𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐒

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 | 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫

a.c.
"What?"
"Devin's been shot. He came in to pick Alana up and he seemed very disoriented. He stumbled and when I caught him, my hands got covered in blood. He's been shot in the chest."
"Shit. I'll get Jackson to pick Alana up. Do you know where Frasier Crawford's estate is?"
"No, I don't believe I do."
"He can give you directions. If he passes out, call me back."

Flynn hangs up and I'm suddenly in the driver's seat, awaiting instructions from Devin in the back seat.
"You're gonna take a right at Grey and Son's Construction. Once you pass that, you'll drive past Lucia's Cafe and then past the Grocery Store. At the Grocery store, you'll take a left." He says.
I follow his instructions, turning right at Grey and Son's Construction. I watch as we drive past Lucia's Cafe then past the Grocery store. I swing a left, wondering where to go next.
"Where to next, Devin?" I ask. "Devin, talk to me here."
I turn back to look at him, noticing he's unconscious.
"Shit." I say, reaching into my pocket to grab my phone.

"He's slipping and out of consciousness. At this rate, he'll die before I get those directions."
"Okay. Where are you? I'll give you directions from here."
"Uh, just took a left by the Grocery Store on Seventh."
"Okay. Get in the left lane and get on the freeway."
"Doing that now. Where are you guys located? I've never been in this part of town."
"Uptown in the suburbs. Now, take the exit to get on Eleventh."
"Eleventh? That'll take me downtown. If I want to go uptown, I need to get off on Third!"
"Get off now and get on Eleventh! There's a trail we take to get uptown without traffic."
"Damn. I might have to use that trail if I'm feeling like I don't want traffic."
"The trail has multiple turnoff routes but if you drive straight, it'll lead you to Frazier's Estate. We'll see you in five."

I hang up, tossing my phone into the passenger's seat. I look over my shoulder at Devin. He's growing dangerously pale. I need to get up there quick. I speed, probably a lot faster than I should, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
"You sure you'll survive driving this fast?" Devin groans from the back.
I shake my head, trembling as I hear him groan out in pain. His breathing is growing shallower by the minute. Eventually, he'll die.
"You're slipping in and out of consciousness. I need to get you up there quickly if they're gonna have any shot at saving you." I say. "We're less than five minutes away from Frasier's Estate. Just hang in there."
I stomp on the gas, making us go even faster. I need to get up there now. I can see a glittering estate at the top of a hill. There's a gate and walls of ivy. It's beautiful. Why am I taking a dying man to such a beautiful home? Why am I not taking him to a Hospital?
"That's Frasier's Estate. Keep driving." He groans out, weakly.

When Leo was shot, it was in the leg—the mid thigh area. His wound was through and through so there wasn't really a risk of poisoning from the metal inside of him. The only risk was blood. Leo was shot in Iraq during his first deployment. That was seven years ago, two weeks before he met Kate, his wife. He was twenty-two when he was shot, two years younger than I am now. He bled like a stuck pig. The blood just kept coming. It was horrible seeing the images of his recovery. He was at risk of losing his leg all together because of one Marksman with a good aim. Lucky for him, tourniquets were available and he saved the leg. The story of how Leo and Kate met is one that seems almost out of a fairytale. A soldier is sent back to the states with a life threatening injury and to greet him there, a beautiful blonde woman—a trauma nurse. She stayed by his side every hour of every day for the month he was in that hospital. At first, they hated each other. He was stubborn and headstrong. All he wanted was to get back out into the war and be with his brothers. But, she advised against that. Then, the first of many nightmares started. And she was there for them. He was diagnosed with PTSD and fit unable to serve for the rest of that deployment. When he was released, he made a deal with her. The first night he dreamt without nightmares, he would take her on a date the next day. That very next day, he took her to her favorite diner and they immediately fell in love. Two years later, they married. And now, five years into their marriage, she's pregnant with their first baby, a little girl.
     I drive through the gates, up to the front of the house. I park, turning off my car. I run to the back of the car and pull the door open. Flynn runs down the steps, followed by many other men. Jackson stands at the door, his eyes wide and full of wonder.
     "Miss. Cochran? Is that you?" He asks, an eyebrow raised.
     Flynn reaches into my car, pulling Devin out. He hoists Devin up, an arm wrapped under him. Another man comes over, wrapping an arm around him, holding up his other side. Devin groans again, trembling in their grasp.
     "Hello, Jackson." I say. "It's nice to see you again."
     He cocks an eyebrow, looking at Devin with curious eyes.
     "What happened to Devin? Wait, what are you even doing here?" Jackson asks.
     I shrug my shoulders. I, myself, have no clue how it suddenly came to be that I was the chaperone for dying people.
     "Devin came in to pick up Alana and I saw something was wrong. He told me to bring him here." I say.
     A man wearing a suit and tie stands at the door, smoking a cigarette.
     "So, you must be Miss. Cochran. I've heard plenty about you between the Dallas brothers and Mr. Calhoun over there. My name is Frasier Crawford. Come with me." He says.