Chapter Text
A loudly, monotone ring flow into his dreamless sleep at the middle of the night. At first, it seemed just a dream came – maybe a sound from the hospital that echoed still in his mind… an EKG or an MRI probably. But, as it got louder and louder it became clear that the sound wasn’t in his dream. With an awake mind he could realize his phone was ranging. He opened his eyes tiredly, he felt like he slept only a few minutes. He rubbed his eyes and checked the clock beside his bed. It was 3:49 am. He barely slept 2 hours yet… It was pitch black outside and yesterday’s storm was still going on and only the rare lightning illuminated the night and his room. With a bad grace he took his phone from the bedside table. By heart he just wanted to hung up the phone and sleep further, but he couldn’t afford it. Still lying in the bed, he checked the screen. It was an unknown number and strangely it called his private number that only a few people knew. He suspiciously picked up.
“Oui?” he asked on a hoarse voice.
“Gustave…” a weak, barely audible woman voice sounded. “Help…please…”
“Abigel?” he called in surprise. He recognized her voice immediately despite he didn’t hear her for 5 years already. He sat up now fully awake. “What happened? Are you in Paris?”
“Yes-… Help-…” she repeated. Inaudibly she could barely speak. “I could only call you. Please, help us…” her voice choked and he could hear tears got over her. Without a second thought he jumped out from the bed and got his clothes from the armchair where he threw them yesterday.
“It’s alright, Abigel” he tried to calm her. He held his phone with his shoulder making his hands free. “I will help, but I need to know where are you and what happened!” tried to keep her talking while he got up his pants in hurry. There was silence for long moments. “Abigel?” his heart was pounding in his throat. “Abigel? Are you there? Abigel!” Worry and nervousness rushed him as he waited for answer. He helplessly tried to figure out what should he do if Abigel can’t answer, but the fear overrun his mind.
“Answer me, Abigel!” he said louder while he took up a gray jumper over his white night t-shirts.
“I… I… shot” she panted painfully. It was clear she was barely conscious. “Help…”
“Were you shot!?” he asked incredulously but only silence came. “Abigel, stay with me! Where are you?” he asked now fully clothed, got a black leather jacket with his wallet and his key in its pocket. He was ready to go wherever she was, but she didn’t answer. “Abigel?! Talk to me!”
“Yeah…” her weak voice sounded. “Yeah…”
“I need to know where you are to call an ambulance” he spoke slowly and at loud to make sure she understood what he said. In the meantime, he left his apartment, shouted the door behind him and run down on the stairs.
“No! No!” Her voice was now sober and in panic. A painful moan came before she continued with weak voice again. “Don’t call ambulance! Please, Gustave… please… don’t… they find us…” she was panting loudly. However Gustave heard footsteps in the background as run toward Abigel through several puddles.
“Alright, calm down! I won’t!” he tried to calm her as he got in his car that luckily parked in front of the apartment. “But tell me where are you and who are you with?” Silence came again. Gustave was more and more afraid that after all those years since she left, he had to listen to her dying and he couldn’t help her, couldn’t save her… couldn’t do anything just sit in his car and waited and pray to the women has enough strength to tell him where she was.
“Gustave…” she moaned his name and Gustave’s heart clenched. All memories came back to him. He can’t lose her again.
“I’m here, mon chéri, I’m here!” he tried to stay calm for her. “I go to you. Just tell me where are you!”
“At… at square de la Roquette…in an alley” she whispered. He relieved a bit, it was only five minutes away. But it was still a pretty big area.
“I’m on my way!” he left with 180 degrees turn and wheel squeaking. “Keep talking, Abigel! Stay with me! Where are you hurt?” He didn’t care about the speed limit he pressed the accelerator to the floor and barreled down on the empty streets of Paris.
“Chest…” she moaned. His momentary relieved was gone. Her life was in danger if any of her organs injured and didn’t get a hospital in time. Suddenly he heard footsteps again.
“Is there someone with you?” Silence came. “Let me talk with them! Need to stop the bleeding!”
“Can’t…” she hardly answered. A quiet, thin voice came – sounded like a kid. Gustave wanted to ask, but she continued. “Gustave…I…” her voice was softer now. It scared and calmed him in the same time.
“Oui?” She didn’t answer, but in the background now a male voice echoed from the distance. Gustave didn’t understand what he said and didn’t get a chance to ask.
“Hide, honey!” She said to someone worriedly before the line was broken.
“Abigel?! Abigel!” he shouted but she wasn’t in call anymore. Even couldn’t call back because she called from a private number. He threw the phone on the passenger’s seat while without any thoughts he drove through a red lamp. Every past seconds seemed hours while worry and despair drove him. For 5 years he hadn’t heard anything from her, no matter what he tried… calls, messages, asking friends. She changed her number, deleted herself from every social platforms and left the country. She just disappeared one day to another without even a goodbye. It hurt him and he was angry with her, but still he could blame only himself. Five years ago he failed to protect her. She didn’t feel herself in safe beside him and his team anymore so she fled. But after all, she returned and she was in Paris again. So close to him, still so far. However, the only one though that left in his mind when he reached the park was that it may will be their last goodbye…
He drove nervously into the square and looked around in hurry. There were several alleys or narrow streets and he knew that he had no time to check them one by one. He looked for any sign, any movement or anything that help him to find her. The square was empty and the lamps illuminated only the little park in the middle. He lowered the windows and drove slower along the roundabout around the square, looked into every dark alley. He could only hope that maybe could spot her phone’s light or the one who was with here or could hear any movement despite the raining, but nothing happened.
He almost circled the square when suddenly he heard footsteps echoing and in the rear-view mirror he saw a man ran out into the middle of the street right behind his car. Looked like a young man who nervously and despairingly looked around the square. He walked back and forth in a gasp not caring about the rain and visibly looked and waited for something. Gustave didn’t hesitate for a moment, quickly turned around with the car not caring about the oneway sign. The young man looked puzzled at the car as he stood out of its way. Gustave drove up to the high shoulder not caring about his car neither. He just stopped the engine and tore the key from it when he almost jumped out from the car.
“Is there an injured woman?” he called out to the young man while he already headed to the dark alley. “I’m a doctor”
“Oui-” he answered confused “In the alley… she.. she… I called the ambulance” he stuttered “My girlfriend and another man are with her” Gustave didn’t pay attention to him anymore but run into the alley with his all fear. The alley was pretty tight and long, a car would have barely enough space. There wasn’t any light except the little reflections in the several puddles that Gustave run through. As he got deeper, scrapped furnitures – sofas, wardrobes, lamps, tables – and trashcans appeared that have become more and more until there was almost a labyrinth. Gustave hurriedly sidestepped them when after a huge oak wardrobe, he finally found them.
Abigel lied on the wet ground unconscious while the rain steadily washed over her blood that leaked from her chest. A young blonde haired woman knelt beside her and hold her head on her lap while tried to squeeze her wound with a silk scarf. Desperate and on the edge of a panic attack she stared Abigel face while an older bald man stood next to them and lit them with his phone.
“Lower her head!” Gustave called out while knelt on the other side of Abigel. The women got her head up and looked at him surprised. “I’m a doctor!” For this she immediately let her head on the ground.
“What… what I should do?” asked quietly while Gustave took the grip from her. He quickly checked her pulse; it was weak and seemed it become weaker and weaker for moments, she lost far too much blood. Her breath was more disquieting; it was irregular and halting.
“Help open her shirts!” he feared the worst and started to prepared to be immediately resuscitated as it will be needed. The women unbuttoned the black shirt with shaking hands. As she opened the clothes fully and tossed the material to her sides, Gustave noticed a gold necklace which’s medal formed one name ‘Emma’. For a moment his gaze caught the jewel and unwittingly associated it with the voice of a kid that he might heard on the phone. His thought, however, didn’t get any further because at the square blue and red lights appeared.
“Finally” he murmured and looked up to the other men, however the man stared a further pile of furniture with a strict, inexpressive look. “Hey!” Gustave called for his attention.
“Excuse me, I thought I heard something” his deep voice was much calmer than the women’s. “What can I do?”
“Clear the way for the stretcher!” He nodded to the direction of the square.
“Gus- tave-..Em-…My-…” Barely audible moan came from Abigel. Gustave caught his head back; she didn’t move, her eyes was still closed and didn’t say anything else.
“I’m here, dear! Hear me? Abigel?!” It quickly became clear that she regained consciousness only for a moment.
“Monsiere! Let us there!” Two paramedic reached them. The women jumped up let the paramedic there. One of them took her place immediately while the other put down a stretcher next to them. “Gustave?” The older one saw his face when knelt down.
“Charles!” Gustave recognized him too. “Gunshot injury on the chest. Weakening pulse and breath. Probably lungs injury and pneumothorax!”
“Get her up!” Charles respond and stood up let the younger paramedic to put the stretcher directly beside her. Gustave and Charles lifted her onto the stretcher with firm and experienced hands than the two paramedic quickly raised her and headed for the ambulance car that meanwhile backed into the alley. Gustave followed them immediately but then suddenly something came into his mind. He turned back and looked around the dark alley. The women and the other man curiously looked at him, but his thoughts were somewhere else. The necklace – Emma – the voice in the background – a kid – Abigel’s broken words – ‘My’- the movement that the man heard… It became clear.
“Gustave! Are you coming?” Charles called back to him from the car. Meanwhile they put Abigel in the ambulance car. “We intubate her than we have to go!”
“A child is here somewhere!” he said and immediately started to look around between the old furnitures. If he was right a child was still hiding there somewhere, alone in the dark and in the rain. How scared can be... “Help me!” he called to the others who just blankly stared at him.
“There wasn’t any child here” The young women said but started to search too just as the bald man.
“Emma!” Gustave shouted, but no answer. “Emma!” While he looked for her in the dark, couldn’t do anything but thinking that the child probably Abigel’s daughter. “I’m Gustave! Your mother’s friend!” It was bitter almost painful feeling to say that but there wasn’t place for being sentimental now. At most 5-years old girl was there who he couldn’t let alone on the street, but they had to leave to the hospital now.
“Gustave!” Charles called again.
“Emma! We have to go now to help your mother!” he tried, but became more and more nervous and angry. What if he is wrong and just waste the time? He wanted to go with Abigel, he didn’t want to stay there.
He almost gave up when a little girl stepped from the shadow in a long, red raincoat and black wellingotn boots. Everybody looked at her. She was indeed around 5 years old. The hood of her raincoat was on her head but the stray hairs stuck to her face in the rain. On her back there was a pretty big backpack compared to her and she tightly held an old stuffed toy and a little paper. She had scared and lost face and looked around in despair, checked everybody then looked at Gustave who slowly walked to her and raised his hand to her.
“Come, Emma! Let’s go with your mother, okay?” he smiled at her calmly and tried to hide his own nervousness, but Emma didn’t move just stared back at him in distrust. “It’s okay, you can trust me”
“What is your name?” she asked quietly sounded like a squeak. She spoke surprisingly clear compared to her age. Gustave didn’t expect her awareness but answered almost immediately.
“Gustave Kateb. Your mother may have mentioned me as ‘Doc’” he waited for her but his patience was running out. She looked down to the paper in her hand than after a moment suddenly run to Gustave avoided everyone else. Without any thinking, he got up Emma in his arm and went to the car with fast steps. Easily put her up to the high car then he stepped up too. Almost in the same moment as the door closed behind them the car started off at high speed.
“Sit there, Emma!” he pointed to seat next to Abigel’s leg and Emma clumsily climbed up to the high chair. After he helped her fastening the seat belt, stepped to the woman’s other side. The younger paramedic held the intubating tube steadily at her head while Charles tied down the wound with sterile gauze.
“Her blood pressure is dropping” Charles informed Gustave as he nodded the life signal monitor.
“Go to the Val de Grâce!” Gustave cried out to the driver. The Val de Grâce military hospital was further away, but he served there when he wasn’t on GIGN mission. He knew everybody there and trusted more than in any other hospitals in Paris.
“That’s too far, Gustave and isn’t on emergency duty today just in case!” Charles answered, but he found himself with Gustave’s unbreakable gaze.
“Just go there! Tell them on radio I said it!” After a heavy sight and headshaking he gave the order to the driver to go to military hospital. It was a hard decision for Gustave because Abigel needed operation immediately, but in the military hospital where he worked, he could do more for her. He couldn’t bear it if he has to just wait in the waiting room and not doing anything.
Minutes seemed to be hours and thousands of thoughts and feelings circled in Gustave’s head – fear, despair, doubt, pain, anger. Events 5 years ago, their research, every moment of time together… and that fatal moment when he realized she left him. The swirl of his thoughts that pulled him deeper and deeper was disturbed by a monotone beep. And for a moment the world froze to him.
“Gustave!” Charles cried while still pressed the wound. He felt like he has been slapped on the face and woke up from being frozen. Now he could act and started CPR immediately. In the same time the younger paramedic was ready to perform rescue breath with a breathing balloon through the intubated tube.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
His pressing was strong; his movements were precise. After several years he did it instinctively already. His cold-blood, rational and collected attitude were that helped him many times and made sure he succeded. But this nature was nowhere now.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
“Defibrillator, now!” somewhere in the distant he heard Charles’s voice. He lost again. He simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from Abigel’s face… couldn’t hear anything else than the monotone beep… couldn’t feel anything else than her cold skin under his hand. Couldn’t think anything else than bringing her back. Nothing else mattered.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
He was a doctor, a doctor on the field. He saw many people die and even people died under his hands. Death always accompanied him, but it never was so heavy. Never was so hard to bear it.
“Charged! Back!” He reacted automatically and leaned back. Abigel’s body rose up lifeless. Nothing happened… he continued CPR in hurry.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
“Come on, Abigel!” he whispered. “Come back to me! Don’t give up!” He almost screamed now. Nothing else mattered.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
“Back!” And he stopped again. Nothing happened.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
Grief approached him and his feelings over weaved him. Nothing was ever so painful to him.
“Back!” Nothing.
60 compressions… 2 rescue breaths…
“Back!”
Rare, weak beeps echoed in the silenced car. And no sound was ever so reassuring than that sound. Gustave leaned back with a relieved sigh. Unawares he reached out and took her hand. It was cold and still wet, but this touch calmed him.
“It’s okay little girl! Your mom won’t let you alone” Gustave looked up to Charles who slightly smiled at Emma, while he tied down the wound. Gustave followed his look at Emma. She sat there in silence where he said and didn’t respond. She still held close the toy and the paper while stared Abigel’s motionless body with teary eyes. Gustave wanted to say something; he should have say something, but couldn’t.
“We arrived!” The driver cried back and in the same time took a sharp turn and stopped. The backdoors were opened immediately by doctors and nurses. Within moments they lifted Abigel out of the car with Charles’s and Gustave’s help and headed in the hospital quickly. The two paramedics accompanied them while Charles informed them about the patient’s injuries and current condition. Gustave nervously tried to followed them however at the entrance a gray haired, bearded doctor who visibly wasn’t a member of the surgical team stopped him.
“Gustave! Stop!” he said firmly; even grabbed his shoulder with a hand to make sure he won’t sidestep him.
“What!?!” he looked at him angrily, then caught his eyes back to see as Abigel disappeared from his sight.
“You can’t go in the operating room!” He looked back shocked. It was a slap in his face. He wanted to say something but he preceded him. “You know the rules, Gustave! You shall not be in the operation room if you have any personal connection with the patient. And visibly you have!”
“Oh come on, Pierre!” he tried, but couldn’t convince him. Gustave became more and more nervous and angry. He came here just because he could actually do something here for her. And now he was ordered out in the waiting room. “I will assist only”
“No! Dr. Medford is going to assist to Dr. Chaney!” The man said and Gustave just rolled his eyes. “You are not in a condition for it! You barely slept! They can do more for her, than you now”
“Do you think-” He raised his voice, but he was interrupted.
“Do not even start this! May be you are the lead medical officer here, but I am the director of this hospital! And now I am who reminds you of the rules!” as he saw Gustave resigned sigh he continued with a calmer voice. “Help rather to the child. Seems she needs someone to take care of” He nodded back to the ambulance car and Gustave followed his look.
Emma stood on the edge of the ambulance car’s and looked down to the wet paving. Still hold the toy and the paper as she made to jump down from the car’s floor that was almost that high as she was, moreover the backpack on her took her balance too. Remorse caught him as he looked at her sad and teary face. He forgot about her. As everyone else did and left her alone. Just now realized that it may hard for him, but much harder for that little child. She was only 5 years old, can’t be blamed for anything. Probably she didn’t even understand what is happening, didn’t know where she was, didn’t know anybody around herself. She saw her mother to die; she was all alone. Just wanted to go with her mother, but barely could. He felt sorry and responsible for her. She trusted him in the alley and he simply couldn’t leave her there in the rain alone.
“Emma, wait!” He called and quickly went back to her, however Emma already jump down. She felt on her knee but still didn’t let go the toy and the paper. By the time he reached her, she had already stood up. He expected she will cry or at least she will react to hurting her knees. But no, she just looked at him with the same awareness look as in the alley. She didn’t give any reaction as a 5 years old child should give. Obviously got a huge trauma; and he almost leave her alone. He was ashamed himself.
“Are you alright?” He crouched in front of her and looked in her eyes. He just noticed how similar she was to Abigel. Long black hair; deep, dark blue eyes; slightly round face. She was clearly Abigel’s daughter. Emma just nodded and Gustave smiled faintly at her.
“Your mother will be fine soon!” He said, but her face didn’t change. She just simply didn’t believe him. She can’t be reassured with empty words that even he didn’t believe. She was much smarter than her contemporary. Gustave’s smile faded and he continued seriously. “Come! Let’s go inside!” He stood up and held out a hand to her.
“Mom told me to say something to you” she said suddenly with a low voice. She seemly was dedicated to tell him something and won’t move until that. He looked at her surprised, but interested.
“All right, then! I’m listening” Gustave crouched back to her despite the rain. Emma looked around them suspiciously.
“Mom said I have to tell you it when we are alone. Nobody else can hear it. It’s a secret” Gustav had to established again how clearly she spoke compared to her age. He also looked around them, but nobody was there, only they stood in the rain.
“Nobody can hear us now. You can tell me, Emma!” Emma nodded again and leaned closer to him to whisper it directly in his ear.
“There were two at Blackwood” He barely heard her, but it was more than enough. At first he didn’t understand, but it took only a moment to get the meaning of her words. Shock flowed him. Everything became clear to him now; all events 5 years ago and real reason why the Raindow team failed the Operation Blackwood.
And those events didn’t end there. If he was right Abigel and Emma were in lethal danger...