Page 3 of Left Behind

“Check pulses,” he mumbled.

Her voice was shaking. “I hope they’re dead. All of them. They killed Randall Trotter and were fighting among themselves when you walked in.”

He grabbed her wrist. “Check…please.”

She cupped his cheek, then did as he asked, moving from body to body.

“They’re alive,” she said.

“Shit,” Wiley muttered, rolled over onto his hands and knees, and finally staggered to his feet. His hand was splayed over the center of his chest, afraid to move it for fear he’d fall apart, while he waited for the room to stop spinning. Once he could breathe and stand up at the same time, he reached for his radio.

“Officer Pope reporting. Attempted robbery at Jubilee Bank. One bank employee dead. Three perps down, but still have pulses. I took a shot in the chest. Suggest haste.”

Aaron Pope was on patrol when dispatch notified them of a silent alarm at the bank. As they were responding, they also heard Wiley radio in.

“Holy shit,” Officer Bob Yancy said, giving his partner, Aaron, a quick glance.

Aaron’s gut was in a knot. “At least he’s alive and conscious enough to make the call.”

***

But inside the bank, Wiley was already in containment mode, trying to get everyone away from the perps without passing out in front of them.

“What do you need? I’ll do it,” Linette asked.

“Move the customers to the front of the lobby.”

Linette turned around and began issuing his orders, loudly and firmly.

“Can we leave?” one man asked.

“Nobody leaves,” Wiley mumbled, then doubled over as a wave of pain rolled through him. He needed to get the weapons contained, but he couldn’t bend over for the pain.

Linette slid her arm beneath his shoulder to steady him and was moving him toward a chair when the police began pouring into the lobby to contain the scene. Once they had retrieved the weapons, they gave the all clear to the EMTs. After that, Rescue moved inside in teams and did what they did, readying the wounded for transport.

Aaron came in running, headed straight to Wiley, and then knelt beside his chair. “Damn it, Brother, are you okay?”

Linette recognized him. “Your brother was our hero. He took a bullet in the chest. The body armor stopped it, but he’s hurting. Steady him. He’s dizzy. I’m going to get an ambulance for him.” Then she passed Wiley off to Aaron without another word and ran.

“What happened?” Aaron asked as he slipped his arm beneath Wiley’s shoulder.

“They killed Trotter before I got here,” Wiley said, holding his hand against his chest. “Body armor saved me. Feel like I’ve been hit with a sledgehammer. Can’t breathe. Sick to my stomach. Perps still have a pulse.”

“Stop talking, buddy,” Aaron said. “We’ll figure it out,” he added and started walking Wiley toward the door.

At that point, Linette sped back into the lobby. “The first ambulances are here. Walk him out. They’re waiting to take him to the ER. I’m staying here to help.”

Wiley started to thank her, but she was already gone.

Aaron helped him out of the bank and loaded him up into the back of an ambulance.

“Don’t tell Mom. She’ll fuss,” Wiley said.

“You don’t get to choose,” Aaron said. “She’ll kill the both of us if I don’t. I’ll get there as soon as I can,” he said, then stepped back as they closed the doors and took off to the hospital. At that point, he called home.

***

Shirley was mopping the kitchen floor when her cell phone rang. She saw Aaron’s name on caller ID, leaned the mop against the wall, wiped her hands, and then answered.

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