This chapter is occurring at the same time as the prologue. This is from Don's perspective.
Chapter 1:
Waiting
It happened so fast.
One minute Don was on the phone with Jess, making plans for that night.
Next minute shots were being fired. He was running into the diner. Jess was down. He didn't think he would ever get the image of her laying on the floor cover in blood out of his mind.
He managed to get her to the hospital where she was rushed into surgery.
Now he was sitting on the hard plastic chairs, waiting. He had lost all track of time. He could have been there for five minutes or five hours. He really couldn't tell.
He rubbed his hands, through his hair and took a deep breath. That's when he noticed blood. Her blood.
He looked down and blood was on his shirt too. He took a look at the blood and felt his stomach luge. He almost gagged but managed to keep his lunch down.
This could not be happening. Jess and him had finally crossed the line between friends into lovers six months ago. He loved her and now….
She was fighting for her life.
IF he lost Jess…..he couldn't let his mind go there.
Danny and Stella walked down the hall.
Stella saw Don first as they rounded the corner. And what she saw broke her heart.
Don looked terrified, worn, and broken.
"Don" Stella called. Almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Jess is still in surgery," Don replied.
Danny and Stella took a seat each on one side of Don. "did you call…"
Don interrupted Stella "Yea, her family is on the way. Ryan works here. He was on call when she came in. He went for news"
Stella and Danny nodded their heads "Listen, I'm really sorry to do this now" Danny said "but I need to ask you what happened. And we need your clothes for evidence "
"Yea," Don said "do we know anything?"
"Mac and O'Bryan are on it" Stella replied, passing him a clean shirt and an evidence bag.
Don nodded and took it "I don't know anything" he said "Jess and I were just making plans. Next thing I know I hear shots. I was round the corner, I was there within minutes but Conner was already gone and Jess was…"
"Ok" Danny said "I got it"
"She wasn't even supposed to be there" Don stated "Dunbrook was my case. Not hers. Jess should have never been in that diner"
"Don" Stella said "this is not your fault."
Don let out a sigh. He felt like it was his fault. Not just because it was his case. Jess had been complaining the past couple weeks that O'Bryan had been giving her crappy assignments as a punishment for running an unofficial operation with Stella. It had just come to light and O'Bryan and Mac had been pissed.
Don had told her to suck it up and just accept O'Bryan's assignments. O'Bryan would eventually get over it and she took Don's advice.
One of those assignments...escort Conner to the courthouse.
Don got up and walked down the hallway to a bathroom. He wasn't gone long, just long enough to take his bloody shirt off. Danny waited outside, Don walked out and passed him the evidence bag with his shirt.
"I'm going head back but Stella is going stay here" Danny said
Don could only nod. "We will get these guys," Danny said, placing his hand in a supportive manner on Don's shoulder.
Don nodded again "I'm coming too" he said "sitting around here is useless"
"Mac and O'Bryan got this" Danny said "You are needed here."
Don went to argue. He knew he wasn't in any state to be on duty. He wanted the bastards who did this. And he knew if he came face to face with them, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He wanted blood. "we will get justice for Jess." Danny said "Mac and O'Bryan aren't gonna let you anywhere near the investigation. You cannot be objective. I'm not one for rules but Don, this is one case you cannot nor should you be a part of. Let us handle it"
"Danny" Don sighed "what if…" he was almost afraid to say the words aloud. It had been his greatest fear since he found her on the diner floor. He knew the wounds, the angle of entrance, the caliber of gun, the blood loss, all of which weren't working in Jess' favor.
"Jess is strong," Danny said, trying to sound optimist.
Don nodded "yea, she's strong" he repeated.
Danny nodded too "she will pull through" he said
Don couldn't say anything. He knew Danny was trying to be supportive but he had a hard time believing him. And that made Don mad at himself for doubting her.
Don just sighed and walked back up to where Stella was waiting. Danny sighed too but he needed to get back to the lab. And Don wasn't alone.
Don let himself slip back down on the chair next to Stella.
And waited.
Stella reached out and held Don's hand.
He wasn't really paying attention to his surroundings. His mind was beginning to wonder back. Back to that morning. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
It had been a great morning. Nothing special happened, just an original morning together. They had gotten up early to go for a run and on the way back they had stopped at a kiosk for coffee. When they got back to his place, they sat at his island and chatted. He tried to remember what they talked about. It wasn't an important conversation, it was just chit chat.
He thought back to the last moment in the apartment together.
Don was in the shower. "Donnie, I'm headed to the station" Jess called
"Kay," Don called back "Be safe babes"
"You too," She said, walking into the bathroom and pulling the shower curtain across. She leaned in for a kiss "I'll call you later"
And that was it. She had left for work. He had finished his shower and headed to meet his CI.
He didn't want to think of the call. Every time he thought of it, all he could remember were the shots.
And his world came crashing down.
"Don" Stella said "it's Ryan"
Sure enough Ryan Angell was walking back down the hall.
His face didn't offer much hope.
"She's still in surgery" Ryan said and added "that's a good thing"
But there was more that Ryan didn't want to share. Don could read his face. His eyes were Jess' eyes. And he knew Ryan was hiding something.
"I've been a cop for ten years" Don said "I know from experience when injuries are bad"
"It's bad," Ryan said, "Jess' was wounded badly. Dr. Morris is the best surgeon here. But he's not a miracle worker"
Don expected as much. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Nobody barely breathe.
And they waited.
The waiting room soon filled with more people that loved Jess. Her dad, stepmom, her oldest brother, Chris and his wife, Michelle arrived first. Her other brothers, Mike and Andrew arrived soon after followed by Jess' best friends, Olivia and Abby.
And they waited
The room soon turned into a sea of blue. As detectives and uniforms came to see how their fellow brother was doing.
And they waited
Until finally, Ryan spotted Dr. Morris walking down the hall.
"Dad" Ryan said "Dr. Morris is coming."
Don stood with the rest of the Angell family. They held their breath and silently prayed for good news.
"Detective Angell pulled through the surgery" Dr. Morris said
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Don sat on another hard plastic chair. This time it was in the ICU. She had been moved here after she pulled through the surgery. She still wasn't out of the woods yet. Dr. Morris had recited a lot of medical terms and warnings. But Don could only focus on Jess, she was alive.
"How is she?" Ryan asked, coming back into the room. He knew the medical odds. But this was his sister. They were closed in age which made them close growing up and even as adults they were close. She wasn't just his little sister, she was his best friend.
"The same" Shery replied, taking her step daughter's hand. Jess may not have been her daughter by blood but she couldn't have loved her more if she had been her own.
"Barely hanging on" Don said. He hated to say it aloud and it made him stomach sick to think about it. He wanted to be optimistic but it was difficult. He loved Jess. If he believed in soul mates, Jess was his. He had loved her since he met her back when she first transferred into homicide. He hadn't told her yet. And now he might not get the chance.
"She's a stubborn girl," Cliff said, taking his only daughter's hand. He loved all his children but Jess was special. She was a force to be reckoned with. But she was supposed to be anything but a cop. He had lost his first wife, Jess' mom in the line of duty. From the moment. Jess graduated from the academy he had been scared of. This was his greatest fear. She was his baby.
"Yes she is" Abby agreed. Jess had been her friend since junior high. Jess stood up for her against the mean girls, she had held her hand and wiped the tears away when her dad left. Jess had always been there. They were unbiological sisters but sisters.
Olivia nodded. They were like the three musketeers. Always together. Always there for each other. Olivia had heart trouble when she was a teenager. Jess had spent hours in the hospital with her. Held her hand, played board games, and tried to make her high school years normal. Jess was always there for her. They were unbiological sisters but sisters.
Chris, Mike and Andrew sat watching their baby sister.
Chris sighed. They were ten years apart, the age gap made it hard to be close growing up. Also, he and Jess didn't always see eye to eye. They tend to fight the most out of the Angell children. Mostly because he acted more like a dad than a brother and that drove Jess nuts. But he loved her. She was his baby sister.
The room went quiet only the beeping from the machines made noise. The machines that she was hooked up to.
Beep, Beep, Beep.
Don couldn't listen to it anymore. He got up and headed out of the room.
Sherry nodded towards Cliff "I got it" he said
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"Don" Cliff called following him out of the hospital.
"Sorry, Cliff," he said "I just can't sit up there anymore. I need to do something"
Cliff nodded "I've stood in your shoes" he said "when Marie was killed. I wanted blood. And I can see the same look in your eyes. They hurt my baby, I want them too. But I promise you, Jess wouldn't want you to avenge her like this. Nine years old, her mom had just been killed and she knew what I wanted to do. Jess was the one who stopped me. Told me, I had to trust in the system and not to do that in Marie's name. Jess wouldn't want you to do this in hers. She wouldn't want you to get blood on your hands or a mark on your soul that comes from this. Come back inside."
Don sighed "I just can't sit up there anymore. Seeing her like that. I care about Jess and she doesn't even know it. I need to do something."
Cliff could see the pain the young man was in. "She knows. Jess has always had a smile on her face but she has also had the weight of the world on her shoulders since she was a kid. But the past few months her smile has been different. It's like that weight has finally been lifted. Because of you. So we are going head back in and when Jess wakes, you can tell her yourself."
Don wanted to argue but he didn't have the energy. He was mentally exhausted.
"Dad, Don" Ryan yelled coming out of the hospital to where they were standing.
Don was trying to read Ryan's expression. He was scared to hear what Ryan had to say.
Don held his breath and waited "Jess is awake"