HOLDING UP

She was frantic from the things she had heard over the phone had struck terror into her heart. She screamed out again, "Nick fuckin' pick up!" The other end was silent. She had no idea what she needed to do. She had no idea where Nick was and if he was indeed in danger or if this was another one of his annoying pranks. She listened some more, keeping the line open. Moving through her apartment, looking for a pen and paper to jot some things down. She wrote the time he called and the last time they had talked. She remembered the conversation clearly as it was about their relationship. She had wanted to push forth and get more serious about building a future together. He was a bit opposite in that he liked how casual they were. He wasn't seeing anyone on the side, but to put a name on it and start talking future plans seemed to be out of his comprehension at this time. He wasn't young, and neither was she, but life always seemed to take them where it wanted. 

She called up the local Police department on her landline as her cell was still on the line with Nick's phone. She continued to write down some of the jargon she had heard over the phone like "abandon ship," "10 – 4", "It's me, Lee." She circled that name, as it was the only name she could track as she listened. Once the PD picked up, she claimed she wanted to repeat a missing person hoping for the best. After a few questions, she was told that officers would be sent out shortly to further take her statement and a few other things. 

She was driven mad in the time, thinking of all the things that could have happened. She tried to stay calm and get her mind off of the negative, the feat seemed to be beyond her focus at that time. Then there was a knock at her door. It was the police officers sent to take her statement. They came into her apartment and congregated around the kitchen corner, where she sat her cell phone still connected to Nick's phone. The officers asked her many of the same questions the woman officer from the precinct had asked. Then they started asking about their relationship and whether there was anyone who would want to hurt Nick. Her mind had already gone through a list of suspects who could have tried to hurt him, but she told the officers there was no one she could think of. As for their relationship it was like anyone else's she tried to skip over the exact details, but she loved him she was sure that if this could get him back alive is what she wanted most. 

The officers then looked at the notes she had compiled from what she heard of the conversation on the other end. They then asked about the sounds she heard and described the sounds of gunfire to be like two quick-firing fireworks not wanting to think the sounds actually came from a firearm. She was holding up well; no tears had fallen, but they had welled up several times, and she would fight them back, wiping away those that rolled out onto her cheek. She feared how she'd feel once the officers left, but for now, she was holding it together to get them everything they needed. The officers figured the best way to get to the bottom of this was to ping Nick's phone and use GPS to find the exact location. Whether or not Nick would be found there, they couldn't be sure, but that was the next plan of action. She held her breath.