For Him, I Would

Chapter Forty-One - When inside battles pour into outside wounds.

Author's Note - Full disclosure: this is a long one, think of it as a two-for-one almost,  but it's not a happy one. There is a lot to unpack in this one and I hope it's one of those you remember everything that's happened to get here and the emotions flowing out from everyone. But this all goes into the story, I promise. 

Oakley sat in the hallway of the hospital, her right knee bouncing like crazy. Her thumbnail was caught between her teeth as she stared straight ahead. Another nurse passed by her but stopped.

"Ma'am do you need,"

"I'm fine!" Oakley snapped and the nurse went on.

Oakley didn't need medical attention, at least not physically. Sure, she was covered in blood and probably looked like she'd just clawed her way out of a bear attack, but it wasn't her who preoccupied the rooms around her.

Oakley took another deep breath and started to count backward from thirty again, something she had picked up since the ambulance brought her here. She heard the hustle in the rooms next to her and across from her, there were many people coming in and out of those rooms.

The officer who was hit first was in the shoulder. Oakley had heard a nurse say something about him being lucky, that a mere two inches in it would have pierced his heart. That officer was only out there with all of them because of one reason...her.

Kayce had called him, brought them in off duty, made them drive out there with them, and get out to circle around so they could come up from behind. They didn't know the morning would end with one of them being shot...again, because of her.

"Oakley!"

John Dutton pushed through the doors, his eyes trained on the poor, frightened woman sitting alone in the hallway. He strode over to her, sitting next to her with his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" John asked. "Is this your blood?"

Oakley looked over at him but couldn't speak now. Joihn's eyes were worried, as any father would be right now. A loud beeping started off in one of the rooms and a few more people ran out of one room into that one. It was so chaotic right now.

"I need a crash cart!" Someone yelled and more people flew in there.

"Where's Kayce?" John asked, shaking Oakley's shoulder slightly to get her to pay attention to him.

"I-I don't..." Oakley didn't look at John though, she was staring straight ahead again.

She put his son out there, in danger because she couldn't help herself, because she was selfish and wanted to see her brother. Her brother shot at least two people, one being Kayce. Oakley ran her fingers through her hair, pulling slightly to feel something right now, something to bring her back to reality.

"Excuse me," John asked a nurse but she didn't stop. "Wait!"

It was like everyone was on autopilot. Like it was a dance and Oakley could do nothing but watch people come in and out of her vision. She could hear John asking her something again but couldn't quite make out every word.

She could smell the sterile clean scent of the hospital, but her ears were still ringing from the gunshots before. Flashes started to dance across her eyes.

She could see her brother aiming a gun at Kayce.

She could see Kayce firing his own gun toward Cash.

She could see Kayce down in the snow, Oakley looking over him and then looking up to her brother.

She could see her brother's gray shirt soaked in blood.