Chapter Text
“Keep up, inspector!”
It was the last thing she’d said to him before they got separated by a tower of wooden crates crashing between them. Jack’s suspicions that the Victoria Police Force had a mole in their midst had been quickly confirmed after their arrival - when their suspects were all-too-prepared for the “surprise” raid. She had made note to congratulate him on his astute conjecture later, but later was now and with 5 drug lords, 20 foot men, and one corrupt junior police detective in custody… she couldn’t find him. She wasn’t worried at first - it was quite the operation; a joint effort with City Central, and many a constable were still running about, loading their perpetrators into cars, ushering gunshot victims into ambulances, and wrapping up taking statements. However, when she saw Hugh slouched on the ground, head in his hands sobbing, something in the pit of her stomach felt very wrong.
”Hugh!” she called, running over to him, nearly colliding with the well-meaning officer who was trying to console him. “Hugh, are you hurt?”
She had crouched down and gently titled his chin to look up at her and when recognition crossed his features, tears filled his puffy red eyes anew and he grimaced through a pitiful sob. “Oh, Miss Fisher… “ he stuttered out, taking a deep gulp of air, “I’m so sorry, Miss, I’m sorry… I’m sorry… “
He looked as fragile as a lost little boy and her heart broke for him, but she was only more confused now. “What?” she asked with incredulous sympathy. “What are you sorry for, Hugh?”
“I didn’t see him coming… “ he wailed, tracks of tears rolling down his cheeks. “I didn’t see!”
She started to look up questioningly at the constable still hovering close by, but then Hugh gasped in a breath and all Phryne heard him say was “the inspector” before her heart dropped. “What about the inspector, Hugh? Where’s Jack?”
The poor boy looked truly pained by it, but he took a few shuddering breaths and said shakily, “There was a gunman… he was aiming a shot at me… “
Oh, dear God. She was rather certain she knew where this was going, but she refused to believe it until it was actually said.
”I d-didn’t see him, but t-the i-inspector did… “ Hugh continued, his face ghosty white, and Phryne gently held his face in her hands to try and comfort him. Whatever it was that he was about to tell her, she knew it wasn’t his fault, and she wasn’t going to let him believe it was. He shook through a few more silent sobs and then made eye contact, sniffing, “He… he pushed me out of the w-way, Miss. But the… the b-bullet caught him… in-instead of m-me.”
The strangest sensation of dissonance washed over her, like she was simultaneously floating outside of her body and yet inescapably trapped within it. There was no sound save for a high-pitched ringing in her ears and her lips tingled as if all the blood had rushed from her face entirely. Jack…
A sudden unknown force yanked her back into reality and the voices around her turned from muffled nothings to cuttingly clear in an instant. Faintly aware of tears rolling down her face, she saw she was still holding Hugh, who had dissolved into inconsolable sobs in her hands. “I’m sorry, I got him o-out as quickly as I c-could, Miss, but… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she heard herself say, her heart recognizing what her mind couldn’t grasp yet. Hugh whimpered in response, his head leaning forward into her touch as if it both pained and comforted him to receive her forgiveness. “It is not your fault, Hugh.”
Her hands fell to his shoulders protectively as her mind snapped into action, turning her head to the Constable still standing by, “Where is he? The inspector?”
The young man, looking rattled himself, said softly, “They took him in ambulance to RMH, Miss.”
Nodding, she rose to her feet, taking Hugh’s hand in hers and gently tugging him up to join her. It was only then that she realized his hands were covered in dried blood, but she shook it away with a deep breath, willing the resolve that she felt building (the same resolve that saw her through a world war) to take over entirely. “Can you drive us there, please?”