C51: Thirty-One Percent Convincing
[That Night] [Travis's Apartment]
Kate and Travis sat together on the couch after dinner. They were watching CSI. A half-empty bowl of popcorn rested on the coffee table beside two glasses of soda, though Kate had barely touched hers.
The episode had reached the part where the lab team somehow solved a murder through a single strand of hair, an impossible amount of luck, and a computer graphic that looked more expensive than the entire NYPD forensic budget.
Travis glanced at Kate from the corner of his eye.
She sat close beside him with her legs tucked beneath a blanket, but her attention had stayed far away from the television for most of the episode. Her fingers kept twisting lightly around the edge of the fabric while her eyes followed the screen without really seeing it.
"So, you wanna talk about it?" Travis asked.
Kate leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a tired breath. "Was that obvious?"
"Yep." He rested his head lightly against hers. "So, out with it."
Kate stayed quiet for a few seconds, listening to the voices on the television. Then she reached for the remote and muted it.
"There was a shooting at a high school today," she said quietly. "A bus driver was killed in the parking lot, and while we were processing the scene, somebody started firing inside the building."
'She must've froze up,' He thought.
"Ryan covered the front entrance, Espo went around the side, and I went through the back near the maintenance wing." Kate continued, though her fingers tightened around the blanket. "The school was in lockdown. Students were hiding in classrooms, teachers were trying to keep everyone quiet, and I could hear the alarms going off everywhere."
Travis looked toward her, his expression calm. "Then you found the shooter."
Kate nodded slowly. "He was in the stairwell. Masked and armed. He saw me, raised his gun, and told me to get out of his way."
Her breathing changed slightly as the memory settled over her again.
"I had a clear shot," she continued. "I could've ended it before he fired again."
She paused for a moment.
"But I froze." Kate swallowed hard. "I couldn't pull the trigger. I saw the tunnel instead. I heard the gunfire, felt the dust, and remembered you calling my name through the smoke. I knew where I was, but my body didn't believe it."
She looked down at the glass of soda.
"Then he moved his finger toward the trigger, and Espo shot him before he could fire."
Kate looked up at him, and the fear she had been holding back finally showed in her eyes.
"I just stood there, Travis. If Espo hadn't been there, I'd be dead. If there were any students or teachers or anyone unarmed there... That shooter could've shot them because I couldn't move."
"Kate," Travis said softly.
"What if it happens again?" she asked before he could continue. "What if I freeze during the next case? What if somebody gets hurt because I'm standing there remembering that tunnel instead of doing my job?"
Travis turned toward her fully and took her hands gently between his. "You got shot, buried under concrete, trapped underground, and almost died. It's been four months. Your body's still catching up with what happened."
"That doesn't excuse it. I... I took therapy for two months before he cleared me for duty, but..."
"You didn't freeze because you're weak. You froze because someone pointed a gun at you in a stairwell, and your brain dragged you back to the worst night of your life," He replied.
She looked away. "That still doesn't help the people depending on me."
"No," Travis said quietly. "It doesn't. But you know what does help them? You admitting something happened instead of pretending it didn't."
She looked back at him.
"Take some more time off work and tell the captain what happened. I'm sure he'll understand," Travis said as he shifted and looked at her properly. "And I know you're strong and stubborn and hate to just sit around, but what happened out there today can't happen again."
He took his hand and looked into her eyes.
"I don't want to see you getting hurt... I don't want to lose you, Kate. So, take a break, maybe sign up for some therapy sessions, and when you're ready," He gave a little side nod. "I mean, really ready... go back."
Kate pressed her lips together and looked down at their hands. The words settled heavily inside her because she knew he was right. What happened at the school could not happen again. She could not keep insisting she was fine while putting herself, her partner, and innocent people in danger.
Travis had nearly died saving her from that tunnel. She could not treat the life he fought to protect like it meant nothing.
"Okay," Kate said after a long moment. Her fingers tightened around his. "I'll talk to Captain Montgomery tomorrow. I'll tell him what happened at the school, and I'll take more time off if that's what it takes."
He watched her carefully, waiting for the usual argument or some stubborn attempt to negotiate around it. When none came, a small look of relief crossed his face.
She let out a slow breath and leaned closer against him. "I hate it," she admitted. "I hate that a part of me still feels like I failed."
"You didn't fail," Travis said. "You got hit, and you survived it. Now you're doing the hard part, which is admitting you need help before it gets worse."
Kate nodded faintly. The muted television kept flashing blue and white across the room while CSI detectives moved through another impossible case in the background. For once, she did not feel like pretending she had all the answers.
After a few seconds, she looked up at him. "What about you?"
Travis raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"
"How do you deal with it?" she asked. "The tunnel, explosion... Everything."
Travis stayed quiet for a moment. His fingers shifted around hers, and the faint humor in his expression faded into something more thoughtful.
"You," he said.
Kate's eyes widened slightly. "Me?"
"When the explosion happened, all I could think of was keeping you safe," he said.
Kate's breath caught softly.
Travis leaned back against the couch, though his eyes never left hers. "Everything was falling apart around us. The tunnel, the gunfire, that idiot with the detonator, all of it." He let out a quiet breath. "But you were right there, bleeding, barely awake, and I just knew I couldn't let anything else happen to you."
Kate held his gaze, the words sinking in deeper than she expected. There was no joke behind them this time. No easy way to brush them aside. She looked down at their joined hands again because holding his gaze suddenly felt too difficult.
"You almost died because of me," she whispered.
"C'mon, we already had this talk before. And let me repeat again, both of us almost died because of that mental with a remote," Travis replied, trying to lighten the moment. Then his expression softened again. "But I'd make the same choice every time, Kate. You're safe now. That's all that matters to me."
Her eyes lifted back to his.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The apartment felt warm and quiet around them, far away from gunshots, sirens, tunnels, and hospital rooms. Kate could still feel the memory of that stairwell inside her chest, but it did not seem as overwhelming with Travis sitting beside her.
"You can't keep doing that," she said softly.
"Doing what?"
"Treating your own life like it matters less than everyone else's."
Travis gave her a faint smile. "I'll work on it."
Kate narrowed her eyes. "That didn't sound convincing."
"It was at least thirty percent convincing."
"That is not a convincing number."
"Thirty-one percent?"
She shook her head, though a small smile finally appeared. Then she shifted closer and rested her forehead against his.
"I'm serious, Travis," she whispered. "I love you. I don't want to lose you either."
His hand moved from hers to the side of her face, his thumb brushing gently along her cheek. "Then we'll both work on staying alive."
Kate gave a quiet laugh. "That sounds like a decent plan."
"Oh, I didn't actually hear that properly... What did you say? Something like... I 'something' you. Could you perhaps repeat that?" He said with a sly smirk.
Kate narrowed her eyes, though the warmth in them gave her away immediately. "You heard me perfectly fine."
Travis's grin deepened as he kept his hand against her cheek. "I'm recovering from a near-death experience. My hearing may be a bit off."
"You're impossible," Kate said, but she shifted closer instead of pulling away.
He watched her for a second, clearly enjoying the fact that she was trying to stay serious. "That still wasn't the part I wanted repeated."
Kate let out a quiet breath, then rested her hand against his chest. "I love you, Travis."
The teasing faded from his face.
For once, he did not have a fast answer ready. He only looked at her like those words had reached somewhere deeper than he expected.
"I love you too," he said.
Kate smiled, and Travis leaned in before she could say anything else. Their kiss started gentle, slow enough for her to feel the relief behind it. When they pulled apart, he kept his forehead against hers.
Both of them looked at each other before she leaned in again for another kiss, a little fast this time...
--
Find me in the link below for advance chapters: https://unknownmaster.carrd.co/
[18 advance chs] + [Modern Family: 29 chs Early access]