There For You ||Edward Nygma|| [4]

Chapter Seventeen || Ready. Aim. Fire.

The attack on Bane hadn't gone how Charlotte wished it had. Even though they were clearly outnumbered by Bane, his commandos, and the army, they started out well. However, everything was blown to hell when a grenade was thrown up to the barricades, the shrapnel hitting Oswald right in the eye. And then Bane used an RPG to make a hole on the barricades and get to the GCPD where many refugees had sought a safe place to stay.

As Charlotte and Ed Nygma helped Oswald to the bottom floor of the barricades, the blood soaked through yet another tissue and rolled down his cheeks.

"Well, that was a disaster," Ed spoke the words everyone was thinking.

The stairs were narrow, so Oswald had to go down half-blind and no one to support him.

"Come on, Oswald," Jim rushed when he noticed Oswald slowly coming down the stairs, holding on to the railing for support. "We have to keep moving".

Oswald stumbled down the last steps. "Where? There's nowhere to hide, Jim. Wherever we go, the army will find us".

Charlotte returned to Oswald's side and positioned his arm around her shoulder to keep him on his feet. Meanwhile, Jim, Harvey, Harper, and Alvarez gathered to contact someone else via radio.

"What we need to do is get you back to the GCPD. Lee will get you patched up," Charlotte stated with certainty and Oswald nodded with a sniffle.

Oswald wasn't the only one in pain. Charlotte's arm, which Bane had broken, ached because of the kickback of the gun. The other arm which had suffered the gunshot felt itchy and ached as well. The pain sent bolts of lightning to her brain and a headache was now starting to develop. The effort of holding on to Oswald was not helping either. Ed could read the pain in her face, drops of sweat formed in her temples. He rushed to the opposite side of Oswald and rested the latter's arm around his shoulders. Oswald was smaller than both of them, so they had to crouch down a little.

"I'll make her help you," Charlotte promised her best friend.

Jim, who had begun to walk away, stopped on his tracks. He turned around and got close to Charlotte's face. "Don't you dare touch Lee," he said with a threatening tone. Jim had just radioed Lucius and discovered that Barbara and his baby daughter had been kidnapped by Walker. Well, Nyssa Al Ghul was her real name. "Don't you dare touch her, you hear me?"

Ed's protective nature towards Charlotte kicked in. He let go of Oswald and raised his rifle, pointing it at Jim. "Hey! Hey! Step back, Jim. Now!"

That in turn had all the other cops point their guns at Ed and Charlotte. Oswald rested against Charlotte almost passing out.

Charlotte glared back at Jim. "I won't have to hurt her if she does what I say".

Harvey Bullock lowered his shotgun and placed his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Come on, Jim. It's not worth it". Jim stepped back and looked at his partner with sadness flashing across his blue eyes. "Go save your little one".

Jim nodded and walked away while Harvey went in the opposite direction with the rest of the police force. Once they were all gone Charlotte relaxed.

"You're okay?" Ed asked her.

She nodded. "I am".

Oswald looked in between them with a crease on his forehead. "I'm not!"

"We're running out of time," Ed said, looking towards the exit.

Oswald was breathing hard and he was scared he would pass out if he moved from there. "Just give me one minute".

Charlotte gulped as she looked at her friend. He looked so broken. "I don't know if we have one minute".