Always and Forever

Chapter 14: A Kiss Before Dying

Archie and I helped Dad into the car as fast as possible. I sat in the passenger seat with Dad leaning on me, I was trying my best to stop the bleeding with my hand. Archie got on the driver's side and drove as fast as he could to outrace death. Dad was groaning really bad.

"Hold on, Dad," I encouraged as I tried not to cry. "Hold on."

"Hold on, Dad. We're almost there," Archie added as Dad placed a bloody handprint on the window. "We're almost there. They're gonna fix you up. Stay with us Dad, stay with us." When we got to the hospital we helped Dad inside.

"Help, please," I pleaded. "Help, hey! Someone help us and our Dad."

"Gurney!" A nurse shouted rushing towards us with other staff members.

"What happened to him?" A doctor asked.

"He was...He was shot," Archie managed out.

"Sir, can you hear me?" A nurse asked as Dad was placed on the gurney. "Can you tell me your name?"

"His name's Fred Andrews," I answered. They started to roll him into the emergency room.

"He's not responding," The nurse said. "Massive blood loss, it looks... Let's go. He's in shock." Archie and I tried to go past the door.

"Sir, Ma'am, I'm sorry, I need you to stay here," The doctor told us. We then stood behind the closed door as we watched the medical staff rush into a room, to try to save our Dad. Archie and I both looked at each other before we hugged each other in tears. Both of us covered in our Dad's blood.

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"Dad take the picture," I smiled. Veronica, Archie, Betty, Jughead, Reggie, Josh, and I, all stood with each other in cap and gown. Mom and Dad stood across from us with a phone.

"The ceremony starts in the gym in ten minutes," Mom reminded him.

"Yeah, Dad, what's taking so long?" Archie asked.

"I..." Dad sighed. "Just can't believe we're here, Archie and Dani. We're at your graduation. I..." He begins to laugh. "I didn't think I'd like to see this very day."

"Yeah, except you didn't, Mr. A," Jughead reminded him.

"What?" Dad asked looking at Jughead.

"You didn't see this day," Betty said

"Don't you remember?" Josh questioned

"At Pops?" Veronica questioned him. There was a bell sound. Dad looked over to see the black hood guy look at him from outside, walking inside.

"Everybody down!" Dad shouted as the man opened the door and the man fired his gun.

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Archie and I went into the waiting room and made a call to some people. Later our friends showed up. Archie and I paced around the room as we waited.

"Arch? Dan?" A familiar voice asked. We looked over to see Betty, her parents, Veronica, her mom, Reggie, his mom, Josh, and Jughead.

"God," Veronica breathed as she hugged Archie, Josh did the same to me. All of our friends formed a comforting group hug. Afterward, we all sat down.

"This man entered a shop wearing this black hood," I began to explain.

"At Pops, he had a gun, he pointed it at Dani, then at our dad and he fired," Archie added.

"Oh, my God, Archie and Dani," Veronica breathed.