Mia's Open Heart (Choices Open Heart AU)

Chapter 38: The Falling Man

It was about 10pm at night, and Ethan was sitting at his desk, completing the paperwork the board gave him. While he was deep in thought, he heard the flurry of footsteps behind him, attempting to be quiet but not succeeding.

"What's wrong?" Ethan said, sighing deeply as he turned in his chair to see Mia, a deer in headlights as she was caught when she was trying to sneak up on him.

"Heyyyy Ethannnnn..."

"Mia.." he said sternly, wanting her to continue.

"I kinda sorta maybe possibly got my first craving, and its something we don't have at home, and its been on my mind for an hour and no matter how much I try to forget it it won't get out of my head, and it's too late to go out alone." Ethan sighed once again.

"...What is it?"

"...Hot Cheetos and French Onion Dip" she said reluctantly, as his face curled in disgust. "I've had it before and it was good and I remembered it today and... help." she said. "Your babies are literally using me as an incubator." she reminded him, as he put his palm over his forehead.

"Of course the mother of my future children had to be psychologically impaired." he said, sighing as he got up and grabbed his keys.

"Well, then make a better decision next time." she said, shrugging before they left the house.

They drove over to a nearby small 24-hour market, which was expectedly pretty empty at the late hour. Mia and Ethan got out of the car, holding hands as they walked into the market. However, upon walking in, they saw a sight that made their hearts drop.

Two men dressed in ski masks were in the market, one held the cashier at gunpoint, while the other was going through the register.  They stopped when they heard the door open, looking at up Mia and Ethan.

'But we couldn't see them." Mia thought. "We looked into the market, and it seemed as if no one else was inside."

"Dammit!" one guy yelled, throwing his bag of stuff down, as he pulled out a gun and pointed it to the two of them. "Move a muscle, and I'll shoot you." he said. The man moved and went to Ethan and Mia, still holding the gun at their heads. He motioned for them to go to the corner and sit on the ground. The man who was originally keeping watch on the cashier now kept watch on the 3 victims, while the other man continued to rummage through the register.

Mia's meticulous brain started going to work. "They're outnumbered 3 to 2, but their weapons could prove fatal" she thought, trying to figure out a plan. She looked up at Ethan, and she could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

"Why the hell are you guys robbing a small, family-owned 24-hour mart at the edge of Boston?" she asked them. The men looked at her, the anger pure in their eyes. The man rummaging through the register pulled out a knife and placed it under Mia's chin, using it to angle her face up towards him. The point of the knife poked at the bottom of her chin, not piercing enough to break the skin.

"Look, I think it'd be best if you keep your mouth shut, I don't like nuisances." he said, looking down at them. It was then that they heard a little and faint sound, like a person talking.

"Did you not take their phones away?!" the guy next to the cashier said angrily to the other man, who looked in terror. He looked down at Mia, grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her up, making her drop her phone, which she had held behind her arms the entire time. The phone had dialed 911, and when she spoke earlier, she gave them their location. The man, who still roughly held her arm, pushed her hard to the other side of where they were. In perfect timing, they could hear sirens approaching where they were.

"She called the fucking police!" the man said, quickly hanging up the phone even though he knew it was too late. The man who was with the cashier let him go, and grabbed his bag of stuff he took.