Love Hurts

Seventeen

Hoss,    
 
            I watched as my girlfriend walked into a dangerous situation, feeling completely helpless. Deep down, I knew she was right, but if I were to go in after her now, it would only result in a bloody massacre. So, I held back and called for backup, hoping that nothing would happen until they arrived. However, the longer I sat there, the more restless I became.
         Suddenly, I heard two gunshots, and I knew I couldn't wait any longer. But I had to be smart about it, just in case the asshole was simply firing into the air. So, I quietly made my way to the back of the building and slipped in through the back door without being noticed.
         As I cautiously moved forward, I noticed someone lying on the ground near the front door. I could hear Camilla pleading to be allowed to go to Kim and make sure she was okay. With their backs turned to me, I crawled over to where Kim lay, gasping for air. It was then that I saw she had been shot in the back and the head area.
       Fuck!
       "Stay strong, Kim. Help is on the way," I reassure her. I retreat into the shadows for now. He's giving Camilla a hard time, but she can handle it for now. If I were to reveal myself, he would kill her on the spot.
       It pains me to hear my girl in such agony. I witness her kick him in the face and crawl away. I prepare myself for an attack on the bastard, but he grabs her legs and pulls her back towards him.
      I can't bear to watch him harm her any longer. I know I need to intervene. As soon as he lowers his pants, I charge at him, throwing him off Camilla and into a wall.
    He shakes his head and stands back up.
   "You must be the boyfriend."
   Yes, my name is Officer Moore and you are being placed under arrest.
   "No, sir, I am not," he claims. "In fact, I am taking my wife and we are going home, isn't that right, princess?"
   "Damn, you are incredibly delusional."
   He retrieves his gun from his back pocket and points it directly at my chest. We struggle for control of the gun and it accidentally discharges, hitting him in the shoulder.
    He turns around, aiming the gun directly at Camilla. I demand him to put the gun down, pointing my own gun at his back, right where his heart is. He bids Camilla goodnight and refers to her as princess. I don't dwell on it any longer. I pull the trigger before he has a chance to, and he collapses to the ground, facing Camilla. "Damn it!" Why couldn't he just drop the damn gun? Why did he have to push me to the point of shooting him? I know Camilla claims to be over her husband, but let's be honest here. No matter how much you say you're over someone, you don't want to see them dead. And you certainly don't want to witness your boyfriend killing the person you once believed would be with you forever. I glance over at Camilla, and she remains frozen in the same position she was in when I threw the bastard off her. So, I approach her slowly, as if approaching a frightened animal.
I ask Cam if she is okay, bending down to her level. She snaps out of her trance and quickly embraces me. Camilla asks if Hoss shot me, running her hand over my chest. I assure her that I'm fine and ask if she is hurt. Camilla says she's okay, but then remembers that Kim was shot. She insists on checking on Kim, but I tell her we need to make sure she is okay first. Camilla insists that she is fine, and I can't help but smile at her strength and stubbornness. However, it pains me to see her hurting like this.
        "Okay, let's take it slow. The police will be here soon, and I don't want them to mistake us for the suspect." I guide Camilla over to where her friend is lying on the floor. As Camilla bends down over Kim, I call dispatch to inform them that the suspect is down, possibly deceased. There is an injured civilian in the warehouse, and another civilian is assessing her injuries. A plainclothes officer is also present.
       When the police and ambulance arrive, they immediately start working on Kim and confirm that Alan is dead. Camilla doesn't want to leave Kim's side, but she is making it difficult for the paramedics to do their job. I have to pull her away and hold her in my arms.
       Camilla blames herself, saying it's all her fault. She believes that if Kim wasn't associated with her, he would have never come after Kim . But I reassure her that if it wasn't Kim , he would have targeted someone else just to get to her. He knew that was the only way to get her near him.
       She starts crying again, and I gently lift her chin with two fingers. "Hey, look at me," I say. "It's over, baby. He can't hurt you or anyone else anymore. Do you understand me?"
     "Come on, let's go to the hospital," I tell Camilla. She remains quiet throughout the entire ride.
     "Baby, before I can let you out of this truck, I need you to promise me that you will let them do their job. You will not try to interfere because we both know you can't," I say to her. She just stares at me and then gets out of the truck without saying a word.
    "Well, fuck, that went well," I think to myself.
    We enter the hospital and head straight to the waiting area. Thanks to Camilla, we made it just in time. Olivia hugs Camilla as Kim goes into surgery.
    "What's the status of Kim's injuries?" Camilla asks Olivia.
    "You know I can't tell you that Cam." Olivia tells her.
    "Olivia, I don't care about the rules right now. I need to know the extent of Kim's injuries. If you won't tell me, I'll just scrub in and go to the operating room myself to find out," Cam responds angrily.
     "Cam, I understand you're upset, but you're not in charge here and you know the protocols. If you were thinking clearly, you wouldn't let anyone break those protocols," Olivia says, trying to reason with Cam.
    Camilla growls in frustration and then sits down in a seat in the waiting room.
    "Take care of her, Hoss," Olivia tells me before leaving the room.
    I walk over to where Cam is sitting, pick her up, and seat her on my lap. We sit like that for a couple of hours before Camilla finally gets up and paces the floor.
    Camilla angrily exclaimed, "Where the hell is the doctor with an update on Kim?" She pulled at her hair in frustration.
    Her partner, Olivia, tried to reassure her, saying, "Baby, I'm sure she is in recovery and they will come to get you at any second."
    Olivia then informed Camilla that Kim was out of surgery and the doctor was monitoring her. She assured Camilla that the doctor would come in soon to provide an update.
    Camilla, still agitated, asked Olivia to distract her by sharing the story of how she and Kim met. Olivia complied, hoping it would help calm Camilla down.
   "We met in the 8th grade," Olivia began. "Kim had just moved to town with her parents, and they happened to move onto our block. One day, me and a few friends were outside playing hopscotch on the road when this little skinny girl approached us. She asked if she could play with us."
    Olivia continued, "At first, we told her no. We didn't want some new person joining our game. We couldn't understand what she was thinking, trying to play with us."
     The bully continued to harass me, but the slender girl intervened and punched her. Instantly, we formed a bond and became friends.
She actually saved my life. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here right now. She rushed me to the hospital and devised a crazy plan for me to escape from Alan. He would have killed me that night when he returned from his party.
     Cam shares a few more anecdotes about her and Kim, but then she glances at her watch and becomes agitated once again.
I can't believe it, Olivia. Where is that doctor? She has been in the recovery room for over an hour.

@Crystal Steadman 2023