Randomly

Chapter 20

"She wants to kill Charlie."

It felt as if Steve had been hit on the head, the information couldn't find its way to his brain.

"Steve," Catherine continued, "your mother believes that in order for you to follow her plan, she needs to get rid of him."

A sudden pain gripped his chest, and the words, the threat, were as clear as day. He stood up and rushed to his car, the military woman following closely. He tried calling Charlie as he drove rapidly, lights and sirens blazing, towards Danny's place. With no response from his lover, Steve called Chin and had him trace the location of the redhead's phone, confirming that he was indeed at their colleague's place. The military man parked in front of the building and sprinted as fast as he could to his friend's apartment, finding the door open.

With a weapon in hand, heart pounding, Catherine behind him, he entered. He found a man unconscious on the floor and Charlie, a few meters away, lying in a pool of blood.

"Hey, Cha, can you hear me? I'm going to call for help, can you hear me?" he said, dropping to his side.

The wizard had two bullets in his abdomen, caught in time, his wounds could be treated, but time was of the essence. Steve removed his own t-shirt and used it to apply pressure to the wounds, bringing Charlie back up.

"I, need, a, mediwizard," the injured man whispered with difficulty. "Your, doctors, will, worsen, my, condition. 

“OK, where do I find him?”

“Already called, will arrive."

Steve had tears in his eyes, but he kept his composure. The threat from his mother was still looming. Catherine had called for emergency assistance as soon as she arrived on the scene, and now she looked at him with a sympathetic expression.

"You did what you could. Can you call Danny?"

The young woman complied, while two teams of paramedics arrived. Steve noticed the wands hidden in the sleeves of the paramedics' coats as they approached him. Relieved that his partner was receiving the necessary care, he was still overcome with worry.

"I'm following you," he declared as the healers loaded their patient onto a stretcher.

"And you are?" one of the medics asked.

"His partner."

Steve displayed his military tags, showing the engraved runes to the healer in charge.

"Alright, follow us."

He released a breath he didn't realize he was holding and followed the group into an ambulance. The vehicle started like any other, but during a turn, it suddenly accelerated, racing at an incredible speed.

"No-majs can't see us," the wizard driving the ambulance said with a smug grin, observing Steve's amazed expression.

Despite the distraction, Steve's gaze turned back to Charlie. Two mediwizards were waving their wands over him. The bullets were slowly emerging from the wounds as the blood flow had subsided.

They didn't have much time to do more before they arrived at the wizarding clinic. They moved Charlie to a room and instructed Steve to wait in the corridor. He began pacing back and forth, the anxiety and waiting were excruciating. He felt ready to confront his mother if his soulmate didn't make it, and he knew he could never forgive her for this. By targeting Charlie, she had lost her son forever.

The wait lasted for two long hours during which Steve exchanged messages with Danny. The crime scene was unusable; all traces, except for Charlie's blood, had vanished. So, Steve instructed his friend to go to his place with Catherine, Chin, and Kono, pack his belongings, and bring them to his office.