The Reluctant Fall

Seventeen.

Blue lights flashed.

Screams were heard.

Nigel and the two other men were pinned on the floor as they were placed in cuffs. They were struggling on the ground as police held their knees on their backs.

Screams were filling the dark air.

'Secured'

'We have the shooter'

'Someone's critical'

Simon was on the phone, Colin was in hysterics, and Anthony...

Well, Anthony Bridgerton was on the floor cradling his little brother.

Benedict wasn't breathing, and there was blood.

A fucking lot of it.

"Please don't leave me, dear God, don't do this to me again."

Benedict was pulled from his grasp as several paramedics pulled him on the gurney trying to resuscitate him. Sophie was over next to him clawing through everyone to hold his brother's hand as he was shipped on the back of speedy bus. However, she was quickly pulled away by police too.

Anthony sat on his heels with his knees on the pavement staring down at his blood-stained hands. Colin grabbed his collar, "Anthony brother, look at me, we have to go, we need to follow the ambulance." Anthony felt like he was viewing everything in slow motion. He felt himself being tugged to his feet, he saw people crowding him, he had no idea who they were, but they were hazy and speaking to him... but he couldn't hear sounds. Words weren't filtering. This... couldn't be happening. It was almost like he was watching a movie, and he was simply a bystander – because there was no way that this, this right here, was real.

By the time Anthony got to the hospital, his protectiveness kicked in. He was the one to inform the family. Eloise was trying to book flights, and everyone else was on their way. His mother was absolutely distraught – it was a sound he had only ever heard once before – when their father died - he had hoped to never hear it again, but he did that night.

Colin had his arms both wrapped around his sisters as they each sobbed into his shoulder, they didn't have their partners with them as they both made Simon and John stay with Penelope. She was in the hospital a few floors up. They didn't want Pen to worry, because they knew if she found out about tonight, she'd rip everything from herself and push herself down here, and they knew she needed to heal, they couldn't deal with someone else putting themselves at deaths door. But Anthony knew Simon wouldn't be able to hold her off forever, she'd get suspicious, his girl was too smart to hide this from.

The paramedics managed to get Benedict's heart beating again in the ambulance, but Anthony could see the worry on the doctor's face when he rushed in from the parking lot earlier – it wasn't good. But still, it had been hours now, and still no news. All he could keep telling himself was – no news, is good news.

"Maybe you should go see her," Fran said as she placed herself on the seat next to him.

"And say what?" he scoffed.

"I don't know, anything," Fran said as she passed him over a coffee.

"She'll blame herself for all of this, you know that" he sighed.

Fran nodded, "of course she will. But it'll hurt more the fact you didn't tell her."

He looked up to the ceiling and let out a steady breath.

"That's all well, but I need to be here for mum," he gestured his head over towards her. His mother was in the corner holding on to Gregory and Hyacinth as they slept. They may be practically adults, but they were her babies, and in true Bridgerton fashion the two youngest knew their mother needed them, and they would all do anything for that woman.