The River Speaks

Chapter Forty Five: Shots Fired

Can we all just appreciate the screenshot I took today?

*****

Chapter Forty Five: Shots Fired

"It's not like you to leave the house without Aiden." Reese says with a smirk.
"I got bored." I say, leaning against the bar top.
"Do you have any friends?" Andrew asks.
"Rude." I reply.
"No, I mean hot single friends. Or sisters?" He looks hopeful.
I hesitate.
"My sisters don't live here and I have one friend aside from Aiden and she doesn't live here."
"Ouch." Reese says. "We're not her friend."
"You guys are my friends by the ring." I reply.
"Okay so you have sisters. Are they hot?"
"Andrew, they don't live here. I'm not letting you whore up my sisters."
"I'm not whoring up your sisters." He says. "I'm ready for something serious. Aiden is engaged."
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Reese says.
We all turn around and see my attractive fiancè wandering into the bar with his partner, Jackson.
Aiden is swinging the keys to the police car on his index finger. He walks over to me.
"Hey baby." He kisses me.
"Hi." I say, standing up to hug him.
"Hey Lily." Jackson says.
"Hi Jackson." I reply. I turn to Aiden. "What are you guys doing here? Is there a drug deal?" My eyes widen in hopes to see Aiden working. He laughs.
"No, work is slow."
"Yeah, everybody slows down when they see a cop car." Jackson says.
"You know where you should stakeout? Main Street and 4th. Bitches are always speeding over there." Andrew nods.
I grab Aiden's hand.
"Andrew is asking if I have any hot single friends or sisters." I inform him.
"Good luck." He replies. "They don't live here."
"So take me to where they live." He says. "I'm invited to the wedding, right? I'll meet them there."
Andrew is May's age. He's attractive...
He's is paramedic.
He's a good guy, he's twenty six, he's attractive...
"What do you think about a girl with short brown hair and brown eyes?" I ask.
He hesitate.
"Cute?" He asks.
"She's pretty." I reply.
"Let me see a picture." He says.
"Rude." Aiden says. "How about please?"
"Please." Andrew says.
I pull up a picture of May and show it to all the guys. It's a great picture of her. I know because I'm the one who took it.
In this picture her hair was longer and she has a little smile on her face and she's looking at something in my parents living room.
"She's pretty." Jackson says. "How old is she?"
"She's twenty six."
"She's too young for me." He pouts.
"Not for me. Who is that?" Andrew asks.
"That's my sister."
"Shit, that's your sister?" He asks. "I bet your Mom's a milf considering you're hot as fuck and so is your sister."
"Uh." Aiden says. "She's spoken for, thank you very much."
"Oh shut up." Andrew rolls his eyes. "I'm just saying your family has good genes."
"Do you have an older sister?" Jackson asks. "Preferably one older than twenty seven."
"My oldest sister is twenty eight. I have a brother too, if any of you decide to turn gay."
All of them rolls their eyes except for Reese, who is playing a game on his phone.
"Wait, what's this ones name?" Andrew points to May.
"That's May." I say. "The other one is April." I look for a picture of April and settle on one of her in the car. "It was like seven in the morning in this picture and she was tired." I say. Her dark brown hair is tied back but part of her bangs are falling. She looks pretty, just tired.
"She's cute." Jackson says.
"Here's a suggestion." Andrew snaps his fingers. "Give me May's number and you can have April's." He nods at Jackson.
"April and May. Your parents should've named you June...and your brother should be August or something." Reese tunes into the conversation.
"They were going to name me June." I say.
"Really?" Aiden says.
"Oh yeah. Up until the day I came out my name was June. They even painted it on my bedroom wall."
"What changed?" He asks, reaching out to brush my hair behind my ear.
"I came out and they decided I didn't look like June." I shrug.
"How did they come up with Lily?" Reese says.
"Lilliana." I correct.
"Wait, your name is Lilliana?" He asks. "Since when?"
"Since forever...kind of." I laugh. "I didn't have a name for literally the first seven months."
"Seriously?" Aiden asks.
"Yes." I laugh. "They just called me 'baby Kindell'." I pause. "Then one day my parents took us swimming in the pond and I loved the Lily Pads, and my Mama slipped up and called me Lily, and then my Dad said Lilliana and it stuck." I shrug.
"So that's why your Dad's nickname for you is Lily Pad." Aiden smiles. "That's adorable. I used to have a nickname for you like that, but I'm not allowed to say it anymore." He says.
Wet Lily.
"You did?" Andrew asks. "What was it?"
"It was-"
"If you love me, that sentence ends there." I cut in.
Aiden pouts slightly and looks at me.
"Aw, please?"
"No."
"At least tell us how it came to be." Reese says.
The memory of him getting a girl off in the bar floods my mind and I shake my head.
"No." I say.
Aiden is laughing.
"You little-"
Shots fired at Fifty Six Bakersfield Street Room One
Aiden and Jackson look at each other as both of their radios fall silent.
"Gotta go." Aiden says. He kisses me. "Love you."
"Love you too. Please be safe."
"I always am." He smiles. He kisses me again, says goodbye to the guys, kissing me for the third time, and then leaves.
I watch him walk out and a moment later I hear sirens.
Shots fired.
Is he walking into a gunfight?
Do police officers wear bullet proof vests? He doesn't have anything to protect his head. What if he gets shot in the head?
My anxiety starts to rise so I stand up.
"I'm gonna go." I say.
"Are you okay?" Andrew asks.
"I'm fine."

*****

I ordered chinese food and sat myself in front of the TV with the news on. I texted Aiden and told him to text or call me the moment he gets a chance, and now I'm eating orange chicken waiting to hear from him. I listen to the weather man tell us that it's going to be a sunny weekend.
After a moment, my phone vibrates.
Noah: Where's Aiden rn
I hesitate.
Me: working why
Noah: CNN now
Confused, I change the channel to CNN
"-reported shots fired in Roxbury in south Boston. Police are on the scene but it looks like there's a gun fight going on between multiple suspects and police officers. It appears that the suspects have automatic weapons and are shooting police officers."
It goes to a video taken from a helicopter of people hiding in places shooting and officers ducking behind cars and shooting back. One of the shooters drops to the ground and the news channel takes the video away to show the woman again.
"We will be back after the break with more." She says.
I begin to panic.
I look up at my ceiling.
God, please let him get home safe to me. Please let him get back safe.
I feel overwhelmed and panicked, pacing around the apartment.
Who is his emergency contact? Is he still there? Which one of the officers got shot?
It goes back to the news and I run to the TV, raking my fingers through my hair. My cheeks are wet and I press my hands to my mouth and wait.
"It has been reported that three police officers have been shot and are being taken to the hospital. Two out of six of the shooters have been taken down. We're not sure what caused this outbreak, but Boston PD wants any civilians to stay out of Roxbury until we have been given the all clear that the area is safe again. If you live in Roxbury, lock your doors and stay inside."
It goes back to the video, showing people shooting at cars passing, at police officers.
Anything that could pose a threat to whatever they're trying to do.
My phone vibrates and I look down at it.
Jackie: is Aiden at work right now? The news is on in the waiting room at the hospital.
Me: yes and I think he's there I'm freaking out
Me: who is his emergency contact?
Jackie: i think it might be Michael but it could be me. He may have switched it to reese since hes the closest
Jackie: I'm not working until i know hes ok let me know if you hear from him please
Me: ok
The news lady goes to talk about how some guy won the lottery and donated all the money to cancer research, and then it goes to commercial.
My phone vibrates again.
Reese: did you see the news
Me: who is his emergency contact
Reese: idk prob Jackie
Reese: you think he's ok?
I wipe my eyes and I realize my hands are shaking.
Me: he's going to be fine
Noah: are you staying home? Mama told me to tell you to stay home. We're staying in front of the tv and praying. please let us know when you hear anything
Me: ok
It goes back to the news.
"Officials have not released what exactly is happening, but three police officers have been shot and are in the hospital. There's no word on their injuries. Five out of six of the shooters have been stopped. We will let everybody know when we have more information."
I want to scream.
They go to the live helicopter feed, and I see a truck that looks just like mine drive past. The last shooter starts to shoot at it.
One of the officers darts across the street and I slap my hand over my mouth and watch as he tackles the shooter. The shooters gun goes off and I think it gets the police officer. I pull my shirt over my mouth and nose and watch as the officer gets the gun from the man.
It goes back to the news lady.
"That would make the sixth man to be taken down."
I have a gut feeling that Aiden got shot. I can feel it in every drop of my blood, every fragment of my organs.
What am I going to do? Did he get shot? How do I find out?
What if I go to the hospital and he shows up here?
What if he's shot and in the hospital and I'm here?
I wipe my tears and text him, my hands trembling.
Me: CALL ME THE SECOND YOU CAN OR TEXT ME A BUNCH OF LETTERS OR SOMETHING SO I KNOW YOURE OKAY

*****

Okay so I want theories on what you guys think happened
~Sam