(Bonus Chapter Due to Power Stones, Thank You to all who support my work!)
The paramedics arrived in a flash, and Shiro quickly stowed the pistol under Jesse VW as she watched the ambulances open, spilling trained professionals from their vehicles with swift efficiency as they assessed the damage at the Toretto house. It didn't take long for Guldrin, Jesse, and Letty to be loaded onto stretchers, as the EMTs worked to stabilize their injuries.
"Four GSW on the kid, and four on the man; these two are lucky to be alive. Stabilize the kid, he has lost a lot of blood. What is his blood type?" One of the paramedics asked as they looked at Mia who shook her head slightly, "I- I don't know," They frowned, "Use the O Neg, get him stabilized stat." They cut his pants away and saw the full extent of damage and were shocked, "The femoral artery was hit, apply a clotting agent! Ma'am, we need to rush these two to the hospital immediately, if you are coming, you will have to drive yourself, we need all the space we have to work!"
Mia stayed by Guldrin's side, her hand firmly holding his as she reassured him, though her voice wavered slightly she hoped it was not enough for him to hear her worries. Every instinct in her screamed to protect him, to keep him close and safe, but she couldn't keep her hands from shaking as the stretcher was loaded and the doors closed.
'Why did all this have to happen? The day was going so well, Guldrin and Shiro enjoyed the races… Then Jesse ran, then the fight, then Dom being stubborn refused to stop the last heist… How many times has he said, it is just one more, this will be the last one? No more, this ends… Or can it? Guldrin just killed someone… How did he do that? Where did he learn to do that? Where did he get a gun? Will the police throw him in Juvi? What will become of my family now?' Her mind raced as she got in her car and followed them to the hospital, a fierce determination brewing in her veins
Meanwhile, as Dom and Brian waited near Lance's lifeless form, the distant wail of sirens warned them that law enforcement was on their way. Dom looked over at Brian, their faces hard, each carrying the weight of the morning's actions. "You don't have to do this," Dom said in a low voice, looking Brian dead in the eye. "Walk away now; this is my fight."
Brian shook his head, eyes locked on Lance's body. "No, Dom. This is mine, too. I… Can't leave you to deal with this… I betrayed Mia, I love…" He shook his head, "Guldrin was right to never trust me… But… Man, I wish I knew what that kid's deal is… He is a ghost in the system, and that shooting… Definitely not something a ten-year-old should have known how to do." Dom didn't respond, but he, also, felt it was strange how Guldrin was able to process the situation and act upon it. That didn't matter to him at the moment, just his well-being was of concern, anything else was for later if he planned to ask at all.
The silence between them was thick as Brian's words hung in the air, and finally, with a nod, Dom began walking back to his car. As Brian glanced at the approaching lights, he knew that his decision tonight would come with a price. But if protecting the Toretto family that he just tore apart meant he had to claim responsibility, then that was a choice he was willing to make. He knew it would cost him his badge, but that was a future Brian issue. Ejecting his magazine, he counted out the exact number of bullets Guldrin had fired and tossed them away to match the story.
When the police arrived, the scene was chaotic. Officers took statements, eyewitness reports, cataloged evidence, and swiftly apprehended Dom. He put up no resistance, simply glancing back at Brian with a hard expression as they cuffed him. "Take care of my family, you owe us that much," he murmured under his breath before they led him to a squad car. Brian nodded, a silent vow forming in his mind.
The rest of the morning was a blurry flurry of flashing lights, questions, and hurried explanations. Brian took full credit for the deaths of Lance and Tran, asserting it was self-defense in the line of duty, backed by his badge. Though officers were skeptical, his status as an undercover officer and his calm recounting left them with little choice. Dom, however, faced greater scrutiny. With his arrest, the LAPD's suspicions of his involvement in various criminal activities were renewed, and they pressed hard to pin him for the heists. But with no evidence linking him directly to the heist cars, or lost truck cargo, the police found themselves at a frustrating dead end.
They wanted to stick him with a felony possession of firearms charge since he is a known felony but, looking into it, he didn't have the firearm restriction applied to his record, instead, everything was redacted leaving only the name 'Mr. Nobody' as the redactor. This made no sense, but the laws are the laws. If he wasn't required to stay away from firearms, then his use of the shotgun was within his rights as someone defending his family. The most he was hit with was the destruction of public and private property from their car chase and the few buckshot rounds that missed Tran and hit a car instead. All in all, he owed around 1000$ for damages and after receiving it, he was free to go. Dom was allowed the basic courtesy of learning how Guldrin and Jesse were doing, learning they had survived was a huge relief, and he began cooperating more easily with the investigation.
Days later, Dom was released, but the ordeal left an indelible mark on everyone. Brian's confession and actions during the altercation with Tran created a tense shift in his dynamic with Dom and Mia. As an undercover officer, working in tandem with the FBI, he was a protector, but as a friend, he felt like an outsider, it was a feeling that grew with each interaction. Brian ultimately was suspended, and given a court date for a hearing on the matter, he had a big decision; whether to flip on Dom or keep quiet and go to jail for withholding information. If Guldrin had been there, he would have been able to guess which choice a traitor like Brian would have chosen.
Guldrin, recovering from his wounds, noticed the strain on everyone and felt slightly guilty for having killed Lance and caused more issues. He sat up in his hospital bed, gritting through the pain, with Jesse and Letty by his side. The doctors wanted to keep them separate, but both vehemently denied this option.
"You did what you had to do, man," Jesse murmured, his voice thick with gratitude and guilt. "If you hadn't… I don't know what would've happened. I don't think I would have made it, that's for sure."
Guldrin gave him a weak smile. "Family protects family. We all did what we had to do." Shiro silently nodded and agreed with him. Internally, she vowed to learn to understand this game they found themselves in; because that is what it was, a game that they had lost, but never again, she vowed.
Jesse nodded, though guilt still flickered in his eyes, the events of that day replaying in his mind. He was acutely aware that his actions had put them all at risk, and the weight of that responsibility lingered with every passing day. He sat at Guldrin's bedside often, talking in hushed tones, lost in a swirl of remorse and familiar affection. Jesse had surprisingly gotten the least damaging injury, his arm and leg were shot, but the bullets went through and through, and nothing major was damaged. Some stitches and gaze later he was allowed to recover.
Guldrin on the other hand, his wounds were much more severe. Two in his upper right shoulder, and two in his thigh. His femoral artery was severed, and he had to go through many surgeries to remove the bullet fragments. Guldrin's recovery was going to take an absurdly long time, they had to work with precision to ensure not to cause the wound to get worse or nick another artery in the process.
Letty, on the other hand, was released the same day she came in, her wound was already stitched, but the doctors shook their heads, scolded them for their shoddy medical treatment, removed the batched stitches, and closed her wound properly.
A few prescriptions and instructions later, she was free to leave. Though she had no intention of leaving Guldrin alone, Mia left Shiro with Guldrin since she refused vehemently to leave. So with no other choice, she allowed her to stay and had to go back home to cooperate with the investigation. Letty, seeing everyone other than Shiro couldn't be with him, thought she would be damned if she left her surrogate son alone while he was injured and scared.
Leon and Vince wanted to come and check on them, but after a phone call from Mia, he knew the cops had got a basic description of them when they split off and had to lie low. How long that would last was anyone's guess.
As for Dom, he returned home to a fractured sanctuary, bullet holes littered the house and shattered windows were a constant reminder of the event passed. Mia was quieter than usual, still shaken from nearly losing Jesse and Guldrin, let alone Dom getting arrested. Her heart ached with conflicting emotions toward Brian; she loved him, or at least she thought she did, but his double life had cast a shadow over her trust. In the evenings, Dom would sit with her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, his own feelings for Brian wavering between gratitude for keeping Guldrin out of cuffs, betrayal, and his ultimate mistrust of the man who took their goodwill and spat on it in the worst way, even if he tried to make up for it after.
One night, the Toretto house was unusually silent. Mia had gone to bed early, still recovering from the stress, and Letty rested, her injuries healing slowly. She was instructed, in no uncertain terms, to go home and rest, then she could come back to the hospital. Dom and Brian found themselves on the porch, the hum of the city faint in the background.
"You kept your word," Dom said, staring out into the night. "But don't think that makes up for all the secrets. You tore my family to shreds, Mia already had trust issues, Guldrin never trusted you, but I tried to get him to, and Letty, she could have died." His voice was low, steady, carrying an edge.
Brian shifted uncomfortably, his face reflecting the weight of his decisions. "I know I hurt all of you. I wanted to come clean from the start, well not the start, but after a while the lines began to blur… At first, you were an assignment, a criminal, but seeing who you really are… I lost the drive to do what I was sent here to do, but… I had my orders."
Dom's jaw clenched as he turned to look Brian squarely in the eye. "You chose your badge over a real true family, I get it, you made a call… But, you protected my family in the end, I'll give you that. But don't think for a second that this family won't remember what you are, cop or not. You lied, hurt my family, betrayed my sister's trust, nearly got us arrested, and now, Guldrin is in the hospital. While the last part may not be your doing, I can't help but think what would have happened had you not done this."
Brian nodded, accepting the unspoken terms of their uneasy truce. It was clear to him now that while he had defended them that night, he was still an outsider in their family, a guardian, or he hoped he was, maybe that was his way of making himself feel better, perhaps, but he was never truly one of them. The next day, as he prepared to leave, Mia caught him at the door, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"Are you leaving for good?" she whispered, voice trembling.
Brian hesitated, feeling the weight of her question, and nodded slowly. "I have to, Mia. I've done enough damage here. I lost my job, it is time for me to leave, I can't express how sorry I am." No one knew he still had a hearing and needed to decide if he would throw Dom and the other under the bus to keep himself out of prison; he had chosen to keep that little bit of information to himself.
She bit her lip, struggling with the war of emotions inside her, but finally nodded. "Take care of yourself, Brian." She knew, she may have held feelings for Brian, but he never fully reciprocated them. It was for the best that they separated, whether they would find each other again, that was a different story.
With that, he turned and walked away, each step a reminder of the life he had sacrificed for duty, honor, and love… A love he might never fully know again. If Guldrin had been there, he would have understood, Brian wouldn't be able to stay away. While he betrayed them, he ultimately still had to make a choice, duty, badge, or them; and Guldrin knew he would choose his badge and duty. He kept him and Dom out of jail for the moment, and that at least earned a fraction of respect from Guldrin toward Brian. But he would be damned if he ever let Mia get back together with a piece of shit like him; it would be his fault if she was hurt again at that point.
The days turned to weeks as the Toretto family pieced themselves back together. Dom resumed the business, his focus sharpened by a new determination. Letty, still healing, stayed close by his side, sharing his drive to keep the family strong. Jesse and Guldrin grew closer, their bonds deepened by shared scars. Guldrin's recovery was slow, but each day he grew stronger, and his determination to protect his family only grew along with him.
As for Brian, he was a ghost on the edges of their lives. He'd done his part, played his role, and left his mark, but he would always be the cop who tore up their family, the outsider. In the eyes of the Toretto family, he'd proven himself in the end, but he'd also revealed himself to be a traitor, and that was something they could never forget.
(Give me your POWER, Please, and Thank You! Leave reviews and comments, they motivate me to continue.)