Only The Goode Spy Forever

Chapter 57: After

(Hey guys! I've been super busy lately with graduation and my job, so that's why I haven't been posting. Stay with the story! I'll try to update more!)

Things I knew for sure that happened that night:
1. Ed had been shot
2. Anna had been drugged and was unconscious
3. Chase had killed 1 man, maybe more
4. I had left Zach to fend for himself

Things I wasn't sure about that night:
1. If Ed was going to make it
2. When Anna would wake up
3. If Chase felt any remorse
4. If Zach would make it out of there
5. If anything would ever be the same again

I'd been in tons of fights. I mean TONS. I'm a senior operative. I've been attacked by plenty of people. However, I had never been more terrified of a fight. Ever. And I've been in situations far more dangerous. So why was I, Cammie Goode, so terrified? I was terrified because no other fight had ever involved my children.
  I knew that Zach was feeling the same way. I knew that that was why he had told me to leave. We both made a sacrifice for our children. That's what parents do.
Getting back to the school was madness. Mom and Joe had ran out to meet us. Mom ran to me and I started bawling into her arms. Joe started sprinting after Zach. The twins were gathering every detail and taking Anna to our hospital wing.
  I wiped my eyes and looked to my son. Bree was walking towards him in the grand hall.
"Chase?" She asked softly. Chase looked a way I had never seen him look before: defeated. Chase was cocky. He was confident because he was so strong. I watched as Bree's face fell and she ran to him. "Oh, Chase!" She wrapped him into her arms and for the first time in a very long time my son looked weak. He gave into the weakness and held onto Bree for dear life.
  "I'm going back," I said to my mom as I grabbed my keys. She put a hand on my shoulder.
"Cammie," she said in a warning voice. Then she turned back into the headmistress that she was as she commanded, "no."
"Mom I left Zach! Alone! Catherine knew we were there. Who knows how many other men she sent. I left him again!" I cried.
"Think about the kids," mom said strongly. "They need you here. They can't just wait not knowing if their parents will make it back or not." She had me. Anytime she brought up the kids she had me.
Her phone rang and she picked it up. I leaned in, trying to listen to Joe. My mother nodded, concern written all over her face. She sighed and turned to us. "Ed is in the hospital. Zach is safe. Ed's going to make it." I felt the tension melt off of everyone as we all felt the same relief. With a nod from my mom I prepared myself to go see my husband.
*                                       *                                          *
   Walking into Ed's room that day just about broke me. I took Chase and Bree (we practically had a task force flying overhead to insure their safety). I would have preferred to only take Chase, but he refused to leave Bree again Joe and my mom were updating me constantly. Liz didn't think Anna would wake up for a few more hours.
  I walked into the waiting room and saw a tall, broad man with dark hair speaking to a doctor. The man was pacing. He was beautiful. Zach really didn't look like he had aged a day since he'd turned 18. He looked up and saw me. His tired eyes widened.
  "Cammie!" Zach shouted.
  "Zach," I sighed as I rushed to him. He opened his arms and I happily ran into them. He spun me around and held me tight. For a second I didn't think I could breathe.
  "I love you," he murmured into my ear. Years back Zach and I promised to tell each other we loved each other more. In our line of work you never knew which day would be your last.
  "I love you too," I squeaked as I felt my eyes well up with tears. "How's Ed?" Zach ran his hands through his hair.
  "He'll live," he replied. He turned to Chase and hugged him. "I'm proud of you, buddy. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." Bree eyed Chase. I knew that Chase hadn't told her all that had happened or anything about Blackthorne.
  "Oh well," Chase said with a shrug. "It's what I've been trained to do." Bree looked skeptical.
  "How are you, Zach?" She asked like the kind girl that she was. He grinned at her, but his eyes still looked tired.
  "Oh, I'm swell," he replied. We all turned our heads as doors swung open and a beautiful young woman with dark curly hair began to shout.
  "Let me in! I need to see him! He's my father!" She shouted. The security wasn't letting her through. They needed to see her ID, but I knew that her fake ID wouldn't show that Townsend was her father.
  "Morgan!" Zach shouted. He turned to the guards. "Let her in. She's my sister." The guard nodded and let Morgan pass. Zach hugged her and kissed her cheek.
  "Where is he?" She asked firmly. Zach pointed to the operating room. Morgan sighed and sat down. She knew they wouldn't let her in. "Mom is going to flip."
  "Abby is the least of our worries," I said, putting my hand on her back. "They got so close to Anna. So close. We never should have let that happen. She has to have a body guard next year." Zach nodded his agreement. He had been oddly quiet.
  "You good, Zachy?" Morgan asked. Zach shook his head.
  "He jumped in front of a bullet for me. He risked his life for me. Why would he do that?" Zach asked, genuinely confused.
  "Isn't he your father?" Bree asked. "I would jump in front of a bullet for anyone I loved."
  "Papa Ed didn't know he had a son until my dad was 18. Dad was an adult. They never really got the chance to have a normal relationship," Chase informed. Bree nodded in understanding.
  "You would do it for him," I told Zach, grabbing his hand. Zach nodded his head once.
  I sighed as I realized the answer to the question I had been wondering ever since the attack. Things were never going to be the same again.