Part Two
"Shut 'im up!" the gunman shouted at the injured father. Too stunned to do anything, images weaving in and out behind dilated pupils the man lay on the floor, cradling his head in his hand. The only sign he gave of having heard the threat was a moan and a feeble attempt at patting his child's golden head. The boy sensed that his father was down for the count and continued to cry, clutching desperately at fistfuls of daddy's tear-soaked shirt.
Fred never bawled his eyes out, was all Addison could think of as she observed the scene. Fred who had tubes sticking out from every conceivable part of his frail body always maintained an outward appearance of calm and acceptance. Tears were shed quietly and only in the presence of Dr. Montgomery so that his friends and family were never privy to his pain and only Addison was allowed a glimpse of the vulnerable child in an otherwise old soul. She had done what a young emotional doctor would do. Addison Montgomery promised Fred that she would fly his kite, a present from the children's ward Santa, with him when he was all better. Any more experienced medical professional, jaded by the never relenting appearance of death in their lives would have disapproved, but luckily or unluckily for Addison, none of them did.
Fred's kite hung in her closet, wrapped in protective plastic like an expensive mink coat, never once having touched the sky.
Addison eased closer and just as the robber raised his gun bearing arm to silence the child in his own way, the redhead stretched out her hand towards the sobbing bundle. Instantly the gun whipped around to point at her.
Addison leveled a steely gaze at her attacker. Although her knees were shaking and her palms sweating, she would be damned if she let the imbecile notice her discomfort. Dr. Montgomery's days put her in enough high pressure situations to ensure that she didn't turn into a blubbering quivering mess when put under strain. "I'm just going to calm him down" she said, sounding to everyone around her as if she was reading her grocery list. With that, Addison gripped the boy under his armpits and lifted him onto her lap.
Immediately she began rubbing his back, other hand moving to brush away wet hair plastered to his forehead. The child instinctively turned to press his face against his new protector, his sobs turning to hiccups that shuddered through his small frame. Surprised at the boy's immediate and unspoken trust, Addison wrapped both arms around the boy, embracing him tightly.
The gunman stepped back, mouth turned up in a sneer. "Not so smart are we? Be careful now, I'll be watchin' yer." The way he casually waved his weapon around with the safety clip off, gun slipping up and down in sweat slicked palm made Addison worried. The man was a perfect candidate of making true the phrase shooting yourself in the foot and was likely to accidentally shoot someone.
His friend continued to peer between the blinds of the bank's well-polished glass window. "It looks like we're surrounded" he announced, glancing back at his partner. Every unarmed person in the room heaved a silent sigh of relief. "What should we do now?"
'Your deferring to pea-brain here? That's the equivalent of asking advice from his penis!' Addison silently retorted. She had caught the partner gazing blurry eyed in her direction, left hand in trouser pocket. Suddenly she was grateful for the presence of his accomplice by the window. No doubt if she was left alone with pea-brain… Addison shuddered at the thought.
"I'm not sure…" the robber replied, voice cracking slightly. Addison stared at his left hand now removed from trouser pocket to mop his sweating forehead. "We wait?"
"Everything will be okay" Addison whispered, mouth pressing a kiss onto the top of the boy's golden head. The scent of boy mixed with children's shampoo turned her stomach. It wasn't an unpleasant stench, but a wonderfully alluring smell that brought the past rocketing forwards to crash unceremoniously into the here and now.
Somehow the striking differences between Fred and the present child in her lap never struck Addison. Fred was feather light and holding him was like embracing a cloud, soft and not quite real. Perhaps that was meant to be a warning. Clouds were never meant to be held onto for long. Nevertheless, this boy was warm and solid, small chubby arms reaching around Addison's waist, anchoring her body to his.
'Don't worry darling, we'll send the kite into the wind, just you and I, I promise…'
Inside her purse, Addison heard the muffled sound of her cellular phone ringing. Instinct screamed at her to answer the call, curiosity wanting to ascertain who the caller was. There was no need for she knew. Alex. Only Karev would be trying to reach her today. In any other situation she would have been undecided whether to take his call, stuck between wanting to hear his voice and not wanting to feel the hot flush accompanied with his baritone. She seemed to feel that a lot lately, undecided. Present company taken into account, all she wanted to do was silence the chirping.
"What is that?" the gunman by the window shouted. He was obviously the sharper of the two. Allowing the blinds to snap shut, he stalked over to the customers on the floor, gun barrel bobbing threateningly. "What is that sound?"
"Cool yer jets Lance" his partner replied. Noticing Lance's agitation, he crossed the room to place his left hand on Lance's shoulder. 'Disgusting! Shrug that left hand off Lance' Addison thought as she heard the voice of the partner take on a cloying, nauseatingly sweet tone. "Calm down, everything will be okay."
His choice of words were so similar to her previously whispered ones that she was swept over by a wave of déjà vu.
"What do you mean Freddy? This mess is your bright idea."
Fred, Freddy, what on earth? The wave of déjà vu came crashing down upon her. Addison felt her whole body turn cold and her hands shook involuntarily. She willed her pounding heart to still, not wanting the boy whose ear was pressed to her chest to realize her rising panic. Addison became a statue, stone cold and unmoving, praying that Alex would hang up.
Not a chance in hell. Alex Karev could be extremely persistent when he deigned to be.
Just as Lance planted both feet in front of her, the ringing stopped. "Now what do we have here?"
Addison knew the question was rhetorical and kept quiet. No sense in mouthing off and endangering the boy. Moving deliberately, she reached into her purse and retrieved the offending phone, tentatively holding it out, her small peace offering.
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Keep 'em coming!