Suddenly, time is paused and I'm right back at the gassing. Jet looks over to me as the gun is fired, her eyes widening once the sound registers. I launch myself at her, grabbing her midsection and tackling her to the ground as the bullet, which I'm going to guess is buck shot based on the fact that it gives no fucks that I'm wearing Kevlar and the feeling of something exploding in me, buries itself in my abdomen. Times resumes as Jet grunts as we land on the ground together while I cry out in pain.
"Fuck! Jackson!" she shouts as three more shots ring out.
"Fuck!" I groan, grabbing my stomach and feeling the warm, slick blood covering my hands.
"You fucking dumbass, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she rages at me, scrambling to get her body out from underneath mine.
"Ah! Jesus fucking- CHRIST!" I cry as she rolls me onto my back.
"Fucking dumbass, do you think you're fucking invincible?!" she shouts at me as the tears start again. "Fuck Jackson!" Her eyes quickly dance over my stomach as I gasp for breath, the pain overtaking me. "Dumbass!"
"Maybe yelling insults at the poor guy is not the best idea right now!" Riley shouts from somewhere else in the gym.
"Jet- your- your arms-" I gasp, trying to pull a full breath in. The indescribable pain prevents that, though.
"They're fucking fine, Jackson. That dumbass had no idea what he was fucking doing, I'll be fine," she reassures me quickly, wiping her tears off with her shoulder.
Austin appears next to me with his medic bag, opening it quickly and passing Jet a few things. Austin slices through the straps of my Kevlar, tossing the front half somewhere. Jet cuts through my T-shirt with scissors, her eyes widening as the tears grow thicker and more frequent.
Fuck. I'm fucked.
"We have to get the shrapnel out of there," Austin tells her.
She nods slowly, staring at my abdomen still. It's almost like she's been shell-shocked, a thousand-yard stare in her eyes. It's the way she looked at Brian. It's the way she looked after the miscarriage when she wouldn't leave bed for three days.
"Fuck, it's bad, isn't it?" I ask.
"No, you'll be fine, I've seen way worse," Austin assures me.
"Then why- does she- look like that?" I question, gasping for breath between words.
Jet looks up at me, wiping some of the blood and tears from her face with her hands, "You're gonna be okay, okay?" she urges. "You HAVE to be okay. There is no other option because I can't do this shit without you, okay?"
"Okay," I croak, gasping for breath.
"I'm so sorry, Jackson, I'm so sorry," Jet blubbers.
"Why are you sorry?" I ask, groaning just a bit when Austin moves part of my stomach.
"This is all my fault-"
"No, absolutely not. This is their fault, not yours, okay?" I tell her, just a bit forcefully.
"I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry-"
"Jet, this isn't on you," I insist.
"I'm so fucking sorry. I got you fucking shot! I'm so sor-"
"Jet!" I rage as I grab her face in my hands, instantly wincing and regretting my sudden movement. It does the trick though, because she stops apologizing and looks at me. "You and I both know this isn't on you. I would take a bullet for you another 100 times if it meant I got to spend more time with you." I take in as deep of a breath as I can manage. Her eyes are still on me, not moving, full of tears. "This isn't on you, do you understand me?"
"Y-yeah," she whimpers.
"Okay. I love you," I tell her as I pull her down toward me, kissing her as best as I can. The taste of the blood on her lips overtakes my senses. She pulls away too soon and I miss her lips on mine immediately.
"Jackson, I have to pull these pieces out, okay? But it's gonna hurt like a bitch, do you understand?" Austin asks me.
"Just-" I cough aggressively, "do it."
"Are you sur-"
"DO IT!"
Austin shoves his fingers into me, grabbing a piece of metal as I scream bloody fucking murder. I curl up into the tightest ball I can manage, trying to keep him from getting to me.
"Jackson, you have to let me get these so we can stop the bleeding," Austin lectures. I continue screaming in pain, holding my abdomen. I can't control the tears that come from my eyes as the pain consumes my entire body.
"Hey, hey!" Jet shouts. She grabs my shoulders and slams me back onto the floor, getting in my face. "Fucking relax!"
YOU ARE READING
Burn Into Me (Into Me Series Book Two)
RomanceIt's moments like these that make me feel like my soul is entangled with his. It feels like all of the broken pieces of me turned out to be the missing pieces in his puzzle and not at all the worthless trash that I thought they were previously. Ever...
