NOTE: This chapter is VERY graphic and probably even triggering. The end warrants some pretty deep emotion, so consider yourself warned for the need of tissues. That said, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 2

Broken Window Panes

Colour Her Eyes In With Black Lines

Amy leaned back against the wall, sighing heavily. At least three times someone had passed by the door and pounded on it. They knew for sure that one of the times it had been Bob, because he'd screamed for them to let him in.

Everyone was growing restless. Grace had glass in her hands, arms, and legs, and she and Jack done their best to remove as much of the smaller shards without risking removing something that might be blocking massive blood flow. They'd both agreed that Ricky's bleeding was bad enough, and they couldn't risk it.

Grace sat down next to Amy, draping an arm over her. "Breathe, girlie. Its gonna be a long day. I told you that."

Amy shrugged, looking up at Grace. "I'm exhausted already." She paused for a moment, looking down at Grace's bandaged hand. "Distract me. How're you?"

Grace smiled, pulling her arm down from Amy's shoulder. "I'm sore and itchy. But it's nothing a few stitches won't fix. Everyone is worried about you. This is a lot to handle."

Amy shrugged again. "I'm wishing I wasn't here," Amy admitted. She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the practice room. While she'd and Jack had worked together to bandage up Ricky and Grace the best they could, Adrian and Ben had somehow made the practice room into a makeshift nursery for John. She walked into the room and smiled, seeing John playing with a plush bear that she kept in his bag.

Adrian looked up from where she was sitting on her floor, texting. "He just woke up. How's Ricky?"

Amy shrugged, sitting down next to her son. She picked him up off the floor, smiling as he cooed at her. "Jack and I did the best we could to cover up his arm and leg, but he needs a hospital. I can't stop the bleeding in his neck or his chest," she spoke softly, her voice wavering once again. She dropped her head, kissing the top of John's head. After a minute she looked up at Adrian. "Wh… Why are we stuck here if it was only Bob with a gun?"

Ben chose that moment to speak up, folding and refolding John's blankets to keep his hands busy. "At first that's what everyone said, but a lot of people in different homerooms said they saw other people with guns. Madison said she saw Joe with a gun."

Amy raised an eyebrow, confused. "Joe…The fake ID guy?"

Ben and Adrian both nodded. "Everyone ran in different directions. That's how Grace got pushed through the door. It happened so fast…" Adrian trailed off, shaking her head. "Everyone was determined to get out of the building, but some guys came down the hall and they were shooting. The other two doors shattered. I think some people got hit by the bullets but they made it out."

Amy closed her eyes, trying to convince herself to breathe. She wanted to run away from here and get out. "How did this happen to us? And why now?"

Ben and Adrian didn't say anything, but Amy jumped when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, seeing a text from Ashley.

Where are you? Griffin & I hiding in a closet. 2nd floor.

Amy gulped, flipping her phone open to the full keyboard, and quickly typed back to her sister as she leaned back against the wall so she wouldn't drop John. "We…we're safe in here, and my sister's hiding in a closet. What if something happens to her," she spoke in a rushed manner, obviously freaking out. "I don't understand how any of this happened," she said again.

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There's a superstition

To hold on to the hope

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Kids zoomed past the cops and each other. Every five seconds, Reuben was turning around to help another possible victim up from the ground because someone else was shoving them down, trying to get away from the school. In just an hour they'd managed to set up a check-in station where everyone was required to show up and be accounted for. The student roster wasn't what it should have been though; half the students who had been called in sick couldn't be accounted for because no one actually had the time to check the phones before guns started firing. He was checking in every 15 minutes and each time, more and more kids were checking in, but still there was no notice as to where his daughter was, or any of her friends.

His focus was sidetracked as George ran up to him, pulling him aside. "Where's my daughters?"

Rueben huffed, walking around George and back over to the check in station. "As far as I know, neither of our children have checked in, and their friends haven't either. I've been calling Adrian's phone repeatedly, but she hasn't called back." Rueben paused and stopped walking, facing George. "Look. Just go wait and fret with your wife like the rest of us. The minute I hear from Adrian, I'll ask her about your girls. If your girls show up before then, you'll be the first to know after they've been checked out by the police."

George huffed, walking away from him, back over to Anne who stood across the lot, kneading her hands like dough. He grabbed her hands to stop her, pulling her into a hug. "We'll find them."

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I'll call you later

I need to save her

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Ben threw an empty water bottle against the wall, smiling as it fell into the trashcan. It was clear that everyone was growing restless.

Amy settled John into his car seat, wrapping his blanket tightly around him. He'd fallen asleep not long after she'd given him what was left of his bottle from that morning. Fact of the matter was, however, that they needed to get out of the school.

She shifted off of her heels, onto the floor next to Ricky. Even just an hour and a half of sitting there had drained so much out of him, though it didn't surprise her. He'd lost so much blood, and they were all a bunch of kids. No one really knew how to treat a gunshot wound outside of a hospital, let alone a bunch of high school kids.

Ricky looked up at her wearily, brushing his face against his shirt to wipe away the cold sweat that had since formed. His breathing had grown shallow at some point between her helping to bandage Grace and returning from the practice room.

"I'm exhausted, Amy," he spoke softly. His words were littered like his throat was full of phlegm, but she knew better than that. She knew that they needed to get to the hospital. She forced a smile, grabbing one of John's blankets off the floor and wiping the sweat off of Ricky's face.

"I know. But we'll get out of here soon. You just have to breathe." She turned to face him, unzipping his sweater. They'd cut his t-shirt off and cut it into pieces to wrap around his knee and wrist so in order to slow the bleeding. Even so, he had still continued to bleed profusely through his chest and back.

"But then it got cold…kinda like right now."

Amy shuddered, remembering that line from a TV show she didn't remember. She didn't want to think about that right now.

She finally got the zipper down on Ricky's sweater and gently pushed it back to his shoulders. She grimaced as she grabbed the blanket off the floor again and pressed it against Ricky's chest as she pulled him forward. He rested his head against her shoulder, breathing slowly and heavily. Amy used her free arm to remove his sweater.

Jack stood from across the room and walked over, kneeling down next to Ricky. He took the edges of Ricky's sweater and jacket, and pulled them back gently, though it didn't stop Ricky from wincing at the pain that seemed to radiate throughout his upper body. Jack grimaced, pulling back the taped gauze from Ricky's back. "This isn't really helping any. Its just soaking up the blood. We need to get out of here."

Amy nodded, letting a tear fall down her cheek. "I know." She tried to stop the blood, but it rushed past her hands and the blanket. He was losing it with every second that passed, and they'd been here too long. If they didn't get to the hospital soon, she wasn't sure her son would still have a father when morning came…

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Rainy days and Mondays

Always get me down

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Ashley ducked back from opening of the doorway, looking up at Griffin.

"So? Is there anyone out there?"

Ashley rolled her eyes, looking back out again. "I don't see anyone," she spoke softly as she stared out the small crack she'd made from opening the door. "I still don't want to chance it."

Griffin huffed, kicking off of the wall. "A three-by-three foot room is not big enough for the two of us, and you promised your sister we'd go downstairs."

Ashley rolled her eyes, keeping them on the outside of the closet. "I know, and that's what worries me. She'd tell me to stay here if it wasn't serious."

Griffin raised an eyebrow at her. "That, or maybe she's actually worried about you. This is a serious situation. You have grasped that, right?"

Ashley turned her head, glaring at him. "Duh. I just… There's people out there with guns. I'm not going unarmed."

Griffin nodded, and turned around behind him. After a moment of picking through cleaning tools, he placed something in her hand. She took it and slowly pushed the door open. As she stepped out of the room, she leaned back against the wall, looking down both sides of the hallway. Backpacks were construed across it, along with open locker doors, dropped phones that were ringing repeatedly…Everything was in havoc. Ashley's breathing quickened slightly, realizing the reality of this situation.

Griffin squeezed her shoulder, light enough that he wouldn't hurt her, but hard enough to bring her back down into her brain. "Breathe. You can't be freaking out if we're going to attempt to make a break out of this place."

Ashley nodded, taking a heavy breath. She finally looked down at what he'd given her and glared at him again. "A mop? Seriously? We're going to fight gunfire with a mop and broom?"

Griffin smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Well, pending that whoever it is actually gets close enough to us, we can hit the gun out of their hands."

Ashley considered what he was saying and shrugged. "Maybe. But have you considered the fact that people were saying there's more than one shooter?"

Griffin shrugged, looking to his left as Ashley looked to her right. "I'm trying to keep my brain on the fact that we need to get to the band room for some reason."

Ashley nodded again and stepped away from the wall. "I think we should go this way. There's an elevator at the end of the hall, and a stairwell. We can hit the button and then check the stairs, so if anyone is there we can run right away."

Griffin thought about her idea and nodded. "Okay. But if we hear or see anything, we stop right then and there and find an empty room."

Ashley agreed, looking both ways down the hallway again. "Okay. Lets do this."

She stepped away from the wall as well, and Griffin took her hand. They began walking, but soon enough were running down it. He slammed into her when they reached the end of the hall and she threw a hand over her mouth. Griffin looked around her, seeing Lauren passed out at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ashley, we don't have time to save people. Your sister-"

Ashley quickly cut him off, looking up at him. "Look I know. And I'm hardly dumb and dumber's biggest fans, but they're Amy's best friends. I should do something…" She frowned as she stared at Lauren. Griffin meanwhile, was pounding on the down button of the elevator panel. As the door opened, he looked up at Ashley.

"C'mon. We have to go, now," he begged with her, pulling on her arm.

"Just let me check and make sure she's still alive," she replied, pulling her arm from Griffin's grasp. She walked down the steps slowly, looking over the side of them. Another person was collapsed against the stairs, she assumed whoever he was, was dead, judging by the amount of blood surrounding him. As she leaned down to touch Lauren's neck, a loud pop from outside of the stairwell made her jump. She threw a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream but it was too late. Griffin's eyes went wide as he motioned for her to come back up the stairs.

She patted Lauren's shoulder once, but when she didn't move, she ran up the stairs. Just as she reached the last one, a warm hand gripped her ankle. She dropped against the ground, shaking as tears filled her eyes. She turned her head around to see Lauren in front of her. Her head was split, but she would probably be okay.

"Help me," she spoke the words so softly, Ashley wasn't sure she even heard them. More tears flooded her eyes as she pulled her foot free, hearing footsteps.

"I can't. I'm sorry." She scrambled backwards, finally pulling her foot free of Lauren's grasp, and Griffin yanked her back into the elevator just as someone came around the corner. The elevator doors slammed shut, but she was sure she heard a gunfire as they did….

Her thoughts raced as she leaned back against the wall, wiping the tears from her eyes. She wasn't one to cry, but looking death in the face like that wasn't something she could handle. She could take a lot of things. Hell, she had taken a lot of things. She'd watched her sisters life crumble in front of her; she'd watched her family fall apart; she'd watched someone she'd come to love as her brother be tortured by his own blood. But she couldn't stare death in the face. Not like that.

Griffin hugged her, rubbing her back. "Breathe. We still have to make it to the band room."

Ashley nodded. They still had three halls to run down before they would ultimately reach the room. She only hoped that since she'd heard several sets of feet, that whoever had seen her, wasn't running back down to kill them.

The elevator doors slid open and she pushed Griffin's arms back, looking outside. Once again, she saw no one, and it was completely silent. Just like upstairs, there were backpacks everywhere, along with phones, textbooks, and book bags. She stepped out of the elevator and yanked Griffin out behind her. She looked up at him for a moment before they nodded at each other and made a run for it.

In mere seconds, they were curving the end of the hall, but he dropped her hand as she slipped to the floor and through the broken glass doorway. It came swinging back, hitting her in the leg, but she pushed it back, and used it to pull herself to her feet.

Griffin stepped around the dropped water bottle, and the water that surrounded it. He stepped through one of the other broken doors and helped Ashley to her feet. She winced and yanked her hand away from his as soon as she was on her feet. A piece of glass had cut her hand. She would probably need stitches, but she yanked her sweatshirt off and wiped away the blood, thankful to see that no veins had been pierced.

"Take your shoes off," Griffin ordered her. She looked up at him, confused for a moment.

"Why?"

"Because they're wet and you'll slip if you try and walk in them. Take them off and run," he explained.

Ashley nodded, biting her bottom lip as she stared at the doorway at the end of the hall. "We…we could just leave. No one would have to know."

Griffin shook his head. "No. We should help your sister first, and then get out."

Ashley bit her bottom lip as she slipped both her shoes off and handed them to him. "But that guy, Griffin, he-he…he had a gun and he…" Another tear fell down her cheek.

Griffin nodded. "I know. But we should make sure no one in the band room has been shot, and then maybe all of us can make a run for it."

Ashley nodded, knowing he was right. She started walking towards the music hall and looked down it to make sure there was no one with a gun. After that, she once again made a run for it with Griffin behind her. He grabbed her and stopped her from slipping again as they reached the band room. Rather than knock, Ashley dialed Amy's cell and bit her bottom lip as she heard On The Ride by Aly & AJ playing from Amy's cell phone. Amy was quick to answer however.

"Ashley?"

Ashley nodded, though Amy couldn't see her. "Open the door. We're here," she spoke rushed. It seemed like forever, but was probably les than a second later when someone threw the door open. Ashley dashed in and Griffin followed, before Ben shut the door just as quickly, careful not to slam it. He locked it and sat down on the floor in front of it. As Ashley looked around, she realized that everyone was sitting with their backs to the wall that the door was on so that they wouldn't be seen. The window was 7 feet off the ground, but still, you couldn't sure.

Amy hugged Ashley tightly, letting a sob finally escape her as she hugged her. Ashley hugged her back just as tightly, but then pulled away as she saw the blood on Amy's shoulder.

"What happened," she spoke rushed again, worried. "Did you get hurt too?"

Amy shook her head, letting go of her sister. She wiped away the tears on her face. "No, I'm fine. What do you mean too?"

Ashley shrugged. "I got cut by some glass by the-"

"The broken doors," Grace asked, speaking up as she looked up from where she was sitting. Ashley nodded.

"Yeah, I slipped. Someone dropped a water bottle and it spilled all over the place."

Jack nodded. "Sorry. That'd be me."

Ashley shrugged again. "Its just…glass…." Her words drifted off as she saw Jack unwrapping bandaging. More importantly, she watched as he wrapped it around Ricky's knee. "He..he needs to go to the hospital," Ashley stammered.

Amy nodded, feeling a lump rise in her throat again. "We know, but we don't know if its safe out there."

Ashley darted her gaze back up from Ricky and Jack to Amy. "I do. I think there were only two or three guys, and they're upstairs." If we go now, we can get out."

Adrian stepped out of the practice room then, stuffing her phone into her pocket. "My dad says some cops are coming in, and we should stay here until he comes to get us. I told him where we are."

Ashley shook her head. "No. Its clear to get out now. We should go now."

Amy gulped, kneeling down next to Ricky as everyone else piped into the conversation. Ben, Grace, and Adrian agreed that they should all stay, but Griffin, Ashley, and Jack were saying that they should leave.

Ricky opened his eyes, looking up at Amy wearily. He'd passed out when she'd pulled him against her so Jack could change the bandage on his back, and hadn't woken since.

"I….wan…ta go…" his words were slow and slurred, and his head dropped back to his shoulder just as fast as he'd lifted it, out cold again.

Amy finally looked back up at everyone, whistling loud so that they would all shut up. "Just go. Everyone get out now. If it's really clear, then you should get out."

Ashley looked down at Amy. "You too. You and John. I won't leave without you."

Amy stood again, hugging Ashley again before she picked John up out of his car seat and placed him in Ashley's arms. "No. You go without me. I won't leave him here alone."

Ashley bit her bottom lip and hugged Amy tightly again. "I love you so much. You have to come out of the school too."

Amy nodded, hugging her sister back, just as tightly, though she was careful not to hurt her son. "I will. We both will," she interjected as she looked down at Ricky. Ashley looked down as well and then kneeled down, placing a hand on Ricky's shoulder. He slowly lifted his head up to look at her. He tried to smile, but only managed a to lift a corner of his lip into more of grimace than a smile.

"You'll make it out," she promised. "You don't leave us now."

Ricky nodded as best he could and closed his eyes again, dropping his head once more.

Ashley handed John's car seat to Griffin as Adrian opened the door slightly. She peaked out to make sure there wasn't anyone in the hall and then nodded to everyone.

Amy looked over at Grace. "Are you okay to walk?"

Grace shrugged. "I'll just ignore the pain and run," she insisted. "You'll be okay?"

Amy nodded. "It's just a few minutes anyway, right?"

Everyone nodded, and one by one, they hugged her, and then said something to Ricky until they were all looking out the door again. Amy and Ashley hugged once more and she kissed her son's head again. "Be safe, buddy. And really really quiet until you and aunt Ashley are with grandma and grandpa, okay?"

John nodded once. He might only be 10 months old, but he was smart enough to know what Amy was saying.

"And tell daddy you love him," Ashley whispered to John. He smiled and leaned down patting his fathers head. Ricky l0oked up at him and reached up. His arm shook as he did, but he grabbed John's hand. "I love you, John." His words were strangled and flooded with gurgles, but he spoke them.

"Luh daa-ee."

Amy smiled, feeling a whimper escape her as she kneeled back down next to Ricky. In just a moment, everyone else ran from the room, leaving them sitting there alone. She prayed Ashley would call her when they were to safety.

Ricky looked up at her. "You…should get…your things."

Amy nodded and stood again. Ricky grabbed her leg and she turned around, kneeling in front of him. "What is it?"

"If…" he closed his eyes and his head dropped.

Amy shook her head, rubbing his hand. It was colder than ice, but she kissed his fingers anyway. "No if's. Everything will be okay."

Ricky lifted his head again, shaking it. "N-no. If…something…If some…one comes in here…b-before Adrian's da…ad comes in to get us…don't say any…thing. I don…t want you to ge-get hurt."

Amy shook her head as she wiped sweat off of his forehead again. "No. No. I won't."

Ricky stared up at her, more clearly than he had in the last three hours. "Promise," he forced out, slurred, but defiant. Amy knew he wouldn't let this go.

"Okay. I promise."

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If I'm falling, falling apart

For you

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It had been more than half an hour since Ashley had reached her parents, but she hadn't let go of John since Amy placed him in her arms. Furthermore her parents hadn't stopped hugging her or asking her questions. They'd been infuriated to find out that Amy stayed with Ricky - not because they were mad at Ricky, but because she was still inside that school while multiple people were carrying guns.

Across the lot, Kathleen and Jeff had joined Grace in an ambulance while a paramedic addressed her wounds and bandaged most of them up. They'd already packed her up to go to the hospital.

Jack had found his parents as soon as he was out of the school, and they'd left the minute he'd given his statement and checked in with the police who had the school roster.

Reuben had insisted Adrian be sent home in a cab the minute he had had her checked over by a paramedic who insisted she only had minor bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Still, she'd fought him, begging to stay until Ricky and Amy were brought out, or until Grace was taken to the hospital for stitches. He'd been reluctant to agree, but was aware that at a time like this, his daughter needed to be with her friends who had just survived what she had, not at home alone.

Ben had spotted Leo not even a second after everyone had stepped out of school. He'd been in the middle of a conversation with a police officer; he assumed it had something to do with donating some sort of help. That had just been the kind of person Ben's father had always been. He didn't really understand it when he himself was selfish in a lot of ways, but he'd been proven right when he reached his father, who was negotiating something with the man who'd been appointed captain to look after the school for the next few days as they conducted their investigation.

The conversation was cut short however, when he realized Ben was standing there, waiting for his father to finish. It was rare that his father hugged him, but in that moment, he hugged him back. They'd all risked their lives to run out of that school, and they'd been lucky to make it out. Like Adrian, he'd insisted that he be able to stay until Amy and Ricky come out of the school, and even to be able to go to the hospital. As per his usual ways, Leo agreed and Ben had taken off over by Grace and Adrian, who were talking about the same thing.

Back at the Juergens' car, George and Anne were both insisting to Ashley that she let a paramedic look at her. She'd been so quick to go from one thing to another that she hadn't realized her hand was the only thing had been cut. She'd also cut her legs and her arm, and though most of them looked minor, her parents kept insisting she see a paramedic. She continued to fight them, insisting that she wasn't moving until Amy and Ricky both came out the door and were with them.

Still, the Juergens and Bowman family had gone completely silent when Reuben made his way into the school building…

Back inside, Amy forced herself to stand, and to stop the tears falling from her face. She knew one thing right now. She wanted to kill Robert Underwood.

She looked out the doorway and gulped, seeing Ricky sitting, or rather, now laying, on the floor. Blood was clearly soaking through the carpet, though as she looked now, it was clear that it already had been when he was sitting up.

Amy wiped her eyes, forcing down the lump in her throat for what felt like the millionth time today, and stepped out of the room. She walked over to Ricky, biting her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, but it was the only way she could keep herself from completely falling apart. She turned Ricky onto his back and then pulled him up as best she could with her hands under his shoulder blades.

"C'mon. Wake up, baby. Wake up." Her voice was strained by the fact that she was basically lifting dead weight. She reached up and wiped the sweat and blood from his face, removing her sweater and using it to wipe off his face. She was amazed that he could still bleed so much when he'd already lost so much blood to begin with.

Ricky lifted his head slowly, groaning as his eyes opened. Amy pushed her left arm up past his shoulder, and cradled his head so that he wasn't holding it and straining it more than he already had considering there was likely a bullet lodged in his neck or back somewhere.

"I need you to help me," Amy spoke clearly to him. She knew she needed to hold his attention to keep him awake. "I-I can't get your jeans…"

Ricky grimaced, letting his head loll in her hand. "You did so good," he slurred.

"No," Amy disagreed. "I didn't. I let this happen."

Ricky closed his eyes again. "Just…put me down…I can…hold…my own weight. Just d…do it quickly." His hips rose less than an inch off the floor, but it was enough for Amy to yank his jeans up and fasten them.

"I want to kill him, Ricky. I want him to be tortured the way he tortured you," she spoke infuriately.

Ricky stared at her with glazed eyes. "Mmm…B…ut he'll go….down for…this."

Amy shook her head. "I'm glad your so proud of that, really, I am. I get it, even. But at the cost of your life?" She felt the lump in her throat rising again, and stuffed it down again. "Just…I can't have you die on me."

The door opened at that moment and Amy jumped. She was set and ready to start running for the practice room, but she calmed as she realized it was Reuben. He looked down at her and frowned. "There's a clear shot for the doors, but we have to go right now."

Amy nodded and helped Ricky to sit up again. He leaned against her, and Reuben stepped up behind him, pulling him to his feet. Again, he was like dead weight, but Amy moved around him, taking his right arm over her shoulder. Ricky winced.

"I'm sorry. Its just a few minutes though. We'll get out." Amy apologized.

"Lets just go," he slurred back.

Reuben nodded and opened the door, stepping out into the hall. Amy and Ricky followed slowly behind. Each step required her to take on more of his weight because of his leg, but they made it outside of the room and then out of the music hallway. They were about ten feet from the doors when they all heard footsteps.

"Down!" was all that they heard from Reuben before Amy threw Ricky down and dropped over him, covering his head with her arms and tying her leg over his. She knew she'd knocked him unconscious, but figured his life was worth more now than to let someone kill him in a split second.

Bullets fired. She counted at least five, but it was the piercing snaps that made her jump each time. She suddenly felt like she'd been stabbed in her upper arm, but before she could react, a strong grip pulled her up onto her feet and then shoved her through the doors. She stumbled backwards and hit the ground, scraping her elbows and her lower back, but a police officer pulled her to her feet and then lifted her completely off the ground, running her over to an open ambulance. They insisted on tending to her arm, but she pushed them away, watching the doors.

Ashley, quickly followed by her parents ran over to the ambulance where the paramedics were trying to calm Amy down. Ashley nearly knocked her over as she threw her arms around her, clinging to her. Their parents were slower, but hugged her as well. They were all in tears, including John, but still, she watched the doors that still hadn't opened.

"Amy, you got shot?" Her parents repeated the question over and over, but she couldn't take her eyes off the doors.

It felt like hours, but it was more like two minutes, when the orange doors slowly opened. The backside of a grey Armani suit was the first thing everyone saw. It seemed like the whole crowd of cops, teachers, and students went completely silent as he turned and a full head of black hair could be seen.

A sob escaped Amy's throat as his bloodied body faced every single person standing out there. It had felt like time slowed down to nothing more than milliseconds. Seeing his lifeless body laying there in the arms of an ADA ripped her apart inside.

She couldn't hold back the tears that she had for the last three and a half hours. Whoever said it was only 11:30 in the morning had to be on crack because there was no way this much stress could be put on one person in such a small incriment of time. Her mother and sister held her tightly, trying to calm her.

But she knew they couldn't fix this. They couldn't stop the tears that were falling down her face, or erase this body-eating pain until she knew he was going to survive this.