Her Greatest Treasure

Chapter 8:

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Christian winces in pain as I pull the car over. "Um, here." I take off my shirt and wrap it around his torso to stop the bleeding. "I know it's gonna hurt, but you need to put pressure on it to stop the bleeding." His hands are filled with blood and so are mine. God, he's losing so much so fast. "Hello? Hello? I need help right off of Palm Street. Someone's been shot. Please come help," I cry into the phone with the police on the other line.

Fifteen minutes later, they show up with an ambulance. Blood streaks down Christian's leg as they get him onto a stretcher and bring him into the back of the ambulance. I hold his hand the entire time they stick needles into him and place an oxygen mask on his face.

He immediately pries it off. "No, no, no. We can't afford a medical bill."

"Don't worry about that," I say with tears in my eyes. "I'll figure it out."

"I'm fine," he groans as he tries to sit up. The medic immediately pushes him back down.

"He's losing too much blood," the medic tells me as I feel more and more tears streaming down my face.

The monitor starts to flatline as we pull into the hospital. The medics flurry around him leaving me in the waiting room alone.

And then I realize I'm standing in the middle of a hospital with a sports bra and some shorts on. Great.

...

It's been six hours and there's still not one sign of what's going on with Christian. I don't even care if it's good or bad at this point, I just want to know something. The anticipation is literally killing me.

"For Christian Blue?" I hear a doctor say as I stand.

"I'm um... I'm his girlfriend." The word tastes weird on my tongue. Especially when we haven't established anything yet.

"I'm very sorry to have to tell you this... but he's slipping away from us. I think he has a good three hours left of his life."

"N-no. There has to be something you can do."

"We did have him go through surgery, and at first it was successful... but he's just too weak."

"Then get him on an antibiotic or something! Give him an oxygen tank! I don't fucking care just do something!

"I understand you're upset—"

"Upset? I'm fucking angry! He is the only person I have left in my life and he's leaving me because you can't make him better? You don't understand; he's the only person I have left!"

"I can let you go in and say goodbye."

"That's all you can do?" I cry, my voice—and heart—breaking.

"I apologize so deeply for the hurt you must be feeling. I will have you know we did everything we could."

"I know."

I slip into room 305 to see Christian laying there on the hospital bed. He looks so... pale. God, I can't stand to see him this way.

"Hey, you," I whisper.

"Hey."

"I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

"Shh," he comforts me as I cry. "I would do it all over again. Listen, if I don't make it—"

"Don't talk like that."

"I'm facing my fate, Avalon."

"You can't leave me," I cry as I give him a small kiss on the lips.