ODDS OF LOVE: SEASON SEVEN

Episode 11

In the cafeteria a small group of staff and patients and family members that had fled desperately from the gunman were huddled on the floor. They had pushed tables and chairs against the main door to barricade it. Most were crying. Some were texting their loved ones to tell them they loved them and to tell them goodbye.

Glory had lost her phone as she and Theodore had ran for what they believed was their lives. She was sitting on the floor and her right ankle throbbed badly with pain. Theodore was crouched in front of her protectively , his cell phone tightly clutched in his hand.

" I'm sorry, Granny Glory," he said. " I'm such a screw up. It's my fault we're here. I'm sorry."

Glory fought through the pain to smile faintly at her step grandson and reached out to stroke his blond curls. " Don't be ridiculous. None of this is your fault. " She closed her eyes and saw Andrew in her mind's eye.

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DuBuis was talking to the surgeon on the phone in the nurse's station, telling him they were sending Angel upstairs to him , his dark eyes almost glued to the gunman who kept rubbing his head even as the other hand pointed the gun at  him.

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Ari sped the wheelchair with her colleague Austin " Angel" Anderson in it past the bodies of their fellow nurses.

Steve whose wife had just had a baby two months ago. Their third.

Lizzy who had been just been accepted to medical school.

Ari felt her eyes welling up with tears.

Angel closed his eyes and murmured," Tell Hank..... I ...... love him. Tell him I'm sorry. "

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Outside the police had secured the entire hospital campus. Nobody was allowed in or out.  Family of the people still trapped inside the hospital were being kept as far back as possible. The local news media had arrived as well as Mayor Nancy Woo who had boldly stepped over the barricade to demand a progress report from SWAT Lieutenant Buckley Franklin who was still trying to connect with the shooter by phone. The telephone in the emergency room just rang and rang though.

The entire Homicide unit was on the scene and awaiting instructions on their part in all this was including Faith Lane who was still desperately texting her only brother and needing a drink to calm her frazzled nerves.

Nigel was holding his stepdaughter close to his side as they stood near Spencer and Andrew. He was talking to Richard on his phone and trying to reassure him that they were safe.

Spencer wanted to go in the hospital. He wanted to find DuBuis. His husband. His best friend. The most important person in his life. All he saw in his mind was images of DuBuis.

DuBuis waking him up with a tender kiss.

DuBuis singing off key in the shower.

DuBuis playing basketball with Mark Mullins.

DuBuis arguing with the TV news.

DuBuis having changed his damn diaper after the shooting that put him in the damn chair.

DuBuis supporting him through the whole Skip Sands situation.

He couldn't lose him , Spencer thought.

Andrew was standing behind his son in his chair, his hand supportively on Spencer's shoulder, his other hand gripping his phone tightly as he repeatedly tried to call his wife. He tried not to think about why she wasn't answering the phone. He could not think about why she was not answering.

Then Spencer got a text message.

It was from Theodore saying that he and Glory were in the cafeteria hiding.

Suddenly the emergency room doors slide open and out stepped Dr. DuBuis Lane with the gunman right behind him. The gunman was pointing a gun at the back of DuBuis's head.

Buckley Franklin snapped tersely into a walkie talkie," Hold your fire. We have a hostage. "

Spencer's mouth grew dry and his heart started beating rapidly. DuBuis..... Wait..... That man......

His eyes widened.

( " Give me that fucking ring! ")

" Dad , Nigel , " he whispered. " That's him. That's the man ..... that's the man who shot me. "