Capture Me

A Breather

Thalia

I stayed in the living room to easily see Ryder when he returns. I never left there since he dropped me over, I couldn't, the pull of going there myself was strong-I knew the location, I was there when they were discussing it-but I could only stay rooted in this cream sofa and wait for my husband. He said he would be back and I believe it.

Hours of wait and he hadn't yet showed up. The tears I had been holding threatened to spill but I quickly gathered myself, Ryder was skilled and would get through it.

No matter how skilled he is-

I cut the thought because I knew he would make it out alive, just like his other assignments.

The sun had long set and the darkness enveloped the house. Ryder's dad was in another country doing business while his mom was in the hospital on night duty. I talked to her on the phone before we came to the house.

I couldn't contain my happiness when I heard a car entering the main gates and hurriedly got up to meet Ryder. I waited outside the huge doors while the sleek, black vehicle slowly made its way to me.

When it stopped, Gid got out from the driver's door, I expected another door to open or another car to enter, but it was just Gid.

He didn't take the three-step stairs to get close but stood in front of me.

I stared at him back. Where is he?

Before I could verbalize what I was about to ask, his voice sounded, and I heard.

"I'm sorry, Thalia-"

My knees almost gave out, but my world certainly did. No.

"It can't be." I barely managed to let it out. So much was happening, I felt like I died. I didn't know if I was going to cry or scream or just stay silent.

Gid's hand on my elbow brought my some of my sanity back and only then that I noticed that I was already slumped on the floor.

He helped me up and directed me to his car. "I'll take you to him." I think that was what he said because everything was in a blur at the moment.

My body just did what he'd directed me to do. He opened the car door and nudged me softly to go inside, I didn't even hear the door closing or it starting but I knew we were moving.

No tears fell, somehow my mind couldn't cope what was told to me maybe I was in shock.

I didn't talk, Gid didn't either-not even opened the radio. I stared ahead, mind blank at the same time I couldn't fathom that my husband's dead. How?

He parked and led me in the hospital, the same hospital Ryder and I went when he was shot in my apartment.

Did his mother already knew?

We rode the elevator and I still felt nothing, it was like floating in a void. We walked in the hallway until Gid stopped in front of a door and reached the knob to open it.

My body started shaking, I didn't know what to do to prepare myself to see my dead-

All came crashing down when I saw my man sitting on the bed, in a blue hospital gown. Worry, sadness, tears, happiness, relief and every other emotion I could think of slapped me like a huge tsunami wave.

I cried-ugly-cried-loud whimpers and all, and ran to him. I literally flung myself on top of him and cried more on his chest.

Ryder's hands were warm as he rubbed my back.

"I thought you died!" I bawled, I was still hugging him.

He stopped his caress on my back and moved me to look at him. "What?"

I started to weep again. "Gid told me."

Ryder

I held my crying wife in my arms, thank goodness she landed more on my left area and saved my injury from being double whammied. I got sewn up again but this time it was a lot shallower than my left leg.

I did avoid the revolver's bullet to my neck but what caused my shut down was-according to Oberto-I was shot in the back four times, it probably shocked my lungs and heart due to the impact on the Kevlar and disturbed their rhythm. When I dropped on the ground, Vix shot the little fucker.

He also told me that the kid with the revolver was in custody for interrogation. The rest of the gang met up somewhere to debrief.

I looked at my teammate, who I might even consider a friend at this point. Gid volunteered to get Nara from my parent's house even though I told him not to because I didn't like her to seeing me like this, it gets her worried and it gets me worried when she gets worried.

Gid was leaning on the door and was quick to defend himself, "I didn't tell her you're dead, man." He tousled his neon-blue hair and went to sit on the chair in front of the hospital bed. "I told her that I was sorry and then she slumped on the ground looking like her soul got sucked out of her body."

Hiccups came out of my wife every now and then but she stopped crying. "And why would you tell her you were sorry?" I felt no pain at the moment but I knew later it will start to hurt like a motherfucker when the pain killer ebbs.

I detangled my wife's arms around my neck and had her sit beside me. She took my hand though and clasped it with her own. It was a sweet gesture and I sucked it all in.

"I didn't get to finish what I was about to say because of that slumping. I was about to say I was sorry because you will not be able to come home tonight because you are in the hospital getting stitched."

My eyebrows raised.

"Oh yeah, still up on burning the building?"

Definitely, I would get them back for trying to kill Nara.

I nodded in response. "After that, I'm out. I'm retiring." I couldn't live like this with Nara by my side, I would always put her in danger and the family were about to make.

"That's not up to you, though." Gid's words had a hidden warning.

I knew that. I could rest, take a long vacation but I could never detach myself from this group. I would still go if called.

"Well, I gotta go now too." Gid stood up. He was still in his all-black gear minus the machine gun and the weapons strapped on him. "I have to prepare the vacation I promised myself."

I chuckled at that it was not that long ago when we had that conversation but it felt like it was ages.

"Maldives?"

"Yes, my friend." He told as he opened the door. Gid stretched his arms above his head as he was going out and then finally closing it.

Nara hugged me again, her arms around my chest were balms that magically relieved the bad things I just went through.

"I love you." She told me pressing her face to my neck.

I kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, baby."

I basked in the moment of silence with just us in each other's embraces.