men chuckled softly until a shadow fell upon them. Looking up, Theo felt a strong sense of foreboding make its way down his spine when he recognized the woman in front of him.
"Dr. Hunter. Long time no see," the woman intoned blandly. Standing up, Theo took in her dishevelled brown hair and odd stance, hands behind her back.
"Mrs. Brown. How may I help you?" Memories of the last time he had seen her floated to the front of his mind. He had sat next to her in an uncomfortable plastic chair and gently informed her that her son passed away on the operating table. She had screamed that he didn't try hard enough through her tears and tried to attack him. Mags had managed to talk her down and convince her to release Theo from the stranglehold she had locked him in. After Mrs. Brown left, Theo had dragged himself to the staffroom and wept.
Calmly, she moved her hands to her front, revealing a partially hidden black object. Beside him, Bashir stiffened and sucked in a sharp breath. Theo glanced over in concern before returning his attention to the woman who was now pointing a gun at him. His heart skipped a beat before resuming at a wild pace as he stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Where is Dr. Leblanc?" she demanded. Dr. Leblanc had been in the operating room with Theo that day because he had needed some extra hands. She had been the one to announce the time of death. While her attention was focused on Theo, Bashir subtly withdrew his phone and sent a quick message to Mags. Shooter in caf. Wants u. Do not come. He made eye contact with Theo.
Mags? Theo mouthed. Bash inclined his head, causing Theo to exhale a sigh of relief. The sigh turned into a yell of pain as Mrs. Brown lowered her gun and shot his shin. People glanced over to find the source of noise. Then all hell broke loose. Screams filled the air as people scrambled to their feet in panic. Many rushed to the door but stopped in their tracks when Mrs. Brown fired at the door.
"Not so fast!" She called. She strode over to them. "Nobody leaves until I find Dr. Leblanc." She then pulled out her phone and texted somebody. Seconds later, a large group of people walked in the doors with guns held high. Without needing direction, they shuffled about until not a door in sight was unguarded. Mrs. Brown started down the hall to the main area of the emergency room, just as a voice over the P.A. system announced a lockdown.
Theo peered down at his leg; his blood was invisible against the dark brown of his pants. He hastily applied pressure on the wound while cursing under his breath. He was in the middle of wrapping gauze around his leg the lights abruptly shut off. Panicked cries flew around as security attempted to calm them. Roughly tying a knot, Theo turned his head towards the sound of retching, ready to comfort someone. He was not expecting to see Bashir crouched down so people would not see him vomit on the tiled floor. Grunting, Theo shifted over and laid a hand on Bashir's trembling shoulder. Bashir flinched and lifted a hand to shield himself before shaking his head and meeting Theo's calm – well as calm as he could be – eyes.
Wiping his mouth and grimacing at the taste, Bashir made to stand up but was stopped by the hand still on his shoulder.
"Hey. Come here." Theo coaxed, moving his hand down Bashir's arm to lightly hold his clean hand. Bashir jerkily crawled over and sat next to Theo. He avoided Theo's eyes, but Theo was having none of that. He gently cupped the younger man's jaw and applied pressure, forcing Bashir to raise his head. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Bashir. It's okay to be scared."
Bashir met his eyes briefly before focusing on a point just beyond Theo's left shoulder. "I have to find Dr. Leblanc," he muttered before moving again to stand.
"Then I'm coming too," Theo stated as he struggled to his feet. Bashir quickly moved to assist him.
"No, Dr. Hunter, you're injured," he protested, but to no avail.
"Bashir. I'm coming with you. Mags is our friend." Theo said firmly. Bashir met his eyes for a long moment before nodding his head in defeat. With Bashir supporting most of Theo's weight, the two shuffled down the hall that Mrs. Brown had disappeared in just minutes earlier.