Lucas pressed the gun against her shoulder and smiled as she whimpered. He used the advantage of fear against her and pushed her aside.
Josh walked out of their bed room with his boxers on, freezing with wide eyes. A soft cry came from another room and both parents jumped as Lucas' head turned toward the door.
Josh took a step towards a distracted Lucas, and another. And another. Soon he was very close to Lucas, and lunged forward when Lucas' head snapped back.
A shot resounded around the house and Josh stumbled back, grasping his stomach. Skye cried out and jumped to Josh. He mumbled her name, but kept his eyes on the door to his son's room.
She spun around to sprint to the baby's room and burst through. Grabbing the door and slamming it shut.
Before it closed, Lucas placed his foot between the door and doorway, effectively stopping her attempts to stop him.
His arm slinked through and pulled the trigger, allowing him entry.
Skye hit the floor hard, blood seeping form the bullet wound that was just beneath the hollow of her neck. She blew out of a shaky breath and her body stopped moving completely.
The loud wails of the baby drew Lucas in and he picked up the small child, reading the name above his blue crib. "Rory, Huh," he cradled him as they walked into the kitchen and subsequently to the fridge.
"Everything's alright," He warmed the bottle of baby formula and watched the child drink. "You have your mother's eyes and hair." He watched the little guy down the food in a minute or so. Turning on his heel, he walked back into the nursery and placed Rory next to his mother. Soaking the little white onesie with blood Lucas left the house, but not before writing a message in Josh's own blood.
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Jim looked at his tiny grandson, Kyle Alexander Reynolds, in his wife's arms. "How's Maddy?" Whispering as not to disturb the baby.
"She's fine, but she cannot stay under stress like this. Whether she chooses to have another child or not, it's killing her." She whispered back before placing Kyle into the incubator, still too small to regulate his one body temp.
He had come the moment he heard his grandson was born and still needed to check on Maddy, since she was asleep when he arrived.
Elizabeth led him into the room and smiled at her daughter weakly looking around. "He's here," Presenting the child to his mother with Jim rolling in the incubator.
Mark stepped forward and whispered into his mother-in-laws ear. Receiving a nod and taking off his shirt, much to Jim's and Maddy's confusion, before opening the incubator.
The scars were far worse on his body, than his face, and covered his right side. However, the scar that Kyle was now laying his tiny head on was where the bullets had ripped through. "He's cold." Grabbing a blanket and covering him with it, Mark sat with his son pressed skin to skin to him.
"It will help him regulate a heartbeat and stay war-"
Jim's communicator device went off with Dunham's voice. "Officer Shannon," It was scratchy but understandable. "Shots were heard at your son's home, we are checking it out now, but we request a medic."
"Medic request granted. Call Carter." Jim said as he left the room, not even waving good bye to his family. Jim strode to Carter's room and dragged him from Reilly.
They ran out to the police rover and speed to Josh's home, it being quiet close to the elder Shannon's own. Passing by housing units, and the small school they screeched to a stop, next to Taylor.
Entering together, Jim paled. Josh's was laying motionless in the small hallway, a bloody message by him. Taylor walked into Rory's room and quickly knelt down by his adoptive daughter's cold body and lifted the unharmed baby to Jim, "Get out of here, Jim."
The order took a second for the shocked man to process. Instead watching Carter, and now Wash, work on the young couple. When had she gotten here?
"Jim, out now!" This time a soldier gently pushed the baby carrying man out of the house. He sat on the steps, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. What would he do? How could he tell his wife? Or his daughters? Hell, how could he live if his son and daughter-in-law die?
Jim watched his son and Skye get carried out on stretchers and put in the back of a make shift ambulance. He only caught the words, "-the bullet hit her heart-," from Carter, sinking deeper into the numbing shock.
He looked into the darkening sky and whispered, "You've put my family through a lot. But, if there is some kind of higher power out there, then don't let them die."
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Maddy had been wheeled to the sitting area of the infirmary to watch Alicia play with her same age uncle.
"Get out of the way, Doctor Shannon, we need you right NOW!" Carter was yelling when he entered through the door, grabbing everyone's attention. Maddy's heart sank when soldiers walked in with two stretchers carrying a bloody Josh and Skye.
Her heart stopped. The thudding in her chest non-existent as her mother rushed to take them into surgery. Alicia Washington walking next to Josh, as her hand was literally in his stomach.
She couldn't hear anything, all sound drowned out by the sight of her brother and sister-in-law's possibly dead bodies.
A tugging made her turn to see a shirtless Mark giving her Kyle, then grabbing his daughter and brother-in-law. She didn't register that Mark was taking them all to her room until he was helping Maddy into the bed again.
"Josh…is he…are they-"
"I don't know just stay here," He pulled on his shirt and grabbed his cane. His limp was getting noticeable with all the walking unaided. "I'm going to be right back."
He left. Left Maddy in a daze, and her mind crept to the worst out come for her family.
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Jim walked into the infirmary with Rory and let the nurses take the baby for a checkup, numbly sitting down and burying his face in his hands.
Mark stopped next to him and asked what happened. Through a strangled voice, Jim told him the scene and the message written from his son's blood.
"If I have to destroy every one of you, I will to get her back." Jim said as he stated the message, the picture of bloody walls fresh in his mind.
Mark grabbed him and pulled him into a bro hug. Feeling the man he feared for many years, hug him back tightly.
Over Mark's shoulder he saw Alicia exit the OR, blood still on her hands, and ask where her son is. Mark answered her before she left.
"Things will work out," Mark was afraid to say I promise to Mr. Shannon, because he wouldn't even believe himself if he did.
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Lucas stalked up the hospital, gun still in hand as he entered through the back. There was enough chaos from the distraction he created using his sister and Josh, that no one stopped him as he approached Maddy's room.
He entered and shut the door. Her head turned towards him and eyes widened, but he didn't notice, eyes intent on Kyle.
"He's beautiful, has my eyes." He was standing next to her now and reached out to stroke his cheek, when a sharp pain blinded him.
He screamed and took a couple of steps back towards the door. The scalpel Maddy stabbed him with protruded from between his lower ribs. He slowly looked up and glared at her, a bubbling rage coming to the surface.
"I loved you, ever since that day in at the falls, since I found out about my daughter. I have loved you." Walking towards her, he lifted his fist to hit her. Maddy cringed and shifted to shield Kyle, awaiting the blow, but it never came.
She felt the spray of warm wetness on her outer side, and looked up to see what it was. Admittedly happy at what she saw.
Lucas stood, blood running fast from the slice in his neck. His eyes stayed on her, though wide with surprise, before he was pulled back and dragged from the room by Wash.
Entered again huffing, and nodded to Maddy as Nat and Alicia stepped from behind the bed. Nat ran to his mother at the sight of the blood and hugged her so tight, she could barely breathe.
Maddy breathed heavily, an odd feeling of peace over taking her before she cried.
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Taylor stood in the waiting room with Jim and Mark, the three of them had their elbows on their knees and prayed.
"Jim!" Elizabeth cried the moment she was out of the surgery doors, "He's fine, they both will be, but Skye's in a coma." The last part came out choked since she started crying into her husbands chest.
Jim sighed in relief, "Thank you." He muttered to whoever answered his prayer, crying softly once again.
"I'll go tell Maddy." Mark stated and turned with the Commander following him.
They turned down the empty hall and jogged, Mark limping fast, to the body laying outside of Maddy's room.
"It's Lucas," Mark sound bewildered and happy all at once. He turned to the Commander, who wore a sad expression. "I'm sorry it turned out this way, Sir."
Taylor swallowed hard and fixed Mark with a stare, "We all have to answer for what we did." Proceeding to call for soldiers to remove the body before they entered Maddy's room.
Mark held Maddy as she sobbed, Taylor lifting Alicia up to sit and be hugged by her mother before turning to his future wife.
Wash stood at attention though she held a shaking Nat, and saw the hurt and sorrow in Nathaniel's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Sir" She stepped closer and took his hand, "I'm sorry I killed him."
"Don't," he clenched his jaw to keep back all the emotions he felt.
He thought he'd be happy, but it was the opposite. It was his fault this had happened. Had he been with his family when Lucas was young more often, then maybe he wouldn't have done this. And Ayani gave her life to protect Lucas in the first place. Just knowing it was all in vain ripped a new tear in his heart.
"Nathaniel," in that word that left Wash's lips, was pure and unfaltering love. The kind he would hear from his former wife. He thought he'd never hear something like that again, but he seemed to be proven wrong by the woman next to him.
"You lived for me Wash," His voice was thick with unshed tears, "You lived when you didn't have too, when you should have died. And you brought me this wonderful son," and my new reason to live. He wanted to add, but he already knew that she knew.
Wash pulled her hand free of his and wrapped it around his neck to pull him close. The two together covered Nat in a protective circle.
Alicia Washington, for the first time in her life, felt her love shudder for a moment. then warm wetness on her neck where his face was pressed into.
They didn't notice the Reynolds family watching them. Maddy soon realized that though she was hurt horribly by Lucas, it was nothing compared to Nathaniel Taylor pain, who knew Lucas like no one else did.
His own blood that he just stepped over to enter this room. She smiled sadly at this thought, now somewhat understanding what he meant.
He was starting over, and it was hurting bad to do so. And it would hurt for some time to come.
