band-aids don't fix bullet holes

{73} I'll paint the prettiest sunsets

TW: violence and blood

A/N: Tissues recommended💔

Taylor's POV:

In the moment of my last breath, my mind cleared from every single thought, I suddenly hear someone open the door, though I keep my eyes closed, thinking it must be some kind of hallucination.

"Put down the gun!" Someone shouts. A voice I didn't think I'd ever hear again.
As I dare to open my eyes, the gun still pressed to the side of my head, I see him - Travis, standing right behind Joe, his hands clenched to fists, a look on his face I've never seen before.

He found me.

Under different circumstances I would've let out a sigh of relief. I would've jumped up and melted into his arms.

"Care to join our little party?" Joe asks him, strangely calm, looking over his shoulder into the footballer's direction. "I got more than one bullet."

"Put down the gun, you son of a bitch!" Travis repeats, quieter but sharper than before.

"Why? So the two of you can go home and live happily ever after? No way. Taylor belongs to me and if I can't have her the way I want to, then nobody can, especially not you. On top of that...she's an absolute pain in the ass!"

I sense Travis wanting to jump him, his fists shaking in anticipation, but I know if he makes one wrong move, Joe is gonna kill him too, because that man has absolutely no mercy.

"Travis...don't." I whimper, the tears I tried so hard to hold back now rolling down my cheeks. "It's okay."

"Listen to her." The blonde agrees. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you. One step closer and you're next."
Then he turns back to me and I instinctively sqeeze my eyes shut again, cold beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
"Say goodbye to your little lover boy, Taytay."

Right after these words everything happens way too fast for me to comprehend.

Bang.

My jaw drops as a sharp, unbearable pain emerges from the side of my stomach, before I lower my head and I'm met with a gaping wound, blood flowing like a waterfall.  It takes me a second to realize what just happened, that I've indeed been shot and the room starts to spin around me.

A few seconds earlier
Travis' POV:

Joe is standing inches from her, his hand gripping a gun that's still pressed right against her temple, while I'm debating on my next move. I've never felt that much rage in my entire life, mixed with so much fear.
He just needs to move his finger and Taylor will be dead within a split of a second and that thought terrifies me more than anything.
I can see the bruises on Taylor's wrists, the cuts on her face, her ribs sticking out more than ever. Two weeks. Two weeks, he's had her. And now it comes down to this.

I've got one chance. One. If I mess this up,  my girl is dead. My mind races, everything else fading away but the two of them—the gun, Taylor's terrified eyes, and Joe's shaky, unstable finger hovering too close to that trigger.

"Put the gun down!" I say a third time, this time with even more force. "You're not walking out of here if you hurt her."

The actor laughs, a cold, sharp sound that fills the room.

For a moment the blonde draws his attention back to Taylor and that's my clue, the moment I've been waiting for since storming through that door and taking in the scene.
I close the space between him and me, before I tackle him from behind, forcing him to the ground.
He still manages to pull the trigger though.

Bang.

A shot rings out, echoing through the room, before he lets the gun drop to the floor.
I react quickly, let go of the man and grab the weapon.
Without a single second of hesitation, I reload, aim at him and pull the trigger, after the blonde has just got back onto his feet.

Bang.

I watch him stumble back a few steps, reaching for the wound that's right below his left collar bone.

"You fucking bastard." He yells through gritted teeth.

No, he is not walking out of here today.

Bang.

Bang.

I fire two more shots before Joe begins to sink to the ground, his eyes rolling back as he drifts out of consciousness, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

I instantly drop the gun and rush over to Taylor, only now realizing the actor's earlier shot has indeed hit her, right into the stomach.

"Oh my fucking god, Tay!" I exclaim, pull off my shirt and try to stop the gushing blood emerging from the wound, before I free her hands, sit down with my back against the wall and lay her head into my lap, making sure to keep pressing the fabric to the gaping wound. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm here. I'm here now. You're safe. Please open your eyes for me!" I beg, letting my tears fall right down onto her face. I quickly pull out my phone and call 911, swiftly explaining the situation before hanging up and drawing my attention back to Taylor.

"Trav." She mumbles weakly, her eyes fluttering open slightly.

"Tay." I sniffle back, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Help is on the way, okay? Just hold on!"

"Travy."

"I'm here."

"I don't think I'm gonna make it." Her voice comes out barely above a whisper.
Her words hit me like a brick and for a moment I forget how to breathe.

"No, we're not doing that! You ARE gonna make it, you have to! Just a few more minutes, okay?! We've come this far, I have found you and I'm refusing to lose you now!" I almost shout back to her, my voice desperate.

"Thank you, Travis. Thank you for all the times you've encouraged me. You're the first person I've felt comfortable enough to honestly open up to. Thank you for believing in me and showing me that I am worth more than just my body, that I am good enough despite my flaws. You really made a change since the first time I saw you two months ago, though you might not have noticed." The singer continues.

"Taylor, stop." I plead.

"I really wanted to find out what it feels like to actually fall in love again and I'm pretty sure you would've been the one. I do think we would have become something pretty special. We would have made this work.
It was short, really short, I agree, but I don't regret it and they can never take away what was ours, okay? So please remember me but promise me you'll be happy. I want you to be happy."

I don't answer, just attempt to stifle my sobs.

"And make sure you tell Hailey that I love her to the moon and to saturn. Tell her that she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Tell her to always be kind because that's what matters most. Tell her that I'll always be there even if she can't see me and that she was the sunshine on my darkest days. Make sure she is in good hands, okay?" I recognize her words becoming more slurred, hardly audible.

"No you can tell her that yourself once you get home!"

"This is it, baby. There's no returning home and there's nothing to worry about anymore. You'll be okay. I promise to paint the prettiest sunsets."

"No! No! No!" I sob. "Can this fucking ambulance just fucking hurry up. You're not dying on me Taylor Alison Swift! What can I do? Tell me what to do?! I will do anything, just don't give up now!"

"Please just hold me." The woman whispers and I immediately pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her as good as possible while still pressing the shirt onto the wound.
I cry, loudly, praying  for the medical team to show up as soon as possible, praying for Taylor to survive this.
The clock is ticking though, my girl slowly bleeding out.
I watch her as she closes her eyes, the life leaving her tiny body, her breathing becoming shallower with every passing second.

"I love you." I choke out.

A/N: Travis the savior...or is he?