Keeping It in the Family (Linstead)

Chapter 68

"Where's Alex?"

"He's with Purrazzo and Brett," Adam said, showing no impatience at repeating something he had already told her at the hospital. He knew her mind was scrambled by shock and by medication. It was a time to be nothing but supportive.

"I want him," she said, sounding distressed.

Adam reached over and gave her hand a squeeze, pretty much all he could do while driving. "We'll pick him up in the morning. He's fine there for tonight. What we need to do is get you somewhere safe and quiet so you can sleep."

"Sleep. Yes, sleep sounds good."

Twenty minutes later, Adam was tucking her into bed in a guest bedroom at her parents' house. By then, she was on the verge of passing out.

"Sleep well. I love you," he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. Please be okay tomorrow, he added silently. In truth he knew that okay was going to take longer than that.

"How is the little guy?" Deonna Purrazzo asked her girlfriend Sylvie Brett. The question referred to one year old Alex Ruzek, who was set up for the night in the guest room at Brett's apartment.

"He's sound asleep, which is a pleasant surprise," Brett said, sitting back down on the couch.

Purrazzo looked at her. "A surprise? You mean because he's never been here before?"

"That, and because he's in the bassinet. He's too old for one really, but it won't be a problem for one night."

"I'm glad you understand this stuff, Sylvie. I wouldn't have a clue."

"We bring different things to the table, that's why we work so well together."

Purrazzo gave her girl an affectionate kiss. "Yes, no doubt about that. You know, I can't stop thinking about Kim. That was some Marine shit she pulled tonight. In fact it was even more courageous than that, given the circumstances. Can't wait to see her and tell her how much I respect her bravery."

While Purrazzo perhaps inevitably looked at Burgess' actions from the point of view of a Marine, Brett 's perspective was that of a professional in the medical field. "Your respect will mean a lot to her I'm sure. But the main thing she's going to need is support. Think what it must have been like in that mall. Innocent people dead and dying. Men, women, possibly children. Also, her own life may have been in direct danger while she was dealing with the shooters. We don't know. She's going to need help mentally, I would assume. What I'm saying is, make sure you're there for her if she needs anything."

Taking that in, Purrazzo nodded seriously. "Yes, I will do. I'm sure everyone on the team will."

After parting ways with Burgess and Ruzek at Chicago Med, Kevin Atwater had gone to the mall, where he knew he would find Violet Mikami. Technically off duty, he had felt confident she would nonetheless go straight to the scene to help out, and upon leaving the hospital and checking his messages he had learned she had done just that. He had decided to go and join her.

Locating Violet had proven to be a challenge with so many people in and around the mall. Eventually he found her outside, near one of the entrances close to the foot court, the scene of the first of the two mass shootings. She had just finished helping paramedics load an injured person on a stretcher into an ambulance.

"Violet, hey," Atwater said in greeting as he approached her.

"Oh, hey," she replied, turning to look at her. Her gloved hands were covered in blood, he saw.

"Thought I'd come see what I can do to help. Are you okay?"

"I'm alright, but it's a real mess in there. Those evil sons of bitches... I don't know what else to say."