Poisoned Royalty

━♔━ Chapter 23 ━♔━

It all happened so fast.

Ivy was being too cryptic with her phone call. I could start to feel her become more anxious the longer the call went on. I noticed the changes in her facial expressions as well as her body language.

I looked towards the others, and it looked like they hadn't noticed anything unordinary. Maybe I was just overthinking.

Suddenly I hear a loud bang and feel Ivy's weight fall on me. We all hear three more loud bangs before I can fully register what just happened. I watched the blood start to pour from her back and finally put the puzzle pieces together...

She took a bullet for me. 

SHE TOOK A BULLET. FOR. ME.

Her weight knocks us off the chair and sends us flying into the floorboards.

I look down at her as I start to feel her lose her balance and strength. I pull her limp body off the floor and place her head in my lap. My hands run across her face, trying to soothe her shivering.

"I couldn't let you...get...hurt," she whispers. Blood starts to drip from her mouth as she coughs. Her breaths getting weaker as she fights to stay awake.

"No. NO. NO!" I yell out loud and Aspen and Ace are already by my side. "Someone call an ambulance! Get her back too headquarters now!''

I look down at Ivy who closes her eyes, "No please! Stay with me Ivy. Please! Why did you? Why would you?" She looks up at me with the most tender eyes I've ever seen.

''Pull the plug in September, I don't want to die in June'' She manages to cough out.

No Ivy, I won't, because you are not! Dying'

"It's okay you're safe," she says as she closes her eyes.

I'M SAFE? Who cares about me?!

"Stay with me Vinny. Please. Please don't do this. Don't leave me." I whisper.

I tried opening her eyelids, nothing. Shouting close to her ears, nothing. I picked up her hand above her face and it fell with gravity, smack onto the ground. Unresponsive.

''Someone call an ambulance, now.'' I yelled.

I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Ace standing over us. ''The ambulance has already been called''. He said, looking over to Ivy's limp and pale body.

Every heart in the room skipped a beat as the ambulance weaved through the traffic, blue and red lights ablaze. There was something in the intensity of the moment, as if the way it was being driven gave some emotional urgency to the street. For those few moments we were all a small part of the unfolding drama, urging it onward, to carry its cargo to safety.

The blue lights became brighter as the paramedics burst through the room. They scanned the room and quickly dashed to where Ivy was laying on the floor. Blood slowly pooling around her body.

''Multiple GSWs to the lower back and lumbar area. No exit wound'' One of them shouted as another gently placed a breathing mask around her mouth, and taped a heart rate monitor too her chest.

Relief filled the air, as we heard the sound of her heart monitor beeping. It was faint and slow., but it was still there.

They swiftly but carefully rolled her over, placing her on a gurney and loading her into the back of the ambulance.

I followed. There was no chance in hell I was letting her out of my sight. I sat in the back of the ambulance out of the way of the paramedics and gripped her hand.

The ride back to headquarters was the slowest of my life. I couldn't take my eyes off Ivy, as her limp and pale body shook with every turn the ambulance made. She coded once but they were able to get her back but her body took on an even paler hue.

Finally we arrived at the headquarters.

"What's going on? What happened? Who's this?" A doctor called out, as they slowly unloaded the gurney onto the floor.

"There's no time! Please help her!" I look over at the doctor who is already checking Ivy over.

"You're right, she doesn't have much time. She's lost too much blood. We need to get her into surgery now if she stands a chance."

I hold Ivy's hand as we are quickly rolled into the medical wings of the compound.

The hallway has as much personality as the rest of the hospital. The floor is slate grey and the walls dove white. How Ironic. Above the ceiling is made from those polystyrene squares laid on a grid-like frame. The light is too bright for my eyes after the darkening gloom outside.

There are commercial prints on the wall, tasteful in a dull kind of way. This place certainly isn't run by risk-takers and I guess I should find comfort in that. Above every door I pass is a large plastic sign, dark with white lettering- no fancy fonts, just bold and all-caps. It's so new and spotless I feel like the whole building must have just gotten beamed here from some-place dirt is outlawed. But I no longer care. My only concern is Ivy.

Shouts from the doctor and nurses bring me back to reality. I look around and watch them prepare for surgery.

"Ace!" I yell as the nurses start to run out and bring all the necessary things, one of them tries to pry my hand out of hers.

"River you need to let her go," the doctor says to me but I hesitate. I want Ivy to be taken care of but I'm scared. Sacred that if I let her go, I'll lose her.

"River! If you want her to stand a chance I need you to hand her over. NOW."

I let go of Ivy's hand and looked down at my arms that were covered in her blood. My torso is drenched in her blood. Why would she do that? Risk her life for me?!

''I..I can't lose her." I say out loud without realising.

"You won't," Aspen says looking at me with sympathy, "Stephen is the best doctor we have at headquarters. He's going to do everything in his power to save her.

I look at her with sadness and worry trying my hardest to hold myself together. "Now let's get you cleaned up," she says slowly moving me toward another medical bay. I walk slowly, almost on autopilot still questioning what the hell just happened. One question rages in my mind.

''Where is Alexander'' I ask

''He went back to the castle to inform the king, Queen and Octavius about what happened'' Aspen replies, pulling me further into the medical bay.

I get myself cleaned up and sit for a bit before Bella walks in, giving Aspen a swift kiss on the cheek.

"What happened?" she asks worriedly, as Aspen pulls her into a tight hug.

"That's what I intend to find out," I say as I begin what feels like the longest waiting period of my life.