Chapter 46 #2
Sirens are already wailing in the distance, and it sounds like they’re getting closer. Someone must have heard the gunshot and called the police.
“Grant, you’re bleeding!” Heather is beside me now with her hand on my arm.
I glance down. Blood is soaking through my shirt where the bullet grazed my shoulder. It burns like hell, but I’m pretty sure it’s not serious. I’ve played through worse pain.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Just stay back for now.”
Steven is gasping, and his eyes are wild and unfocused. “Get off me. Get the fuck off me.”
“Not a chance.”
Two police cars screech into the courthouse parking lot, followed by a third. Officers swarm out with their weapons drawn.
“Put your hands where we can see them!” one of them shouts.
I immediately raise my free hand, keeping Steven pinned with the other. “The gun is on the ground! He fired it!”
“Step away from him! Now!”
I release Steven and take three steps back while I raise my other hand as well. Steven collapses against the pillar and slides down until he’s sitting on the ground.
The officers swarm him immediately. Two of them haul him to his feet while a third pulls his arms behind his back and snaps handcuffs on his wrists.
“You have the right to remain silent,” the officer begins, and Steven just sobs.
The second the officers have him secured, Heather launches herself at me. Her arms wrap around my waist, and she buries her face in my chest.
“Oh my god, Grant. Oh my god.” Her whole body is shaking. “You’re bleeding. He shot you. Are you hurt? He could have killed you.”
“I’m okay.” I hold her tight with my good arm, ignoring the burning pain in my shoulder. “I’m right here. I’m okay.”
She pulls back just enough to look up at me. “You could have died. You could have—”
I cut her off with a kiss. She kisses me back desperately with her hands tangled in my shirt and gripping it like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets go.
She’s still shaking when we break apart.
“I’m okay,” I say again, softer this time. “Hurricane, I promise. I’m okay.”
She kisses me again. And again. Short, frantic kisses, like she’s reassuring herself that I truly am here and mostly unharmed.
I just hold her close and let her do whatever she needs.
One of the officers approaches us. “Sir, we need to take your statement. But first, let’s get the EMTs to look at that shoulder.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding through your shirt. We need to make sure the bullet isn’t lodged in your shoulder.”
“I said I’m fine. The bullet grazed me. It’s not lodged in my shoulder. It’s not an issue.”
The officer nods and pulls out a notepad. “Can you tell me what happened here?”
I give him the rundown. Steven ambushed us. He was drunk. He pulled a gun. Heather tried to talk him down. He fired. I disarmed him.
Heather fills in the gaps now that she’s a little steadier. She explains about the restraining order, the custody hearing, and everything else that led up to this moment.
Another officer is examining the gun where it fell. He picks it up carefully with gloved hands and takes it back to his vehicle, then pops back out a few seconds later.
“Hey, Sarge,” he calls over to the first officer. “This weapon is unregistered. And according to the database, Steven Walsh has a prior domestic violence conviction. He’s not legally allowed to possess a firearm.”
The sergeant’s expression hardens. “Is that right?”
“Yes, sir. And the fact that he brought it to a courthouse makes it a federal offense on top of the state charges.”
The sergeant turns back to us. “If all of this checks out, it seems Mr. Walsh will be looking at some serious time behind bars. Assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, violation of a restraining order, illegal possession of a firearm, and bringing a weapon onto federal property. I have a feeling he won’t be bothering you folks for a very long time. ”
Relief washes over Heather’s face. Her knees buckle slightly, and I step in to hold her steady.
“You’re sure?” she asks. “He’s going to jail?”
“Ma’am, with this many charges and his prior record? He’s not getting out anytime soon. I’d bet on ten to fifteen years, minimum.”
She sags against me, and I can feel the tension immediately start to drain out of her body.
The sergeant looks at me with a hint of respect. “That was one hell of a takedown, Mr. Parker. Dangerous as hell, but effective.”
“Wait.” The younger officer steps closer, squinting at me. “Parker? As in Grant Parker? The Aces goalie?”
“That’s me.”
His eyes widen. “Holy shit. I mean—sorry, sir. I just—I’m a huge fan. You were incredible in the playoffs last season.”
“Thanks.”
“I didn’t know you were such a badass off the ice too. Going after a guy with a loaded gun like that?” He shakes his head in awe. “You weren’t worried about getting shot?”
I glance down at Heather, still pressed against my side. “I was more worried about someone else in that particular moment.”
The younger officer grins. The sergeant just nods in understanding.
“Well, you did good work here today,” the sergeant says. “Reckless, but good. We’ll need you both to come down to the station tomorrow to give official statements, but for now, I think you’ve been through enough.”
We thank them and they finish securing the scene, taking photos of the gun and the blood on the ground. Steven is loaded into the back of a patrol car, still crying and ranting about how everything about this day has been unfair.
I watch them drive away, and then take a deep breath.
It’s over.
Really, truly over.
I turn to Heather. “Let’s go home.”
She looks up at me, then down at my shoulder where enough blood has soaked through to make it look a lot worse than it actually is. “Grant, you need to go to the hospital. That wound needs proper care.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been shot.”
“Grazed. Barely.”
I can tell she isn’t buying it even though it’s pretty close to the truth.
“You’re the only nurse I need.” I cup her face with my good hand. “I want to go home. I want to hold you. I want to see April and tell her that she doesn’t have to worry about Steven anymore. That’s all I care about right now.”
Her eyes search mine, and whatever she sees there makes her soften.
“Okay.” She nods. “Let’s go home.”