The Redo.

Tres

The boy drops the gun like it burnt his hand after it goes off, tears flowing as he apologized over and over. I hold my side as the pain throbs fiercely through my entire middle.

"Hold your fire, Hold your fire!" Sargent Grant yells as I lunge forward and lock my arms around him, tucking him into the corner as he sobs into my chest. I begin comforting him, pressing him into my neck as my fellow officers check on the other kids, they're all filthy and petrified, Frank Jr. is begging me not to take his siblings away as I look over to Sargent Grant as she watches the boy beg, both of us are at a loss for words and I know I didn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep so I just hugged him close and focused on calming him down, guiding him through settling his breathing.

"It's ok, you're all ok now. No ones in trouble and you all are going to get help now" I run my fingers over Frank Jr.'s hair like I do with Santiago when he has nightmares. We walk out of the house together and towards the ambulance that's waiting in the drive way, Robbie and Hannah are being carried out by Sargent Grant and Officer Chang and I'm pretty much carrying Frank Jr. as he tucks under my arm and grips onto the sleeve of my uniform. I know exactly how he's feeling, that rush of adrenaline and raw fear, he was just trying to protect his brother and sister. Just doing his best. And in no reality could I blame him for that.

"Cia?" Hen looks surprised as I give her a tired smile. We had met only yesterday over lunch, hitting it off and already having made plans to meet up at the park with our sons next Sunday.

"Hey Hen, Frank Jr. this is my friend Hen, she's gonna take a look at you guys" my voice is soft as I help him up into the ambulance with his siblings. Sargent Grant had given me the run down of the 118, so it was interesting to see them in action. And cute as hell to see her make eyes at her husband, the fire captain, as he came over with two younger firefighters trailing behind him.

"You're getting looked at too Rookie" I spin around to find Athena suddenly standing next to me with a stern look on her face as I sigh, I knew there was no use fighting it. Unstrapping the vest from around me, it felt like I had been hit by a hammer when the bullet landed but now thankfully it was more of a dull ache, no broken ribs, but they were definitely bruised and now that the adrenaline was washing away, I was feeling it all begin to creep in.

"Hi you must be Officer Moreno, everybody calls me Chimney. I can take a look, if you don't mind?" Hen continues talking with the kids as I look at the lean Asian paramedic standing in front of me, chewing a piece of gum as he looks at me over the edge of his aviators. I nod and begin tugging my uniform shirt out of the waistband of my pants and unbuttoning it, quickly lifting the white T-shirt I'm wearing underneath it.

"Stings real good, but my ribs don't feel like they were broken at all" I say as he begins poking around the purple and blue bruise on the right side of my stomach, wincing when he cleans the nasty looking burn that resides at the center where the bullet had made contact. I look up from Chimney as the two firefighters behind Bobby pass him and make their way over to the ambulance, they're laughing together as the dark haired one shoves the taller one away from him. I can feel my cheeks flush as the dark haired one immediately locks eyes with me, he smiles and sends me an intrigued look as I quickly look back down to Chimney.

"Ribs feel alright, really the only thing I'm worried about is your gallbladder. Which from the scar I'm now seeing, you don't even have?" I give him a smile and nod, rubbing the back of my neck as Sargent Grant watches me closely, looking over her shoulder, smiling slightly to herself when she sees who I had been looking at, and who was still watching me.

"They'll be able to get a better look at the hospital, its procedure, so get in the ambulance Rookie" I go to protest, I really do, my mouth is open and everything but she throws out her hand with a stern look on her face and it was like I was 8 again and I was getting grounded for fighting the neighbor boy. All the fight leaves me and I climb into the rig with a groan sitting on the gurney with a pout as Sargent Grant tells me that she'll meet me at the hospital. Chimney climbs in after me and pulls the door closed with a grunt, making polite chit chat as we make our way to the hospital.