Chapter 6
Obviously he was the first to arrive. Exceeding the speed limits was kind of a habit for him.
Lisbon's SUV was parked in front of the building. He checked the address and went inside.
He vaguely wondered why it was all dark in there. Why hadn't Lisbon turned on a few lights? She was just searching an empty apartment after all.
He reached for the nearest switch and flipped it.
Next thing he was aware of was his knees giving way and hitting the floor – just beside her.
Lying in a pool of her own blood.
His mind went numb in a silent scream of agony.
No. Not her too.
Waves of panic rushed through him. He couldn't bring himself to check her pulse, too frightened of what he would find out.
He just stood there, choking back his tears.
That's how Grace found him some five minutes later.
"Oh, my…! What happened to her? Jane, did you see anything?"
She got no answer at all. Kneeling beside Lisbon, she searched for her pulse point.
"She's still alive. I'll call 911".
After concisely reporting the facts, she hung up her cellphone and went back to Jane's side.
He definitely looked like he was suffering from shock. His lips were pale, his hands shaking. He hadn't even registered her presence.
"Jane, listen to me. An ambulance is already on its way. She's gonna be alright. I promise".
"I… I can't breathe…", was his muffled reply.
Grace forced him to put his head between his knees.
"Breath in deeply, okay? Yeah, that's it. Now breathe out, slowly. She's gonna be alright, I tell you. It's just a blow on her head. She'll be fine".
Not that she really believed what she was saying. She just needed Jane to steer clear of a panic attack.