Secrets

Part 18

Nick POV

I hear a single shot, and a rain of fire follows them. I can feel something is wrong, and I look at Alex and run toward Hailey. I can see Amir hitting the last man standing, and the Parrot is dead on the ground. My breath hitches when I see Dec beside Hailey on the floor. I run to her, and all I can do is hold her and talk to her, "hold on; I still need you. Please, hold on. Hails, I love you. Please, hold on." All I can think about is I can't lose her, not again.

When she passes out, I lift her in my arms, "Amir, let's go. We need to take her to the hospital." He nods and starts to run to the helicopter. I move fast, and we are all of the nearest hospitals. Amir lands on the roof, and the team of doctors is on stand-by. I lift her to the gurney, and they roll her to the operating room.

Her family and I say thanks to Amir. "Please, call me when you know anything." "Okay, I will." After that, he leaves, and we move to the waiting room.

I sit down and put my head in my hands. I can't believe what happened today. Dec sits beside me, "she will be alright. She has to be." I nod. "Who is Amir? I don't know him." I look at him, "he is one of the men who came after Hails two years ago. I thought he was dead, but Hails said she helped him disappear." "What? He is from ISIS," Dec hissed. "Yeah, I know it is messed up, but you know Hails. She can't help it to be empathic." He smiled, "yeah." He stood up and moved to his brother.

Hours passed, and still, there wasn't any news. As the time ticked, I got more worried by the minute. Finally, I started to pace along the corridor. "Nick, the doctor is coming." I turned to Nate and saw the doctor, "how is Hailey?" The doctor looked at me and said, "she lost a lot of blood. We pulled out three bullets and managed to stabilize her. She is in critical condition, and we will keep her in the ICU. The next 24 hours are crucial." "How are her chances?" "It can go either way; the chances are 50/50." The doctor talked to Jack more, but I couldn't hear anything after hearing 50/50.

The next day I am sitting beside Hailey, holding her hand. "Hails, I need you. Please don't leave me. I love you," I whisper to her. I have been awake for over 24 hours, and my eyes drop. I rest my head against the bed. I wake up hours later; I am still on the chair next to Hailey. She is still sleeping. "I love you; please come back." I squeeze her hand, "Hails, you know. We got all the bad guys, and we are free from them. I closed down my business in New York. I will move where you want to live. I want to be there with you. I miss you; please stay with me."

It took a month for her wounds to heal, but she still is in a coma. Doctors say she should wake any moment, but I am waiting forever if I have to. Amir has called twice for an update; I promised to call him when she woke up. Her dad and brothers are working with the FBI now. They visit Hailey every day.

"Baby, I have to go to Washington tomorrow. The director of the FBI wants to see me. I tried to say no to him, but he was stubborn. He threatened to arrest me, which is bull-shit. I know you are okay here, but I will miss you. Dec is going to be with you until I come back. I hope it won't take me too long. Please, baby girl, stay with me. I want to be home with you, so hold on and wake up soon. I love you." I take a book and start to read to her.

I can sense eyes on me; I look around, but there isn't anyone. I take Hailey's hand in mine and put the book away. "Don't stop; I liked it."

I lift my eyes to her, and she is awake, "Hailey, honey. You woke up. I love you." I kiss her and hug her. "You are finally awake," I whisper in shock. "Nick, are you crying?" she asks me. "Yeah, I am so happy you woke up." "I love you too, but what is going on?" "Hailey, the Parrot, shot you, and you lost a lot of blood. You fell into a coma for a month. Everyone has been so worried about you. I was worried. I missed you." She smiled at me, "sorry, I didn't mean to get hurt." I smile at her, "I know; I thought I would lose you for good this time. I love you; I want you to be my home." "Okay, I will." "What? Are you sure?" "Of course. I have been waiting for you for over two years now. I love you." "Hailey, I love you too."