RIVER (An Eminem FanFiction)

Chapter 27

October 24th 2023
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Paul's POV

*Warning, this chapter continues with the suicide narrative.*

I'm still beyond pissed at Marshall for our argument yesterday. I know he told me not to bother anymore but I can't just neglect him, I'm the only one who can face being with him anyway aside from Ava but she's too little to understand.

Everything is telling me not to go and show my face to him today but I guess I want to be the bigger person, get one up on him. Be there, regardless of if he wants me to or not.

I shut my car off as I reach the top of his driveway by the front steps and grab my coat before hopping out and ringing the front doorbell.

I wait and wait and after getting no respone I ring it again, still unsuccessful. The fucker must be in the home studio, he'll never hear me.

I pull the spare key out from in the flower pot by his door after realising I'd forgotten mine and push the door open.

Silence. No tv on, no music, nothing. Like I said, he'll be in the studio.

I hand my coat and head towards the home studio, I open the door to be met once again with silence. I take a quick look around and after confirming that the room is in fact empty, I find myself making my way towards his office.

I turn the corner to find the office door wide open. I note how weird that is, his OCD ass normally flips if doors get left open.

I can see this room is also empty aside from his notebook and a pen on his desk. The notebook open with a page ripped from the centre, another weird thing. He's always refused to destroy his notebooks in any way.

I feel a sense of unease slowly begin to creep in and decide I'll head down to the basement and check the home theatre, on my way I'll check the cupboard that he keeps his car keys in just to make sure he hasn't gone anywhere.

After seeing every car key in its usual place and all house keys on their assigned hooks, I conclude he is still in the house. Just where?

"MARSHALL?" I call as I open the door and head down the dark steps into the basement, finally having the brains to turn the light on when I reach the bottom.

I open the door to the theatre, nothing. I check the games room, nothing. Hailie and Alaina's old hideout, nothing. The storage room filled with Stevie's stuff that she refuses to let him throw out, nothing. Where the fuck is he?

I feel my nerves spike and the uneasy feeling from earlier come back ten times more forcefully. Something's wrong, I can feel it.

I leave the basement and after double checking the ground floor, I make my way upstairs.

I check his bedroom, nothing. Closet, nothing. Ensuite, nothing. Spare bedrooms, nothing. I'm running out of ideas now.

I realise I haven't checked his awards room, coincidently its also the room he keeps the glass cabinet of Proof's jacket in. Thats where he goes when he's down.

He can't talk to Proof in person, he can't talk to him at the cemetery because of fans so he talks to Proof's jacket.

I burst into the room. "Marshall!" I huff, out of breath only to realise he isn't in here.

I faintly think I hear the sound of something fall in the bathroom opposite and realise I haven't checked in there.

It sounded like metal maybe? It didn't fall from a height, almost as if it dropped from the sink cabinet or something.

I walk across the hallway and push the handle down, only to be met with resistance as I discovered the door was in fact locked. What the fuck?

"MARSHALL!" I shouted as I banged my fists against the door. "OPEN UP!" I got no reply. Shit, something really must be wrong.

I called the security team who were based at the end of the drive by the gates and after realising I had no idea where Marshall kept the spare key for this bathroom, I began to break it down.

I could tell with each kick against the door, it was getting weaker until finally I fell inwards and onto the ground.

I ran into the room, intially not seeing anything. That was until I turned to my right.

Slumped against the wall, blood pooling out of his wrists onto the floor beneath him, I finally found Marshall.

I ran over, grabbing toilet paper and holding it against his wrists to try and stop the bleeding as I heard security come through the front door.

"SOMEBODY CALL ME A FUCKING AMBULANCE!" I yelled as they all ran into the room.

A gaurd who I didn't recognise, must be someone new bent down beside me with saran wrap and I watched intently as he peeled away the now drenched toilet paper, instead replacing it with the plastic. What the hell?

"What are you doing?" I asked, still out of breath from both searching and the panic flooding through me currently.

"Saw it on some show my wife was watching, figured it was worth a go to try hold some blood in." He said as he wrapped it tightly.

If he wasn't about to die of blood loss I'd have been concerned it was cutting of his circulation but that was the least of our worries right now.

After what felt like a lifetime but also felt rushed and frantic, paramedics were lead into the bathroom, pushing us out of their way.

Time slowed. Everything became muffled, both vision and hearing.

"He's lost too much blood."
"He needs a transfusion."
"We got to move NOW."
"He needs to get to the hospital."
"1, 2, 3 lift."

I was snapped back as I watched them take him out on the gurney.

I looked to Sam, our head of security who was flicking his gaze from me to  the blood on the ground.

"Sam, where are they taking him?"

"Detroit Medical Centre, you might want to change first though."

I looked down at myself, he was right. My white shirt was now stained red.

Then it clicked for me. Shit, the DMC that's where Sophia is aswell. Poor Ava's gonna have to be told they're both in hospital.

Another gaurd threw one of Marshall's old shirts to me as he passed by the bathroom and I quickly slipped it on before heading out of the room to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

"Boss?" I heard Sam shout as he chased me down the stairs.

"I just found this on the sink cabinet."

"Thanks." I mumbled and took the torn piece of paper from his grip.

The notepad page I thought to myself as I glanced down at it. I could see Marshall's capitalised handwriting on the page and before I read it I put it in my pocket. Its probably not meant for my eyes, I'll give it to one of the girls.

I jump into my car and begin to drive, connecting my phone to the bluetooth as I do so. Pressing Hailie's name I hear the ringing sound fill my ears.

"Hey Paul." She answers sounding pretty cheery.

"Hailie, we have a problem"...

A/N - Paul's POV won't be a common thing, I might not even do it again but it just made sense to write this chapter from his POV.

As always, any feedback or suggestions are welcome.

~ Im 💕