And Then There Was You...

Chapter 5: And That's When I Knew...

3rd Person POV:

The bustling activity of Chicago Med was abruptly interrupted by the sharp clatter of the emergency room doors being flung open. The chatter of doctors and nurses, the beeping of machines, and the clamor of busy medical staff came to an immediate halt. A man, his face twisted in desperation and rage, stormed into the ED, brandishing a gun.

Connor and Grace were in the midst of their rounds when they heard the commotion. The usually composed atmosphere of the hospital became charged with tension. Connor's heart raced as he and Grace exchanged concerned glances.

The man, his face obscured by a hood and a wild look in his eyes, yelled, "Nobody move! Everybody get down!" His voice was harsh and frantic. A second man, bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound in his abdomen, was being dragged in by the frantic individual.

Connor's instincts kicked in. He reached for Grace's hand, and together, they moved towards the chaos. The man with the gun, identified later as Adam, pointed his weapon directly at them, his hands shaking with a mix of fear and anger.

"Please, you've got to help my brother!" Adam pleaded, his voice cracking. "He's losing a lot of blood. You have to save him!"

Connor's eyes quickly assessed the situation. His focus shifted to the injured man—Greg—who lay on the floor, his face pale and his breathing labored. Without hesitation, Connor nodded towards Grace. They needed to act fast.

Grace stepped forward with a calm but determined demeanor. "We'll help him. But you need to put the gun down and let us work without any more violence."

Adam hesitated, his gun wavering slightly. "You better not be lying to me," he growled. "I swear, if anything happens to him, I'll—"

"Let's get him to the trauma room," Connor interrupted, trying to defuse the situation while maintaining a steady gaze. He and Grace, along with a few of the ED staff, carefully moved Greg to the trauma bay.

Inside the trauma room, Connor and Grace worked swiftly. Grace's skilled hands quickly assessed Greg's injuries. She noticed the bullet wound was dangerously close to his heart. The situation was critical and required more than just basic first aid.

"We need to take him to the operating room," Grace said urgently, her voice steady but laced with concern. "The bullet is lodged too close to the heart. We can't risk removing it here."

Adam, who had followed them into the trauma room, was growing increasingly agitated. "No! No, you can't take him anywhere. He needs surgery now!"

Connor, Will Halstead, and Ethan Choi—who had come to help—were trying to reason with Adam. Will spoke firmly, "If you want your brother to have any chance of surviving, he needs to go to the OR. It's too dangerous to operate on him here."

Adam's face turned a dark shade of frustration. "No! I don't trust you. You're not taking him anywhere!" His eyes flickered to Grace, who was trying to keep her breathing steady despite the growing tension.

In a sudden, terrifying move, Adam grabbed Grace, pressing the gun against her temple. Grace's eyes widened in shock, her face pale as she fought to keep her composure. Connor's heart pounded as he saw the desperate man's finger twitch near the trigger.

"Stop!" Connor shouted, his voice filled with urgency and fear. "We're trying to help him. Just let us do our job!"

Adam's eyes were wild, his breathing heavy. "You have ten minutes. If my brother isn't stable and showing signs of improvement, I swear I'll pull the trigger."

Grace's gaze met Connor's, and she gave him a reassuring nod despite the danger she was in. The gun pressed hard against her back made every movement tense. Connor could see the fear in her eyes, but he knew they had to stay focused.