Chapter Text
1994
Jay looks around the lobby as they walk into the bank.
“What are we doing here?” he asks his mom.
“I just need to talk to an advisor about some questions with out mortgage.” she tells him. “Hopefully it won’t take long. Can you work on your homework for a little bit?”
“Sure.” he says with a shrug, swinging his backpack off his shoulders.
“Thank you sweetie.” she says, kissing the top of his head.
He squirms away from the kiss and she laughs softly.
“Alright.” she says. “Go get to work then.”
He nods, heading over to a bench by the door and dropping his backpack on the floor.
He pulls out his math worksheets and starts working on the first problem.
But its hard to stay focused. His mom had played it cool but she’s worried.
He keeps glancing over at the glass wall that’s separating them, trying to guess how the conversation is going based on his mom’s facial expressions.
She looks increasingly distressed and he pays less and less attention to the worksheet.
He’s just setting the papers on the bench next to him and standing up when the front doors fly open and two men in dark clothes and masks walk in.
And then a loud bang sounds and he covers his ears with his hands, dropping back to the bench.
“Everybody get on the floor!” one of the men shouts and patrons start scrambling to the ground.
Jay looks over to where his mom has turned toward the lobby.
She’s looking his way as well and their eyes meet, wide with shock.
He stands up again, starting to walk toward her.
“On the ground, kid!”
He looks over to see one of the men walking toward him, his gun pointed directly at him.
“No, I just…” he stammers.
The man twists the gun, slamming the butt into Jay’s stomach and sending him flying across the floor.
He rolls to his stomach, starting to push himself up but suddenly a foot is in his back, pushing him down.
“Stay down.” the man growls and Jay drops to the floor, risking a glance over at his mom who is standing up inside the office, staring at him with wide eyes.
Then the other man is opening the door and ushering his mom and the bank man out into the lobby.
His mom tries to move toward him but is shoved to the ground with another group of hostages while the bank official is taken behind the counter.
Jay tries to inch across the ground, wanting to be closer to his mom, but the foot on his back presses down harder.
“You’re getting on my nerves, kid.” the man standing over him growls.
“I just want to be with my mom.” he whines.
The man glances over at his mom who is staring at them. Jay watches his face twist up in thought.
And then the foot on his back lifts and the man rolls his eyes.
“Go.” he says and Jay scrambles across the ground to get to his mother who drapes an arm over him.
“Are you alright?” she whispers.
He tucks his face into her side and nods.
The man moves away from them pacing around the rest of the hostages.
Jay turns to look at the other man who is harassing the tellers behind the counter, forcing them to shove money into bags.
He’s seen bank robberies on tv before, safely curled up on the couch with his parents and brother.
This is a lot more frightening.
The doors open and before Jay gets the chance to look over his shoulder his mom is being pulled away from him.
He looks up with a startled gasp as she’s pulled to her feet with the gun resting over her shoulder.
“Mom.” he calls out, causing her to glance down at him.
The man doesn’t even look down as he kicks back, his foot slamming into Jay’s side.
Jay cries out, clutching his stomach.
“Chicago PD.”
He’s distracted from the pain by a shout and looks up to see two police officers standing just inside the doors with their weapons drawn.
“Get back or we’ll kill them.” the man in front of him snarls. “Starting with this pretty lady.”
Ice filters through Jay’s veins.
They can’t shoot his mom.
The cops back up, one of them moving back to step through the door and his partner backing through behind him.
Jay doesn’t want to be relieved. Their rescue is backing out of the bank and leaving them alone with the bank robbers.
But as the cops leave, the robber slowly lowers his gun from Jay’s mom’s head and he lets himself fall back to the floor.
“Lock the door, kid.” the robber orders.
When Jay doesn’t move, he snaps.
“Brat!”
Jay jumps, looking up.
“Me?” he squeaks.
“Yeah, you. Idiot.” the man says. “Lock the damn door.”
Jay stumbled to his feet, making his way across the room.
He fumbles with the door locks for a moment before he figures out how to engage them but then he manages.
“Pull the blinds too.” the man orders and he reaches up, pulling down the blinds to cover the open glass doors.
Then he turns back to look at the man.
“Back on the floor.” the man orders.
Jay walks across the room, dropping to his knees and then down to his stomach.
The man shifts the weapon away from his mom and then shoves her to the floor next to him.
“Are you okay?” he asks, staring in concern at her pale face.
Usually when his mom looks like this its the day after a treatment.
“Little nauseous.” she admits. “I’m okay, baby.”
He has to get her out of here.
He just doesn’t know how.