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“Thanks,” breathed Jack, panting trying to catch his breath as he felt his blood rush through his veins. Nikki was stood over him, wide-eyed and equally breathless, crowbar still in hand. “We’re okay.”
Nikki nodded mutely.
“You can put the crowbar down, Nikki,” said Jack, hoarsely. Nikki glanced at the metal bar in her hands stunned, as though she hadn’t even realised it had still been in her grasp. She let it fall limply, clattering on the floor with a loud clang. “Where’s Karen?”
“I told her to run,” said Nikki, finding her voice. “We should find her, make sure she got out.”
Nikki held out her hand to him, and he took it, groaning as he got to his feet. He knew now that he wasn’t in a life or death situation, the adrenaline that had flooded his body was ebbing away now and he was starting to feel the impact of his wound.
“What are you doing?” asked Jack, as Nikki started to bend towards Alan Lane.
“Checking if he’s alive,” answered Nikki, grimly. Jack frowned and clutched her upper arm gently, positioning her behind him, away from the currently sedentary figure on the floor. “What?”
“I’ll do it,” stated Jack, grimacing at the hot flashes of pain he felt as he crouched down beside Lane. A quick hand in front of his mouth confirmed he was alive, as he felt the hot humidity of breath on his palm. “He’s alive, just knocked out. We should get out of here.”
As Nikki helped him stand again, the doors to the hall banged open suddenly, making them both jump. It seemed within seconds, it was swarming with noise and activity. Jack and Nikki were both led outside to the stadium seating where there were ambulances and more police. He spotted Karen sitting on the seats, a paramedic on one side of her giving her an exam and who he presumed to be her mother on the other side, clutching her daughter. The older woman looked up and caught his eye as he walked past. He gave her a tight smile and a nod as she mouthed ‘thank you’. It was a fleeting moment of gratitude; only a second before she was back to giving her daughter her full attention.
“Are you alright?”
Jack swivelled his head around to see another paramedic eyeing up the bloodstain seeping through his jacket.
“He needs medical attention, he’s been stabbed,” confirmed Nikki.
“It’s not too bad,” said Jack, however the grunt that escaped him as he tried to lift his left arm betrayed him. “Alright, what she said.”
He didn’t miss Nikki rolling her eyes or the short, brunette haired female paramedic sharing a knowing look with her. He sat on the concrete barrier and shrugged off of his jacket with the help of the two women. The paramedic set her kit down on the wall next to him. She opened the top few buttons of his shirt and eased it open to take a look at his wound.
“It’s deep, you’ll need stitches,” said the paramedic, assessing the injury. “They’ll want to check what exactly that blade has cut. Let’s get the bleeding under control, first and then hospital for you.”
“Thanks,” muttered Jack, as she started to get dressings, tape and gauze out of her kit. He turned his head to look at Nikki. She was stood right next to him, the front of her hip leaning gently against his thigh, as she looked over the stand, her hands resting on the wall. Her right hand was only millimetres where he was resting his right hand.
“Do you want to hold my hand?” asked Jack, teasingly.
“No, of course not,” said Nikki, quickly. She whipped her hands off of the wall but didn’t distance herself from him. Now that she had turned to face him, she seemed even closer than before.
“You can if you want,” smiled Jack, softly. He felt bad for teasing when he saw concern for him in her big brown eyes. He wiggled his fingers. “I have been stabbed you know, I think it warrants someone to hold my hand.”
She clutched at his hand and held it gingerly between both of hers, resting lightly on the wall. She gave it a gentle squeeze. “And here I thought you were a big tough guy?”
“Nah, not really,” grinned Jack. “I need shorty blonde women with crowbars around me to keep me safe.”
“Plural?”
“Well, you’ve got to go to sleep at some point,” chuckled Jack. “I’ll work up a rota.”
“I’m only letting you think you’re funny, by the way, because you got stabbed,” drawled Nikki.
Jack narrowed his eyes playfully and was about to retort when movement at the door caught his attention. Alan Lane was being led out of the building in handcuffs by the detective. They watched as he stared longingly at his ex-wife and was put in the back of a police car. As he passed the pair of them Jack felt Nikki shiver and instinctively pulled her even closer into his space.
“That man is pure evil,” stated Nikki, coldly.
“I’m not going to disagree with you there,” replied Jack, swallowing thickly. He thought of Kate Warren, who despite her faults, had tried in the end and had been shot trying to save Karen. He thought of the two women currently huddled together, a few seats away from him and how they were going to have to try to rebuild their lives. Of Anne Percival who had died trying to protect them. “Evil.”
“Right, the wound is packed and you’re ready to go,” announced the paramedic, pulling him from his thoughts. Despite the pressure, she’d been applying and the pain in his arm, he had forgotten she’d been there. “Pop this sling on for me, love, just to keep the weight off of it.”
“Thanks,” said Jack, letting her position his arm in the sling and feeling better for it. “Still need a hospital trip?”
“Yes,” said the paramedic firmly. “Do I need to force you in the back of my ambulance?”
“No,” sighed Jack. “You get going somewhere else, I’m sure there’s somebody in more need than me. I’ll get to the hospital myself and get checked out.”
“I’ll drive you now,” said Nikki, offering a grateful smile to the paramedic, who decided that Nikki would look after him, she packed up her kit and bid them both goodbyes.
“You don’t have to,” protested Jack, thinking of the long hours they were probably going to have to wait in the emergency room.
“Yes, I do,” smiled Nikki. “Besides, your next short blonde woman with a crowbar doesn’t start her shift for hours.”