The Shooting Read Online Free PDF

He howled in shock and despair.
    It was Lily. Even from a distance, he could tell it was her. The fact that she was the first one brought out was also telling. The most urgent cases were always treated first. As the paramedics moved closer, he could make out the large patch of blood that stained the front of his wife’s shirt.
    Oh, Christ. She’d been shot. She’d been shot! His heart stopped cold and then took off faster than the speed of light. She was hurt. She could even be dead.
    No, not dead. The urgency in every motion of the paramedics’ bodies and the tension on their faces gave him confidence that she was still alive. No one rushed for a corpse. It was just the way it was.
    As they drew nearer, he raced toward them and then growled out his frustration when two of his colleagues held him back.
    “Give them some space, Tom,” Andy muttered close to Tom’s ear. “Let them do their job. You know how it works.”
    “But, it’s Lily! She’s hurt. I need to be with her.”
    “Of course you do and you will be, but just give them a minute, okay? They need to do their stuff. I’ll go and have a word with them and let them know you’re here, all right?”
    Andy stared hard at him, his eyes just inches away. A moment later, with a heavy sigh, Tom’s shoulders slumped and the tension left his body.
    “You’re right, I’ll let them do what they need to do.” He snatched at Andy’s sleeve. “But tell them I’m here, all right? Tell them as soon as they’re finished, I need to see her. She’s my wife. She’s… She’s my everything…”
    His voice cracked and he had to turn away, embarrassed to have his colleagues witness him in such bad shape. The Tom Munro they knew was cool and calm and collected. Never did he let the drama and tension of a high stakes situation get the better of him. It’s what made him one of the best negotiators in the state.
    But with Lily, it was different. She was his wife, the love of his life, the mother of his children. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t.
    “Tom, I’ve just had a word with the paramedics. She’s injured pretty badly mate. They need to get her to the hospital ASAP.”
    Andy’s words came to him from a distance, through the wall of panic in his brain. Finally, they registered and with it his panic flew into overdrive. He grabbed Andy with both arms and shook him.
    “What are you trying to say? Is she alive? Please fucking Christ don’t tell me she’s not alive…”
    Andy drew in a deep breath and eased it out. His expression more grave than Tom had ever seen it.
    “She’s alive, Tom, but only just. She was shot in the abdomen. She’s lost a lot of blood. The bullet seems to have missed the arteries, but they don’t know what kind of damage it’s done inside. They need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.”
    “I need to see her.” Tom didn’t wait for Andy’s response. Instead, he pushed away from his partner and ran to the ambulance. Two paramedics worked over his wife, their expressions grim. Tom stared at Lily, so still and silent and pale on the gurney.
    “Lily, please, babe, hang in there. You’ve gotta hang in there. Please don’t die on me. Please.”
    One of the paramedics glanced over at him and her lips compressed with understanding.
    “Tom, is it? I’m Crystal and my partner here is Bob. Your wife’s been seriously injured. She’s lost a lot of blood. She’s going to need a transfusion. Do you know what her blood type is?”
    Tom gulped in a breath and nodded. “Yes, it’s O positive.”
    “You’re sure?”
    “Yes. I remember from when she gave birth to Joe, fourteen years ago. It was a long and difficult labor. He was a big baby and in the wrong position. She-she hemorrhaged afterwards. She needed a transfusion then, too.”
    “Where did that happen, Tom? What hospital was she at?”
    “The Royal North Shore. It’s where both of our children were born.”
    The paramedic nodded in relief. “Great. That