Better Off Dead (Kellin's Daughter)

Chapter 8

I wake up, panicked. "Hey, Rachel. It's okay, breathe." I find comfort in Tony's voice and I try to calm down. "I-I f-flatlined." "I know, honey. You're alright, though. You're awake, you're conscious. You lost a lot of blood."

I look at my leg. It's bandaged up and there is a walking boot on my leg. "The bullet hit your ankle and caused it to break. They put plates, screws, and nails in to hold together the parts. They said sports would probably not be an option for this year."

I look down and nod. "Cheer up, I talked to your coach and she said she'll sit you this season, but you'll still get the four college seasons if you want." I nod. "I-I want t-to t-talk to D-Dad." He nods and hands me my phone.

"D-Dad?" "Hey honey, how are you feeling?" "S-Scared." "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to scare you earlier by getting mad at you. We're suing the police department for misconduct." "D-Dad, I-I just w-w-want to l-leave it b-be. M-Make a p-post about it t-to y-y-your fans if i-it makes y-you happy, I-I just w-want to t-t-try to forget a-about it."

"Why are you scared to go to court?" "I-It k-keeps playing in m-my mind. I-It hurts. I-I-I j-just want i-it gone." There is a loud beep and I jump. "Rachel, it's okay. I'm not going to let anything hurt you." I hear Dad.

"Rachel, we're gonna talk about this during your next therapy appointment, okay?" I nod. "She nodded." I nearly completely cover myself with the blanket. "Kellin, you said you'll be back down here tomorrow, right?" "Yeah. I'm so sorry I can't be down there currently. I feel horrible."

"Kellin, I understand and I'm sure once she understands she will as well." "D-Dad, it's f-fine. I-I don't m-m-mind you are n-not h-here. A-As long a-as I'm n-n-not alone." Tony begins rubbing my arm.

My eyes begin drifting closed. "Kellin, she's falling asleep. I'll talk to you later." "Okay, sleep well honey." I let myself slip into sleep.

I wake with a startle. The heart rate monitor is picking up the increased beats and I see a doctor come in. "Hey, it's okay, honey. Breathe." I look up at her with wide eyes. I'm terrified. I see Tony come back and he immediately comes over. "Hey, it's okay. What's wrong?" "Th-They sh-shot you in f-front of m-me. D-Dad, V-Vic, and C-Copeland too."

"We're all okay. You're okay. It's okay to be scared, but it was just a nightmare." I watch the doctor take some monitors off me. "Tony, if it would make her feel better, you can lay with her. Be careful of the IV lines and the monitors." She leaves the room and I grab Tony's hand, pulling him next to me.

He gets on. I put my body as close to him as I can. He rubs my arm and I fall back asleep. After 3 days, I am out of the hospital. I'm incredibly jumpy and I'm still constantly scared.

Mike, Vic, Jaime, Tony, Jack, Justin, Sami, and Eric are all coming to Universal with us. We get into the park and I'm staying really close to Tony. I see Nick and Jenna. I'm on crutches but the doctor said I can weight bear as tolerated.

I'm not putting pretty much any weight on my leg. "Hi." Nick gives me a small hug. "Hey, kid." There is a loud noise and I jump. "It's okay." "Where are we going first?" "Harry Potter." Nick, Jenna, and Mike all smile.

They lead and I follow. Nick drops back a little so he is in pace with me. "How are you feeling?" I shrug. "Just really jumpy and scared. My leg hurts some as well." "Do you have pain meds you are supposed to be taking?" I nod. "I'm supposed to be weight bearing as tolerated though and I can't do that if I'm on pain meds that prevent the pain."

He nods. I have the Deathly Hallows symbol on my right wrist. I had Vic draw it on this morning. I have a small design on my left wrist for my mom and her dad. I see Mike grab my hand. He looks at my wrist. "This is awesome. Sharpie, I would assume?" I nod.

"I want to get a real one but I'm figuring Dad'll want me to wait until I'm 18." "That's normally for the best. I'm assuming you didn't draw both of them on?" "Vic did."

I see a police officer and I immediately move behind Tony. The guy has a softened look and he comes over slowly. He doesn't get too close to me. "Kid, I'm sorry about what happened. The officer's been suspended. What he did was completely unacceptable."

I continue to watch him from behind Tony. "I hope his actions don't scare you forever. I promise we're not all like that." I give a small nod and he smiles a little at me before walking away.

"Are you okay?" I nod. "He's the only one that came to check on me when I was in there. I recognize his voice." "Only one person came by to check on you?" "It might've been because I told him to go away. It was still a while before he came in. I was scared. It didn't help that when I was being put into the cell I was pushed which caused me to hit my head on the ground."

We go in line for one of the rides and Liam stands outside, holding my crutches. Vic and Nick help support me as I walk since they are fairly close to my height. We go through the rides and I actually begin enjoying myself, still jumping at every loud noise or hiding around pretty much anyone my mind perceives as authority.