And so Zac waited, rather impatiently. There was an ambulance waiting, and its presence was not very comforting to him. The FBI was getting ready to go in.
Suddenly, there were gunshots, and Hope ran out the front door.
"Hope!" Zac cried.
He practically threw open the car door, and leapt out. Hope ran into his waiting arms, crying.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy bad guys are hurting Kel-Kel." She sobbed.
"Don't worry sweetie, Daddy's here ok? He's not going to let the bad guys hurt your or Kel any more ok?"
"Ok." Hope sniffed.
Zac looked at the FBI.
"Well? Aren't you gonna do something?"
"Of course we are." One replied. "You just get yourself and your daughter out of the way."
Zac rolled his eyes at his tone, then picked up Hope (who was still very upset) and headed over to the ambulance, so that they could check her over while he waited.
And the FBI went in. There were more gun shots and Hope burst into tears every time. Zac desperately wanted to take her home - away from the noise. But he also wanted to know - needed to know - that Kelsey was going to be all right.
About ten, twenty minutes later, a FBI officer came to the door of the building.
"We've got wounded in here. We'll need a stretcher."
Zac moved Hope away from the ambulance then. He didn't want her to see the wounded. And he certainly didn't want her to see Kelsey in case she… in case she…
Finally, he saw her. There was Kelsey, lying on a stretcher, red blood splattered over her leather clothing. She was bleeding badly, he could tell. And it may have been all the black, but he thought she looked rather pale too.
**********
Kelsey had been shot numerous times. When she had been caught on the phone, a bullet had scratched her arm. Another had lodged in her shoulder.
Later she saw an opportunity to get Hope out of the building, and hopefully herself as well. However, they had been spotted. Hope had been able to get out, but Kelsey had been shot again. One in her leg, the other in her hip.
Zac needed no prodding. He paid all of her medical bills before Kelsey even knew she had them. And when Kelsey's wounds had been taken care of, as soon as she was allowed to have visitors, Hope and Zac were her first ones.
"I made you a card see?" Hope said, giving it to Kelsey with a big smile.
"Oh, thanks Hope."
"No, no thank you Kel. I, I don't know what I would have done, if I hadn't gotten Hope back." Zac said.
Kelsey shrugged.
"You're welcome Zac."