Chapter Eighty Nine: Battle Born
When they break your heart
When they cause your soul to mourn
Remember what I said
Boy you was battle born
The Killers - Battle Born
The chapel of the hospital was a small, narrow room centred in the very hub of the hospital somewhere between the Emergency Room and the Operating Theatres. It was a solemn but cheerful kind of place. There were a few wooden pews on either side of a thin aisle. An arty, beech coloured cross was stuck to the wall between two small statuettes of Jesus and Mary at the head of the chapel.
Phillip Sharpe rarely prayed, even during those days when he had been a firefighter rushing into burning buildings for a living. He believed that life was what you made of it, however now seemed like a good time to build that bridge with God again, especially with his daughter's life still clasped so precariously in his hands. Phil laced his fingers together before tilting his head up towards the cross that stood before him.
Dear God, please just save her...
"I thought I'd find you here." The sound of a familiar voice echoed through his ears breaking off the beginnings of his prayer.
Phil bowed his head as Sergeant Trudy Platt dropped into the pew beside him, her silver hair tied back into strict ponytail as her fringe fell into her brown eyes. Her lithe frame was a reassuring presence beside him as they both sat there for a moment in a revered silence, hands resting in their laps. Phil had no words to express how grateful he was for one of his oldest friends coming here. He knew that Voight and Olinsky were still out in the field trying to hunt down the animal that had done this to his daughter and captured her friends.
Despite his own crippling grief, he was aware that Trudy was also on the ropes. Her patrol officer had been kidnapped along with a detective friend of hers and Lord knew what the hell that evil bastard was doing to them. It had to hurt, Phil could see the anxiety in her pinched features as she tilted her head up and stared at the cross in front of them. His hand stretched across the distance between them, his steady fingers curling around hers as his inviting palm warmed her cold hand.
"Now just seemed like the right time to get in touch with God again." Phil admitted, squeezing her hand as he spoke with a with a twinge of bitterness. "Kayla's still in surgery, they've had to do a blood transfusion."
It was painful to experience such a harrowing rush of emotions. They tumbled over him all at once stealing his breath and prickling at his soul like a thousand tiny needles.
"Maggie and Antonio have been gone four hours now, it's driving me crazy to think what's been done to them." Trudy confessed.
She was a strong woman, one of the strongest he knew. She had been his shoulder to lean on when Kayla's mother had abandoned them during his first year as a parent. She'd rocked up, always babysitting when she could to allow him time to get his life together and to make some important decisions about both his and Kayla's future. She'd been the one to recommend the Arson Investigator's position, who'd helped him make sense of his world when it had been turned completely upside down.
"Voight always gets his man." Phil said finally, squeezing Trudy's hand reassuringly.
She sagged back against the bench, exhaling deeply as she clasped his hand tightly.
"Kayla will make it through." she spoke earnestly. "You raised her to be a fighter."
Trudy's faith in his daughter was commendable, it filled him up with a knowledge and a strength that Phil didn't know he possessed. He'd spent the last few hours feeling sorry for himself over everything that had happened. He couldn't afford to be like that right now, he had to have faith that she would come out of this alive.
Hey guys, I hope you are having a great day. We've been out and about today at the beach so I thought now that we've settled down I would put up a chapter for you all before I forget.
Anime: I'm glad I managed to shock you, for a while I was having this weird moment where I was like shit, have I bigged this up too much? It gets much worse as it goes on for the both of them. Me and my friend Nat were spitballing when I first told her I wanted to write something like this happening to them and some of the ideas we had were insane, this seemed ot be the best way forward. I am so glad that it managed to capture and effect you the way it did, I worked hard as hell on these chapters.
Lauren: They were really tough chapters to write because I had to really work hard on the motivation aspect of it and how crazy this guy would be and then the outcome and after effects of the situation. I'm really glad that you enjoyed the chapter, it was amazing to write and really challenge myself with it. I am so glad you love drama because there's plenty coming.
Soccer: Thanks for taking the time to review. It was tough writing the the lead up to the chapter and then the consequences of that'll happen after this event but the event itself was wroth it, it's something I sincerely enjoyed writing.
Nat: I was reading through the aftermath of this event and I'm still very happy with it so fingers crossed you will be too. I love torturing both Maggie and Antonio sometimes so it's on an equal balance of evil for me. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.