Keep On Walking (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 3 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Forty-Six

❝break (pronounced breɪk or breyk), verb
to crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of a person.❞

"Pa, there's been a shooting," said Elle urgently.

"What?! Where are you?! Are you hurt?!"

"It wasn't my school. We only just heard about it. Miss Waterman is dead."

He felt his heart race. "You mean..."

"It's at Ma's school," she said. "I heard that she's in the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

"I... I don't know."

"Alright. I'll get Aunt Lucky or maybe Mrs Greene to pick you up, alright? I gotta go make sure she's okay."

"Of course. I'll get them to pick up Nick as well. Robbie's at home with Mel."

"Yeah. Also, please just ask Mel to put something in the oven for lunch, I was gonna make taco mac and cheese, but not now."

"'Course. Text me, okay?"

"Yeah, alright. Bye." He hung up and immediately grabbed his jacket and his keys. "Guys, there's been a shooting at the high school."

"Where Ryan works?"

"That's the one."

"Is she okay?" asked Dann.

"She's in the hospital. That's all I know." He left without any further discussion, and set out to Nashville General Hospital.

"Ryan Hayes-Lockhart, please," he said, once he had finally gotten to the front of the line of parents asking about their children. "Where is she?"

"Oh... she's not allowed to be seen by anyone at the moment. She's about to go into surgery."

"Surgery?!"

"I'm sorry sir, I'm not allowed to disclose any deta-"

"I'm her husband!"

"I know, sir, please stay calm."

He took a couple of deep breaths. "When... when can I see her?"

"When the doctors deem her ready. She's not fatally injured, I know that much. She was in shock when they found her."

"O-Okay. Okay. Please, tell me when I can see her again-"

But as the words left his mouth, Rose came into the lobby. "Hunt, maybe you should talk to her before the surgery."

"Rose," he breathed. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But maybe she'll see you."

"See me?"

"You'll understand what I mean. Come with me."

He followed Rose. "Rose, what's happened to her?"

"Shot in her left leg and her right shoulder. It's nothing she can't recover from, but we think she was the last person to see the shooter alive."

"His name?"

"Peter Dartwell. Ryan apparently knew him quite well."

Not Peter. Surely not quiet, young Peter, who came to Ryan at recess and lunchtimes, and talked to her about his problems with his parents.

"Why did he do it?"

"He had fought with her earlier on in the week, we think. This is all what the police have told me, but they might be wrong."

"No, I remember she came home and told me they had fought over something. She didn't tell me what."

"Anyway, that, along with another student who fought with him made him crack, and he took a gun to school today. When he felt like it, he went rampant. A teacher and two students are dead, four students, Ryan and the principal of the school are injured."