Chapter Two – To die and Relive

Richard ran out of the station and jumped onto his midnight black motorbike he pulled the bullet proof vest on loosely and stuck his gun in its pouch on his belt he then revved up his monster machine and set off for the Bank he roared through the crowded roads swerving and dodging…dodging and swerving. Richard arrived at the bank five minutes before the rest of the team he stopped his bike and stepped off he pulled out his gun and crept towards the bank…suddenly all the alarms went off and there was sounds of shouting and gun fire from inside Richard shouted at the bouncer in front of a club across the street "Evacuate the club NOW!" he ran towards the bank and just as he got to the bottom of the stairs three armed men ran out their black bags full with green paper money. "Police!" Richard shouted The men turned and looked at him, a single man with a mere hand gun while they all dressed in black their faces hidden by balaclava's as black as a hidden night and their dark clothes to match the shadows they hid in. The men turned to Richard they all had shotguns strapped across their back. In their belt pouches were small hand grenades stun grenades, handguns and garrottes. They laughed wickedly and horribly. "Go," said one of the men, he must have been aged because his voice was husky and lined with age. The man walked slowly down the steps and turned his head to Richard. Quick as a flash he drew his handgun…for the second time that day Richard's speed failed him, all he could do was gasped as a speeding bullet came his way. Bullet-metal collided with near human flesh and blood erupted from the wound that had formed in Richard right hand shoulder. There was another bang as the gun exploded again and this time the bullet hit Richard in the stomach. Richard fell backwards and landed on the floor he could hear the culprit running away and he could hear people rushing around sobbing and screaming and he heard the alarm of the bank. Then over all the noise he heard a light footstep then another then another something or someone was walking towards him. Then his vision went black and the sound that filled his ears faded and he could hear, see and feel nothing. His Vision filtered back into his eyes and he flickered his eyelids open, he couldn't see much his eyes were watery and his vision was blurry. Richard focused onto a single thing, in front of him he could see a bright light he focused onto it and then a face emerged a female face. The woman had dirty blonde hair and really deep sapphire blue eyes she was wearing all white…a heaven's angel he thought. The face was more sharp and focused and he almost laughed she was familiar it was the woman he had met on the bus. Richard raised his hand and he clasped it round something that was dangling from the angel. It was a small silver cross all the energy drained from Richards's hand and arm and his eyes closed again into Unconsciousness. Even though he had hardly any energy left Richard still clasped the small silver cross in his hand keeping his from grip on it, it somehow brought him strength before he blacked out he felt the chain go tort he felt the delicate chain snap and as the chain snap his fingers snapped shut around the cross the silver chain dangling from his hand like silver blood. Richards hand fell back to the ground and the silver chain mingled with the pool of blood that had formed around him, the blood overtook the chain and all anyone could see was a small snatch of glittery silver clasped tightly in Richard fast dieing hand. All went black and Richard knew no more. Around twenty minutes later an Ambulance pulled up near the bank and two men jumped out carrying a stretcher. They ran over to where the fallen copper was laid. Richard was white but breathing at a steady pace. Just as they jumped out of the van though, The woman who was stood their collapsed and as they drew level with the fallen, they smirked the woman had fell sideways and she was now laid next to Richard in an almost lovers position. The woman was laid on her side her hand had flown out and it was resting across the man's chest. They picked the man up first into the stretcher and then they walked him over to the ambulance where they rested him in the bed. They then returned to the scene to pick up the woman and they laid her in the spare bed. The ambulance sped off towards the hospital, the blue sirens echoing around the deathly, eerie scene where a good copper and an innocent bystander had both fell.

Later on Richard's noise sense returned first and he heard a lot of strange sounds around him. There were beeps and sounds that sounded like machinery and there was a lot of whispering around him. Then he opened his eyes and he saw that he was in a hospital and he was hooked up to a machine that beeped. Richard sighed and he saw that oxygen masked covered his face. Richard raised his hand and pulled the mask down from his face and he breathed in normally. A doctor walked up to him and stood at the side of his bed "hello, you have finally woken up. You're in St, Margaret's hospital I'm afraid you got shot we took you into theatre and removed the bullet" the doctor was a kind looking man he had blonde hair and kind eyes he also looked dopey and unreliable and Richard seriously wondered why he had become a doctor and how he had managed to pass his tests. Richard frowned again he didn't really want this particular doctor fiddling with his body while he was asleep, and didn't he just say bullet? Not bullets? He'd been shot twice hadn't he? Richard's stubborn nature took over and he sat up and swung his legs out of bed, he was facing the doctor. "So you removed both bullets?" he asked his voice emotionless. The doctor frowned "Both bullets?

"Yes both bullets"

"You only got shot in the shoulder"

"Doc I got shot twice I know I did I was on the receiving end!"

"I'm sorry but you only got shot once we found no wound in your stomach"

"But I got shot in the stomach" Richard was starting to get angry why wouldn't they believe him? He knew he got shot twice. "I think we should organize some mental help for you Richard you seem to be imagining things" the doctor frowned eyeing Richard warily. Richard grabbed the bottom of his blood stained shirt and pulled it up "Look I got shot see its right…" Richard looked down to his stomach that had specks of blood splashed across it but even as Richard looked their was no gun shot wound "Here" he whispered. Richard let his shirt fall back to place. He was so sure he had been shot twice it couldn't have been a dream it was so realistic and it hurt so badly. Richard shook his head he must have been dreaming because there was no wound. "Who's in that cubicle?" Richard asked the doctor nodding behind him. The doctor shook his head and smiled. "Your wife is laid in there," the doctor pointed behind Richard and he span round causing pain in his shoulder. Richard clasped his hand to it and gritted his teeth. "I haven't got a wife," he laughed

"The woman who was found next t you we thought it was your wife"

"No I'm sure I haven't got a wife" Richard laughed again Richard then attempted to stand up but the doctor roughly pushed him back onto the bed. "I'm sorry but you must remain in bed" Richard grunted and pushed the doctors hand away "Shut up" he growled he stood up again and was confronted by the doctor. "I really must protest need I remind you that you have been shot?" the doctor growled.

"Shut up!" Richard said again but loudly causing a few peoples heads to turn. Richard still clasped his hand to his shoulder and walked over to the bed. The woman was laid on top of the covers she was wearing a gorgeous designer white dress that was unfortunately heavily bloodstained. 'My Blood' Richard caught himself thinking. Richard stood at the side of the bed one hand on his shoulder and one hand on the bed next to the woman he looked down upon her and for the first time in years smiled. Richard raised his hand from the bed and was about to touch her cheek when she stirred. Richards's hand snapped back and he looked down at the waking woman. The woman's eyes flickered open and she slowly stirred. Richard stared there was a feeling welling up inside of him it was drowning him and seeping into his bones. Richard knew that the woman was going to look at him but he was confused and excited and happy at the same time. Richard was confused because he didn't know what he was feeling he was happy because at least the woman was alive and he was also excited because he desperately wanted to stare into her eyes he wanted to look into her soul. The woman woke fully and looked at Richard, Richard felt the blood rush to his face and he knew that he was blushing; he turned his face away and became very interested with the patterns on the curtains. Richard felt the woman's eyes on the back of his head and without even knowing he was doing it and without thinking he was going to do it he looked back at the woman on the bed her lips had gone into the thinnest of lines and Richard suddenly smiled, he scratched the back of his neck "Sorry I'm not being rude its just I don't know what to say I s'pose" his voice was calm but emotionless. Richards's eyes were empty and looked like bottomless black pits. "This is gonna sound really stupid but when I was at the bank and I was on the floor I remember waking up for the like briefest of moments and I thought…this is gonna sound really dumb…but…I thought you were an angel" Richard laughed without any real meaning. Richard felt the heat and colour rise steadily to his face and immediately knew that he was blushing "Its stupid I know" he shuffled his feet slightly hoping that the woman didn't notice " A moment of madness" he said hidden warmth in hid voice. Richard ran his hand through his strange, white hair that stood out vividly in the darkened cubicle. He walked towards the bed; if he moved any faster he would have been running. Richard sat down on a chair next to his bed "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier but my names Richard" he smiled at the woman unusually warmly. The woman twitched slightly and then Richard heard the voice he was longing to hear, she smiled "I know it is I heard your friend on the radio when you passed out" she smiled slightly again, making her face look really astounding. "Well my name is Corrine it's a pleasure to meet you" Richard almost smiled again as Corrine giggled. Richard looked at Corrine again and many thoughts and feelings began swirling around in his mind. The dark void that resided there began to ease away as some unknown light invaded and pierced through. Richard frowned not knowing what he himself was thinking or feeling. Richard shuffled and looked once more to Corrine "I must thank you Corrine for talking to my mates on the radio" she twitched again and Richard could tell that she was trying to look away, he smiled inside his mind and almost laughed as Corrine blushed her cheeks now tinted with a slight pink that made her face light up even more. "It was nothing I couldn't have just left you there" Richard heard her voice and more light infiltrated the darkness in his mind. Richard smiled as Corrine looked down in embarrassment but then looked startled, he was embarrassing her and making her feel un-comfortable and out of place he did that to everyone. What was he doing here? Imposing himself onto someone who had helped him? And not only that Richard felt as though he was alive again and real, he felt like he was good and able to do good deeds but he wasn't and he had no right to impose any of that on Corrine. Richard frowned he had felt this feeling before, when he was alive and well before he died…. he felt this for his wife and his kids. That was centuries ago he had been too cold too dormant for so long he never thought he would feel this again. Richard suddenly stood up preparing to leave; he stood up so forcefully that the chair scraped back making an unmistakable loud noise. "I better be going" Richard felt his heart get incrusted with ice yet again. Richard stepped back and turned around he threw the curtain back and stepped out no even glances at Corrine who was still lying on the bed, covered in his crimson blood. Richard let the curtain fall back into place before he allowed himself to look back but all he saw was the curtain that separated him from the one he was beginning to love. Who know if fate was kind to him maybe…just maybe it would deliver her back into his presence one last time.