A Family Affair

14

"So we're just not gonna talk about this? About what happened in there?" He could hear Hailey ask from behind him, making him turn around on his heels sharply to face her.

Jay begins walking backward to his truck, throwing his hands up into the air and subtly shrugging his shoulders to her. "What do you want me to say?" He questions, keeping his gaze locked on her as they enter the parking lot of the diner.

She follows close behind him and he watches her shrug her shoulders too. "Tell me how you're really feeling," she says and he goes to cut in, to tell her he's already told her everything about how he was truly feeling, that there isn't any thing wrong, but she beats him to it. "And don't you dare say fine!"

There's a very brief pause before Jay sighs. "Then I don't know what to say, because I'm fine." He replies, and he catches sight of Hailey rolling her eyes slightly.

They made it to the truck and Jay went over to the driver's side door.

He could hear the agitation building up in his wife's voice, but he could tell she was trying to push it away. "Jay, I'm worried about you. Am I not allowed to be?" She asks as she moved around the back of the truck and joined him by the driver's side door.

She stops in front of him and he can see worry written in her eyes.

Jay puts his hand on the handle of the door, preparing to let himself into the vehicle. "There is nothing to be worried about, I am fine."

"Oh my god if you tell me you're fine one more time I'm gonna hit the real answer out of you." She grits through her teeth.

Before he can say anything else both his and Hailey's attention is ripped away from one another by the sound of tires screeching loudly around a corner, making them both shoot their gazes in the direction of the sound.

The whole thing goes by so quickly, an intense flashing light coming from the car driving by alongside the sound of a gun going off. Jay keeps his gaze locked on it, trying to get as much information on the car as he could, but he ends up being pulled down fiercely by his jacket to the floor by Hailey. A loud thud rings in his ears accompanied with a sharp pain on the back of his head that comes over him. Mere seconds later the tires could be heard going around a corner again at high speeds, the screeching echoing throughout the block.

Hailey's head whips up, sending Jay a worried look again and extending her hand and placing it against his shoulder. "Are you okay? Were you hit?" She asks frantically, Jay noting the complete and sudden change in her voice.

He slowly shakes his head, subtly looking himself over to check. "No, were you?"

Hailey begins to stand up, shaking her head quickly as she does. "No." She answers as he can see her scan her eyes over the parking lot quickly.

Something seems to catch her attention in front of her as she runs around the front of the truck and begins jogging away from it. Jay stands up to see where she was going, noticing the man lying on the concrete floor having been hit by one of the bullets sprayed over the diner's parking lot. Hailey then turns around to look at him. "Call an ambulance!" She shouts across before turning back around and toward the man lying on the floor.

Jay grimaces at the sharp pain still throbbing at the back on his head. He brings his hand up, placing it where he could feel the pain coming from, leaving it there for a brief second before bringing his hand back down into his gaze. He's not sure if he feels his heart rate pick up or stop for a second when he sees the amount of blood that was laced on his fingers, making him stare down at it for a beat before shaking his head, wiping his hand clean on his jacket, knowing the dark color of the clothing would conceal the crimson.