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"Captain, we have a situation in the precinct over." Amy announced, emerging from the elevator. "Active shooting."
Holt nods. "Yes, there is an active shooter at a hotel in Brooklyn Heights. The captain in the 9-7 asked us to be alert. We currently can listen in to their communications." He holds up a walkie-talkie, placing it down on Gina's desk. They all move over, huddling around the black box.
"This is 9-7 dispatch to Brooklyn Heights. Sitrep?"
"We have spotted 4 suspects, all heavily armed. Assault rifles in use. Minor civilian casualties, currently being treated by paramedics. Civilian evacuation is in progress. Waiting for their all clear before sending in squads."
"Sergeant speaking. Requesting additional units."
"Affirmative."
"Captain, negotiator was shot at. No hit. Successfully extracted from the lobby."
"Received. Squads, gear up and standby. We'll be going in as soon as additional units are ready."
"Henderson, you've got more civilians coming your way. One with minor injuries."
"Copy that."
"9238, show me going."
"9238, I have you going."
"9825, show me going."
"9825, I have you going."
"What are they saying?" Gina inquired, unfamiliar with the 'fancy police lingo' used.
"They are saying their badge number and 'show me going.' It means they are nearby and responding to the threat." Holt answers, listening attentively to the line. A few more officers state their badges.
"9544, show me going." One last officer offers their help, voice slightly altered by the crappy mics used.
Rosa's eyes narrow.
"9544, I have you going. All additional units, report to the scene immediately."
"Shit!" Rosa yells, slamming her fist into the table. Chatter around the office quiets down. All eyes turn to her.
"Diaz? What-"
"That's Jake's badge number!" Silence hits their group at Rosa's revelation.
"Jake? Our Jake?" Charles asks quietly, though he knows the answer.
"He offered to take a patrol shift from a sick officer today. He would be nearby the area." Terry's voice is tense. His muscles push against the cloth of his clothing.
"Brooklyn Heights to dispatch. This is the commanding officer. Moving to a private comms channel. Civilian evacuation is almost done. We will contact you if the situation changes or if we manage to detain the suspects."
"Copy that."
"Brooklyn Heights out." The radio clicks, indicating the contact was cut.
Rosa mutters. "Jake's there." Heavy air overwhelms the group.
"Lieutenant." Jake greets, shaking the officer's hand. "9544, Peralta."
"Thank you for responding Peralta and gearing up so quickly." She says. "Please join squad 3 over there."
Nodding, he says goodbye and walks over to the group of officers she gestured to. As he spots the geared up officers, his hand subconsciously rubs at his chest area, feeling the kevlar vest.
He didn't want to admit it but fuck, he was scared. He'd already seen 2 officers down with wounds and several civilians hit and they haven't even begun the main operation. There were four shooters, all with very lethal weapons.
One officer noticed him arriving and shook Jake's hand. "Hello. 9544?"
"Peralta." Jake greeted.
He nods. "Name's Lowry. We'll be heading in soon." Jake noticed the slight shake in Lowry's voice, though ignores it. The tense atmosphere hasn't been the most calming or welcoming. "Our squad will be going through floors 3 and 4. Once we get up to floor 3, we'll be sending 2 officers per corridor while the rest of us go through the open-spaced area. Both of our floors have a large space in the center for activities, so that's our main focus." Jake nods in acknowledgement. "Once we enter, another squad will be watching our entrance and exit points just in case the suspects try and escape us. This is the protocol for both floors, got it?"
"Okay sir."
Screams begin to ring out as another round of shots can be heard from the building. The small talk from the nearby groups silence and many officers grip their guns tightly. Jake feels his hands begin to sweat as he quickly double checks his equipment.
"Shots fired. Squads 2, 3, and 5, head to the back entrances immediately." The captain says through the radio. "You'll be going in. Squad 4 and 6, standby. Med evac team, standby."
Jake lets out a shaky breath as he follows his squad, determination on his mind.
The 9-9 was not okay.
None of them were getting their work done, mind focused on Jake and his safety. Holt already had to command both Amy and Rosa from heading over to Brooklyn Heights. Even Hitchcock and Scully seemed less productive than usual, skipping out on their snack time.
Terry walks over to Rosa. She's at her desk, currently sharpening one of her daggers. He could see the obvious emotions from Rosa's eyes and posture, which was highly concerning.
"Rosa-" She stabs the dagger into her desk as Terry speaks.
"What do you want?" Rosa says threateningly, glaring at the sergeant.
Terry didn't take it personally. "... Are you okay? You seem to be taking it even worse than Amy and that says a lot." It's true. He found Amy on the verge of tears in the BRB room, hugging one of her and Jake's wedding binders close to her chest. He sent her down to inform the officers downstairs about the situation. Though the 'upstairs' and 'downstairs' people have a mini rivalry between each other, many of them are quite fond of Jake. Plus, they need a leader role down there and Amy needs to do something other than cry in a small janitor closet.
"None of your business." Rosa mutters. Terry didn't budge, however. He looked at her.
She sighs, defeated. "Fine. The shooting is bringing back some bad memories, especially since Jake's on the scene."
He nods. Grabbing a chair and sitting down next to her, Terry gestures to go on.
"It was our second year on the force, a year before Jake transferred to the 9-9. A year and a half before I did too. We were both in the same precinct at the time on patrol duty. On our break, we went over to the neighboring precinct to meet a mutual friend from the academy. She just got off her shift. During lunch, there was a call for additional units for an active shooting at a casino nearby. All of us said 'show me going' to dispatch." Rosa hesitates before continuing. "She died that day. Jake saw her get injured and called in paramedics. Once the medical team got to her, it was too late."
A tear runs down Rosa's cheek. Terry quickly brings her into a hug. She doesn't even bother resisting.
"That dagger." She says, voice muffled by Terry's chest. "Jake gave it to me the day I transferred to the 9-9." She felt his arms tighten around her body even more.
"Captain, this is Cody Lowry speaking. Squad 3 is in position."
"Copy that. Good luck team." Jake's earpiece falls silent after a small click sound.
"Alright squad." Lowry announces quietly. "There are 4 corridors. Since we're entering through one of them, I'll need Rytlan, Morrison, Chen, Petrov, Everett, and Norry to go through the other 3 once we reach the main hallway. The rest of you follow me." Once all heads nod in understanding, Lowry opens the stairwell door.
Quietly, the squad walks through the small corridor, guns held up. As soon as they reach the main hallway, Jake sees 6 officers split up into pairs and enter the other 3 corridors. He focuses back onto the main group and follows Lowry. They soon enter into a large lounging area. Unfortunately, there are a lot of places where the suspects could be hiding.
"Officers Chen and Norry. Corridor clear." He hears through his earpiece.
Pointing his gun, Jake begins to move through the left side of the room. He hears a few officers behind him. Taking the lead, he maneuvers through the room, checking corners and blind spot, trusting that the other officers are watching his back.
"Rytlan and Morrison. Corridor clear."
"Everett and Petrov. Corridor clear."
"Bromly speaking. Middle clear."
Jake checks behind one last piece of furniture. Turning around, the officers nod behind him. Grabbing the radio on his chest, Jake says. "This is Peralta. Left clear."
"Lowry. Right clear." Jake lets out a breath, not knowing how long he was holding it in. "Converge to the left. We're taking their stairwell."
As he waits, he can't help but think about his friends and family. He tried to repress his thoughts so he could stay focused, but he's failing right now.
Memories of the casino shooting flash through Jake's thoughts and he shudders. God, he remembers watching his friend go down right before the suspect was detained. He remembers the numbness he and Rosa felt when they announced time of death. He remembers having to tell her family and boyfriend about the news, not wanting some random person disclosing the tragedy to them. The cries of their pain and grief haunts him to this day.
'God.' He thinks. 'He doesn't want Amy to go through that.'
He quickly waves that thought away. 'No, she's not gonna go through that tonight. No one in the 9-9 is.'
Jake isn't stupid. He knows that they know he's here. He can't help but imagine their concern despite the team's general inability to show emotions.
"Squad 3 to Captain. Floor 3 secured." Lowry's voice through his earpiece snaps Jake out of his thoughts. He sees that all the officers made it to the stairwell.
"Good job squad." Lowry says. "Ready for floor 4?"
Amy was about to have a panic attack.
Hiding in the evidence room, she fights to stop her staggered breathing while wiping tears from her cheeks. She would go for a smoke but Jake managed to find her 'shame stash' and disposed of it yesterday.
A knock comes from the door. "Amy, you in there?" Gina yells. "I need some meditation space."
"Oh! Um, one second." Amy responds, drying her face with her sleeve. Still shaking, she stands up from the floor and unlocks the room. Gina slowly opens the door, 2 coffee cups in hand.
"Okay, maybe I don't need a meditation space." Gina admits, offering one of the cups to Amy. "I'm here to check up on you."
"I though you hated me."
"Of course I do." Typical Gina. "Doesn't mean I don't care. Plus, your the fiancé of my childhood friend. Why wouldn't I check up on you? I already had to restrain Charles in the interrogation room until he agreed to stay in the building." Her genuine sincerity threw Amy more off kilter, unsure of what to say.
"Um, thanks." Amy finally says, a small smile forming on her face. "What about you? How are you holding up." For a split second, Amy saw Gina's expression fall before going back to her neural face.
"I'm fine girllllll." Okay, even Amy wasn't believing that. Without saying anything else, she pulled Gina into a hug. Once in her arms, Gina leaned on Amy's shoulder, a small sniffle leaving her body. They both sink to the ground, still tightly holding on to one another.
Neither of them acknowledge the silent tears flowing from both of their faces.
Muttering, Gina says. "The day he graduated from the academy, he was elated that he could finally make it in the NYPD. I was so happy and proud of him, but that's when the thought of 'Jake could get hurt' hit my mind. It scared me that I could lose him on duty, but I know he would do his best to make it home."
"Everett and Petrov. Corridor clear."
Jake shakes his head, attempting to focus on his area. His grip tightens, knuckles turning white. When he heard some movement, he converged on the general area of the sound, followed by few officers. He had already reported the sound to the rest of the squad.
Turning the corner, Jake gasps as he takes in the scene. "NYPD!"
The other officers with him quickly move and point their guns at the suspect. Unfortunately, he has a crying civilian in his grip, blocking himself from the team. He snarled, pushing his rifle into the hostage.
Shit.
Keeping his eyes on the two, he slowly moves his hand to his radio. "Left side. We found the suspect but there is a civilian hostage."
"Stop pointing your guns or I shoot him." The suspect yells, gesturing to the scared civilian in his arms. Slowly, Jake and the officers put their guns on the ground, raising their hands up.
Jake takes a deep breath. "Look, you don't have to do this man." He takes one small step towards the duo. "Why don't you just let the man go and-"
The suspect grips onto the man with more strength, however, he points his gun towards Jake. Though incredibly nervous, Jake hides a small smile. 'Good, the gun isn't pointed towards the civilian.'
"What's your name?" Jake asks, taking another small step.
"Don't take another step!" He takes another cautious step. "I mean it!"
"Why are you doing this?" Jake keeps his voice neutral, containing the fear running through his veins. "What do you want from this?"
The suspects composure falters before tightening his grip once more, but that's all it took for him to know.
"You don't want to do this, don't you?" Jake says, sympathy in his voice. The suspect has a slight shake. Risking it, he takes another step. "Who's making you do this?"
"None of your business, bitch!"
Another step. "It's just us and you. They don't need to know you surrendered."
Silence.
Another step.
"Are you being threatened? Blackmailed? We can help-"
"No you can't!" He screams.
"Yes we can." Jake replies calmly. He gets closer. The suspect shakes more, composure slipping further. His grip on the man loosens.
"This is something out of your control, dumb officer!"
"Is it though?" Another step. "We have resources. You have a chance with us." Another step.
Close enough.
"I-" Before the suspect could continue, Jake dives, pushing the civilian in the way and forcing the suspect on the ground.
That's when the pain sets in.
Before he passes out, he sees the suspect being cuffed.
He lets out a breathe.
"We need med evac on floor 3! Officer down!"
Darkness.
All of the 9-9 are in the bullpen. Rosa went off and bought some pizza, hoping to distract everyone's thoughts. Though the tense air was still present, it was a bit more calm than earlier.
The radio on Gina's desk comes back to life. "Brooklyn Heights to 9-7 dispatch. Situation controlled." The team immediately rushes to her desk, wanting to listen in.
"Copy that. Sitrep?"
"All 4 suspects detained. Last suspect turned into a hostage situation, but he is safe. Few minor injuries from officers. Two officers in critical condition. One was shot as the second suspect was detained, the other shot as they saved the hostage and took down the fourth suspect. Med evac safely removed them from the building and they are en route to the nearest hospital. No deaths reported." A breath of relief comes from them all. At least the active shooting is over.
"Names of critical officers?"
"Officer Fiskway, 8692, and Detective Peralta, 9544."
All of their faces pale.
When they got to the hospital, they see a few officers standing by the entrance. Amy recognized them as officers from the 9-7 and immediately approached them. "Hello. Sergeant Santiago from the 9-9. Do you know what happened to Detective Peralta?" She lets her professionalism hide her absolute terror and heavy beating heart.
"Hello sergeant, I'm Sergeant Lowry. He was part of my squad at Brooklyn Heights. He was one of the officers that found the last suspect and the hostage. Managed to talk down the suspect and he was the man that physically held him down. Saved the hostage by pushing him away. He got shot as they went down. We were able to grab the suspect and the hostage was saved. The 9-7 offers their gratitude." Amy bites the inside of her cheek. Damn his growing moral compass.
"Are you alright Ms. Santiago?" Lowry asked, concerned. Amy touched her cheek, not knowing that her tears started flowing. She also noted her body shaking.
"Sorry, excuse my unprofessionalism sir-"
"Peralta's her fiancé." Rosa interrupts. The 9-7 officers look between Amy and the rest of the 9-9.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Lowry apologized. "Don't worry. He's in surgery at the moment, but I consulted with the nurses and they said he would make it. Injured but alive." Amy almost collapsed with relief. Charles did pass out, falling to the ground. The rest of the crew let out shaky breaths from the nerves.
He's alive.
Four gunshot wounds. Four.
The nurses say he was very lucky. Two shots in his left shoulder. One shot in his leg from the suspect's pistol misfiring when Jake tackled him. The last bullet ended up in his upper chest, piercing through his vest from the close proximity and strength of the bullet. Thankfully, the bullet managed to miss his lung by half and inch. The medical evac team was able to provide an emergency blood transfusion on the trip to the hospital. After his surgery finished up, they moved him to a large patient room, noticing the volume of visitors that flooded into the waiting room.
They were able to secure a few extra chairs, thankful to the hospital staff. Most of the team was passed out, exhausted from the stress and tension. Holt had stepped out to talk to the 9-7, discussing the events that played out during the shooting. Rosa went out to do... Rosa things.
All Amy could do was sit there, grasping onto Jake's hand as if he was about to disappear. The soft beeping noise of the heart monitor reassured her that her fiancé was alive. She tried not to stare at the layers of bandage that covered the top of Jake's body and wrapped around his thigh. A bag of blood was connected to him through an IV, still feeding him with more blood to compensate the amount he lost at the hotel. His skin was still pale but she could see a bit more color on his face.
Still holding his hand, she begins to feel her eyes droop, a wave of exhaustion passing through her. A soft smile appears on her face as she feels his pulse through her fingers.
Jake woke up to the sound of beeps.
Eyelids heavy, he opened them slowly. He let out a quiet groan as he realized he was in a hospital room. Thankfully the lights were dim, helping him adjust to the white walls.
Jake tries to sit up, but pain shoots through his body, so he quickly stops moving. His eyes land his bandages, feeling the material press against his wounds. He also sees the blood bag connected to his IV.
Finally looking around the room, he sees the group of people occupying ever seat that was crammed in the room. Terry and Gina were laid out on different couches, sleeping peacefully. Charles was passed out on a comfy armchair in the corner. Holt was on a stool, back pressed against the wall as his head drooped down. Turning his head to the side, he looks at Amy. She sat next to him in a chair, head placed on the side of his bed as she slept. Her hand was in his, lightly gripping his palm. Smiling, he gently squeezed back.
The door begins to creak open. Jake darts his eyes over to see Rosa silently walking in, coffee in hand. She abruptly stops when she notices that Jake is awake, almost dropping her cup. She immediately walks to the side of his bed, opposite to Amy. She sat down.
"Hey." Rosa whispers, not wanting to wake up the other detectives. Jake has never heard her voice sound so gentle. "You okay?"
"Yeah. A bit sore, but I'll manage." He chuckled quietly.
Rosa's face turns a bit more serious. "Jake, you almost died. One of the bullets almost hit your lung, plus, you had a lot of blood loss." Jake couldn't help but feel bad, knowing how badly he worried the team.
She continued. "Don't scare us like like that again." Her voice wavered.
"I'm sorry."
"I know. You did good."
They both stayed together in a comfortable silence. Jake let the aroma of the coffee overcome him, letting the familiar scent calm him down. Rosa sat there in though, twirling a small knife that definitely wasn't allowed in the hospital room.
Soon the tiredness sets in. Eyes slowing closing, he takes one last look of the group and sighs happily at the presence of his family.