shooting

Disclaimer: See first chapter

Lauren's breath caught in her throat. She was so frightened at the idea of a gun pressed to the back of her neck, her chest felt tight. She thought, "What's happening couldn't really be happening, because if it was I would be screaming." Mr. Clark, the owner of the store was calmly talking to the man that was holding her, calling him "son" so he must be very young. She should say something, anything to try and calm him down. She was a teacher, she worked with kids every day, but, those kids weren't trying to kill her.

"One move," the young man's voice was saying, "and I'll kill her."

There were voices, Harry Senate could here them. One was the tense voice of the store owner, saying, put the gun down and let her go. The other was a menacing voice he'd never heard before. Slowly, he opened the door to the men's room a crack, being careful not to let the man with the man with the weapon her him open it. What he saw almost made him run straight at the gunman and shoot him himself. The bastard was holding Lauren. Even with all that had recently passed between them, he still cared for her, and he could not just hide in the bathroom and let this son of a bitch hurt her. He had to think, one wrong decision and Lauren could end up dead. First, he should have someone reach the police. Who lived near enough to get them? Kevin, Kevin Riley.

Harry's hands shook as he dialed Kevin's number, and then in hushed tones told him the exact address and what was going on. If anyone could help them and fast, it would be Kevin. He had three brothers, all of them on the Boston Police Force. "Hold on, Lauren," he said to himself as he slowly began to exit the bathroom.

The gun was turned on him the second the gunman heard the door open, and Lauren was released. This kid, and he was a kid, obviously didn't know what he was doing.

"Everyone down on the ground, on the ground, now."

Harry, Lauren, and Mr. Clark hit the floor. Harry could hear the sirens in the distance, and he knew that Kevin had come through. He could also hear Lauren's sobs and all he could think of was how much he wanted to hold her and tell that this was all a horrible dream. For now, though, all he could do was lay there on the floor and hope against hop that all this would end and no one would get hurt.

Outside the store, stood several SWAT team members as well as regular police, as well as Kevin, Marilyn, and Steven. Harry could see them from his position on the floor. Kevin must have called all of their friends to be there when this horrible thing was over. He didn't see Scott Guber, which he regarded as strange given what was happening with him and Lauren. Kevin had his arm around Marilyn, who appeared to be crying, and Steven was talking to the police.

It was moments or eons later before the police began to communicate with their captor, and even longer before he responded. Harry then saw Scott, rushing toward the building and being caught by a police officer. The kid was obviously frightened by all of the noise and all of the cops. He actually turned around once for long enough that Harry could leap up from his position on the floor and show him to the ground. In the split second that it took for him to make that move, Scott, shouting Lauren's name rushed at the door of the store again.

A police officer lunged for him, as the gunman aimed the gun. One young cop was at the center of the door way and Scott was off to the side. Frightened by his position, but not wanting Harry to get the gun, he began firing through the glass, the first bullet shattering it. Of course the police started running in, a dumb thing to do Harry though, there had to be a better way.

The kid was going to fire again, and if his aim held he would hit one of the young cops in the door frame. As he lifted his hand, Harry, still on top of him, and restricting the officers' shot grabbed his shoulder and reaimed the gun to a clear path. The shot fired a split second after someone stepped in the clear path. Harry felt his heart stop, as he saw the police rush in, and as he and all there heard a cry of pain from the crowd.

"Scott!" Lauren shouted as she ran out to his side. His back was soaked with blood all ready, his eyes closed. Harry and Steven grabbed her shoulder as the paramedics rushed in to treat the wound.

An hour later, Lauren sat in the waiting room of the local hospital and watched yet another stretcher be pushed into the ER. Her stomach was in knots. She couldn't breathe. All she could think about was what happened in the store. How Harry had risked his life for her, and how Scott had been stricken by that bullet. This was all her fault. She never should have slept with Scott or kissed him under the mistletoe, she should have left well enough alone. But when could she ever do that?

"Lauren?"

"Steven, what is it?"

"You were a million miles away. I asked if you knew any of Scott's immediate family. I have the numbers in my office, and I think that his brother should be contacted."

"Let's wait and she how serious it is."

"Lauren, it's a bullet wound. This is very serious."

Lauren's attention turned to the doorway of the waiting room where she saw her brother, Dr. Daniel Davis walk in, blood on the from of his scrubs.

"Lauren, Mr. Harper. He's going to make it. The bullet hit one of his kidneys and he is up in surgery have that kidney removed. You can wait in the surgical waiting room up on the third floor. May I see the next of kin, if there is one?"

"We're really all of the family he has, except a brother we haven't yet contacted."

"Someone contact his brother, but for now, Mr. Harper, can I talk to you?"

"Yes, of course. Lauren, you'll be okay for a few minutes?"

She nodded. Something was very wrong. She knew it. Her brother would never keep something from her, unless he feared it would upset her. She had the right to know what was going on, so she moved toward the door and listened.

"His condition, is, while critical, stable. This surgery he is having should be enough, but if infection should set in, he may go into renal failure."

"What will that mean?"

"That is a very complication, it could require a transplant. Now look, Mr. Harper, I'm not trying to keep this from my sister, but she is young and she has a tendency to think that anything that happens is her fault."

"That's right, Daniel, I do think that I could have prevented this situation. Things happened that I could have prevented. Now I want to go and see Scott and I want to apologize to him for all the things that I said."

"Lauren, wait a minute. I want to talk to you."

"Now is not a good time, Daniel. I really need to be with Scott."

She left, turning her back on her brother, needing to be alone and wait for Scott to be out of surgery.

Hours passed before the surgeon, Dr. Randolph, allowed her into the room to see Scott, and even more time passed before he awoke and saw her sitting beside him, holding his hand.

"Hi," she said, very softly, very gently.

"Hi." The weakness in his voice scared her. The normally strong driven Scott was so vulnerable now, he needed her.

"I didn't think that you would want to see me after what happened."

"Not want to see you. You know how I feel."

"But this is my fault."

"No," he whispered, squeezing her hand as a way to reassure her. His grasp was weak, but having him touch her, even that little bit, made her feel better.

The tears started to form in her eyes, and she tried to control them so that he wouldn't see her cry.

"Steven is very worried about you. Everyone is worried about you, Marilyn and Kevin are downstairs, and Harry."

"I owe Harry."

"No, Scott, he did what anyone would have."

"The difference is he did it, he saved you. I could have lost you, and that would hurt more than any bullet wound."

"Oh, Scott. Are you in pain?"

She asked if there was pain. Of course there was, horrible pain, but something that he saw in her eyes warned him not to tell the truth.

"Not too bad, the medicine is working."

"Good. Scott, I want you to know that I am sorry, I never should have hurt you the way I did, and I never should have told you… I care for you, Scott, and I need you in my life."

His hand went lax in hers while she was talking, and when she looked at his face, she saw that his features were relaxed in sleep. Quietly, she left the room, kissing her forehead before she made her exit.

Outside the door, sat Harry and Steven. Tears on her face, she looked from one man to the other, and when Harry moved closer to her to hold her, she accepted it gratefully, letting her guard down, releasing the sobs she had been holding inside. His arms encircled her and he held her close, absorbing her pain and fear as much as he could.

They broke from the hug, when they heard the sound of a clearing throat. It was Lauren's brother Daniel.

"Excuse me, Mr. Senate. I would like to speak to my sister alone. Now."

"What is it, Daniel?"

"What the hell were you doing in that store that late at night, and who is this man to you that you are sitting in vigil to him?"

"I was buying coffee in that store, and that man is a very, very dear friend of mine."

"Are you sure that's all it is, Lauren?"

"Yes! He is a very dear friend, and I don't want to see him in pain or sick or anything like that, especially on account of me."

"The officer said that it was Harry Senate that took down the kid."

"He did, but Scott was trying to get into the building to save me before the cops, and he…"

Her voice trailed off as the events once again replayed in her mind. She began to shake and tears began to roll down her cheeks. Daniel, again being her big brother took her in her arms and held her.

"It's all right, I swear it, Lauren. Do you want me to call Mom or someone to stay with you tonight?"

"No. I want to stay here tonight, and be with Scott. Can you arrange that?"

"I should be able to pull a few strings, the nurse on duty owes me a favor. I'll see what I can do."

Lauren went back to Steven and found that Harry had all ready left.

"Steven, I'm going to stay here tonight, so you can go home."

"You can have sometime off if you need it."

"No, Scott would things to run they way they should, and the students… I'll see in the morning."

"All right."

Lauren did show up for her classes the next morning, and she was right about the students, everyone had a theory or a question. She answered them as best she could, but whenever she thought about Scott she cried and whenever she thought about Harry, she just felt awful. She had to make a lot of decisions over the vacation, she had to decide who she loved, who she wanted to be with. Out of the blue, Louisa came in with a note.

Lauren read it, and left her class in Louisa's charge. She ran out into the hallway, straight into Steven.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Lauren, the hospital just called. We should go there right away."