"Sweetheart, he's perfect." Jillian said with a smile as they crowded around the nursey window.
Nick smiled back. "Thanks mom."
"How's Kylie feeling?"
"She was tired and hurting when I left. The nurse was on her way in to give her some meds." Nick glanced down at his watch. "I should probably be heading back; I don't want to leave her alone for too long. They should be bringing Charlie back to the room in a little while."
"Go ahead son, we'll drop by a little later on this evening." Bill said as he patted his son on the back.
Nick walked down the hallway back to Kylie's hospital room. As he opened the door and entered the room, he noticed she was sleeping. He closed the door quietly before he made his way across the room and sat down in the reclining hospital chair.
He leaned back letting his eyes fall closed. It had been a long night with no sleep. He hadn't been home from work for more than a few hours when they left to come to the hospital. Kylie had been in the kitchen putting away some dished when she called for him, telling him that her water had broken, and it was time to go to the hospital. He'd quickly grabbed their bags and threw them into the car before helping her into the car. He'd been a nervous wreck driving to the hospital. Once they arrived, she was quickly rushed off to the delivery room, where a nurse helped her into a gown, hooked the monitors up and started an IV. Nick watched everything from the side lines. He held her hand through the contractions, trying to offer words of encouragement. Finally, early the next morning their son was welcomed into the world.
Nick awoke a short time later to the sounds of a pager going off. He lifted his head, wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked over to his wife, making sure the pager hadn't woken her up. He looked down at the small black box, noting the number that was flashing across the display screen. He immediately recognized it as the number to the station.
He stood up from the chair, stretching his tired stiff muscles and yawning before crossing the room and exiting to the hallway. He quickly made his way to the nearest phone and dialed the number. Once a voice answered on the other end he spoke. "This is Stokes."
"Nick, I know you're out with you wife and all but I really need you to come in. We're severely short staffed today and we have a situation."
Nick sighed, he really didn't want to leave Kylie and he'd barely even seen his son yet. "I understand." He replied simply.
"Is it gonna be too much of a problem for you to come in for a few hours?"
"Let me talk it over with my wife and I'll be there, Captain."
"Thanks, see you soon." He said before Nick hung up the phone.
He took a deep breath before heading back to the room. He quietly closed the door before taking the few short steps to the bedside. He gently sat down on the edge of the bed. "Kylie." He said softly.
She blinked a few times before opening her eyes.
"Hey baby." He smiled. "I gotta go to work for a little while."
She looked up at him confused. "Why?"
"They're really short staffed and need some help. The Captain just called me."
"But you're supposed to be here with me and Charlie."
"I know and I'll be back as soon as I can. Mom and Dad are here. Dalton too."
"But they aren't you." Kylie said.
Nick could tell by the tone of her voice she was angry. "I know." He said sadly. He wasn't sure what to do. He felt like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He needed the job to take care of Charlie and Kylie, but he also didn't want to leave them. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I love you." He said as he placed a kiss on her forehead and stood to leave.
The drive to the police station from the hospital was a short one. Nick quickly parked and headed to the duty sergeant to find out where he was needed.
"We have a hostage situation at the First National Bank. I need you to take a squad car over and help them out. Whatever the Lieutenant on scene needs you to do."
"Yes sir." Nick said before heading off to the locker room to change into uniform.
Within thirty minutes Nick was on scene helping to set up a perimeter and set up a traffic detour.
"Stokes." Lt Royce called out to Nick.
"Yes sir?" Nick asked as he walked up.
"We have reports of an injured person inside. The assailants have agreed to let us send in paramedics. I'm sending you in with one of them. Get a read on the situation and report what you can. Try to get hostages out if you can, but no heroics."
"Yes sir."
"You know anything about medical?" The paramedic asked.
"Little, not much." Nick replied.
"Follow my lead. I'm Evan by the way."
"Nick."
As Nick sat with his hands tied behind his back on the cold tile floor, he wondered why he ever agreed to come in with the medic, or better yet why he had even bothered coming into work today. He was supposed to be at the hospital with his wife and son. Now he was just hoped and prayed he made it out to see them again.
It hadn't taken the hostage takers long to figure out Nick wasn't one of the actual Paramedics. When they did, they were quick to knock him in the head with what he assumed was the butt of a gun. He'd lost consciousness, but he wasn't sure for how long. When he woke up his head ached, and his vision had been a little blurry. He tried to move his hands but quickly discovered they were tied behind his back. He could feel the blood running down the side of his head and face.
He glanced around noticing two armed men wearing black clothes and ski masks. There were at least 8 hostages, maybe more that he couldn't see. He could make out on the far-left side a person laying face down in a pool of blood, he assumed they were already dead.
Shouting from his right grabbed his attention. He refocused his view and could make out the two assailants arguing.
"I didn't sign up to kill no body!"
"You signed up to do whatever needed to be done!"
"Nah, man. I'm out!"
"You walk towards that door and I'll put a bullet in your head." The one gunman said coldly as he leveled the gun at his partner.
"You just gonna shoot me now?"
"If I have to."
The second gunman threw up his hands and walked back towards the teller counter.
Nick knew the situation was falling apart. Maybe if he could talk to that one, he could gain some control of the situation.
"I'm sure he'll be back soon." Jillian said as she tried to calm her daughter in-law. She shot an annoyed look to her husband. She couldn't believe Nick had been so quick to agree to go into work, not matter what the circumstances. She knew he needed the job to provide for his new family, but she'd also raised him to know that family came first.
"We need him more than they do." Kylie spat angrily as she looked at the sleeping baby nestled in her arms.
"I know dear."
Nick could see the clock above the teller desk, it read quarter 'til five. He'd already been sitting in the bank as a hostage for four hours. His mind wandered back to Kylie. 'Guess she was right, I should have stayed with them', he thought to himself for the second time since he'd entered the bank. He hoped whatever the SWAT team outside was planning that they'd make a move soon.
Almost like they were reading his mind, he heard a bang near the door, he looked over just in time to see a flash grenade fly in, followed by a canister of tear gas. Before he could make a move one of the assailants hit him in the head with the butt end of a riffle.
When Nick came to, he was outside laying on a stretcher. Captain Swofford walked up to the back of the ambulance.
"How are you doing?" Captain Swofford asked.
"I'll live." Nick winced as an EMT placed a bandage over a cut above his left eye.
"Are you wanting to go to the hospital?" The EMT questioned.
Before Nick could reply Captain Swofford answered, "Yes. I want a clean bill of health from a doctor before you come back."
Nick didn't say anything he knew it was a losing battle. He needed to get back to the hospital anyway. By now he was sure Kylie had more than likely heard what was going on and without a doubt he was sure she would be worried sick.
The paramedic closed the doors to the ambulance before they drove off towards the hospital. Nick leaned his head back against the back of the stretcher, letting out a breath and closing his eyes.
Within a short time, they pulled into the ambulance bay. The EMT checked his blood pressure one more time, made a few notes on his notepad, before disconnecting the blood pressure cuff and stepping out of the truck.
"Treatment 4." A nurse called to the crew from the nurses' desk as they entered the ER.
Within a few minutes of being transferred into the ER treatment room two nurses entered the room. "I'm Jan, I'll be your nurse today. That's Shawna, she's going to get your vitals." The first one said as she began asking questions and writing the information down while the other began taking vital signs.
"The doctor will be with you shortly." Jan told him as the two nurses walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.
