[Immunity] David Kay - Ch.9: TheRoomGoesQuiet

Instructions

The hospital's family room is way too bright—the fluorescent lights buzzing above, a cheap clock ticking on the wall, each second reminding Hondo of how long the kids have been waiting. He can still smell the smoke from Deacon's front door, hear the pops of bullets hitting the wall, and see Annie's shirt turning red when they pulled her from the house. Now he's stuck here, alone with three shaken kids who look to him because their dad can't be the one in this mess right now. Deacon is down the hall, pacing outside the OR, refusing to sit, blink, or even leave. He handed his kids off with trembling hands, not saying a word. He just couldn't. Hondo takes a deep breath and kneels in front of the kids. Lila is huddled up on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. Matthew sits stiffly beside her, trying hard not to cry, his eyes glassy and distant. Samuel is clinging to Hondo's arm like it's the only thing keeping him from collapsing. "Are you guys holding up okay?" he asks softly. Before he can even finish, Lila shakes her head violently. Her face twists with emotion. "Mom—she fell, Hondo," Lila whispers. "She was running and then just—dropped. I thought she was just scared, but... there was blood everywhere..." Hondo pulls her into his arms without thinking. She breaks down, sobbing. Matthew's voice is rough. "Is she gonna die?" The words hit hard in the room. Samuel crawls into Hondo's lap, hiding his face in his vest. Hondo doesn't sugarcoat things—and he doesn't drop harsh truths either. He gives them hope mixed with reality. "The doctors are working on her right now," he says slowly. "Your mom is tough. One of the toughest people I know. They're doing everything they can to help her." Matthew stares at his hands. "I didn't do anything," he whispers. "I should've— I don't know—helped or something." Hondo shakes his head. "No, no, Matthew. Listen up." He waits until the boy looks at him. "You did exactly what you were supposed to. You grabbed your sisters. You got low. You stayed safe. That's what your mom would've wanted." Matthew wipes his face with his sleeve. Lila sniffs. "Daddy looked... different." Hondo's heart tightens. Different doesn't even touch it. Deacon had been like a statue—silent, tense, shaking with something he wasn't letting out. A guy who had dealt with violence for twenty years, but never at home, never with the woman he loved. Hondo cups Lila's cheek. "He's scared. And when grown-ups get scared, it can come off as anger. But he cares about you. He loves all of you so much." Samuel lifts his head, his voice small. "Can we see Mommy?" Hondo closes his eyes for a second. The weight of that question crashes down. "Not yet," he replies gently. "She's still in surgery. There are a ton of doctors working on her right now. But I promise—when it's okay—you'll be the first to see her." He pauses. "And your dad will be right there, too." Samuel nods, still hanging on tight. Hondo pulls all three into a hug—one arm around Lila, Matthew and Samuel, one arm holding Victoria. He feels their shaky breaths, hears their fear, and wishes he could take some of it away for them. "We're gonna get through this," he murmurs. "Okay? All of us." For a moment, everything is quiet. Just breathing. Just warmth. Just a guy trying to hold a family together when they really didn't deserve this. Then the door at the far end of the hall swings open. A surgeon steps out. And Hondo knows—before she even says anything—that the next part of this night is going to hurt.