Page 105 of Five
JesusChrist!Whatthehell just happened?
The scene erupted in a chaos of carnage and confusion. Oz arrived shortly after we entered the building, and someone started shooting at us. And then, minutes behind him, the backup he’d requested followed.
None of it, however, arrived in time to stop the ensuing pandemonium.
Now I’m standing here while the paramedics rush past, trying to make sense of the fact that Jesse has been shot and wounded, is currently unconscious and being loaded up into an ambulance while the medics try to get him stabilized.
Apparently, he sustained the gunshot wound early in the scuffle, and human tank that he is, Jesse carried on beating the guy to a pulp, regardless. Now he’s paying for it with extensive blood loss, and we’ve all been yelled at for getting in the way of the medics in our rush to get to him.
I’m still desperate to, and I know the others feel the same, but since Oz’s captain has just turned up, we’re all attempting to be on our best behavior right now. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time and all…or maybe the right place as far as the kid’s concerned…I know we’re treading on thin ice, especially since Oz has already had to explain himself for the Conch marina fiasco.
No matter what the situation is with Jesse, a man is dead. None of us are allowed to leave without answering questions, so all we can do is watch helplessly while Jesse is blue-lighted to the nearest hospital.
At least it isn’t far away.
Neve is sitting on the hood of a police cruiser with the distraught girl clutched against her chest. And Cope is with the two of them, doing his best to hold a shaky Neve together, while she, in turn, tries to calm the child. But at least that’s serving to distract her from Jesse’s condition. She’s being brave so she doesn’t scare the poor kid any more than she already has been.
I don’t know much about kids, but the girl can’t be more than five or six, and she’s clinging to Neve like a spider monkey, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around Neve’s slight frame. She’s terrified and screams hysterically every time one of the police officers tries to take her away. I can’t say I blame her after what she’s been through. I feel like screaming myself. We’re all doing our best to keep it together.
It’s Oliver I’m most worried about, though. He’s standing off to the side, staring through the open doors of the ambulance garage and into the dark void beyond where the perp still lies.
We all know he’s dead, but the body won’t be moved until the scene’s been processed and the coroner has arrived. Still, all of this must be taking a massive emotional toll on Oliver.
While the cops are being careful not to draw conclusions too soon, it’s widely accepted that what’s been going on is linked to the Lost Boys kidnappings. That means Ollie is having to relive the most traumatic and defining episode of his life.
I head over to him, not wanting him to be alone.
“Hey, you okay, man?” I ask, gripping his shoulder and giving it a supportive squeeze.
Oliver’s face is anguished, and he tips his head back so his features are carved in the sharp relief of moonlight and shadows. When he opens them again, his eyes are on Neve and the girl, and the shadows are in his eyes.
“I almost got Neve killed,” he whispers, his voice strangled by torment. “That bastard had his gun trained on her and was about to shoot, and I—”
He breaks off, unable to continue.
I frown, trying to make sense of what he’s saying. I’ve gotten the gist of everything that went down up on the mezzanine, and he did nothing wrong. “The shot went wild, man. Nothing you could’ve done.”
He nods, but his expression is wretched. He drags in a noisy, wheezing breath and clutches fistfuls of his hair in his hands.
“I froze,” he whispers, almost to himself rather than me. “I knew I needed to strike first, before the perp got a shot in, and he caught me off guard. I fucked it up. Stupid, rookie,bootmistake.”
“You weren’t the only one up there,” I tell him, carefully. “It wasn’t all down to you. We’re a team, remember.”
“He spoke,” Oliver continues, as if I’ve said nothing. He’s off somewhere in his head right now. “The voice wasn’t right. It wasn’t the voice I remembered, and it threw me,” he admits. “It’s stupid, I know; absolutely reprehensible. The sound of his voice shouldn’t have made any difference to the fact that the guy had a gun pointed at Neve. Especially with my training. I’ve been in close fire situations. I’ve been on the front line of warfare in life and death situations and never hesitated like that before.”
I stand in front of him to block his line of sight even though he can’t see anything, but I want his focus on me. “You have. And you also know damn well that if this had been a tactical situation the brass would never have permitted you to participate. Just like how you and Oz were separated into different units in the military. No one serves, and no one participates in situations where they are too heavily emotionally involved. It’s one of the definitive rules of combat, and you know it.”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts!” I cut him off. This is a dangerously self-sabotaging mindset which will do none of us any good. “Neve is fine, and the girl has been found.”
“What about Jesse? He’s injured because of me.”
“No, Oliver, you do not get to take that on yourself. Jesse’s a big boy who knew the risks. He’s the one who kicked the door in, don’t forget. We all knew there were dangers to going into that building before the police got here, and we did it anyway. Just like we used to do in the military. Sometimes shit happens, and what we need to remember—whatyouneed to remember—is that shit happened because of some psycho,notbecause of anything you did or didn’t do.”
Oliver rubs his hands across his face, but at least he looks like he’s pulled back from the edge.
I slap his shoulder. “And you know, it was a long time ago, Ollie—more than twenty years. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but don’t you think there’s a possibility that you don’t remember things completely accurately?
