Downtown Robbery - the Aftermath

Lizzy found out, during the interrogation which took place as the male nurse began dressing her wound, that there were two sets of combinations to the Bradford’s company safe; one that was used on a daily basis by Michael to store and take away as little, or as much money as necessary, and one in which Michael had used tonight, triggering the silent alarm alerting the New York police department.
She jumped off the back of the vehicle as soon as the nurse’s fingers left her throat, abandoning the grey fleece blanket that had been wrapped around her shoulers, ignoring the nurse’s protests, still sitting down on the space next to the one she had vacated and the stunned policeman leaning against the ambulance’s door on the other side.
She paused long enough as another policeman approached her, offering her a steaming cup of coffee, forcing herself to smile as she wrapped her fingers around the white foam cup before purposely moving forward towards a lonesome figure, standing rigidly, clad in a dark maroon full-length dress.
“Mrs. Bradford?” Lizzy exchanged a wry, nervous smile as Michael’s Mother turned to face her, shaking her head as Lizzy stretched her hands and offered her the coffee.
“You can call me Alicia, you know,” Alicia Bradford retorded jokingly, raising one brow expectantly and smiling resignedly a moment later as Lizzy bashfully repeated her earlier salutation.
She watched Alicia Bradford refocussed her gaze to the high-rise building, noticing the hand that had been kneading the index finger concealed over her skirt, crumpling the rich silk taffeta dress in the process.
“He was…” Lizzy gulped past the tightening on her throat, frowning as she tried to find the appropriate word to soothe a highly distressed Mother, “… fine. He wouldn’t give up.”
That’s what I’m afraid of, Alicia thought silently, removing her index finger and crunching the smooth material as hard as she could.
They both craned their necks, standing on the tip of their toes as they saw the SWAT team, recognisable by the thick bulletproof jacket and the high-tech assault rifles they are cradling over their chests gathered a few yards in front of them, listening to their commander’s instructions before slowly creeping in to the building, guarding each point of exit and entrance.
Both Lizzy and Alicia tilted their heads up as the elite squad with heavy armoury disappeared, focusing their stares on the thirtieth floor, easily recognisable from all the lights still illuminating the office, waiting with baited breath and praying silently.
Her body jolted as the first, ear-deafening sound of a gunshot rang out before she made the connection between the sound and the view of the sudden, bright, fiery spark flashing from the window, her back stiffened as she heard the commotion that followed; shouting and bumping, before finally closing her eyes as a series of more gunshots rang out, louder and crispier than the first one.
She opened her eyes moments later, slowly becoming acutely aware of the loud ticking sound from her watch, counting down every precious second; of the failure of blood from circulating through four of her long fingers as they wre being painfully squeezed by a severely distraught Mother standing as tensely beside her; noticing the lack of shattered glass visible anywhere on the ground despite the loud crashing sound she had heard before the silence that had ensued.
Her heart leapt to her throat as she saw shadows of people darkened the main entrance of the building, a light breeze suddenly brushed her arm as Alicia Bradford shot off, ploughing her way through hundreds of cops like Moses parting the Red Sea, eager to reach her son, whether unscathed or…
Lizzy breathed a deep sigh of relief as the image she had unwillingly envisioned of Michael being wheeled out, strapped to a stretcher, face ashen and bleeding half-to-death was replaced by a silhouette of his tall figure, the confidence in his stride was broken only as he rushed down the last few remaining steps and dived into his Mother’s embrace.