"Lieutenant!"
Forester's strained voice appeared by his side, decidedly out of breath, as the Captain went down on one knee to check on him.
"Are you alright? I heard your call over dispatch on my way back from the airport and got here as soon as I could. That was a heck of a stunt you two pulled. Where did you learn to behave so carelessly? Don't you know that's what SWAT teams are for?"
With a half-hearted smile, Mike met the worried brown eyes staring down at him, trying to ignore the creaking in his neck and upper back from his partner's full weight landing on him earlier.
"You and I both know there was no time to wait for SWAT, Captain. What's the injury report on the unis back there? I saw Grabinski fire into the group."
"Two got hit. Shoulder and thigh. Non-life-threatening. Already called in additional ambulances.", Forester returned matter-of-factly, his military background shining through on the edges, then glanced over at the entrance area of the grocery store, where shoppers were hiding behind the glass pane, the shock and terror clearly visible on their faces.
"You want me to grab a uni and handle the civilians, Lieutenant?"
Mike shook his head, as he retrieved the hand he'd kept on his lower back, swallowing hard when he looked at his outstretched palm, his expression turning grim.
"No. Here, help me up. We gotta find my partner. This is an emergency."