Mr. Lawson's Assistant

Chapter 8

I sat in the hospital bed, waiting patiently for the nurse to show my brother into my room, wincing when I stretched against the tight bandage on my shoulder. Luckily for me, the bullet had only grazed the top of my skin, and hadn't gone much deeper than an inch. Either way, it still hurt like crap.
"Oana!" David burst into the room, rushing towards me, and quickly pulling me to his arms. Cradling my head against him, I sucked in a breath, and closed my eyes, letting him embrace me for a moment. Finally, he leaned back, loosening his hold a little, before he looked me over, and spotted the banage. "What the hel-"
"I'm fine, the bullet only grazed my shoulder." I cut him off before he could curse. He generally only cursed when he was severely upset, but mom had always chided him for it.
"The what?" His face strained, and he reached up to run a hand through his hair anxiously.
"No- it's ok, just calm down-" I started, lowering my tone, and trying to sound comforting, but he just shook his head and stared at me.
"Someone shot you?!" He fumed bringing his hands up to his face, then nervously running them through his hair again. "Who the heck shot you?" David railed, his eyes darkening.
"David, calm down," I ordered, pursing my lips and glaring at him.
"Someone shot my little sister! Like heck I'm going to calm down!" He raised his voice, pulling his hands out of his hair to raise them into the air.
"I don't know who did it. The police are at the house now. They showed up when I was leaving in the ambulance." I told him quietly, and he let out a breath, seeming to take a moment to focus on his breathing.
"Was anyone else hurt?" He asked, finally turning back to me, his voice calmer.
"A few people were wounded, from what I heard, but none seriously injured." I shook my head, Amy flashing into my mind.
My nurse had been able to contact the front desk and see if Amy was in this hospital, and she'd found out that Amy had been stitched up and was staying a few floors up from me. Other than eight stitches below her neck, she was in good shape.
David fell silent, and I glanced down at my folded hands, suddenly feeling tired, as I realized it was nearly three in the morning. "Can we go home?" I asked quietly, and my brother immediately nodded his head, moving over to help me off the bed. I resisted his hand and hoped down alone, wincing at the sharp pain in my shoulder.
Hopefully it would heal quickly, I wouldn't be able to work-
The Lawson's!
We're they ok? Obviously Damon had been fine when he found me, but I hadn't heard a thing from anyone about his brother. I walked beside David slowly, as we made our way down through the hospital and into the parking lot, and I wondered if tonight's events would effect my work schedule for Monday. Once in the car, David made sure I was securely in my seat belt (cue eye roll) before he started the car and pulled out of the lot. I understood his concern for me, but he could obviously see that I was fine.
"Why the heck would someone go shoot up a business party?" David muttered to himself, shaking his head, as he settled into the right lane on the highway. As the silence settled, I replayed the night in my head. There hadn't been any arguments, or tense feelings- minus the awkwardness of a few people who didn't know everyone. It'd felt like a normal, boring buisness party.
"Why didn't anyone stop the man with the gun?" David asked me, a few moments of silence passing between us.
"No one could see where they were coming from. It was so sudden- they came through the big windows, and everyone was just trying to get out..." I trailed off, shuddering at the fresh memory.
"The shooter was outside?"
I nodded.
David's face tightened at this, and he fell into silence, glaring at the dark road in front of him, as he drove. I tried to sort out my thoughts on the drive, and as I did so, I attempted to find a comfortable position to rest my shoulder. When I was as comfortable as I could get with a bullet wound in my back (technically it was on my shoulder, but whatever), I thought back to the incident, hoping to remember something else. As I thought, I wondered about Amy and the others who had been wounded.
Suddenly, an unusual thought came to me. When the bullets had started pouring into the room, the sound was only that. The bullets. There had been no gun shot sound, or any loud bang that I'd heard. Besides the bullets pinging off of things, and glass shattering, there had been no other gun noise.
"David...?" I said slowly, glancing over to him. He looked lost in thought. Lifting his head slightly, David glanced back, letting me know I had his attention. "Is it possible- when you shoot a gun- I mean- to like not have any noise?" I asked him cautiously, and he mulled over what I'd said for a moment, before he answered.
"If you have a silencer, yeah." He glanced over again, raising his eyebrows. "Why?"
"When the bullets started coming through the windows, there wasn't a bang or echo- or anything." I told my brother, clasping my hands in front of me on my lap.
David remained quiet, taking in my words, as he pulled into our parking lot.
"Can you remember how many bullets it took to shatter the window?" David finally said, not turning off the car, even after we were parked. Frowning, I thought to when I was running through the room, glass falling everywhere, and tried to see if I could remember. Wracking my brain, I clenched my teeth together, but I couldn't think of anything. It was all kind of hazy, other than when I'd found Amy, and when the medics had arrived.
"I can't remember." I shook my head, glancing down to my lap as my phone lit up.
Lawson company.
Opening the email, I scanned over it, as David shut off the car, and came around to my side to help me out.
"What's that?" He asked, gently lifting me out of the car by my right side, and helping me to my feet. I grimaced, but once I was standing I kept my shoulder stiff, and shut my phone off.
"They want me to speak with an officer about the shooting on Monday." I began walking towards the apartments. "I guess that means I still have work." I let out a small laugh, and David raised an eyebrow.
"Sucks for you."
I glared over at him, and he gave me a small smirk. I could see that he was beginning to settle, and I was glad.
We headed up the stairs to my apartment, and as David pulled out my key to unlock the door, Soma jerked the door open, and practically flew into me.
"Ohmygoshareyouok!" She strung her words all together, grabbing me, and pulling me to her for a tight hug. I held in a breath, when she rested her chin on my shoulder, and David stepped between us when I shied away from the pain. Soma let me go immediately, and opened her mouth to say something, before she turned and saw David. "Who are you?" She frowned, glancing back to me and raising her eyebrows. But just as she did, she must have noticed the bandaging on my shoulder, and her mouth fell open. "YOU WERE SHOT!?" She practically screamed, jumping forward to inspect my injury.
"Geeze Soma, shut up." I mumbled, embarrassed that she might have woken the neighboring apartments.
"Oh my gosh!!" She whisper-yelled, and I could see David silently laughing behind her. I shot him another glare, before I moved inside the apartment, and kicked off the heels I'd been wearing.
I could pick them up later.
"Are you going to tell me what happened? Were you in that shooting at the party-" she stopped, as David closed the door behind her, and she turned back to me, "and are you going to tell me who the heck he is?" She jerked her thumb over to David, and he smirked at me.
"I'm David," He held out his hand to her, and she suspiciously looked at it, before looking at me.
"He's my brother." I supplied.
Sama made an 'O' with her mouth, before she turned to shake his hand.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Soma." She barely gave him a second glance, before turning back to me, as I walked towards my room. "No ma'am, you're going to tell me what the happened!" She demanded, and I let out a slow breath.
"A bullet grazed my shoulder-" I cut her off from another series of questions, "and yes, I was at the office party." I told her, pursing my lips as she blocked my bedroom doorway.
"Did you at least go to the hospital?!" She exclaimed, and I raised my eyebrows.
"Yes, now can I please go change?" I asked her, and she sheepishly stepped away from my doorway.
"Do you need any help-"
"No."