Blank Skies

66

Andre

It's not Becca.

Thank God.

"Hey." I say and she looks up. "You alright?" She looks around and the tears on her face are evident, "Is he gone?" I nod as she cries, "He's not going to hurt you, now how about we take a walk outside?" I extend a hand help her up. She hesitates before allowing me to help her up, "I'm not going to hurt you." I lead her out the front doors and a nearby officer escorts her to an empty ambulance.

"Hey boss." Jake asks handing the shooter to another cop. We watch as he walks him to an empty patrol car, "Did you find her?" I take off my helmet and click the safety on my gun. "No." I shove it in my side pocket. "Come on." Jake nudges me over towards the ambulances. "Where the hell is she? She said this is where she'd be."

"She's probably bossing someone around." Jake jokes slapping his hand on my shoulder and shaking it. My hand collides with the top of my helmet sounding a thud, "Man, she's going to be alright. It's Becca." Jake says and I shake off all my negative thoughts. She's fine.

Right?

There's people standing by each other and others are sitting on the ground waiting for medical attention. I scan heads, but I can't find her shiny black hair. There's kids over here crying as they look at their cut up arms. "Boss!" Kate yells out causing me to turn around, "She's here!" She calls out.

"Holy shit." Jake chuckles, "Why are you laughing?" I shove his shoulder and we start walking, "I found Becca." My eyes follow his finger and I see her talking to an officer. By the look on her face it's not going well.

She's alive. Pissed, but alive.

"Rebecca!" Her eyes dart around and once they meet mine she excuses herself only to break out in a sprint. I meet her halfway and steady us as she slams into me. Her arms wrap around my neck, "God baby." I sigh and hold her up. Her skin is like ice on mine, "I'm so happy you're okay." I could cry right now. She's shaking as she cries, "You okay?" I ask with my face shoved into hers, "Yeah." She speaks softly, "Thank God."

My hands hold her sides. I pull my head back some so I can kiss her cheek. She drops and I hold her cold face in my hands, "It all happened so fast." She sniffles and I nod, "I almost didn't get out." Her face scrunches up and I pull her back into me. "I just wanted to help her." I hold her head and she continues to cry softly.

"I'm just happy you're okay." I say and kiss her head. "I'm sorry about earlier okay, just-I'm sorry." I apologize for the half ass argument this morning, "Its okay." She mumbles wrapping her fingers around my wrist. Fuck, I love you.

"She came in shaking because of how cold she was." Her eyes meet mine and confusion swims, "I gave her my jacket so she could get warm and next thing I know the man she was running from was coming in with a gun." I take a shaky breath as her body shakes from the temperature. "Come on." We walk to the car where I find a spare hoodie of hers in the backseat.

Rebecca

I hug the blanket close to my chest as I slip farther into the couch as the sound of the boys laughing drowns out everything else. "Daddy's home!" Jeremiah calls out. Audrey picks up her head from my lap, "Momma, daddy's home!"  I smile as she climbs on my lap, "He'll be in soon, calm your butts." She smiles with her wild hair. I attempt to smooth the crazy hair.

After the shooting I came back home and cried a lot while I looked at baby pictures and wedding pictures. Just the thought of never being able to hold my babies or hold Andre ever again, shatters my heart. I've been holding it all in ever since I picked them up from school. I always knew in the back of my mind that I would get robbed or something bad would happen. I'm a small business owner, it's just a simple fact.

I blink away some stray tears as I hear the garage door open and then close. I pull the blanket close to me as I sink into the corner seat. "Daddy!" Jeremiah calls out and they all start running towards him. "Why are you guys still awake?" He asks dropping his bag and bends down to give them a hug, "Mommy's sad and I think she's tired too." Audrey says trying to speak softly.

"Well lets get to bed. Alright I'll be up in a minute and you better be in bed!" There's a chorus of small feet pattering against the floor and I close my eyes. "Hey." His hands hold my head as he stands behind me. I nod as a batch of tears fall down my face, "You okay?" I nod again and I hear him sigh, "I'll be back down here in a minute okay?" He kisses my head and I listen to the sound of his footsteps leading away and up the stairs.

My shaky hands rub my arms under the soft blanket, "It's over." I mumble to myself trying to calm my body. It's not long before Andre's sitting down next to me. "I lost track of time." I say and his arm lays on the back of the couch above my head, "I meant to have them in bed." I let my shaky finger wipe under my eye, "It's okay." I shake my head, "Irresponsible." He blows a raspberry.

"Shut up." He jokes softly, "You didn't want to be alone Becks." He takes a deep breath, "That's not irresponsible." I sniffle. The sound of my crying begins to fill the void. My head lays on his lap as I grip onto his pants to keep from screaming. He holds my arm and my head as I let out my pain. My fear.

"You're okay."

"Everyone's okay."

"I love you baby girl."

My grip on his pants loosen and I'm just holding his thigh at this point. His fingers run through my hair calming my body, "Don't you dare apologize either." How did I get so lucky? "None of this was your fault." 

"I know, I just wanted her to feel safe. Then no one felt safe." His fingers run down my arm, "If you could've seen her face." I wipe my cheeks, "She was terrified." He goes through this every single day and one incident and I'm a wreck. "I found her in the floor crouched up." I tilt my head up to look at him, "She was terrified." He repeats my statement.

"The only irresponsible thing happening today was that guy waving a gun around a diner." His eyes meet mine, "You're one of the strongest people I know, stop doubting yourself." I close my eyes as he speaks. "So cry, feel the fear and the pain. Do whatever you have to do but stop giving up on yourself." His fingers tangle with mine, "So scream if you need to, fucking buy a piano and destroy it if that's what you need to do." I chuckle and open my eyes, "Be here with all of us."

I sit up and take a deep breath as I wipe my face, "I'm not destroying a piano." He laughs softly shoving my shoulder, "I'll destroy the Charger though." His face turns to stone, "Don't talk about black Betty Beck." I laugh, "My car is no joke." He fakes a laugh, "Ha you're so funny." I can't help but laugh as I wrap myself back into the blanket.

"You better get your ass up those stairs and go to bed." I lean back into the couch, "Hell no, I'm not carrying you." Andre laughs, "Are you calling me fat?" I joke and he stands up, "No, you never offer to carry me up the stairs." He says sticking out his lip, "Cue my ACL tearing." He stands in front of me with his hands on his hips, "Are you calling me fat?"

"Yes." I manage to say with a straight face and his jaw drops, "You're such an ass." He laughs making me laugh. "You love me." I say as he walks over to get his duffel. "It's questionable." My jaw drops as he chuckles.