Lost You

"Haught!" Sheriff Nedley's voice booms from the front desk. Nicole pops out from the staff kitchen. "There's been a shooting at the Earp Homestead, two people have been shot, a third person believed to be dead."

"Shit."

Nicole gears up, as Nedley starts barking orders at all the officers. Half a dozen police cruisers pull out from the station moments later. Lights on and sirens blaring.

Nicole and the others get to the homestead in half the time it would usually take. The whole ride she's been praying that Waverly is okay. And Wynonna and Alice and Doc and Jeremy and Robin. They were all there today. She's been looking foreword to going home to a night with them all. Now three of them are hurt.

There's a car she doesn't recognise out front of the house. Doc's car is by the barn, Waverly's jeep too. The front windows are shattered and there's a limp body on the porch. As Nicole approaches she can tell the person has been shot in the torso from the mass of blood soaking their shirt.

Three officers surround the body before she gets to it and Nedley yells for her and Lonnie to go inside with him. Her heart races as she hears a scream from within the house. With much relief, she sees that the body on the porch is not someone she knows.

Nicole follows Lonnie inside, Nedley close on her tail. There's a trail of blood that leads them into the kitchen and another yell hits them as the messy scene comes into view.

"What happened here?"

Robin is lying on the table while Jeremy holds a bloodied towel to his shoulder. Wynonna is doing the same for Doc, who is sitting in a chair with a wound in his leg.

"I- I don't know. We were just hanging out and then, that man was suddenly in here an- and.." Jeremy starts to explain as a few paramedics join the scene. He lifts his bloody hand from Robin as they take over. "It was all such a blur."

Nicole circles the ground floor as she listens to the shaky voice of Wynonna describe some more. Then she slips back into the kitchen.

"It was definitely just the one person and I shot him," Wynonna sniffles. Wynonna looks up to Nicole. "Alice and Waverly are upstairs, can you-?"

"Of course."

She turns on her heel and lets her feet carry her up the stairs. Nicole crosses paths with Lonnie as he finishes his inspection of the scene, he nods at the bedroom before descending the stairs.

Waverly is on the bed shaking slightly. Alice is in her lap curled up and crying softly. "Hey, my girls." Waverly looks up at her and tries for a smile. It barely lasts a second and doesn't reach her eyes. Alice doesn't budge.

"Everyone is gonna be okay."

"I don't even know what happened, I was with Alice and everyone else was in the kitchen and then there was a gunshot and Wynonna was yelling for me to bring Alice up here. We hid in the closet until Lonnie just found us."

"I thought maybe I'd lost you. Or any one of you. I've never been more terrified on a call before." Nicole puts her hands over Alice's ears, "the suspect is dead, Wynonna shot him." She lifts her hand again and kisses the 5 year old's head. Alice looks up at her with her big blue eyes and her bottom lip sticks out.

"Is mummy and daddy okay?"

"Yes, sweetie. They're safe now. We're all safe. Daddy is a little bit hurt and so is uncle Robin but they are gonna go see some doctors and then they'll be all good."

"I'm so scared," she admits with a sob.

"Oh, come here, sweetie." Nicole pulls Alice into her arms and squeezes her tight. "It's okay, it's all safe now. All the police are here to help and I won't let you get hurt."

"Okay, Aunty Nicole. You are big and brave. Mummy says so." Nicole laughs lightly, wiping a tear from the girl's face then gestures for Waverly to come with her.

She hands Alice back to her other Aunty and leads the way downstairs, on hand on the grip of her gun ready for any new dangers.

Nedley and Wynonna are in the living room. He's standing with his notepad open, a pencil in hand. A pink blanket sits around Wynonna's shoulders and if you look closely you can see her shaking ever so slightly.

"Mummy, where's daddy?" Wynonna turns around and jumps up to grab Alice from Waverly, she wraps the two brunettes in a hug.

"Daddy went to the hospital. His leg got hurt but he will be okay. Uncle Jeremy will text us updates," she assures her daughter. She looks to Nicole and Waverly, "he went in the ambulance with Robin. Robin will most likely be okay too. Doesn't look like the bullet hit any organs, by some miracle." A tear rolls down her cheek and she hides her face in Alice's hair.

"I'm sure he'll be alright," Waverly says. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't get shot."

"I know. But you just shot a man and being shot isn't the only way you can be hurt."

"I'm fine, Waves. I'll be fine." Waverly nods and squeezes her shoulder.

Nedley clears his throat, interrupting the sisters. "Haught, you bring these three back to the station and we'll take statements, and keep an eye on them for the day. I'll see you there." He makes it to the door then turns back around. "Oh and there's a clean up crew on the way here. Lonnie will stay behind to oversee all that. So just clean up Wynonna and then come in."

"Will do, Sheriff. We'll be there within the hour."

Nedley tips his head and leaves. "Do you wanna change, Wynonna?" Wynonna nods slowly but doesn't move. "Come on, we'll all go."

The four of them walk into Wynonna's room, shutting the door behind them. Alice bounces around on the bed, Waverly faces the door and Nicole paces back and forth while Wynonna strips off her blood splattered clothes.

"Nicole, stop it," Waverly groans. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm just staying alert, it's my job to protect you all," she mumbles, coming to a halt in front of Waverly.

"We're safe now, baby."

"It's my job."

"Alright, losers, I'm done. Let's get the fuck out of here," Wynonna says, with only a hint of the usual spark in her voice. She picks up Alice, balancing her on one hip. "Geez, Alice, you're getting heavy."

Nicole leads them out to her cruiser. Wynonna and Alice sit in the back and Waverly joins her in the front. Nicole glances in the rear view mirror at them. Wynonna still looks shaken up. Alice is on her lap, sharing her seatbelt. Next to Nicole, Waverly clicks her seatbelt in.

Wynonna's phone rings suddenly as Nicole turns onto the road.

"Hi, Jer. How's Robin?"

There's a long pause. Nicole can feel everyone holding their breath.

"Oh my god, that's great news. And Doc?"

Nicole can hear the inaudible voice of Jeremy on the phone.

"Wyn, put it on speaker," Waverly snaps. Wynonna rolls her eyes but does as requested.

"And he's all stitched up now," Jeremy finishes.

"That's good. How are you feeling?"

"Terrified. But I'm okay. Doc is in good spirits and keeps trying to make me laugh," his voice crackles through the phone.

"That's my man. Can you tell him we'll be at Nicole's work for the rest of the day?"

"Yep."

"Well call us if there's any more news about Robin. And you and Doc keep each other safe. Umm bye."

"Bye, Jeremy!" Waverly chimes in.

The call ends just as they arrive at the station. Nicole takes them inside and into her office, locking the door behind them.

There's a three seater couch off to one side that Wynonna and Alice crash on to right away.

"Comfy enough?" Nicole says to Wynonna who's lying across half the seat with her feet up. Waverly stays standing. "Sit down, Wave."

"No."

"Your turn to freak out, is it?" She glances to the couch to see that, despite it only being noon, both Alice and Wynonna have fallen asleep in record time. Waverly looks ready to crumple to the floor when Nicole looks back. "Baby, it's okay to be scared and freaked out and on edge. That was a very frightening and traumatising event. But you're safe here."

Nicole holds her arms open and Waverly collapses in her embrace almost taking the two of them down. She strokes her long brown hair for a minute while the shoulder of her shirt dampens with Waverly's tears. "I love you," she whispers as she kisses her head.