NAT'S POV

I leave the gallery, but the oddly ominous sound of an engine less than a block away stops me from getting into my car. I glance up just in time to see the SUV turn down the street and the window roll down.

A sick kind of understanding churns my stomach, leading way to a second of blind panic and a wave of fear so strong my vision blurs.

"Everybody get down!" I shout at the handful of people in earshot.

Nobody listens to me and everybody looks at me like i'm insane. Great. Time to improvise.

"Police! Get down!"

After a few seconds everyone finally listen to me and hits the ground.

Almost everyone.

A little girl, no older than eight is frozen in place, staring at the car in horror as the barrel of a gun appears.

I lurch forward as the gunshots start, wrapping my arms around her to break her fall when I throw us both to the ground and cover her body with mine.

She screams, and fuck me, I know I won't ever forget the sound.

I try to soothe her, but every muscle in my body stiffens when I hear a yelp and the unmistakable sound of a body hitting pavement.

Shit.

I move the little girl so she's hidden behind a work van parked at the curb and out of sight.

"Stay here ok honey? Promise me" I urge gently.

She nods so vigorously that her tiny curls slap her in the face as tears fall down her pale cheeks.

Reluctantly, I let her go to cross to the woman now bleeding on the sidewalk, finding a slug in her shoulder and another in her abdomen. I quickly shrug my jacket off, ball it up and press it against her stomach.

Her entire body bucks as she lets out a sound of pain somewhere between a guttural groan and a hoarse shout.

"I'm sorry. I have to slow the bleeding" I apologize quietly.

She grits her teeth as sweat dots her hairline and blood soaks through my jacket.

Glancing over my shoulder, I make sure the little girl is still covered before watching the car as it turns the corner and disappears from sight.

"Is anyone else hurt?" I call, getting a lot of grumbles, but thankfully no yeses. "Someone call the police and hand me the phone."

A minute later a woman offers me her phone, visibly shaking like a leaf.

"Put pressure on the wound. It's going to hurt like a bitch but it might save her life, so don't go easy" I command grimly.

The woman nods, kneeling to place her hands where mine were.

"Send police and EMS to the corner of Jackson and Day. There was a drive by. A woman was hit. She's got a through and through to the shoulder and a bullet in her abdomen. Hard to tell if it hit any organs. The suspect got away" I relay into the phone before hanging up and moving back to the little girl. "My name is Nat. What's yours?"

"Andy" she sniffles.

I try for a smile, though i'm sure it's more of a grimace.

"Where's your mom?"

She points to the woman on the ground, bleeding.

An ache spreads through my chest like wildfire. It's an ache that I've felt countless times since I was eighteen but it never gets easier and I'm never prepared for it.

"Let's go see her" I encourage softly, taking her hand to keep her from stepping on broken glass.

"Mommy" Andy whispers heartbreakingly sad.

My swallow is thicker than it should be as I sit on the ground next to Andy and take over putting pressure on the wound.

Her mom reaches for her, grasping her small hand with waning strength.

"Andy sweetheart... listen to me. I love you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and I need you to know i'm always with you" she chokes between increasingly shallow breaths.

"No!" Andy begs, holding her moms hand as tight as she can as her little body shakes with sobs.

"Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine. An ambulance is on the way" I try to assure, but she ignores my words as her eyes dart to mine, the glassy quality to them telling me that they won't get here in time.

"You have to find her dad. She can't grow up in foster care. You saved her life once; promise me you'll do it again. Promise me you'll find Lenny" she pleads urgently.

I don't hesitate.

"I promise" I vow, wrapping my arms around Andy when the light in her mom's eyes dims and her body goes limp.

"No! Mommy! Mommy!" Andy screams, trying to shake her awake, but I hold strong, tucking her face in my throat, not wanting her to see her mom like this. Not wanting her to remember her like this.

She gives up and collapses against me, sobbing so violently that she starts to hyperventilate.

My own tears are silent as I rock her back and forth, smoothing her hair, trying to calm her.

Agonizing minutes later the telltale sound of sirens blare from a block away.

Within seconds three cop cars and an ambulance clog the road.

The cops clear the scene while the paramedics file out of the truck and cross to us.

"She's gone" I mouth.

They nod but check for a pulse anyway.

The cops holster their guns and disperse between blocking off the area and taking statements. The oldest of the officers takes in the scene a moment before walking over to me.

"You on the job?" He asks gruffly.

I shake my head, not surprised at the question. Most people calling 911 are panicked and terrified. I was calm and in charge, offering more details than most.

"No. I was just at the right place at the right time" I offer vaguely, leaving it at that. I wasn't able to save her mom, but I saved Andy.

"Can I check you out sweetie? Make sure you're ok?" One of the paramedics asks Andy, crouching beside us.

Andy borrows deeper into my chest, clinging to me as tightly as she can.

"She wasn't hit, but she has a few scratches from when I threw us to the ground" I tell him quietly, wishing there had been another way. "You have to let the nice man check you out ok?" I whisper to Andy with an audible plead to my voice.

She doesn't say anything, but she lets him take her from me.

My next breath hurts, but I push through it.

"My name is Natalie Lewis" I introduce myself to the officer as I rise to my feet.

"Officer Higgins. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I heard a car from a block away and looked up just in time to see them turn the corner. I told everyone to get down but Andy- that's the little girl- was frozen. I got her out of the way, but I guess she-" I motion towards her mom. "tried to protect her too. She was Andy's mom."

Resigned sadness tightens his features. He's used to seeing tragedy, but it never gets easier. It shouldn't get easier.

"Did you see the license plate, make or model of the car, the type of gun or anyone's face?" He asks, not looking especially hopeful.

"There was no license plate. The car was a black SUV. It looked new. By the shell casings and amount of rounds i'm guessing it was a semi automatic. I only saw one guy and it was for less than a second."

"You think you could describe him to a sketch artist?"

I blow out a tired breath and go to rub my aching temples, but pause at the sight of my blood covered hands.

"I'll do you one better. I'll make a sketch myself and drop it off at the station later today" I offer, wiping my hands on my jeans, just spreading the blood.

He agrees easily enough, asking a few more questions before letting me go.

My tired, no doubt weighted gaze drifts from Andy's mom to Andy just in time to see the paramedic spray antiseptic on her knees before bandaging them.

How in the hell am I going to find her dad?