[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Chapter 14

It all went by so fast and before Nick had the chance to react, he found himself lying on the cold ground, feeling AJ’s weight on his chest. For a few seconds he feared the worst, but before he even had the chance to move, AJ rolled of off him and cried out in pain. Nick looked up, just in time to see a shadow disappear behind an old building across the street.
“Shit, shit, shit!” AJ cried out next to him, and Nick turned his attention in AJ’s direction.
“AJ, oh my god… Are you ok?” he asked, trying not to sound as scared as he felt.
“Fuck, it hurts!”
“What hurts? Did you get hit?” Nick felt panic rising in his voice as AJ nodded slowly.
“My arm…” AJ winched in pain.
“Fuck…” Nick muttered under his breath.
“Man, it hurts.”
“Let me see it.”
Nick reached out for AJ’s arm and studied it carefully.
“I don’t see anything…”
“The other arm, Nick.”
He moved around and grabbed AJ’s left arm. Because of the black jacket that AJ was wearing, it was hard to see if there was any blood, but as soon as Nick touched the fabric, he felt his hands touching something fluent and wet. He looked down, and let out a small gasp when he saw the amount of blood that was covering his hands.
“Shit, you’re bleeding.”
AJ didn’t say anything, so Nick continued to speak.
“I can’t believe this is happening… What do we do now?” He didn’t know if he was talking to himself, or if AJ heard him, but seconds later, he got a weak reply.
“Granger. Call Granger.” AJ whispered with his eyes closed.
Nick pulled out his cell phone and after a brief conversation with Granger, explaining where they were and what had happened, he turned his attention back to AJ.
“He’s on his way. How are you feeling?” Nick kneeled down next him, holding onto AJ’s injured arm.
“Spectacular…” He whispered, laughing a little of the irony in his own voice.
“Just hold on, ok? They’ll be here soon.”
Nick looked down at his friend, feeling helpless and guilty while trying to come up with something to do to treat the shot wound.
Stop the bleeding.
Nick grabbed the scarf around his own neck and lifted AJ’s hand slightly. Feeling the movement in his arm, AJ cried out in pain, sending a knife though Nick’s heart.
“I’ll have to stop the bleeding, ok?” With a quick gesture, he tied the scarf around the wound, making AJ cry out again.
A few minutes of silence followed. AJ was breathing heavily, trying not to make too many sounds, and Nick was once again feeing extremely guilty for what had just happened. This was his fault. If he hadn’t been so selfish and forced AJ to come along, this would never have happened.
“AJ…” Nick said after a while. There was no response, but Nick knew AJ could hear him. “I’m really sorry…”

~*~

“What the heck were you thinking?”
Nick had never seen Granger angry before, but there was always a time for everything.
They were sitting on the only bench in the hall of the small clinic in Nefedowa, that is, Nick was sitting, Granger was pacing around pulling his hair – or rather what was left of it, waiting for news on AJ’s condition.
“I’m sorry I ju---“
“Nick, you are not a police officer! You have no idea how dangerous this job can get. Well, I guess you do now, but… what were you thinking, playing hero like that?” His voice was stern, and he was spitting out every word.
Nick leaned forward, resting his head in his hands that still had AJ’s blood on them.
“I….I…” I whispered avoiding Granger’s gaze.
“Didn’t I tell you even before we arrived here to leave the investigation up to me? Do you realize what you’ve done? You might’ve spoiled everything!”
“DON’T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?” Nick yelled as he stood up and leaned his back against the white wall. Lowering his voice a little, he continued. “The only thing I wanted was to get Ali back, and because of that, I might’ve lost my other best friend too. GOD!” He slammed his fist into the wall and let himself sink down so that he was sitting on the cold floor. Granger walked up to him, obviously feeling guilty for his little outburst.
“Nick…” He said in a more gentle tone “AJ’s gonna be fine. He was just shot in the arm. It won’t kill him.”
Nick sighed, fighting back the tears. “I know that, but do you honestly think that he’ll ever forgive me for this?”
Granger was about to reply when a doctor approached them. Nick quickly stood up, and walked over to stand next to Granger.
“You can see him now.” The doctor said with a thick accent, obviously feeling uncomfortable with speaking a foreign language.
“Thank you.” Granger replied. “You go first.” He said to Nick and gestured towards the door that led into the small room where AJ was lying.
Nick nodded and took a deep breath before he entered the room.
“Hey buddy.” He tried to force a smile and lighten the mood as he approached AJ who was lying on an examination bed, his injured arm covered with a heavy bandage.
“Hi.”
To Nick’s surprise, AJ was smiling back.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Like someone just cut my arm off…”
Nick laughed a little.
A nervous laugh.
The boys fell silent for a few moments, and Nick felt like he should say something. He cleared his throat and sat down on a chair next to AJ.
“Listen…I’m really sorry abo---.”
“Nick… don’t.” AJ raised his hand slightly.
“But I ---“
“I’m serious Nick. I know what you’re gonna say. This was not your fault, ok? I chose to go with you tonight, and I know you didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Nick looked down, still feeling guilty, but relieved at the same time.
“Why did you do it?”
“Why did I go with you?”
Nick shook his head. “No… why did you throw yourself in front of me when you knew he was going to shoot me?”
“Nick… you could’ve gotten killed.”
“So could you.”
AJ sighed. “It was just a natural thing to do, I guess… I didn’t really have the time to think about it, I just knew that I couldn’t sit there and watch. Nick, you’re my brother. I’ll take a bullet for you any time.”
Nick just sat there stunned. He didn’t know what to say.
“I…” he started, but cut himself off from lack of words.
AJ smiled. “Don’t look so surprised. Hey, just look at it this way. It’s a good thing I’m right handed.”

As the night went into morning, AJ was released, with a note from the doctor to rest the following day and return to the hospital the next evening to get his wound rinsed, and his bandage changed. Granger had decided to have one officer from the investigation team on patrol in the village of Tura at all times, night and day. It was important for them not to miss anything, after the incidence that same night. Tara was the first one to stand guard, as she was with Granger when he drove there after getting the phone call from Nick. The next day, Granger took over for Tara, and Nick insisted on going too. Tara was sent back to the hotel to join AJ, and Cody, the other officer, was working with the Russian team as they had been doing before.

Later that day, AJ was walking down the hall to go to the restaurant downstairs to have lunch. As he passed Tara’s room, he noticed that the door was slightly open, and he could hear Tara’s voice from inside of the room. He tried to resist stopping outside to listen to her conversation, but as he was about to walk past her door, he found himself slowing down, listening carefully to what Tara was saying.

“Yea, I know… no… no I’m not gonna tell them what I saw… I’m telling you, his world revolves around her. I don’t stand a chance…no… yea … I know that’s why I’m here, I just need him to forget about her…yea, I know… best friends my ass.”

AJ stood frozen outside the door. He wasn’t sure if what he heard was what he though he was hearing, or if his mind was playing pranks on him.

“I just have to make sure that she’s not found… yea, yea… I’ll be careful. I’ll call you later.”

AJ realized that Tara was about to hang up, and he forced himself to move away from the door. Suddenly, lunch was the last thing on his mind.