Ellie stayed quiet, pressed into the corner by Carson’s body. All she could hear was her heart beat in her ears, Dale’s heavy breathing and this terrible feeling that told her Ellsa was dead. She pushed at Carson, “Please move, I want to see her.”
“Ellie…” Carson whispered, his head on hers.
“Dale, please,” squeezing out through the small gap.
She gasped when she saw Ellsa on the floor a pool of blood getting larger around her. Gwen stood over her, her gun pointed down at her. “You killed her!” Ellie rushed for her, but Richard held her back. “Somebody help her! Please!”
It took a solid two minutes before two doctors rushed to Ellsa. Ellie stood there and watched pensively chanting a prayer for her sister to be alright.
“Ellie…” Carson whispered, turning around. He watched as she cried for Ellsa. He knew she would never get over her death… and he wouldn’t be around to help her try.
That was going to crush her even more.
“Ellie…” he said, taking a heavy step forward. He wiped the drip on the side of his lips with his sleeve. “Ellie…” he said again, when she didn’t turn to face him. He tried to move his other leg but it felt impossible. Everything inside him hurt and he couldn’t breathe. He felt dizzy.
“Ellie!” Carson then yelled, exhausting himself further.
“What?” She exclaimed turning to face him. When she looked at him, a sickening feeling settled over her. He didn’t look right. There was something terribly wrong. “Dale?” she whispered, approaching him.
He pulled a smile over his pain stricken face, “Honey…” he pulled in a strangled breath, “I need… to talk… to you…” He gasped out.
“Okay.”
“We need a doctor!” Doran yelled, from behind him.
Ellie shifted her gaze to Doran, all she needed to know was written on his face. There were three shots… one of them was in Ellsa’s chest. She turned back to him, the taste of bile in her mouth. “Dale, are you okay?”
His head hang low and she saw the red on his lips. She reached up to touch it, but he caught her hand. He placed her palm flat on his chest.
Ellie stiffened. His heart beat… it felt off under her touch…
He lifted his other hand and placed his open palm on her cheek, “I love you.”
Ellie held his cold hand in place and smiled back, “I know that. Are you hurt?”
“I’ve been through worse.” He swayed on his feet and Ellie caught him, wrapping her arms around him and releasing a pain filled groan from his lips.
“You are hurt!” She uttered in a panic. She pulled her hands back when all of a sudden they got wet. “Oh god, oh god, oh god,” starring at her shaky heavily coated bloody hands. “Dale! Dale!”
“I’m sorry,” he breathed out, collapsing on her.
Ellie sunk to the ground with him. She cradled him against her, his face close to hers. “Don’t do this to me Dale Carson! You are not allowed to die!” She yelled shaking him. “You promised! Dale!”
“Ma’am you need to let go so that we can help him,” A doctor firmly instructed.
“No, I’m not leaving him.” She kissed his cold lips as she rubbed his cheek. “Come on baby, wake up. Stacey-Ann and James need you. You can’t die before James knows you.” She cried, “They need their father and I need my husband! Dale, please!”
“Ellie, come with me,” Roger said, dislodging her arms and pulling her away. Immediately Carson was free of her, they put him on a gunny and rushed him away.
“No! Where are they taking him?” She struggled in Roger’s arms, “I want to go with him! Let me go with him!”
Roger tightened his grip on her. He trapped her arms down with a tight hold across her chest, and then took the syringe a nurse offered him. He injected the content in her arm, “He is going to be fine, but you need to relax!”
Within seconds Ellie began fading away. “He can’t leave me, he can’t leave his children. I can’t live without him, I just can’t.” She cried until she fell asleep in Roger’s arms a few seconds later.
Ellie stood in a very sully mood in the elevator, watching the floor numbers change. This was her first day out of the apartment since the incident. The thought of socializing, especially with Dale’s team made her mood even worse. She wasn’t looking forward to it, and if she had a choice, she would have stayed home cuddling with her kids.
But, this was for Dale.
The elevator door opened, but she didn’t move. She just looked out at the busy lobby full of people in party hats laughing and enjoying the Christmas party.
Ellie groaned. She wasn’t looking forward to this at all.
Kris nudged her, “Ready?”
Ellie just stared at her, not saying a word.
Kris stopped the elevator doors before they shut, “If you don’t want to be here, just say the word and we’ll go back home. They’ll understand.”
Ellie took a deep breath. She wasn’t a coward. She was very ready to see the woman who shot her sister, after four months of avoiding her.
Another gun, another badge.
But she couldn’t stay mad. Gwen only did it to save her family.
“I’m ready.” She announced pushing the double stroller out of the elevator. She made her way through the laughter and merry wishes with a tight smile and fading patience. All she wanted to do was go to Dale’s former office and hide.
“Hi!” Kevin said, joyously, giving Ellie a tight hug. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, considering.”
“Don’t worry. We are all here for you.” Then Kevin opened up the double stroller to put them side by side, exposing the two sleeping toddlers. “I don’t mind babysitting my godson for a few days.”
“I don’t mind either.” Audrey announced, walking into the room. She went to Ellie and gave her a very tight hug. Ellie leaned into it. The sincere affection helped lighten her mood. “Are you sure you are okay? You’ve been through a lot.” She whispered in her ear.
Ellie nodded. “It’s been four long depressing months. I think it’s time I tried to put everything behind me and start living my life again.” She pulled out of the hug and looked at Audrey with a sincere smile, “besides you and Kris have been my substitutes long enough. Its time I took care of my kids myself.”
“If you are sure…”
“I am. And if I fall into another depression, I have you on speed dial.”
“Hi.”
Ellie turned to Gwen’s voice. It took her a few short breaths to simmer the stirring rage inside her. “Hi.”
“So do you still hate me?”
“You did what you had to do. I should be thanking you.”
She shrugged, “I’m glad that you are mad at me because, I don’t think I could take it if you acted like a gracious saint.”
“Anything to keep you happy Gwen,” she didn’t mean to, but that came out bitter and angry.
Gwen smiled and walked away, “thanks for the consideration.”
“Kris, Audrey, please watch them for a few minutes.” Ellie rushed away before she could hear their answer. She got to the corridor and called out, “Gwen. Can I speak to you for a minute?”
Gwen turned and looked at her, suspicion in her mind. She had reason to be suspicious; her sister had turned out to be a psycho. She brushed her elbow against her gun, “What’s up?”
Ellie walked to her, “I need a favor.”
****
Carson stretched his back out. He could still feel the two bullets sear painfully through his back. He had been shot a handful of times before, but none of them scared him as much. He didn’t have anything to lose then, but now, he had a wife, a daughter and a son he would have left behind.
Ellie had been depressed for months and Carson didn’t blame her. Her daughter had been kidnapped, she’d been cut open, had her son pulled out of her, fell into a coma thinking she’d never get to hold her son and then wakes up to a standoff. Her husband and her serial killer sister got shot. Top all that off with what had happened to Daniel, George, Taylor and the recently discovered Ned.
He was lucky all she did was fall into a depression and nothing worse.
“Dada!”
Stacey-Ann announced him, as he walked into the room.
He kissed her forehead, leaving her in Audrey’s arms. “How’s my princess?”
She giggled then turned back to Audrey’s colorful hair. “Do you want her?”
“No. My back hurts.” He went to Kris who was holding his son and rubbed his hairy head. It was amazing how his face could be on such a small person. “Third, how are you today?”
Kris rolled her eyes. “Jamey is doing just fine. The doctor said there is no reason to worry. He is a normal baby boy.”
Carson smiled, kissing the top of his head. “That’s great to hear. What about mommy?”
Ellie had taken care of him when he was recuperating, but he could clearly see she had faded away. His wife and the mother of his children, just wasn’t there anymore. He could sum up all the words she had said to him since the shooting and they weren’t more than a dozen.
Kris patted his arm. She could hear the worry in his voice. “She says she’s fine.”
He swallowed hard, “But…”
“She’s really trying, Dale. It’s not easy.”
He knew that, but he just couldn’t accept it. All of this because of Ellsa!
“Carson, she’s smiling. Take that and be patient,” Doran encouraged.
He nodded. “Where is she?”
“She went after Gwen. She went to talk to her,” Kris answered.
The room went quiet for a moment and then Audrey walked up to the computer. She typed a few things in and brought up a live feed. “They’re in the shooting range.”