When One Falls - Upstead

Part 1

There was gunfire coming from every direction, the sound echoing so severely that it left anybody within a mile radius deafened. The smell of gunpowder was overwhelming, and despite the fact that there were much easier targets to go after, Hailey had her eyes fixed on only one. This particular suspect had slipped her grasp one too many times, leaving the detective more determined than ever to put him in cuffs. Her focus and the adrenaline piercing through her body had left her blind to any other potential dangers- she had tunnel vision, and it was about to catch up with her.

Hailey hadn't even realised she had been shot at first- the rush she had temporarily stopped her from feeling let alone acknowleding the sharp pain in her side. It was only when the suspect she was chasing shot at her again, her vest catching the bullet, that she was knocked off of her feet, the wind being blown out of her as she struggle to breathe. She knew better than to try and sit up- playing dead was her only chance at survival in that moment- leaving her to close her eyes until she could be certain the suspect had left. After a minute or so, she managed to crawl her way behing a car before collapsing back onto the curb, her sight cloudy as she fought to keep her eyes open and her mind sharp. It was only then that she saw the trail of blood following her- glancing down, she saw that the blood was coming from a gaping wound just above her hip.

Hailey could only describe the force of a bullet shooting throught her being strangely similar to that of a hard punch. The initial impact didn't hurt, but it was when the pain caught up to her that it throbbed, ached, stung and stabbed through her entire body. Hailey found herself seething as she cursed herself for getting shot and not being able to take the suspect down- it had been her fault that he had gotten away the first time, and she couldn't believe they slipped from her grasp again. Her heart was pounding; every time she looked down at her hands that were pressed against the wound, there was more and more crimson red blood staining her skin. Her vision blurred and grew dark around the edges as she felt her consciousness begin to slip, only to hear someone call out her name in a strained scream that ran through to her bones.

"Hailey!"

She felt strong arms pull her body into someone's chest, but she didn't have to open her eyes to know who it was. Just like how you never forget the words to your old favourite song, Hailey would never be able to forget the sound of her partner's voice or the way her body slumped into his. She would never forget the feeling of his hands pressing against her wound to keep her alive, or the way he clutched her so close to his chest as if she could vanish into thin air any moment. Every second remained frozen in time as she blinked her eyes to see Jay kneeling over her with droplets of what could have been tears or sweat rolling down his freckled skin, her hand finding his arm before gripping onto it tightly.