[Immunity] David Kay - Ch.2: The Quiet After The Gunfire

Instructions

(Ch.2: The Quiet After The Gunfire) The ICU waiting room was way too quiet. Hospitals aren't supposed to have this kind of silence, but it felt like a church after a funeral—everyone breathing softly, whispers floating around, and the floors were way too clean. Deacon was slouched in his chair, elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tight his knuckles were turning white. Hondo had been trying to get him to eat something. Tan had swung by with coffee a couple of times. Luca was pacing back and forth, stopping only when he thought Deacon might move. But nothing could break through the fog that had settled in his mind. He wasn't thinking like a SWAT team member, not as a husband, not at all—just stuck replaying the attack in his head like a broken record.The way Annie's eyes had gone wide. The way she stumbled back. The way the kids screamed.He should've seen it coming. Should've moved faster. Should've protected her. Should've— "Deac."Hondo's voice pulled him out of his spiral. He looked up to see Hondo standing in front of him, concern written all over his face—something Deacon didn't want to deal with. The pity felt like a weight in his chest. "You should go home," Hondo said softly. "Grab some clothes. Shower. Just breathe for a minute." Deacon shook his head. "I'm not leaving her." "Not even for the kids?" That hit harder than it should have. The kids. His kids. He hadn't seen them in what felt like ages since they got taken to Luca's place—safe but probably scared, wondering why Dad wasn't with them. "They need you," Hondo added, his voice steady. Deacon had to swallow hard. "They need their mother." "And she needs you to keep it together." Deacon's jaw tightened. Those words scraped a raw nerve in him."I can't keep it together," he said, his voice cracking in a way he hadn't let himself since he was a kid. "I stood five feet away and I still couldn't—" His throat closed up, and he covered his mouth with a shaking hand. Hondo sat down next to him, close but not touching, letting the silence hang in the air. "You've kept this team alive more times than I can count," he said. "You've held the city together when everything was fallingapart. But no one—no one—expects you to be invincible." Deacon stared at the floor. "Doesn't matter what they expect. I should've protected her." "You did," Hondo replied. "She's still alive because you got her out of that house. Because you stayed calm when everyone else would've panicked. Because you're you." Deacon let out a short, humorless laugh. "Doesn't feel like enough." "Maybe not." Hondo sighed. "But sometimes enough is just staying on your feet." ... Hours ticked by. Nurses came and went. Shadows danced on the walls. Deacon tried to stand, but every time he did, he found himself pulled back toward the ICU window like it had a gravitational force. Annie lay inside, the monitors beeping with a steady rhythm. She looked too still, too pale, like she was stuck between two worlds. He pressed his palm against the glass. "You promised we'd grow old together," he whispered. "You can't break that promise now. Not like this. Not without a fight."He stayed there until his vision blurred and his shoulders sagged.He didn't notice Luca come back until the guy spoke softly behind him. "Kids are asleep," Luca said. "They asked for you." Deacon nodded, rubbing his face. "I'll go in a minute." Luca hesitated. "They're scared, Deac." "So am I." Luca stepped up next to him, looking through the glass at Annie. "She's tough. Tougher than you. Tougher than all of us. You know that." Deacon let out a shaky, almost-smile. "Yeah. She always said we SWAT guys were the dramatic ones." "Yeah, well..." Luca's voice wavered. "She better wake up and say it again." The two of them stood quietly together—a couple of friends, men who loved Annie in different but strong ways. Eventually, Deacon forced himself to call the kids. Hearing their tiny voices nearly shattered him. They asked if Mommy was okay. They wanted to know if he was coming home. They wondered if the bad guys were caught. He told them the truth, as gently as he could. Mommy is fighting. Daddy loves you. You're safe. But as soon as he hung up, his hands shook so badly he had to sit back down.He didn't know how to be strong enough for them, for Annie, and for himself all at once.He didn't know who he was without control. He didn't know how to forgive himself.But one thing was utterly clear:He couldn't handle losing her. Not Annie. Not the heart of his whole life.And if she didn't wake up... He would never be the same again.