Gail ran down the familiar halls, racing for the colourful door she had come to love, hoping and praying it didn't occupy it's usual residents. She was lucky -she winced at the word, there was nothing lucky about this situation. Lucky would have been them getting back on time so all she would have to do was catch the guy- that she was first on scene and was quick enough in convincing Trick to let her in before Oliver caught wind which school she was at and pull her from the case. He would probably know by now and be half way here with the cavalry, and absolutely pissed with her.
Getting closer to the classroom she slowed to a fast walk, making her foot steps known, then with her hands raised she turned the corner. "No weapons, as promised." her voice was steady, calm, the complete opposite of what she felt.
A head popped out from the classroom that made her heart race. This time it was racing for a completely different reason, this time was out of fear and not excitement, her breathing hitched for the unknown instead of love.
"Turn around. Slowly." He commanded.
Gail did as he instructed. She could hear him step out of the room and join her in the hallway.
"Good, now get on your knees and put your hands on the wall."
Again she listened, moving slow enough not to scare the man but quick enough as not to agitate him. "I'm not here to pull anything Trick, I just want to give you what you want and make sure everyone gets out of here safely. Okay?"
"Don't call me Trick! Do not call me that, you don't have the right" He yelled angrily and stomped right to her back. Gail did her best to hide the fear, not to flinch when he started to roughly pat her down.
"I'm sorry. What would you like me to call you Mr. Gaines?"
"Patrick" he spat out and pulled her to her feet. He lead her to the classroom he was in before and she hoped he couldn't hear her heartbeat.
She woke to the hushed whispers of her brother and Traci debating whether or not to let the twins see her. Gail wasn't sure why they were having the argument in the first place, last time she checked they didn't have say.
"It'll traumatize them" Steve rebutted. Traumatized? Her brother has finally lost it.
"Will they be startled? Probably. But being able to see her, to see with their own eyes that Gail's alive and just asleep will do them a lot better than only going by our word. They are out there, in the waiting room, imagining the worst right now." Traci explained.
Could they not see she was awake and fine? Gail went to open her mouth to tell them to let her see her kids and that they were idiots, but her lips didn't move. She tried to open her eyes. Nothing, not even a blink.
"But the tubes and the, the" her brother sighed in frustration. "Holly, what do you think?"
"I agree with Traci, if they want to they should. We can pull them from the room if we decide they can't handle it and rethink letting them in until she wakes up, if it comes to that, but I think they can handle it." Holly's soothing voice brought a lightness to the dull pain.
Gail let out a silent puff of air when they walked in. It was clear, which meant Holly and the kids were in another room. They were as safe as they could be right now. So she had to push the thoughts of Holly and the twins from her head, it would cloud her mind and that was the last thing any of them needed. Pushing the feelings was a lot harder, impossible even, so she settled with shutting down, going numb and fully embodying the officer she needed to be.
Patrick started to pace the classroom and muttering to himself, so Gail sat on the desk closest to the door and waited for him to share. And apparently she didn't have to wait long. "What do I do?"
"Can't give advice if I don't know what it's about" she tried the casual route, leaning back on her hands.
He spun around. "I can't just go from room to room like last time, that's how I almost got caught. How do I find her?" The man stepped toward her, his voice worried and panicked. He was a lot saner than they had first assessed. Patrick knew what he wanted and was pretty calm about it, clearest head she's ever seen on a perp in similar situations. But he was a gunmen under pressure and he could break at second.
"You could take me to the office and I could talk over the PA system, get them to listen to your wishes." She offered.
The man thought for a minute, tapping the tip of the gun on a desk then nodded. "Alright, but I'll be doing the speaking. You could mess everything up."
"I think everyone would be more willing if I was the one to talk, we don't want to hurt anyone right?" Gail searched his dark eyes.
It took a second but he nodded his agreement.
"I promise to only say what you tell me to, nothing more, nothing less. And you know I keep my word."
"Fine." Patrick sighed and started pacing again.
"Do you want to write it down or should I?" Gail asked as if they were taking food orders.
"What?" he didn't seem to understand, like she was speaking another language.
"I don't want to mess up so I was thinking we could write what you want me to say on a piece of paper." she explained in a light voice, throwing in we instead of you to show they were in this together but kept it with him being in charge. He understood her this time and ripped a drawing off of the wall and handed it to her, then picked up a marker and threw it to her.
Gail jumped off the desk and pulled up a chair to the table he was pacing by. "Alrighty Patrick, I'm ready when you are."
The next time she woke the room was dark, the only light streaming in through the blinds. Which then reminded her that hey she could at least open her eyes, she didn't know if she'd be able to do that next time she would wake so Gail took the opportunity. The room was bigger than she expected, privet of course, it was your regular boring hospital room except for the wall of drawings tapped to the wall. Gail smiled as she inspected each picture carefully.
One was the four of them and the castle, another was again the four of them but this time at the park, the one beside that was everyone that they considered family as various animals, -definitely done by Zander. The time and effort put into it, let alone the detail of the furs and feathers had his name written all over it- there seemed to be a theme in the row. Memories. Memories of which involved Gail and whoever drew the thing, and it wasn't just the twins drawings, it looked like half the station had drawn at least a little something. In the middle was a few pieces tapped together to create a big card that read 'get well soon' and it seemed everyone who drew something had signed the card. She wouldn't admit it willingly but she loved it. Seeing favourite memories from everyone she cared about, seeing that they had taken time to think of one and draw it and wish her well was something she had never thought possible. People cared and it didn't matter that she was snarky and distant, it didn't matter that she was a bitch, people still thought her worth their time and care.
She hadn't noticed the dark haired woman leaned on the bed beside her until a warm, familiar hand cupped her cheek and wiped away tears she didn't know were trailing down. "Good morning beautiful." Holly whispered.
Gail let out one breathy laugh, and leaned into the comforting touch.
"What are you doing here?" she croaked. Her throat was scratchy, hoarse and dry as fuck.
"I couldn't leave you and Sara here alone." Holly hushed back.
Gail opened her mouth to ask where the twins were when the brunette smirked, reading her mind she reassured her that the kids were with Steve and Traci. "How is Sara?"
Holly gave her a sad smile. "She's in shock mostly. A sprained arm and a big bruise, she'll be staying with me for a while, Sara might not have known him but he was a part of her and she's now lost that too. But we'll get through it like we have before."
Gail was a little confused, she was talking like she's known the teen her whole life. The worry and sadness was very evident. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks, Sara Gaines was her Sara. The teen in the group home, the one that would be moving in in a few months time, the one she's known for fourteen years.
"Oh my god Holly, what are you doing in here with me? You should be with Sara" she sat up to emphasize her point. Which brought on a hell filled pain rippling through her entire being, bringing on a cry she didn't know she could muster.
Holly slammed on the button to call a nurse and went about trying to soothe the blonde, try and get her mind off of the pain as much as possible, but nothing was working and she was desperate to stop the cries that clenched her heart. So she did the only thing that has stopped her in the past. Holly grabbed both sides of Gail's face and pressed their lips together.
The walk to the office was relatively quiet. All that could be heard was their foot steps echoing through the barren school. When they reached the door he went through the plan again, just to make sure they both had it and to be reassured again that Gail wouldn't stray from what they agreed on.
She opened the door and scanned the room, no one in sight. Probably hiding. "Don't move, stay quiet and call the police, right now. Tell them that Peck said it's clear to come in and the shooter and I will be in the far northwest corner in two minutes. He is armed and there might be a kid in the perimeter." Gail spoke softly but surely as she made her way to the desk and picked up the PA speaker. She left the office in a hurry, showing Patrick she had it and pressed the button she assumed would cast her voice across the school.
She straightened out the paper and cleared her throat. Yep she was on air. "Sara Gaines, please go to room seven. Alone. We don't want to hurt you or anyone else, it's just to talk."
"Nothing?" Holly hushed into what she was guessing to be her phone. Gail didn't want to open her eyes, at least not yet, it was bright again and she wasn't sure she wanted to see the worry on the brunette's face just yet.
"Not even signing to Ollie?"
Gail could tell she was pacing, as she did when her mind was working on over drive. She'd done that the first time Gail invited her to the house, she was going on and on about how weird it might be for the kids and if they would be ready for that, blah blah blah. Gail hadn't quite gotten all of it because she was busy ogling the adorable, adorable teacher.
She sighed, "me, really?.. yeah I've got them tonight."
Gail grinned, she liked the sound of that. The sound of Holly acting like a parent, to the kids, her kids.
They could hear the footfalls of two people. Two, fuck. He's not going to take this well. And as she thought, he wasn't happy and screeched his chair on the floor as he threw himself out of his seat.
"If you go out there like this you'll only scare her, do you want her afraid of you?" Gail blocked him from the door. His face was red with fury. "Look, I'll go out there and make sure Sara is the only one to enter ok?"
Gail took his hesitation as a go ahead and walked out of the classroom backwards, watching the black haired man carefully. When in the hall she turned to the approaching bodies and her world dropped. There was a stone faced brunette walking protectively in front of a teenage girl.
It happened in a flash. Patrick came barreling out of the room, pushing past Gail and pointed the gun at Holly. Everything slowed down, she watched Holly push the girl -Sara- into an open door, watched Patrick pull the trigger that was aimed at the pair down the hall. She jumped in the line of fire and just as she saw a wall of dark blue polyester march it's way down the hall behind the shooter. And then it was dark.