Connor Rhodes: Hey Ethan, just checking in. I guess you must have gotten too busy for lunch. I'll catch up with you later x
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Bang!
The sound of the gunshot ripped through the air like an explosion, causing the guard's head to snap back as an alarming amount of brain matter spattered on the glass wall behind him. The acrid scent of gun powder filled Ethan's nostrils as the guard's body collapsed into a lifeless heap on the white tiled floor. His instincts were screaming as he darted in front of Sarah, shoving her behind him. His dark eyes fixated on the enemy, the gun swinging up for a second time as Ethan backed up a step forcing Sarah even further away from the weapon.
It wasn't the first time he looked down the barrel of a gun, to say you got used to it would be a lie. There was a rush of blood echoing in his ears, his valiant heart pounding against his ribs like a jackhammer as he stared at the nine millimeter, his brain working a mile a minute. All he could think about was the trajectory of the bullet and the force behind it. If Wallace shot him he didn't want the risk of it passing through his body and striking Sarah as well, he would do his very best to give her chance, no matter what the cost.
On the opposite side of the glass, his team were already kicking it up a gear. He didn't have to look to know that Maggie had activated the Code 417 protocol, the one that he had forced his team to practice over and over again. They were prepared for this, their application of the Controlled Lockdown of the E.D would be seamless so all he had to worry about was the man on the other side of the gun, that and the woman behind him. The one that was so terrified, he could hear the rapid intake of her breathing as she began to hyperventilate.
Wallace transferred the gun to his left hand, holding it steady and pointed directly at them as he used the cuff key, he'd snatched off the guard to unlock the second set of handcuffs. To Choi's surprise, the gun never dipped, it stayed level and firm as Wallace removed his wrist from the steel cuff. He was ambidextrous Ethan realised as he transferred his gun back to the right hand, before plucking the first set of handcuffs off the bed his hungry gaze flickering up over Ethan's left shoulder.
"You can leave." he gestured to Ethan, his lecherous stare fixated solely on the only woman in the room. Sarah stiffened behind him, sucking a deep breath in through her nose in an attempt to calm herself as she used the palm of her hand to push Ethan forward towards freedom.
He knew what would happen if he left this room. The man in him would simply not allow it. Sarah Reese was family to him and he would not leave her to be brutalized by this man, he would do everything in his power to stop that from happening.
"No." Ethan said, standing his ground. He brought himself up to his full height, his eyes meeting Wallace's for the first time since the other man had gotten hold of the Beretta.
"Aw Doc." Wallace mocked, his lips forming a grim smile, his hand never wavering. "I don't wanna have to shoot you."
"I'm not leaving." Ethan reinforced, his tone forceful, his eyes narrowing as he stared own the other man.
It was a test of wills, one alpha dog to another.
"Bang." the other man whispered, before the gun went off once more.
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The winter air bit at Connor's cheeks as he huddled into the very depths of his winter jacket. The hospital had been evacuated over half an hour ago now, he'd heard rumors of a fire, a gun man and then a faulty vending machine, if he was honest he was more inclined to believe the last one after he'd lost a couple of bucks in the soda dispenser. It served the damn thing right if it caught fire.
The moment Connor saw the expression on Doctor Charles's face he knew that something terrible had happened. It was in the lumbering way that he moved, the way his head was bowed almost in reverence as he clasped his hands in front of him.
"Connor." Doctor Charles said haplessly as he came to a stand still in front of the other man. There was a powerful emotion riding up inside of him, a knot of anxiety beginning to form as he crossed his arms over his broad chest in an attempt to gather some distance. "It's Ethan."
He felt the world shift, not just slightly, it was like someone had grabbed the rug and yanked it right out from underneath him. He felt Doctor Charles comforting grip on his arm, bringing him back down to earth as the words 'prisoner' and 'hostage' rang in his ears. He struggled to string them together into a sentence as Doctor Charles guided him towards the brick wall and forced him to sit down before his knees buckled.
"Do we know anything?" Connor asked, his dark eyebrows furrowing into a deep line as he rocked back and forth slightly, trying to get a handle on the rampant panic that was beginning to rattle through his chest. Things were clicking into place now, Ethan not showing up for lunch, not responding to his text.
"Not yet." Doctor Charles uttered solemnly, staring down at his clasped hands before speaking again. If there's anyone that can handle a situation like this it's Doctor Choi. With his military background, this will be a cake walk for him."
Connor rubbed his hands over his distraught features, trying to shake off the sensation of dread building up inside him. The longer this went on the less chance Ethan and Sarah had of walking out of there unscathed. Doctor Charles knew that as well as he did. However it didn't cost them anything to hope, Connor thought, or to pray.
