Choice of Love

Chapter 9: Fracture Shadows

The day after the shooting felt surreal, as if I had woken up in someone else's life. Jason and I sat in the hospital waiting room, the antiseptic scent and low murmurs of nurses filling the air. The police had taken our statements, the school was in lockdown for the foreseeable future, and the news was flooded with reports of the attack. But none of that seemed to matter now.

What mattered was that Ethan had been shot.

When we found out, the initial shock paralyzed me. My thoughts raced, and guilt clawed at my chest. Ethan was in surgery, and Jason sat beside me, holding my hand tightly. His warmth was the only thing keeping me grounded, but I couldn't stop the waves of confusion and dread crashing inside me.

Ethan had been furious when I told him about Jason, and now—now he was lying in a hospital bed because of something neither of us could have predicted. It felt too cruel, too bitter.

"Do you want to go in when they let us?" Jason asked, his voice soft yet steady. He had been calm throughout everything, but I could sense the tension beneath the surface. This was complicated, for both of us.

I nodded, though part of me wasn't sure what I would say to Ethan when I saw him. Would he blame me? Would he understand? My stomach twisted with dread.

A nurse walked toward us, her face expressionless but professional. "Ethan's out of surgery and stable. He's awake if you'd like to see him now."

Jason squeezed my hand, and I glanced at him for reassurance before standing up. My legs felt shaky, like I could collapse at any moment, but I forced myself to stay steady. We followed the nurse down the corridor, the sterile white walls making everything feel cold and distant.

When we reached Ethan's room, I hesitated at the door. The sight of him lying in bed, pale and hooked up to various machines, was jarring. He had always been so strong, so intense, and now he looked fragile, vulnerable in a way I had never seen before.

But as soon as he saw me, his expression twisted with fury.

"You're here," Ethan said, his voice a mix of bitterness and exhaustion. "Of course you are."

I swallowed hard, stepping closer. "Ethan, I—"

"What, Lesley?" he snapped, cutting me off. His grey eyes, once so piercing, were filled with anger. "You think I need your pity? You think I want you here after everything?"

Jason stood behind me, silent but present. I could feel his support like an invisible shield, but Ethan's fury was all-consuming.

"You got shot," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I... I didn't know. I didn't want this to happen, Ethan."

Ethan scoffed, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "Of course you didn't. But it's typical, isn't it? You move on with him"—he jerked his head toward Jason—"and I'm the one who ends up in a hospital bed. It's always me paying the price, isn't it?"

Jason stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "This isn't about us, Ethan. You were hurt, and we're here because we care. That's all."

Ethan's eyes flickered with something dark, something that made my heart ache. "Don't act like you care, Jason. You've always wanted her, and now you've got her. Congratulations." His voice dripped with venom, but there was something deeper beneath it—hurt, betrayal.

"Ethan, this isn't what I wanted," I said softly, taking a step closer to his bed. "I didn't want to hurt you, and I definitely didn't want you to get hurt like this. This was an accident. None of us could've predicted it."

"Accident?" Ethan laughed bitterly. "Of course it's an accident when I'm the one who gets shot. You think it's just bad luck that I'm lying here, while you two get to run off and play happy couple?"

My breath hitched in my throat. "Ethan, I—"

"You don't get it, do you?" Ethan interrupted, his voice rising. "You made your choice, Lesley. You chose him, and I'm the one who pays for it. How is that fair?"

"I didn't choose for you to get hurt!" I blurted out, my frustration bubbling over. "This isn't about who's right or wrong. You were caught in something terrible, and I'm sorry, Ethan, I really am. But this wasn't my fault."

Ethan stared at me, his eyes filled with so many emotions I couldn't even begin to unravel them. His jaw clenched, and for a moment, I thought he was going to scream.

But instead, he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. "It's always you," he muttered. "It's always you who breaks everything."

His words hit me like a physical blow. My heart twisted painfully in my chest, and I took a step back, tears stinging my eyes.

Jason moved closer, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Ethan," he said quietly, "you need to rest. This anger—it's not going to help you heal."

Ethan's eyes snapped open, and he glared at Jason. "You think I give a damn about healing? About any of this? You stole her from me, and now I'm supposed to lie here and just... accept it?"

Jason's jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm. "I didn't steal her. She made her choice. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But this—"

"You're right, I'm angry," Ethan interrupted, his voice dangerously low. "I'm furious. And you—" he pointed at Jason, his hand trembling—"you're the reason for all of this."

"I'm not," Jason said firmly. "We're both just people trying to figure things out, and this isn't about blame."

Ethan's eyes burned with rage as he stared at Jason, and then, after what felt like an eternity, he slumped back against the bed, exhausted. "Get out," he muttered, his voice hollow. "Both of you. I don't want to see you."

"Ethan, please—" I started, but he shook his head, turning his face away from me.

"Just go."

The words stung like ice. I bit my lip, tears threatening to fall, but I nodded, turning toward the door. Jason followed, his hand resting gently on the small of my back as we left the room.

As the door clicked shut behind us, the weight of everything crashed down on me. Ethan's fury, his pain, the tangled web of emotions that had led us here—it was all too much. I wiped a tear from my cheek, trying to hold it together.

"You okay?" Jason asked softly, his voice filled with concern.

I took a shaky breath, leaning into him. "I don't know."

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as I trembled in his embrace. "We'll figure it out," he whispered. "We'll get through this. Together."

But even as he held me, I couldn't shake the feeling that things had shattered beyond repair.