Chapter 43 A Prayer
The chaos on the scene continued, though the immediate threat of gunfire had subsided, replaced by the frenzied coordination of emergency responders. The paramedics moved swiftly, tending to the wounded but quickly found out that other than one guy who was barley staying concise everyone else was DOA. The police officers Immediately secured the perimeter, still on edge but no longer pointing guns at Tommy, Kid, and Dragon.
This was especially the case for Dragon who was sitting at the back of an ambulance being bandaged by one of the paramedics. It's not like their colleagues in the emergency business would appreciate having weapons pointed at them as they tried to treat the injured. After a few minutes they watched as the JB studio receptionist was also carried out on a stretcher with her thigh rebandaged.
"Like I said we need to know what happened here," one of the more senior officers stated as he approached the group of wanting to get back to business. Dragon was the one to respond to him as the woman bandaging his arm was finishing her Job.
"We record Waka waka music," He started of using his free hand to indicate a D-Jay spinning disks. "They drive scrrrt then shoot. Karma happened and they die, say no more without lawyer," His direct way of speaking coupled with his broken Albanian accent left no room for argument as the officers tried their best to note down what he said.
"Sir, this is a serious situation. We need more details," the officer replied, his tone growing firmer. He glanced between the group, clearly frustrated by the lack of cooperation. "You don't need a lawyer just answering a few questions won't be that much trouble,"
His words were met with nothing but silence as they simply looked at him as if he was stupid. The 3 of them have had enough run ins with the law to know that was BS, because despite not being formally under arrest any statement they gave now will eventually be used against them. Seeing he couldn't get anything out of them he sent them an annoyed look before going over to his supervisor.
Seeing him leave Tommy didn't waste time in pulling out his old 1st gen blueberry that was still perfectly working 2 decades since it release. Some people even joked that the only thing that is immortal in this world is the blueberry 1. Even falling from the top floor of a skyscraper would leave nothing but a few dents.
Not hesitating he dialled the number of Ella, knowing the woman would be distraught if they didn't let her know what happened to her adopted son. He still found it weird that the woman only a decade older than them had suddenly decided to adopt his brother out of nowhere. He wasn't Jealous of him not in the slightest, in fact he was thankful to her.
He hadn't seen his friend so happy since before Alex died, in fact it looked like he was on a dark path for a minute. No one on the block knew what happened but the guys that mistakenly shot at them found their legs and arms broken leaving them bedridden. Thats not the scary part as the moment one of them recovered after going through months of rehab they found themselves there again. It was only when one of them publicly apologised and snitched on himself landing him in prison did, he escape.
The call rang for around 4 rings until finally being patched through immediately hearing the sleepy voice of Ella, "Hello Tommy, do you know what time it is?" annoyance was easily decreeable in her voice not liking the fact her peaceful sleep be interrupted. However, when she was met with silence from the other side all her annoyance vanished as a sombre feeling washed over her.
"Tommy, what's wrong and what happened to Jace, you would only call me if something happens to him." she quickly questioned as her brain jolted awake and started to piece things together.
"It's bad," he started off doing his best to hold back tears that threatened to erupt at any moment. "There was a shooting when we left JB Studios, and Jace was hit a couple of times. They are rushing him to Grace Memorial, we'd be there but the cops aren't letting us leave"
Ella's breath hitched on the other end of the line, and for a moment, there was nothing but the sound of her shaky breathing. Tommy gripped the phone tighter, knowing he had just shattered her peaceful night, knowing she was probably scrambling to make sense of the chaos he had just unloaded on her.
"Grace Memorial?" Ella repeated, her voice strained but steady. "How bad is it, Tommy? Tell me the truth. Is he...is he going to make it?"
Tommy closed his eyes, fighting back the emotion rising in his throat. "I don't know," he admitted quietly. "He was still breathing when the paramedics took him. They said he was losing a lot of blood, but they're doing everything they can."
There was a long pause, then the sound of Ella moving around—probably grabbing her keys, throwing on clothes, and rushing out the door.
"Okay," she finally said, her voice trembling just slightly. "I'm heading to the hospital now. I'll be there as fast as I can. And Tommy, listen to me—whatever happens, you stay strong. I'll be sending one of my colleagues so all of you exercise your right to remain silent."
"Yeah," Tommy whispered, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself. "Help him I don't know what I would do without him," With his last words they ended the call and Tommy slowly lowered the phone, his hands trembling. Kid and Dragon stood nearby; Kid was still shaken up while Dragon simply eyed the chaotic scene that was unfolding before him.
"You Fu**er, you'll pay for what you did!" Tommy suddenly screamed as he charged forward towards a guy being loaded onto a stretcher. H was the first guy he had hit when cooperating with Jace and was also the only one still alive from the guys who tried to kill him.
Rage and anger clouded his vision as he charged at the guy just wanting to get his hands on the guy. He couldn't take any more of his brothers dying a meaningless death. In his adrenalin filled rage he dodged nearby police men and Kid who tried to stop him, only to be tackled by a burly Fireman just two meters away from the guy.
The impact of the fireman's tackle sent Tommy crashing to the ground; his breath knocked out of him. His head spun as the weight of the man pinned him down, his muscles straining against the instinct to keep fighting. The fireman held him firm, but his grip wasn't violent—just strong enough to restrain Tommy as he struggled beneath him.
"Calm down!" the fireman barked; his voice sharp but with a hint of empathy. "You don't want to make things worse, kid."
Tommy's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, anger still boiling inside him, his eyes fixed on the man who had tried to kill his brother. His fists clenched in the dirt, nails biting into his palms as the fireman slowly let up, giving him room to breathe. The cops calmed down after seeing the fireman had things under control and the paramedics quickly scurry away.
"He left the streets behind, and these bastards tried to kill him," Tommy hissed, his voice thick with fury. "He should be the one bleeding out, not Jace."
The fireman, now crouching beside him, placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "I get it, kid. But this isn't the way. Let the cops handle it. Your friend needs you to stay level-headed, not in jail."
Tommy turned his head, eyes red fury frustration, "They will pay if he doesn't make it," he whispered under his breath but the Fireman Sam sitting next to him heard him loud and clear. He didn't doubt that this kid in front of him would turn back to the life he had left behind if his brother didn't make it.
"(Sigh), You getting yourself in trouble won't help anyone, how about we say a prayer from you friend?" Sam asked the boy who at this very moment seemed to carry the burdens of the world on his shoulders. "Brother - he's more than a brother to me than my actual brother."
Widening his eyes at the lad's voice he only snapped out when the figures of his companions joined them. Dragon with a bandaged arm and a sling sat next to them joined by KID. Tommy and Sam performed a crucifix, whilst Dragon and Kid simply clasped their hands in prayer. For a few moments, the four of them said their respective prayers sending well wishes to Jace.
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To Be Continued...