Chapter 2: Family and Friends
Mid-August day and the sun was setting in the west of, just over the skyline of Stilwater. A series of busy days had continued for days for the local police department, bringing no relief to the city as far; The normal city noises echoed through the streets, horns honking, guns going off or the sounds of people shouting; this is due to the local gangs in the area one being the Saints. A young officer/ ex-military Named Nathan Armstrong is returning home. The two bedroom apartment was just on the outskirts of town but was all he could afford at the moment before his pension was available, but it suited its needs. His Expecting wife, Kate, and daughter Belle were waiting patiently in the family room as he walked through the door. Sore from work, Nathan combed back his short dark brown hair and took off his aviators to show tired aqua eyes; he seemed exhausted, sitting down in his favorite recliner before being greeted by a very energetic four year old. "Daddy!" she squealed, jumping into his lap to give him a hug. The sudden surprise of his daughter cause him to jump some, laughing softly "Hey Sweetheart, Did you miss me?" Belle wrapped her arms around her father's neck tightly, she had missed him leaving that morning and felt to make up for it; giving a tender nod to her father's question, "I did". He gladly returned the hug and turned to his wife; she had been sitting on the couch, patiently waiting her turn to talk to him, holding her seven month pregnant stomach. Her hazel colored eyes greeting his own as she pinned back a strand of caramel colored hair that went passed her shoulders, smiling lightly "She has been so impatient on your arrival, asking non-stop for the last three hours" she giggled. He made a funny looking face towards his wife and daughter making them both laugh, chucking softly to himself "Now is that right?" Belle now clinging to her father gave a slight nod, giggling some from excitement. Nathan counted himself blessed that he had such a beautiful family, a few years ago he would have never imagined in his wildest dreams; Kate propped her feet up some in hopes of taking down some swelling. Noticing his wife's discomfort, Nathan stood up and moved closer to her side with a concerned look; "How are you feeling?" sounding somewhat nervous about her condition. "Just a little sore and swollen" she sighed, wiggling her toes "Nothing out of the ordinary".
He was not completely convinced but Nathan was always the type to worry about those things. Kate gave a gentle reassuring smile as Nathan leaned close kissing her forehead; He could feel a small kick as he rested his hand over Kates stomach, "Now you girls stop giving your mother a hard time" he said with a chuckle "You two have to let mommy rest or she get cranky". Looking up he could see Kate giving him a playful glare, pinching his neck lightly "I can be more than cranky if you keep that up" she teased. Nathan winked at his wife with a playful grin "Careful love, that's how we got here in the first place" he points at her stomach. She looks back at Nathan with a smile, crossing her arms gently; her voice scolding slightly "And the Doctors told you, you couldn't have any more children". They both believed that until a hospital visit seven months ago. Nathan chuckled, shaking his head lightly not wanting to think about it; changing the subject, Kate asked "So how was work?" He let out a heavy sigh before looking over, "The usual, Tiring and full of nonsense" he explained "The Chief does not seem like he wants the Kings behind bars, let alone the Saints".
Kate always worried about her husband while he was working, especially so close to the gang violence; she looked away with a scowl, "When is that moron going to realize the people are more important, You know WAY more than that … You can run that whole department even when you were in the hospital a year ago" she paused letting out a frustrated sigh. "But if I ran the P.D I wouldn't get to come home to see the best thing that ever happened to me" he chuckled. Kate was still frustrated but glanced back at her husband, crossing her arms "Yeah? What is that?" "A wonderful", He paused to smile "Intelligent and Loving wife, not to mention the beautiful daughter she gave me". He nuzzled his nose against hers, forcing her to smile. "That's better, besides being upset isn't good for the babies" his hand rested gently on her stomach. A few years ago when they met she would have never thought Nathan as a bubbly father type; but after Belle changed her views about the man. Then with is pregnancy, when they found out it was twins, Nathan was ecstatic; He had always told Kate that these girls would do great things as soon as they were born. Kate being more calm about the news only laughed, saying "They might be just like their father too, fighters with big hearts".
Belle had remained quiet, only giggling as her father goofed off; she had been more of a perspective child, this she inherited from her mother. But when she felt wrong about something and had a comment, she spoke her mind; this she got from her father. "It's almost eleven O'clock, I think it's time for someone's bedtime", Kate teased as she glanced down. Belle immediately clung to her father's arm whining, this trick she always used on her father and mostly always worked; she would even pout softly to enhance this effect. Without looking at his daughter, Nathan already covered his eyes "Belle don't start" he sighed knowing what she was doing. "Sweetheart, Daddy has to listen to Mommy too" he pouted playfully "You don't want Daddy in trouble do you?" Without missing a beat, Belle pulled his arm down and grinned "If it means I get to stay up, Sure!" Kate could not help but to start laughing at the look on Nathan's face. His jaw propped open and his eyes got wide in shock; looking down at the young child "And I thought I was going to defend your case" he teased as he took the squealing child in his arms.
It seemed like any ordinary night until Kate got up holding her side lightly. This got Nathan's attention immediately, looking his wife over "Babe, What's wrong?" The pain felt like a knife in her side and it only got worse; immediately she reached for a wall to balance herself "I need to…." she groaned in pain "Nate". Nathan quickly stood up and rushed to his wife's side, holding her up "Kate, what's wrong?" He could tell she was in a lot of pain by the way she cringed; His hand reached down to where she was holding her side and noticed there was bruising. Kate had pain regularly during the last month or two, but it never resulted in bruising or enough pain to make her cry. "Belle, sweetie, grab Daddies keys and go out to the truck" he said calmly, motioning to the door "We are taking mommy to the Doctor". Belle doing as she was told, ran to the front door grabbing her father's key ring. Nathan had already picked Kate up in his arms and headed for the truck. It was like they had practiced this drill; Belle ran out and opened the passenger door for her father and quickly loaded up into the back seat just as Nathan laid Kate up front and put on her seat belt. He then ran around the front, opening the driver side and jumping in; in one motion he turned the ignition and as the black Dodge Ram rumbled to life, Nathan punched it into gear and tore down the street.
It didn't take long for them to reach the hospital and Nathan had already called ahead telling the staff to be ready when they arrived. The medical staff didn't give Kate the chance to even stand, placing her into a wheelchair and rushing her through the front doors. Nathan and Belle were left at the front door without an explanation. The feeling in his gut was horrible, it about left a taste in his mouth; he feared that they had done something wrong or had not gotten there in time. The Nursing Assistant that had been with the main staff came back and had Nathan wait in the Nursery Waiting Room; right down the hall from where they had taken Kate. The hall was echoing with the sounds of monitors and in auditable speech. Once in a while he could hear talk of a patient's condition or names of medications but after that it was drowned out by other voices as the staff walked by. He could remember the same white marbled floor of the hospital from when Belle was born, the same tan wallpaper and the look on the staff's faces; but unlike last time, this time he was afraid. Looking down at the floor he could see scuff marks from other visitors' shoes and small cracks from wear and tear over the years. The door to the waiting room was oak colored with a metal pad on it without a handle and a window on the right side looking out into the hallway; the sounds even reminded him of last time, but gave him no comfort as time seemed to slow down; seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours in his mind. Every few minutes a nurse would look in making him jump, hoping for some news on his expectant wife down the hall, but none seemed to come. Unexpectedly he had not been watching the clock when a suited figure came into the waiting room, removing his shades as they sat down beside him. The familiar voice snapped Nathan out of his trance when they pat him on the shoulder once, "Hey Nate, Did you hear anything yet?" The man's voice sounded winded from running.
Nathan shook his head, lowering his gaze again "Nothing, but as Kate would Say 'No news is good news'"; forcing a smile as Belle nuzzled sleepily into his side. "She will be fine Nate. You know that, as well as I do", the man spoke gently. Nathan looked back at his friend and nodded, sighing slightly "Thanks for coming". The man was one of Nathan's old friends from childhood and ever since stuck, to Nathan he was family and always was there when the family needed help. Combing a hand through his short cut hair, the man sighed roughly; he knew Nathan was scared of losing a loved one; it seemed to be the only thing that actually did scare him in general. They both waited quietly, whispering every now and then till a single nurse came in; speaking in a low tone "Mr. Armstrong?" Both men shot up immediately; the nurse unable to recognize who was the husband, looks at them lightly confused. Nathan stepped forward "How is my wife?" It took a moment and the nurse looked directly into Nathan's eyes with affirm expression "Your wife went into early labor, Mr. Armstrong. Which the contraction she had torn open the uterine wall and caused a bleed, explaining the pain she had. So far the doctor has her stabilized and we have her under a monitoring system, but she should be fine till the caesarian section". Nathan's heart sunk some with each word she spoke, the anxiety welling up in his stomach at the thought of what his wife was going through. At this point he was drained of energy and more sore since the adrenaline in his system has finally worn off. Nathan's friend looked back at him and said, "You go on, I'll watch Belle" with a nod, Nathan had followed after the nurse. The halls as Nathan walked down were full of medical staff and laptops, the sounds of machinery echoing through the halls and doors as they passed rooms.
A pair of double doors where at the end of the hall where the operating rooms were, on the right hand wall a keypad where doctors and staff punched in and out. It looked like security wanted to keep unauthorized staff and visitors out for sanitary reasons. The nurse finally stops at the room to his left close to those doors, waving him through the open door "If you two need anything please ask" then disappeared down the hall. Nathan peaked through the doorway to a very tired Kate, who is laying in a hospital gown with a monitor strapped to her stomach; she looks over with a smile and extends one hand to him as he walks over "Hey love". She sounded worn out and weak from the procedures; Nathan took her hand gently in his own, sitting at her bedside and brushing her hair back "Hey beautiful". Hearing her husband's voice was a great comfort to a long painful night, she smiled gently not arguing with his comment; she takes a look around and back to Nathan somewhat worried "Where is Belle?" she asked. "She's in the waiting room with a friend don't worry" he assured her, "I thought she should sleep it is late". Giving it more thought, Kate agreed; she was just worried about her daughter like always, smiling gently "That friend of yours? The uh…. one with the shades?" she gestured a pair of imaginary aviators as she asked. Nathan gave a soft nod, chuckling softly "Yeah him. You know how he is". Kate rolled her eyes playfully, holding out her hand for his "I'd be more worried about you and him being left alone. You're both like little kids". He laughed softly, taking her hand in his "Yeah I know, but I have you to keep me in line" kissing her forehead gently. "Someone has to" she sighed happily, feeling as the pain killers kicked in "So you might be seeing the girls in a few hours" she stated half enthusiastically. Nathan showed some worry but smiled, leaning down to put his head on her stomach "You two ready?"
A series of gunshots rang out down the hall making Nathan jump to a start, drawing his hidden pistol on his belt; motioning to Kate softly "Stay lying down", he moved to the door and shut off the light. "Belle's out there, we have to …." Kate tried getting up and cried in pain. Moving to her side, Nathan gently pushed her back down; "She will be just fine Kate" he said sternly, "He won't let anything happen to her". Looking through the curtain into the hall, Nathan could see several figures in yellow with guns coming down the hall, grinding his teeth slightly "Vice Kings" he sighed "Damn". He didn't want his wife to worry and have more problems with the birth then there was already, but he knew unless Belle was in with her she wouldn't settle. Several shadows passed by the room, what they were saying was inaudible even as Nathan leaned into the door. The hall fell silent of voices after a few minutes and Nathan peeked through the curtain again; he could only see the remaining staff hiding behind the nurse's station. Nathan opened the door a bit and looked down the hall, seeing no sign of the King's and stepped out into the hall; "Stay here Kate, I'll be right back" he whispered to his wife, they exchanged nods and Nathan closed the door. Three security guards were lying on the ground in small pools of blood in the direction the King's had come and Nathan's heart sunk, "Well that explains the gunshots" lowing his pistol as he looked around. Voices from the next hall grab his attention and he slowly creeps against the wall and peeks around the corner. One of the doctors and a nurse were sat down against the wall at gunpoint by one of the gang members; the nurse was whimpering softly as the man stepped closer, kneeling in front of them "Tell me where the Saint is and I MIGHT let you live" the man threatened, pressing the gun to the doctors head.
Nathan had the choice to turn and look the other way like his boss told him to, but his heart said otherwise as he watched the ganger. He could hear his wife in his head not to get into a fight and he growled at himself; 'Sorry' he thought to himself and spun around the corner, his gun raised as he shouted "Drop it!" The ganger looked over at Nathan with a look of surprise; it slowly changed to a grin as the man let the nurse and doctor go. "Really now, you want to be a hero?" the man chuckled, looking Nathan over. Nathan gave one more warning, "I said drop your weapon" his voice firm and cold. The ganger rolled his eyes not phased in the least and shook his head, "You mean this gun?" he laughed, waving the rifle in his hand. Noticing Nathan was serious, the man acted to be scared and chuckled throwing the rifle aside "Alright boss man, now what?" Something seemed off, this was too easy; Nathan looked him over, motioning to the ground "hands behind your head and get on the ground". The man gave a big grin and shrugs, "Alright" he laughs, doing as he was told "Your funeral"; Just as the ganger fell back, three other King's popped around the opposite corner of the same hall and started firing. "Shiiiit!" Nathan runs back down another hall just as one bullet hits his side, stumbling a little when the pain hits. Not allowing him to get away, the three other members chase after Nathan; popping off shots and missing. Nathan was able to make it down a few halls and corners before he was pulled aside by someone; instantly Nathan swung his fist, hitting his friend in the chest and sending him back into the wall. Nathan now in shock, huffed out "Oh god sorry, Thought you were one of them", he motioned back at the hallway where the Kings were coming from "Where's Belle?" His friend just shrugged it off; rubbing the spot Nathan hit "Oh no bro, your good" he chuckled "And she is safe in a locked room with a few nurses" he paused "And you owe me one". He tossed Nathan a semi-automatic rifle with silencer, just as he raised his own and shot off a few rounds; hitting the wall and forcing the gangers to hide around the corner. Nathan grinned slightly as his friend lowers his rifle, chuckling under his breath "I count that as even". All three decide to come around at once; firing full clips and his friend flung open a steel door close by.
Both Nathan and him jumped behind it, hearing the pullets bounce off the other side and shatter the window. "Twice" he chuckled, "two, two times". Nathan laughed some, shaking his head "We have to stop meeting like this man". His friend looked over, slightly confused; "Why? I mean, I thought we would get dinner later. Maybe a movie" he paused to fire off a few shots through the window and ducked back down, "Normal date night" he said jokingly. "Kate says we get into too much trouble", Nathan hissed as a bullet grazed his arm. His friend pouted, "Noooo" he chuckled "We just like to rough and tumble"; another barrage of bullets fly at the door and Nathan sighs, "Bro, Seriously"; Looking at his friend and the man rolls his eyes, "Fiiiine, but are we done playing with these guys?" he growled "They spilled my drink" motioning at the soda can rolling around on the floor. Nathan started counting in his head and five more bullets flew by, "Yeah, I am now". The gunners had run out of ammo and were now reloading as Nathan spun back up around the door, taking aim and shot off three rounds; all dropping one as it impacted between their eyes. His friend whistled, somewhat impressed and shook his head "Nice form" he laughed as he saw the last guy running "but uh you missed one". Nathan took aim again and took the shot, hitting the man in the rear; the man fell to the ground rolling in pain as Nathan then stood up, his friend shook his head "Smartass". They went back to the locked room and collected Belle before heading back to Kate; but when they returned more Kings were near the room door, all armed. Nathan looked back at his friend, holding Belle close as she whined softly "Any Ideas?"
(( Aaaaand cliffhanger XD. Hope you are on the edge of your seat, I'll be back with another chapter soon))
