Going back to the scene of the shooting, Kazimir pushes his way through the crowd, standing in front of the other first responders.
"You a witness, kid?"
"I'm a detective."
The older male detective gives him a weird look and Kazimir groans.
"Ask Captain Uzini who I am."
"Well, we currently have no clue who this guy is. No ID was found on him. He seemed to be dead for about. an hour before someone noticed. I mean, it is the end of the parking lot, but still, something's off."
"Maybe he tried to rob someone who parked back here and got shot."
The man shrugs as he squats down in front of the body.
"Only possible explanation. But there's just one problem."
With a gloved hand, the older detective picks up a shell casing.
"We found these shell casings from a different gun further down the parking lot. So it seems like this guy and another person were in some type of shootout."
Kazimir looks down at the man, averting his attention to one of the shells on the ground.
"Fortunately, the department set out some new equipment. Faster DNA testing. I'll show you how it works."
The younger man watches as his colleague pulls out a small device and sticks the shell casing in it. It was only a matter of time before his information popped up and he had to do something about that.
"Pretty sure there're some more casings over in these woods. I can't tell if they're all the same, though."
The detective follows Kazimir into the woods, a little ways from the large group of people. He squats down in front of the shell casings and picks it up.
"Hmm…I doubt it. They both look the same to me."
Squatting down in front of the older man, Kazimir watches as the device flashes before beeping.
"Alright, it's done. Let's see-
The older detective's face grows a bit concerned as he looks down at the small device.
"This is—It's describing someone who looks similar to—
*BANG!*
Picking up the device, Kazimir places it in his pocket and cautiously walks out of the woods, making sure to be extra careful about not being seen.
Getting into his car, he takes a look at the device and chuckles.
"My hair isn't even gray. Why did dad put that on my birth certificate?"
Placing the small device in the passenger seat, he pulls out of the parking lot and towards his house.
Quickly pulling into the driveway, the young detective sighs in relief as he watched Nia wipe down a window.
"Nia."
Turning around, Nia gives him a big smile.
"Hello, Kazimir. Oh, where's Khristina?"
"She's in the hospital for a concussion. Naydine's getting surgery for a bullet wound piercing her side."
"What?!"
"Shhh, Nia. Let's get you inside."
Walking into the new home, Kazimir leads her to the living room.
"Long story short, someone decided to shoot at me. I don't even know where Naydine came from, but she got injured staying behind my car. Khristina passed out in the hospital seeing all of that."
Nia covers her mouth and shakes her head.
"Oh my. Those poor babies. How about we make some care baskets for them?"
"That's a cute idea, Nia. I'll drive us to the store."
—- later that evening —-
Entering the large retailer, Kazimir grabs a shopping cart and follows Nia to a small decor display.
"I think Khristina would love this pink little teddy bear. And this marble-colored mini heart mirror would be perfect for Naydine."
Kazimir watches as Nia looks at a bow lamp and chuckles.
"Just throw it in the cart, Nia. If you see anything you like too, just get it."
Smiling, she places it in the cart and continues to walk alongside Kazimir.
"Awww, look at these pillows! They're adorable! Especially this bear shaped one!"
"Well hello there, little lady. But I believe you're just as adorable."
Nia and Kazimir turn to a man who made his way closer to the area they were in.
"Oh, thank you." Nia says, chuckling.
"Give me your number, miss." the man asks, pulling out his cell phone. "I promise, you won't regret it."
"I'm sorry, but not today."
"Why-
"She's not interested, bruh." Kazimir interrupts.
The man turns to Kazimir and laughs.
"Who the hell are you?"
Wrapping her arms around Kazimir's arm, Nia positions herself closer to him.
"He's my husband."
Laughing again, the man shakes his head in disbelief, before reaching to grab Nia's free arm.
SMACK!
Kazimir slaps the man, causing him to stumble back.
"Don't reach for her again, you understand me?"
The frightened man nods and runs off.
"Thank you, Kazimir." Nia says, giving him a hug.
"You're welcome."
The two continue to walk throughout the store, collecting snacks and stationary items to fill the gift basket.
"Oh, I think this lamp would be perfect for your living room." Nia says, as she stops in front of a home decor section. "It even comes with shelves to put pictures and plants on. Yes, we can frame pictures of your family and place plants on either side. I think it'd be cute."
Stepping forward, Kazimir takes a look at the options.
"It comes in black, white, and gray. I don't know, which do you think might suit the living room?"
"Well, the walls are dark gray, so I'd say something like black or white. Mainly white to even things out." Nia replies. "Or you could do both and put one lamp on one side of the room and the other on the other side of the room."
"I'll just get all three. I can put the other two in my room and the guest room."
After checking out, Nia and Kazimir head out to the parking lot.
"Do you know when they might be released? I know Naydine may have to stay for a few days."
"Don't know. The doctors didn't tell me all of that. Khristina should be good to go, though. I'll set up Khristina's basket and you can set up Naydine's."
"Here's a piece of ribbon to tie into a bow on the handle." Nia says, handing a pink strip to Kazimir.
"How am I supposed to do this?" Kazimir asks.
"Just tie it like how you'd tie your shoelaces." Nia says, chuckling.
After fidgeting with the piece of ribbon for a bit, the young man holds the basket up.
"Like this? This shit looks terrible, Nia."
Nia laughs and grabs the basket from Kazimir.
"It's alright, we're not all professionals."
Untying the ribbon, Nia reties it and gives the basket back to him.
"There! That's better!"
"Thanks."
The two sit in silence, filling up the baskets, soft music playing in the background.
"Awww, I love this song."
"What makes you love it so much?" Kazimir asks as he watches Nia tilt her head to the rhythm.
"It has a sensual tone that you can actually feel."
Kazimir shrugs as he places some candy bars in Khristina's basket.
"I want to show you one of my favorites next. It's kinda similar to this one."
As the song begins to finish, Kazimir pulls out his phone to start his song.
"Oh my goodness; I love this song!"
"I thought you might have known it."
From the corner of his eye, the young man watches as Nia happily sings along as she continues to work on her basket. He loved seeing her happy and would do whatever it took to keep it that way.