[Immunity] David Kay - Ch.10: TheWorldStops

Instructions

A/N: This chapter will break you---- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The surgeon doesn't walk—she drifts, like the weight of her news is pulling her down the hallway. Hondo can feel the kids tense up in his arms even before he stands. He gets up slowly, adjusting Victoria against his hip."Stay right here," he whispers. "I'll be back in a sec." But Lila grips his sleeve. "Hondo... please don't let it be bad." His heart cracks in half. "I'll do everything I can," he replies, because that's all he can promise. He steps into the hall, where Deacon waits—his hands are fists, eyes locked on the surgeon with a desperate intensity. The doctor stops in front of him, taking off her cap with shaky hands. "Mr. Kay..." Her voice wobbles. And Deacon goes still, like he's forgotten how to breathe. Hondo realizes he's holding his breath too. "We... we did everything we could," the surgeon continues. "But the damage was extensive. The bleeding was—" Deacon shakes his head. A warning. A plea. A refusal. "No." His voice is rough. "You're still working on her." "I'm so sorry," she whispers. "She passed away halfway through the procedure." Silence. A silence so thick Hondo could swear the whole hospital is holding its breath with him. Deacon doesn't budge. Doesn't blink. The news hits him like a bullet—quiet, direct, and fatal. "No." Just that one word again, hoarse and broken."You're wrong." The doctor's eyes fill with tears. "We tried—" "NO!" The shout bursts out of him like it's been torn from his chest. Hondo instinctively steps forward, hand out, but stops himself. Deacon isn't a threat. He's just a guy losing everything right in front of him. Deacon stumbles back a step, fingers gripping his scalp like he's trying to claw the truth out of his own head. His breath turns harsh—sharp, fast, ragged. "She was fine," he gasps. "She was okay. The doctor said. She was...she was..." His knees buckle. Hondo catches him before he hits the floor, lowering him down as Deacon finally breaks down. Deacon leans against Hondo's shoulder, fists shaking. "They shot her in our home," he whispers, like he's admitting to a crime he can't wrap his head around. "In our home. She trusted me. I was supposed to—" His voice crumbles. "I didn't protect her. I didn't protect her." Hondo holds him tighter. "You did everything you could, brother. Everything." But Deacon isn't hearing any of it. Not over the sound of his world falling apart. ... Chris bolts down the hallway, with Street right on her tail and Tan and Luca close behind. They all come to a sudden stop at the sight before them: Deacon is on the floor. Hondo is clutching him like he's the only thing keeping him alive. A surgeon is quietly crying against the wall. Chris gasps, tears streaming down her face. "Oh God... no..." She drops to her knees beside them. "No... no, no..." Street's jaw tightens—his eyes fiery, his face pale. Tan looks like he's been hit hard. Luca stares at the surgeon, his voice flat and broken. "She didn't make it?" The doctor shakes her head. Street turns away, gripping the wall like it's the only thing keeping him from losing it. Tan wipes his face but can't hold it together. Luca's shoulders slump; tears are flowing down his cheeks without stopping. Chris reaches out, placing a hand on Deacon's trembling back. "We're here," she whispers. "We're right here." Deacon doesn't respond. It's like he doesn't even hear them. His world has shrunk to a dark hole—and he's falling in.... The door to the family room cracks open. A small voice slips out. "...Hondo?" He lifts his head, feeling his chest twist. Lila stands in the doorway, her eyes puffy with Victoria in her arms, with Matthew behind her and Samuel clutching his shirt. Kids don't need to understand words to feel sadness. They sense it hanging in the air like fog. "Hondo?" Lila says again, her voice barely a whisper. "Where's Daddy? Is Mommy...?" Hondo doesn't want to say anything. He'd take another bullet before saying this. But Deacon can't stand right now—let alone comfort his kids. Hondo gently hands Deacon off to Chris, stands up, and walks over to the kids. The moment he kneels, Lila gets it. Her face crumbles.