Chapter 21:
He was leaning against the couch half lying, with his eyes almost closed and heavily breathing. It was him they had heard. He was bleeding too. The floor around him, about the height of his abdomen was spilled with blood. He obviously was injured. Injured severely? Jack couldn't appraise that. He kneeled down beside and saw something more, something disturbing.
He was holding a butterfly-knife in his hand – about 15 centimeter long. The blade was soaked in blood. Jack believed he had attacked Brooks with it, but then he saw Danny's gun lying on the floor about one and a half meters away. Danny had shot at Brooks, he hadn't used the knife. He hadn't protected himself with the knife, he had been attacked with it.
Jack turned to Martin.
"Call an ambulance!"
Jack stayed where he was, kneeling beside Danny and looked at his face. He touched Danny's arm softly.
"Danny? Can you hear me?"
Danny opened his eyes slowly and looked at him, he nodded slightly and barely visible.
"You in pain?"
Jack asked in deep concern. What a needless question! But this was about keeping Danny conscious in first place.
"Yeah, goddamnit!"
Allaying Jack rose the hand he wasn't holding Danny with.
"Okay..."
Martin interrupted him.
"Jack I don't get a connection inside here!"
Jack half turned around.
"Try from outside!"
Before Jack turned back to Danny he saw Martin turning to the door of the room. And he saw something else, from the corner of his eyes: Danny's gun disappeared out of his view. Somebody grabbed for it. Somebody tried to grab the gun and as he turned around Jack fully realized the situation. Brooks had gone for Danny's gun and aimed at Martin. Jack realized immediately what Brooks wanted to do. he wanted to prevent that Martin called an ambulance, that they saved Danny's life. Jack grabbed his gun and aimed at Brooks.
"Martin!"
He yelled warningly and Martin turned around abruptly. But Jack had attracted Brooks attention when he warned Martin. He aimed at Jack now, who was trying to protect Danny with his own body as well as possible. Jack asked himself what Brooks was up to, he knew he wouldn't achieve anything with what he was trying to do. But he remembered the phone call he had heard: Brooks desperately wanted to keep his freedom, but now he had been found by FBI. He had nothing more to loose.
"Brooks! Give up! Put the gun down! You won't get out of here."
Brooks reacted, but in another way than Jack had expected – he loaded his gun.
"Brooks! You know that's of no use, give up."
Brooks lowered his gun and for a moment it looked like he would actually give up. But Jack wasn't willing to let himself get baffled by this. But Martin stepped towards Brooks in order to take the gun from him. Jack was still tensed and aimed at him. Martin did so too, but less decisive and less cautious, and it happened what Jack had expected. All of a sudden Brooks rose the gun once again to shot at Martin, who was now standing directly in front of him. But Martin was quicker and Jack was prepared – they shot at Brooks before he even had a chance to react.
Jack felt Danny flinch behind him. Both shots hit Brooks in the chest, he widened his eyes and tried to breathe but he just managed a labored choke. He was dying. He breathed in deeply once more and then the air left his body with a rattling sound. Blood poured out of his mouth and down his chin. he dropped the gun and Martin took it from his hands after he had secured his own and felt for a pulse. He turned to Jack and shook his head. He was dead, they had shot him.
Jack signaled Martin to finally leave the barrack and call an ambulance. Then he turned back to Danny, who had his eyes closed. Mild panic rose in Jack, but Danny was still breathing, he could hear it and he could see it too, the rising and falling of his chest. He was still alive.
"Danny?"
He asked softly once again and received a look. Jack had another look on the wound, the pool of blood had gotten bigger.
"Danny, I need to have a look at the injury."
He told him in a calm voice and pulled up the shirt his co-worker was wearing, so he now had free sight to the wound, but it was hard to really see it due to all the blood around it. Jack opened the next best drawer in a small cupboard near the dining-table, pulled out a white table-cloth and wiped away the blood from the wound. Danny grabbed his arm hardly and grimaced with pain.
But now Jack could see it: it was a deep, heavily bleeding stab wound, about four inches deep and an inch wide. He needed to do something to stop the bleeding, so he directly looked at Danny and tried to calm him.
"Danny, you're loosing too much blood, I need to try to stop the bleeding. It'll hurt. Please try to relax."
He explained. Danny nodded tensed and clenched his teeth. Jack pressed the cloth to the wound all out and caused Danny to scream in pain and fast and heavily breathing in and out several times. But the pain seemed to lessen and Danny grabbed Jack's arm once again to make him look at him.
"You need to protect Andrea."
It wasn't an order but a begging almost desperate question.
"Promise that you will protect her, Jack..."
The begging tone left his voice more and more and made him sound even more desperate now. Jack nodded soothingly.
"I promise."
He assured Danny, but it didn't seem to calm him down. His panic, his fear for Andrea didn't lessen. He tried to escape the soft pressure Jack was putting to his shoulders, so he wouldn't move and aggravate the injury even more than it already was and tried to sit upright. The try ended with him breathing in hardly and screaming in agony. Jack put more pressure on him.
"Calm down. You need to relax. It's okay, everything's gonna be okay. You're both safe. So don't you move, you need to keep still. Lay still or you'll make it even worse! I will take care of Andrea – I promise,..., I swear!"
A long moment of silence emerged before Jack softly asked a question.
"Okay?"
Danny seemed to relax.
"Okay."
Jack lessened the pressure a bit and had another look at Danny's injury. With horror he realized that the former white table cloth he had used to put pressure on the wound had changed it's color from bright white to a deep red. Danny was loosing blood – a lot of it – too much of it.
"Where's the goddamn ambulance!"
Jack yelled into Martin's direction but didn't get an answer.
"Jack."
Danny's voice was calm and weak as he was talking to him again. His strength was leaving him, more and more. The longer he was lying here, in his own blood, with a severe stab wound that probably had striked a major artery and had to wait for help, the weaker he became. Jack knew it and Danny probably knew it too. It was looking anything but good for him. Jack didn't like the color of his face, the weakness in his voice and his slow almost gasping breathing. And what concerned him the most was the pool of blood around him, that covered his clothing, his body and the floor and was building little slops.
"Yeah?"
He asked back, his voice raspy and throaty.
"Andrea."
He was leaning against the couch half lying, with his eyes almost closed and heavily breathing. It was him they had heard. He was bleeding too. The floor around him, about the height of his abdomen was spilled with blood. He obviously was injured. Injured severely? Jack couldn't appraise that. He kneeled down beside and saw something more, something disturbing.
He was holding a butterfly-knife in his hand – about 15 centimeter long. The blade was soaked in blood. Jack believed he had attacked Brooks with it, but then he saw Danny's gun lying on the floor about one and a half meters away. Danny had shot at Brooks, he hadn't used the knife. He hadn't protected himself with the knife, he had been attacked with it.
Jack turned to Martin.
"Call an ambulance!"
Jack stayed where he was, kneeling beside Danny and looked at his face. He touched Danny's arm softly.
"Danny? Can you hear me?"
Danny opened his eyes slowly and looked at him, he nodded slightly and barely visible.
"You in pain?"
Jack asked in deep concern. What a needless question! But this was about keeping Danny conscious in first place.
"Yeah, goddamnit!"
Allaying Jack rose the hand he wasn't holding Danny with.
"Okay..."
Martin interrupted him.
"Jack I don't get a connection inside here!"
Jack half turned around.
"Try from outside!"
Before Jack turned back to Danny he saw Martin turning to the door of the room. And he saw something else, from the corner of his eyes: Danny's gun disappeared out of his view. Somebody grabbed for it. Somebody tried to grab the gun and as he turned around Jack fully realized the situation. Brooks had gone for Danny's gun and aimed at Martin. Jack realized immediately what Brooks wanted to do. he wanted to prevent that Martin called an ambulance, that they saved Danny's life. Jack grabbed his gun and aimed at Brooks.
"Martin!"
He yelled warningly and Martin turned around abruptly. But Jack had attracted Brooks attention when he warned Martin. He aimed at Jack now, who was trying to protect Danny with his own body as well as possible. Jack asked himself what Brooks was up to, he knew he wouldn't achieve anything with what he was trying to do. But he remembered the phone call he had heard: Brooks desperately wanted to keep his freedom, but now he had been found by FBI. He had nothing more to loose.
"Brooks! Give up! Put the gun down! You won't get out of here."
Brooks reacted, but in another way than Jack had expected – he loaded his gun.
"Brooks! You know that's of no use, give up."
Brooks lowered his gun and for a moment it looked like he would actually give up. But Jack wasn't willing to let himself get baffled by this. But Martin stepped towards Brooks in order to take the gun from him. Jack was still tensed and aimed at him. Martin did so too, but less decisive and less cautious, and it happened what Jack had expected. All of a sudden Brooks rose the gun once again to shot at Martin, who was now standing directly in front of him. But Martin was quicker and Jack was prepared – they shot at Brooks before he even had a chance to react.
Jack felt Danny flinch behind him. Both shots hit Brooks in the chest, he widened his eyes and tried to breathe but he just managed a labored choke. He was dying. He breathed in deeply once more and then the air left his body with a rattling sound. Blood poured out of his mouth and down his chin. he dropped the gun and Martin took it from his hands after he had secured his own and felt for a pulse. He turned to Jack and shook his head. He was dead, they had shot him.
Jack signaled Martin to finally leave the barrack and call an ambulance. Then he turned back to Danny, who had his eyes closed. Mild panic rose in Jack, but Danny was still breathing, he could hear it and he could see it too, the rising and falling of his chest. He was still alive.
"Danny?"
He asked softly once again and received a look. Jack had another look on the wound, the pool of blood had gotten bigger.
"Danny, I need to have a look at the injury."
He told him in a calm voice and pulled up the shirt his co-worker was wearing, so he now had free sight to the wound, but it was hard to really see it due to all the blood around it. Jack opened the next best drawer in a small cupboard near the dining-table, pulled out a white table-cloth and wiped away the blood from the wound. Danny grabbed his arm hardly and grimaced with pain.
But now Jack could see it: it was a deep, heavily bleeding stab wound, about four inches deep and an inch wide. He needed to do something to stop the bleeding, so he directly looked at Danny and tried to calm him.
"Danny, you're loosing too much blood, I need to try to stop the bleeding. It'll hurt. Please try to relax."
He explained. Danny nodded tensed and clenched his teeth. Jack pressed the cloth to the wound all out and caused Danny to scream in pain and fast and heavily breathing in and out several times. But the pain seemed to lessen and Danny grabbed Jack's arm once again to make him look at him.
"You need to protect Andrea."
It wasn't an order but a begging almost desperate question.
"Promise that you will protect her, Jack..."
The begging tone left his voice more and more and made him sound even more desperate now. Jack nodded soothingly.
"I promise."
He assured Danny, but it didn't seem to calm him down. His panic, his fear for Andrea didn't lessen. He tried to escape the soft pressure Jack was putting to his shoulders, so he wouldn't move and aggravate the injury even more than it already was and tried to sit upright. The try ended with him breathing in hardly and screaming in agony. Jack put more pressure on him.
"Calm down. You need to relax. It's okay, everything's gonna be okay. You're both safe. So don't you move, you need to keep still. Lay still or you'll make it even worse! I will take care of Andrea – I promise,..., I swear!"
A long moment of silence emerged before Jack softly asked a question.
"Okay?"
Danny seemed to relax.
"Okay."
Jack lessened the pressure a bit and had another look at Danny's injury. With horror he realized that the former white table cloth he had used to put pressure on the wound had changed it's color from bright white to a deep red. Danny was loosing blood – a lot of it – too much of it.
"Where's the goddamn ambulance!"
Jack yelled into Martin's direction but didn't get an answer.
"Jack."
Danny's voice was calm and weak as he was talking to him again. His strength was leaving him, more and more. The longer he was lying here, in his own blood, with a severe stab wound that probably had striked a major artery and had to wait for help, the weaker he became. Jack knew it and Danny probably knew it too. It was looking anything but good for him. Jack didn't like the color of his face, the weakness in his voice and his slow almost gasping breathing. And what concerned him the most was the pool of blood around him, that covered his clothing, his body and the floor and was building little slops.
"Yeah?"
He asked back, his voice raspy and throaty.
"Andrea."