Cinders

~43~ Bad One

They all leave quickly, and I just wait around for them to come back.

They don't come back for over three hours, and I start to freak out. Something feels wrong.

Finally they pull in, and the relief that floods through me is so strong, I feel weak.

Once everyone gets out, I know something is DEFINITELY wrong. Diego and Keegan look like they've been crying...Mack looks upset...Greene looks distraught...

Taylor isn't here.

I go up to Greene, literally feeling sick to my stomach.

"What happened?" I ask, already on the verge of crying.

He puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me hard in the eyes. "Everything is fine, Liam. Your mom and Taylor will be back soon."

Mom and Taylor are ok...Mom and Taylor are ok....Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I look back at Greene, and see it on his face...

"Something happened," I say, feeling hysterics bubbling in my throat. Is this what a panic attack feels like?

Greene nods. "Your mom was trying to get a neck brace on the guy who was pinned, and a cement wall collapsed on her—She was pinned for a little while."

"What....Um....What," I sputter.

"Taylor got her out—She's fine. She had to get some stitches on her forehead, she's got a black eye, and she's got a cut on her hand...but she's fine. Taylor and Megan are with her—They'll be back in a bit."

He gives me a hug and I start to cry. This is why I get so scared—Things happen so quickly. One minute it's a routine call, and the next my mom is getting pinned under cement.

"Why's everyone so upset?" I ask, realizing then that there's more to the story. Everyone is acting REALLY weird.

"Umm," Greene says, looking down at the ground. He shifts for a minute from foot to foot before looking back at me and taking a deep breath.

"The wall collapsed because of an error by one of the men. We thought we lost your mom for a bit."

"What?!?" I gasp, feeling the hysterics bubble again.

He holds up his hand. "It just looked worse than it really was—She's fine. It knocked her out for a little while, but she's good. The doctors have already cleared her to finish shift."

I feel like I'm gonna throw up.

Suddenly the ambulance pulls in, and I rush over to it. Mom, Megan, and Taylor jump out. As soon as she sees me, mom puts her hands up.

"I'm fine, Liam," she says, coming over and giving me a hug. I hug her back, and then pull away so I can really look at her.

She looks like she just got beat.

She has cuts all over her face and hands. Her eye is black, and the bandage over her eye is big...Which means the cut is big—Big with a lot of stitches.

I look up at Taylor, and I can tell he's been crying.

"What happened?" I ask him.

"Wall collapsed—She got caught."

Short and sweet—It's extremely apparent that he can't and won't talk about this with me.

"Taylor, it wasn't his fault; You need to calm down," mom says, grabbing his arm and pulling him to her. "Look at me—I'm fine."

Taylor lets out a disgusted noise. "It WAS his fault, and you're NOT fine, Ellie."

He turns and looks at me briefly before he storms over towards the men.

"Get your ass in my office. NOW!" Taylor screams, making everyone jump.

He's pointing directly at Diego.

Diego looks like he's already about to cry. He silently follows Taylor into his office, and we can all hear the door slam.

Everybody silently looks at each other, and Keegan goes over and gives mom a huge hug. "Sorry kid," he says, a tear falling down his cheek.

I go back to the offices, because I'm desperate to know the details. I'm a GREAT snooper, and I've just gotta hear what actually happened.

"I'm so sorry Lieutenant," Diego says in a small voice, muffled by the door.

"I don't wanna hear it, Alejandro. I HAD GIVEN YOU A DIRECT ORDER, AND YOU DISOBEYED ME!!!!"

Taylor is screaming—This is really bad. I've honestly NEVER heard Taylor yell before. He never yells at mom... He's terrifying.

"I told you it wasn't stable to move him yet. I told you to secure the wall—You didn't do it. YOU ALMOST KILLED HER!!!"

I can now hear Diego starting to cry...

"I thought we had time. I..."

"WHO'S THE LIEUTENANT?" Taylor interrupts

"You are, sir."

"DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT DISOBEY A DIRECT ORDER?"

This man is still screaming.

"I did, Lieutenant."

Taylor nods his head. "Because of you, I was a breath away from telling that kid that I let his mom die—You can think about that tonight at home."

His voice is getting quieter, but firmer. Is that better or worse?

"Sir?" Diego questions.

"Your shift is over—Go home. It goes without saying that I'm writing you up for this. Get out!"

Taylor's voice is now eerily quiet, and hard to hear behind the closed door—That's annoying.

"Yes sir—I'm so sorry, sir," Diego chokes as he quickly leaves.

Taylor stands there in his office for a moment, then bends his head down and starts to cry.

I must've moved or something, because he suddenly sees me standing here.

He comes out of his office and looks at me hard. "You really need to quit spying all the damn time... You're not as good as you think you are."

"How bad was it, really?" I ask, ignoring the jab about my spying skills.

He looks at me and sniffs, shaking his head in defeat. "This was a really bad one, Liam."

"Thanks for getting her out," I say, going over and giving him a hug. He starts crying again, and hugs me back tight.

"Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I borrow your phone for a minute?"

He hands me his phone without a word, but gives me a questioning look.

I call the number I want and wait for the answer.

"Hello?" Dad answers

"Dad," I say, almost in tears again.

"What's wrong, Liam?"

"I know you and mom are having a thing right now, but can you put it aside and come down to the station? She's fine, but she got hurt on her last call."

Dad doesn't hesitate. "I'll be right there."