𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. Evan Buckley ²

thirty eight

"Mind if I ask what you prayed for?"

"My life," she admitted. Whether it was true or not, she didn't know. She hadn't prayed for her own safety, at least she didn't think she had. Rather, she prayed for the downfall of Solotov and the safety of the few people she actually gave a damn about, "the death of another man."

She had almost whispered the last part out, it was hard to admit. She had killed men before, more than she could count and that didn't bother her, not as Hunter knew each time she pulled the trigger it saved countless others. But she had never asked a higher power to do the killing for her— or rather, give her the strength to kill a man. It had been quite a few years since she had read a bible but she knew that was a sin in the pastor's eyes.

"You're alive, are you not?" The pastor rhetorically asked to which Hunter nodded, "Then it seems God answered your prayers."

"I don't know how to feel anymore," Hunter told him, her voice as she spoke the truth for once to the unknown pastor. She had passed the church nearly everyday on the drive to Buck's apartment but yet today was the first day she had pulled her truck into the parking lot and walked inside, "I feel lost— everyone tells me what I should feel and that it's okay to feel that way but I don't feel how they think I feel."

She was told time and time again that it was okay to grieve and to feel guilt over the things she had lost and the things she had done. But she wasn't sorry, she had no regrets— other than the fact that she had let the trouble she started in the marines follow her home to LA. Hunter was angry, she was livid at the fact that she had to relieve day after day as people asked her about it. Angry that the 118 treated her differently. She hated the way that she was utterly alone in the moments that she almost died. But most of all, she loathed the way people who didn't know her defended the man who murdered her family and tortured her for years online.

It shouldn't have surprised Hunter, the way the left and anti military Americans had taken to the side against her. The Callahan should have saw it coming from a mile away. She watched it happen to her father growing up, she experienced it happen to her anytime she had to wear her cammies or dress blues out in public. But maybe some part of Hunter thought that people would believe she was doing the right thing for once. And some did, but those didn't matter to Hunter.

"Were you a troubled teen?"

The question from the pastor caught Hunter off guard, a laugh echoing out of her mouth and bouncing off of the church walls as her eyes moved from the cross and over to the man next to her, "I'd say more of a fun teen than anything else."

"Sorry," the pastor laughed too, "you just... never mind. I may not be god, but if you give me a moment of your time I may be able to lead you in a better direction."

Hunter adjusted how the neckline of her LAFD sat against her as she repetitively squeezed the bag meant for ventilation that was attached to the person in the hospital bed next to her. The Callahan didn't particularly care for hospitals, all the people set her on edge.

On top of that, the ransom that was being held over LA's head left the city with less technology than normal. Both Eddie and Buck sat next to two other cots as they helped patients, the 118 filling into the hospital to provide the nursing staff help where they could. The rooms were overfilled and understaffed with no signs of improvement.

In one of the pockets of her pants she could almost feel the weight of the small chain the pastor had given her earlier. She had moved the leave, the older man reached out once more and handed her the small cross with the clear outline of Christ's body. Hunter tried to deny the gesture but still she somehow left with it in her pocket and she felt like it weighed her down.

The sun had long since set, the hot LA air was filling into to the hospital, the temperature bordering on overheating. Hunter eyed Buck and Eddie from her spot in the swivel chair, Eddie almost shied away from Buck's piercing gaze.

"Hey, what was with that doctor on the way in?" Buck finally asked, Hunter furrowed her eyebrows as her head snapped over to the two. She had stayed in line with her captain as the 118 entered the hospital, completely oblivious to what Buck was asking about. "Why is she asking if you're all right?"

Eddie bit at his lip with a shrug of his shoulders, "It was nothing. I wasn't feeling well the other day, so... she checked me out."

"She's a-a cardiologist... At a hospital. Are you
saying you had a heart attack?"

"No, I'm not saying I had a heart attack—I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying I didn't have a heart attack." Eddie defended himself quietly, trying not to disturb the patients as each one of them pumped the bags.

"But did you think you? were having a heart attack, I mean," Hunter chimed in. Eddie shot her a look as if to say he wished she would have stayed out of it.

"Can we just drop this?"

Hunter went to shake her head no. She saw how he whispered and looked around as if he was nervous of someone overhearing. She knew they shouldn't have just dropped it but she didn't have a choice as Hen and Chim walked up, "Think the trauma bay's on its feet for now. We did all we could. Little snip there, little stitch here."

Hen rolled her eyes at the shorter man's words, "You guys want us to tag you out? Give you a break?

"Yeah, great idea. Eddie really shouldn't be exerting himself right now."

"Seriously, Buck?" Eddie shot him a glare as a they stood up, Hunter nodding her head slightly at the nurse who took the bag from her hands and let her walk away, "can you control him?"

Hunter frowned, reaching up to smack the back of Eddie's head, "shut your mouth, you better fucking start talking, Edmundo."

"That makes no sense— I can't do both," Eddie knew what he was doing, riling the girl up to distract her from what was actually clouding her mind. The same wouldn't work for Buck.

Hunter raised her hand once more, a stronger force set behind her swing as she aimed for his cheek. The Callahan cursed as she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and hold her arm in place. She turned her head, glaring at Buck who kept a strong grip on her, not letting the blonde slap his friend as he was far too worried about Eddie's health to risk adding any more injury.

The Callahan dropped her glare as the flick of the lights went out, the other nurses pausing as they looked up at the powerless lights. The low hum of the generator followed by the lights clicking on should have rang out already but instead the hallways of the hospital stayed dark.

"I don't like this," Hunter mumbled.

"Thanks captain obvious," Buck muttered out.

Hunter rolled her eyes, "you can talk to me when you've been hunted down by a Chechen assassin."

"Is that your excuse for every—" Buck stopped himself, pursing his lips as he refused to finish his sentence. He didn't want to speak to Hunter like that and he knew that she struggled with it even though she'd never admit it.

"At least until the power comes back on," Hunter clarified, not even needing Buck to finish sentence for her to respond.

The blonde looked ahead at her captain, waiting for an order but jumped slighting, crouching to the ground as she supported herself against the counter at a loud rumble from above.

"That came from the roof," Hen muttered out, looking around.

Eddie frowned as he looked at Hunter's crouched form, placing a soft hand on her arm before gently pulling her to her full height again. The blonde looked around, swallowing hard as she began moving to follow her captain to and through the stair well.

The fresh night air felt good against her face as she stepped out onto the roof, the moon light bouncing against her skin as she looked out into the night.

The Callahan pursed her lips and nodded at the sight in front of her, it was going to be a rather long night. A shocked sigh left her captain's lips.

"I guess the generators will have to wait."