The Night That Changed Everything

Dad You're Bleeding

After they ate their hospital breakfast, which was not appetizing, they gathered their stuff. "Bri will you go get the duffel bag out of the bathroom?" Drew asked. She got it and they put their dirty clothes in it. Drew got some clothes out and helped Rick put them on. Drew and Bri got themselves dressed. They brushed their teeth and put everything back in the duffel bag. Drew walked outside the door and requested a wheelchair for Rick. Drew helped his husband get in the wheelchair before pushing him out the door. His prosthetic leg broke during the attack, so he couldn't walk. When they got to the truck, Bri put the duffel bag in the back seat before going to help her father get in. Both her and Drew helped Rick get out of the chair and into the front seat of the truck. Bri sat in the middle seat like she always does. Drew brought the wheelchair back inside before starting the truck and leaving.

When they pulled in the driveway, Brianna was asleep. Drew picked her up and brought her inside to lay on the couch. He went back outside and helped Rick walk into the house before sitting him down on the couch. "Will you get me a blanket please?" Rick asked. Drew went to the closet and brought out two fluffy blankets. He placed one on top of Bri and the other one on top of Rick. Rick lifted the blanket up and patted the couch. Drew laid down in the empty space in front of Rick. They stayed like that until they fell sleep.

A few hours later, Drew woke up to Bri shaking him awake. "Dad, you're arm is bleeding." Bri told him worriedly. "Shit. Its ok. Go get my med kit out of my closet." Drew told her while he applied pressure with his hand. She brought it in the living room and put it on the coffee table. He opened it up and got out the suture kit and some gauze. "Ok now go get a belt from my closet." Drew told her. She scurried off and brought him one of his belts. He applied gauze to the wound and held pressure. He took out the suture kit and got everything ready. He put the belt in his mouth but not without question from Bri. "This is going to hurt. A lot. So I am going to bite down on the belt." Drew told her. She still looked confused but didn't press further. He put the belt back in his mouth and picked up the needle. He pushed it through his skin but not without a scream. Rick woke up from all the fuss. "What happened?" He asked concerned. "His shoulder was bleeding so he is stitching it up." Bri told him. Rick held Drew's free hand as he pushed the needle in a few more times. He didn't realize that he had tears streaming down his face until he was done. Brianna went and got him a tissue. "Thank you." He told his daughter.

He got up and went to go take a shower. Rick looked at him with those seductive puppy dog eyes that made Drew melt every time. "What about me?" Rick asked playfully. Drew rolled his eyes before helping Rick get from the couch to the bathroom. Drew took Rick's clothes off before sitting him down on the shower seat. Drew took his own clothes off before turning the water on. Drew sat on Rick's knee before planting kisses to his face and chest. "But Jordan said-" Rick was cutoff by Drew planting a kiss to his lips. They practically melted into each other. They sat there for a while before Bri knocked on the door. "Dad, I know you're busy, but I was wondering if we could order some food. All the food in the fridge has gone bad and i'm hungry." She said through the door. "Order a pizza or something. I'll pay once it gets here." He said before he looked back at his husband. He kissed Rick again before he got up and dried off. He put his clothes on before he turned the shower off. He dried Rick off and helped him put his leg and clothes on.

Rick went and sat on the couch as Drew went to do laundry. He opened the duffel bag and dumped everything out on the table. He picked up his bloody shirt and started tearing up. He gently removed the blood stain before putting it in the washing machine. He found Bri's dress from that night, it also had blood on it. He set it to the side to wash by itself. He put his dirty clothes from the past week in the washing machine. He set Bri's clothes aside because she didn't like the scent Drew used on him and Rick's clothes. He looked in the duffel bag and saw a shiny button. He picked it up and Rick's shirt came with it. He held it up and almost sobbed at the site. He laid it out on the table before running his hand over the bullet hole. He collapsed to the floor clutching the shirt. He managed to hit his head against the wall in the process, which made a very loud thud. Bri ran in the room and saw him on the floor with something in his hands. Rick saw Bri just standing there so he got up and walked over to see what happened. Bri was shaking. "Drew," Rick said, his voice trailing off. He looked up at them with tears in his eyes. "Dad, you're bleeding." Bri said as she sat next to her father. Rick took his phone out of his pocket and called TC. "Hey what's up Rick." TC said before he was cutoff. "Can you come over to the house? And bring your med kit." Rick said. "What happened? Is everything ok?" TC asked. "You'll see when you get here." Rick said before he hung up. He sat down next to his husband and waited for TC to arrive.

TC walked in without knocking. "Rick? Where are you?" TC asked. "We're in the laundry room." Rick replied. TC walked in and stepped back at the sight. "What happened? Is he ok?" TC asked as he knelt down in front of Drew. "He hit his head on the wall. I didn't want to bring him to the Er while he is like this." Rick said as he held his husband's hand. TC helped Rick stand up before he helped Drew up. Him and Rick led Drew to the couch. Bri wasn't far behind them. She sat next to her father and held his hand. TC went behind him and injected some lidocaine into his scalp. He waited a few minutes for it to kick in. "Did he fall?" TC asked. "I don't know. He was doing laundry and we heard a thud so I ran in and he was on the floor clutching a shirt." Bri said as she rubbed Drew's back. "I didn't fall," Drew whispered. TC started stitching Drew's head quickly but carefully. "What happened dad?" Bri asked concerned. "I was doing laundry and I dumped the bag of clothes on the table. I-" he said quietly before his voice got caught in his throat. "I found my shirt and I started thinking about that night. Then I found your dress, and it made me think of how scared you were. Then I found Rick's shirt and I just broke down." He said as he tightened his grip on the shirt. TC placed a bandage on top of his stitches before he sat in front of Drew. He wrote something on a piece of paper before he handed it to Drew. "Here. This is the group that helped me when I had my breakdown all those years ago." He said with a slight smile. "I don't need therapy. I'm fine. I just got a little emotional today." Drew said as he handed the paper back. "If you change your mind let me know. I have to head home. Call me if you need anything else." TC said as he left.

When TC shut the door, Drew jumped and started crying again. "Baby, it's ok. We're ok. I'm right here." Rick said as he placed Drew's hand on his chest. Bri gently took the shirt from him and he sobbed in her arms. She had to look up to stop her own tears from falling. Rick texted TC and asked for the name of the group. He responded and Rick thanked him before he rubbed his husbands back. The doorbell rang. Drew tensed up and clutched Bri's arm. Rick stood up and went to go see who was at the house. He opened the door and saw the delivery guy. He gave the guy the money before he closed the door. He put the food on the table before he sat back down on the couch. "You need to eat something." Bri said gently. He shook his head no. She looked at Rick worried and he got up and brought the food to the living room. "Captain Alister! You will eat this food one way or another."He said in a commanding voice. Drew sat up and looked at his husband. Bri picked up the carton of chow mein and handed Drew a bite. Rick sat down and put his hand on Drew's leg. They ate their food as they watched cartoons. Bri got up and brought three glasses of water into the living room. She picked it up and helped Drew take a sip. He pretended to drink but Bri knew he was faking. "Dad, you need to drink this." She said sweetly. He took a sip before he laid his head on Bri's lap. They stayed like that until they fell asleep.

The next morning, Bri carefully slid out from under Drew's head and went to take a shower. She got dressed and went back into the living room "Where are you going?" Rick asked quietly. "School. It's Monday. I'll just have one of my friends bring me, it's ok." She said as she put her things in her backpack. "Sit back down." He told her. "You're not going to school today. He needs you." He said looking at Drew. She went and put some pajamas on before she sat next to Rick. Drew sat up at the absence. Rick placed his hand on Drew's back. Bri got up and ordered some breakfast. Drew looked at her with tears welling his eyes. She came and sat down next to him. He curled up next to her before saying a quiet "I love you". She wiped his tears before responding "I love you too". The cartoons cut out and the news turned on. "There has been a shooting at the Straight Curve bar on South Street. Many believe this shooting is connected to the attack on Captain Rick Lincoln and his family." Rick turned the tv off before looking at Drew. He stared at the blank tv with tears steadily streaming down his face. He scooted closer to Drew and held his hand. Rick called the therapy group and made a spot for all three of them. Drew looked at him but didn't say anything.