Resolute Fate

Chapter 11: Heart

One of the assailants, who had been pretending to be unconscious, pulled out a gun and aimed it at Sera. Zevin noticed the glint of the weapon just as they started walking away. Without hesitation, he pushed Sera to the ground and stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. The shot rang out, echoing through the night.

Zevin fell to the ground, clutching his left side where the bullet had struck. Sera screamed, her voice filled with horror and anguish. She rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face.

"Pa, you're bleeding!" she cried, her hands trembling as she tried to stop the blood.

"It's just a scratch, Ma," Zevin tried to joke, his voice weak. "I'll be fine."

"You're lying!" Sera sobbed, her heart breaking at the sight of him in pain.

Zevin reached up, touching her face gently. "Ma, I like your scent," he murmured. He knew the name of the perfume well—Heart. It was the same scent Sera wore the first time he met her, and ever since then, he had always associated it with her. "Good thing nothing happened to you."

The assailants, seeing the escalated situation, panicked and fled the scene. Sera held Zevin tightly, her tears falling onto his face as she desperately tried to keep him conscious.

"Pa, please, don't leave me. Be fine," she begged, her voice cracking with emotion. "Pa, I won't wear anything you don't like every again. Please stay with me, Pa."

Zevin's breathing grew shallow, his strength fading. He looked into Sera's eyes, his love for her shining through his pain. "Sera" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Sera cried harder, holding him close. "I love you more," she whispered back, her heart shattering as she watched Zevin close his eyes, his body growing limp in her arms.

"Pa, no! Please, Pa, stay with me!" Sera cried out, her sobs echoing through the empty streets. She held him tightly, rocking back and forth as she pleaded for him to stay.

There were sound of sirens coming close, but to Sera, they seemed unreal. All that mattered was Zevin, lying still in her arms. She kissed his forehead, her tears mixing with his blood, praying for a miracle.

"I can't lose you, Pa," she whispered through her tears. "I love you more than anything. Please, don't leave me."

The paramedics arrived, quickly taking over and trying to save Zevin. Sera watched in a daze, her heart breaking with each passing second. As they loaded him into the ambulance, she climbed in beside him, never letting go of his hand.

"Stay with me, Pa," she whispered, her voice filled with unwavering determination. "I won't let you go. I love you, and I'm not giving up on you."

As the ambulance sped toward the hospital, Sera clung to the hope that Zevin would survive, that their love would be strong enough to pull him through. She prayed silently, her tears never ceasing, her heart full of love and desperation.

As Zevin slipped into unconsciousness, he vaguely saw Sera's tear-streaked face hovering above him. Her words were muffled, and everything around him started to blur. 

"Damn, is this it?" he thought to himself, fighting against the darkness that threatened to consume him. "I want to hold her." He tried with all his might to tighten his grip on Sera's hand, but the strength drained from him, and he fell into the depths of darkness.

When Zevin finally woke up, he felt a tight grip on his hand. He instinctively tightened his hold in return, taking comfort in the warmth and presence of another. Slowly, he opened his eyes.Seeing as he was holding a stranger's hand tightly, he instinctively let go, but the girl suddenly spoke.

"Zevin, your friend just went out with one of my girlfriends after he got really drunk. You, on the other hand, passed out after calling some names."

"I stayed here with you for a while when you suddenly moved, accidentally breaking a glass. While you did, you again mentioned someone's name. You sounded very frightened, so I thought of holding your hand. 

I didn't know that even in your slumber, you had that strong grip."

Zevin could only recall a very strange dream of being in pain on his left stomach. When he touched it, he felt some ache around it while seeing it being soaked with some blood and beer.

"You broke the glass, and a piece of it slid down your shirt. I didn't know it pierced you a bit," the stranger explained.

"Don't worry, it's just a scratch," Zevin replied.As he tried to stand up, his vision blurred and he stumbled, falling back onto the seat. The room spun, his head pounding with a mix of confusion and remnants of alcohol. He struggled to piece together the events of the night, his mind foggy and disoriented.

The woman sighed, her voice carrying a hint of disappointment. "You know, you were once a heartthrob in school. Even for us in the higher grades. You were composed at all times and cool. I didn't know you were this weak and..." she paused, shaking her head slightly.

Zevin flinched inwardly, the sting of her words cutting through the haze. He remembered those days, when he was full of confidence and unshakable. Before Claire and Eleanor left him. Before everything fell apart. He was the one everyone looked up to, the one who seemed to have it all together. And now? Now he was a mess, barely holding on.

The memories of Claire and Eleanor flooded his mind. His beautiful wife and his little girl, the family he had lost. He had been strong once, but their problems had gotten in the way, pushing them apart until he didn't know how to reach them anymore. 

All he wanted was to go back, to make things right. But right now, he felt powerless, trapped in his own despair.

"I used to be strong," he muttered, "I used to have it all together."

She watched him, her gaze softening slightly. She could see the struggle in his eyes, the pain of a man trying to find his way back. And in that moment, she saw an opportunity.

She had been stealing glances at him throughout the night because there was something achingly familiar about him. The way he carried himself, even in his drunken state, had stirred memories she thought she had long forgotten. And now, as he looked at her, broken and lost, she knew her suspicions were right.

"By the way, I'm Shamy" she said, her tone more gentle now. "I attended the same high school as you and Sera did, though I was three years ahead. I remember you well. You were the guy everyone talked about."

Zevin blinked, trying to focus on her face. The name rang a bell, but everything was still a blur. "Shamy?" he repeated slowly, trying to place her in his memories.

Shamy nodded, offering him a small smile. "Yes. You probably don't remember me, but I remember you. I've never seen you like this before."

Zevin's heart ached at her words. He was lost, trying to figure out who it was he had been calling for in his dream. It felt like another dream about Sera, but everything was a blur. Then, as the haze started to lift, he remembered why he was there.

He was in the bar because he wanted to clear his mind, to figure everything out, to release all the tension that had been building up inside him. He needed to get back to Eleanor and Claire. He needed to make things right.

"I just want to go home," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I just want my family back."Shamy's expression softened as she watched him. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help feeling a pull toward him.

There was something about his vulnerability, his desperation, that stirred something in her. She'd admired him from afar for so long, had built up an image of him in her mind. And now, seeing him like this, broken and lost, made her want to reach out and pull him back up.

"You don't have to do this alone," she murmured, her fingers still lightly brushing his hair. "I can help you, Zevin. Maybe... maybe we can help each other."