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The bullets missed the kevlar. One below the vest, into her stomach and two in her throat. He watched her drop to the ground like a bag of rocks, blood soaking her clothing as it gushed out of her wounds. He applied pressure to the holes to the best of his ability with Atwater's help.

"Babe, you're good. Just keep talking to me, keep your eyes open."

"Jay…" She coughed up blood and it managed to stain her teeth. A tear slowly fell from her left eye.

"I love you… and Emma so much. Please… let her know that."

"No… Erin! You're going to tell her yourself! Just stay with me the ambulance is coming. Take deep breaths and focus on my voice." He couldn't stop himself from crying now. Right under his hands, the love of his life was fading away. The sound of sirens in the distance were her only sign of hope, and his own.

/

"She lost a lot of blood, and the bullet in her waist punctured her intestines. One of the shots to her throat grazed the jugular. We lost her 3 times in there and the last time we couldn't revive her. I'm sorry Jay, but she didn't make it. Her time of death was 6:05pm."

He couldn't understand what was happening. Why was this happening to him? He was sitting in the chair, twirling the ring around his third finger, his hands still full of Erin's blood. He didn't even look up at the surgeon who was speaking to him. Will had to be the one to dismiss him with a polite 'thanks'. When he looked back down at his little brother, tears were soaking his cheeks.

"Jay, do you need me to pick up Emma and bring her here?"

Jay shook his head, "Burgess already went." His tone of voice was monotonous and cold. He didn't know how he was going to explain to his 16-year-old daughter that she no longer had a mother. She had started to block him off from her life, becoming more private like normal teenagers. She was becoming a lot more rebellious, just like he had at her age. He didn't know how he was going to do this on his own. He couldn't bear to sit any longer, he decided to take a walk to calm down a little bit before speaking with his daughter.

/

Those same blue eyes looked back at him. They were bloodshot and tears were falling from them. She was speechless for once in her life. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't put her finger on it, she just shook her head. He brought her into his arms. They stood in the corridor and cried, only to be interrupted by Will.

"Um, you two can see her before they come by to collect her body." Jay tightly held onto his daughter's hand and followed after Will. His legs were shaking and he didn't know if what he was living was reality. Everything was happening so fast and it happened in such a blur that it was as if he was asleep.

/

She was pale and her hand was cold. He expected her to squeeze his back when he held it just like she always did. The two bullet wounds in her neck was the only thing he could focus on. He watched the reactions of Emma. She was no longer crying but her eyes were still red. She had a cold look on her face, the same one he had when he was mad. She didn't look at Erin's body too much, she was mostly looking around the cold room they were in.

They stood looking at her lifeless body on the table for about 5 minutes before they gave one last kiss and left. The car ride was silent, filled with Emma's occasional sniffs. He didn't know how to comfort her so he just held her hand tight, he needed to be there for her.

When they got home, Emma ran upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her, shutting herself in. She had some of Erin's personality, closing herself off when she was hurting was something she inherited. Jay sat down on the couch, he picked up a picture from the coffee table on his way in. It was a picture of him and Erin, the day Emma was born. She had Emma laid over her chest. He couldn't help but stare at the dark circles under both of their eyes. She was in labour for over 24 hours. His fingers traced over Erin's face, as if she would jump right out of the photo. He couldn't stop hearing the surgeon's words: "Time of death, 6:05pm… Time of death, 6:05pm…"

He stood up, clearing his throat and wiping the tears from his eyes before he proceeded up the stairs. He gently knocked on her door, making sure he didn't startle her.

"Em… may I come in?" She didn't answer but he could hear her sobs from the other side of the door. He stepped into her bedroom but didn't close the door behind him since nobody else was home. She was laying on her stomach, crying into her pillow. He sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hand on her shoulder, rubbing comforting circles into her shoulder blade. He lost track of how much time they stayed in that position before she stopped crying. He listened to her heavy breaths before he spoke to her, making sure she had calmed down a bit.

"Em, sit up for me." She sat up, putting her legs over the bed to imitate the way Jay was sitting. Erin always found it crazy how much they both looked alike and how much their personalities matched. She noticed it when Emma first became mobile. When she learned how to walk without wobbling, she had Jay's posture. They sat in silence for a little while, both having their gazes fixated on the crows outside.

"You know crows are a symbol of protection? Your Mom told me back when she first met." Emma smiled as she listened to her father. Reminiscing about her mom brought her peace. She couldn't help but remember all those times they sat together talking about their early relationship.

"Somehow, we're gonna get through this. I know it's gonna be hard but you and me, together, will overcome this." Jay's voice was soft. Emma didn't say anything to him, she just kept looking out the window.

"Come here… give your old man a hug." She turned towards his direction and buried her head into his chest, just like she always did when she was sad as a little kid. It was a habit of hers he loved so much. He kissed the top of her head before leaving to get dinner for them.

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