Shark of Spades

Shatter

I carefully washed my hands, making sure that Ace wouldn't be able to suspect anything, and exited the bathroom. Ace and I talked a little bit about tomorrow's job before we both decided to call it a night, him  taking the couch and me with the bed.

Although he fell asleep almost  instantly, and though I should have with all the emotional turmoil of the day, I couldn't help but trouble my mind with some minor details that disturbed me ever so slightly. For instance, how my mom had looked so scared when Joker and I had visited her, but instead of calling down my dad for support, she just sat near the phone. How she didn't stop at lose my children but added lose my family. Reading the wrinkle lines on her face and the weariness in her eyes, my dad was already dead.

And I was next.

***

The game the next day was the same as always, with the same players and the same stunts and the same outcome.

I left with Joker and Ace, and we were walking down the sidewalk with little to no light when the pain came again. This time, I made a mistake. I gasped softly, and both Joker and Ace noticed immediately.

"What is it?" Ace asked immediately, his voice low as Joker scanned our  surroundings, checking to make sure that we were clear as we stopped.

"Nothing,"  I murmured, already breathing hard from the strain of not screaming.  The pain was amplified from last time, and even then, it had been overwhelming. It felt like an invisible hand had implanted itself in my  stomach and was pulling at tugging and screwing around my insides. "I'm fine."

"I don't think that's the truth," Ace replied, looking worried  just as Joker whispered, "Guys? Not the time. We need to go, fast, before anyone comes."

"Can you walk?" Ace asked, sounding urgent and yet gentle.

"Of course I can walk. I'm fine, like I told you." No way I'm fine.

"Okay, then let's get moving. We'll talk about this back in the motel."

"What about our rotation?" Joker asked, still constantly scanning but focused on the area behind us in particular.

"I think it's safer to stick together tonight."

"I agree. Now let's move," Joker voiced, sounding almost paranoid.

"Yeah,  sure," I said, standing up straighter and following the two of them. Ace paused and turned, reaching back to take my hand, but just as our  fingers interlocked, Joker turned and his eyes went wide with what looked like fear and panic. Jack, panicked? In fear? Not possible.

"CARD! GET DOWN!" he yelled, pulling out a gun and pulling the trigger, but I was too slow to act. I heard the gunshot go off, and then the pain grew even worse.

Damn it. Did I get so screwed up that I let someone shoot me? I wondered, angry at myself for being so carelessly stupid. And I didn't even draw my own gun. How horribly embarrassing.

***

When I woke up, I was in a simplistic room with gray walls, white tile, and annoying florescent lights embedded in the ceiling. Taking a quick look  at myself, I noticed that I was lying on a stiff bed with scratchy blankets that did nothing to keep me warm.

"Where am I?" I asked out loud, my throat feeling a bit scratchy.

"The hospital," Ace replied from the chair beside my bed. "We got you here as quickly as we could after..."

"After someone shot you," Joker finished easily. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," I said, looking down at the stupid blankets that were ticking me off for no definite reason.

"I swear," Joker said, sighing. "All you ever do is lie."

I shrugged and looked away, too worn down to deny. "That's how you win the game."

***

*from Evan's POV*

We  left her alone a few minutes later when she fell back asleep from pure  exhaustion. I couldn't blame her. In fact, I didn't. I wanted to blame myself and take that guilt with my own two hands, but I knew that in all honesty, the shooter was to blame. Unfortunately, he'd run off and we'd been in too much of a rush to save Card to track him down. Soon, though...

I accidentally bumped into the doctor as he walked past.

"Hello," he greeted, nodding and about to hustle in another direction, but I grabbed the elbow of his shirt.

"Doctor? How's it looking for her?" I asked, not even bothering to hide Misa's  gender because the man was a doctor and with any luck, we'd be gone soon.

He shrugged, his brow furrowed. "Well, the injury sustained from the gun shot wound should heal just fine. It's the rest I'm worried  about."

"The rest?" I asked, sensing something bad.

He nodded  again, still looking troubled. "Yes. In her current condition, there is no chance for recovery, not in this stage, but even if we had caught it  earlier on, there's still little hope, as there isn't an established cure."

"What do you mean, Doctor?"

The doctor met my eyes  apologetically and with deep regret. "I'm sorry, but in her current state, death is inevitable. She has two weeks to live at most."