Authors Notes: Sorry about the short first chapter. Here goes with the story proper.
"Silence"
She smiled as she felt strong hands slide round her waist, pulling her tight to him. She wriggled and slid round to face him. He grinned widely at her, and she couldn't help but kiss him. His life, his vitality, his energy filled her with hope.
It didn't matter who knew or who saw. Everyone knew. She was proud that he was hers and she knew that the feeling was mutual. Everyone else in the department had just shrugged and uttered the words "it's about time".
"When are you off?"
She asked casually.
"Just got to finish up with this kid, then I'm away,"
She sighed heavily. Alright for some, she thought. He squeezed her waist and she squealed, despite herself.
"Don't…I've got another hour,"
She scolded, then finished her sentence with a sigh. Only another hour, then this shift is over. The hour stretched before her, a seeming eternity, keeping her from him and their life together.
"Unlucky for some,"
"Remember, don't wait up. I'm going to mom's tonight,"
She added quickly as an after thought. His face fell, intentions quite clear. She smacked his shoulder playfully, escaping his grip, and gave him a knowing, contented smile.
"There will be plenty of time for that later,"
"The rest of our lives, my darling, surely,"
She nodded, a shiver of happiness passing unbidden up her spine. She could hardly wait. The rest of their lives. That sounded perfect. He left her alone then, a spring in his step as he walked down to trauma two. She found herself humming away in the drug lock up, mindlessly counting boxes as they passed through her hands.
She was just finished up, her arms cradling the paperwork and a small stack of drug boxes, and about to leave the drug lock up when she heard the sound that ripped her life apart.
A gunshot. Loud and brutally explosive. Her hands covered her ears, the boxes and paperwork scattering across the hallway. Another seconds later. She didn't know if she screamed, but she thinks she must have. The air was filled with the high pitched sound of shrieking, shattering glass, bullets against bright metal and chaos reigned. She ducked, heart racing in her ribcage, struggling for every breath. She counted another two shots. Then silence.
Silence. Heavy, deadly, tragic silence. Something was very wrong. Something awful had just happened. Her stomach turned, instinct clawing at her, telling her something was very very wrong. She knew, just knew that it was him. Something had happened to him. Cold fear gripped her heart, and her feet carried her instinctively to the trauma room door.
She took it all in very slowly, breathing deliberately slow. The shattered glass on the floor, tiny, glinting shards, the light half hanging from the ceiling, a scared little boy, blonde over blue, her eyes finally passing down to the frenetic activity of her colleagues, working on a patient they blocked from her view. She counted her colleagues – Mark, Lucy, Carter, Haleh…She knew then. It had to be him. Son of a bitch.
Haleh turned and walked by her, passing a brief hand over her shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort, cold as it may have been. But she was immobile. Completely paralysed. Unable to feel, unable to move. Eventually, Carter looked up at her. If he made eye contact, she wasn't able to register it.
She saw him move towards her, unsteady on his feet, his white coat stained red just below the shoulder. He was hit too. That hit her like a lightening bolt. He'd been hit, and he'd lived. She was almost glad when he passed out. She wasn't sure she couldn't hate him, irrational though that feeling was. Why had her lover died? Why the hell was he gone?
"Silence"
She smiled as she felt strong hands slide round her waist, pulling her tight to him. She wriggled and slid round to face him. He grinned widely at her, and she couldn't help but kiss him. His life, his vitality, his energy filled her with hope.
It didn't matter who knew or who saw. Everyone knew. She was proud that he was hers and she knew that the feeling was mutual. Everyone else in the department had just shrugged and uttered the words "it's about time".
"When are you off?"
She asked casually.
"Just got to finish up with this kid, then I'm away,"
She sighed heavily. Alright for some, she thought. He squeezed her waist and she squealed, despite herself.
"Don't…I've got another hour,"
She scolded, then finished her sentence with a sigh. Only another hour, then this shift is over. The hour stretched before her, a seeming eternity, keeping her from him and their life together.
"Unlucky for some,"
"Remember, don't wait up. I'm going to mom's tonight,"
She added quickly as an after thought. His face fell, intentions quite clear. She smacked his shoulder playfully, escaping his grip, and gave him a knowing, contented smile.
"There will be plenty of time for that later,"
"The rest of our lives, my darling, surely,"
She nodded, a shiver of happiness passing unbidden up her spine. She could hardly wait. The rest of their lives. That sounded perfect. He left her alone then, a spring in his step as he walked down to trauma two. She found herself humming away in the drug lock up, mindlessly counting boxes as they passed through her hands.
She was just finished up, her arms cradling the paperwork and a small stack of drug boxes, and about to leave the drug lock up when she heard the sound that ripped her life apart.
A gunshot. Loud and brutally explosive. Her hands covered her ears, the boxes and paperwork scattering across the hallway. Another seconds later. She didn't know if she screamed, but she thinks she must have. The air was filled with the high pitched sound of shrieking, shattering glass, bullets against bright metal and chaos reigned. She ducked, heart racing in her ribcage, struggling for every breath. She counted another two shots. Then silence.
Silence. Heavy, deadly, tragic silence. Something was very wrong. Something awful had just happened. Her stomach turned, instinct clawing at her, telling her something was very very wrong. She knew, just knew that it was him. Something had happened to him. Cold fear gripped her heart, and her feet carried her instinctively to the trauma room door.
She took it all in very slowly, breathing deliberately slow. The shattered glass on the floor, tiny, glinting shards, the light half hanging from the ceiling, a scared little boy, blonde over blue, her eyes finally passing down to the frenetic activity of her colleagues, working on a patient they blocked from her view. She counted her colleagues – Mark, Lucy, Carter, Haleh…She knew then. It had to be him. Son of a bitch.
Haleh turned and walked by her, passing a brief hand over her shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort, cold as it may have been. But she was immobile. Completely paralysed. Unable to feel, unable to move. Eventually, Carter looked up at her. If he made eye contact, she wasn't able to register it.
She saw him move towards her, unsteady on his feet, his white coat stained red just below the shoulder. He was hit too. That hit her like a lightening bolt. He'd been hit, and he'd lived. She was almost glad when he passed out. She wasn't sure she couldn't hate him, irrational though that feeling was. Why had her lover died? Why the hell was he gone?