Addicted{Brollins}

Chapter 35

Rebecca's eyes open.

She's looking around and wondering at this strange version of the afterlife. Odd, that Colby was here, still pressing his hands to her chest, that she still can't seem to move, that she still feels such extraordinary pain. It's even stranger to see Liv and Randy in front of her. She can't even pretend to understand their presence in this picture.

She's hearing things.

Sounds are beginning to come in more clearly, and, because she can't lift her head to look around, she tries instead to focus on what they're saying.

They're arguing.

"You have to!" Colby shouts.

"But we can't—how are supposed to help her," Liv is saying, choking back tears. "There's no way for us to help her—"

"I can't believe she's actually dying," Randy gasps. "I didn't think you were telling us the truth—"

"She's not dying!" Colby shouts again. "She is not going to die! Please listen, I'm telling you," he says desperately, "we can help her. We've had trainings for this—in case it happened—"

"We have no supplies with us!" Liv shouts back. "We need to clean her up and help her—"

"Jesus, please just listen to me," Colby says his voice breaking. His hands press harder. "I need one of you—"

"You lied to us!" Randy and Liv shouted at the same time.

Colby's head falls. "I told you I had no idea—"

"How are we supposed to trust you?" Liv says voice quivering. "How do we know you didn't plan this yourself?"

"Why don't you care?" Colby's breathing hard now, looking into their eyes, pleading with them. "How can you not care? Why don't you care that she's bleeding to death—I am your CEO you take orders from—"

"Of course we care!" Randy shouts. "But how can we help her now? Where can we take her? We can't leave her in the middle of this house, and expect someone to just magically appear with the right supplies for surgery—"

Rebecca takes a sharp intake of breath.

Colby looks down at her. "Rebecca?"

Footsteps stomp stomp stomp the ground. Rushing around her head. All the sounds are banging into each other, colliding again, spinning around her. She can't believe she's not dead yet.

"Rebecca? REBECCA—"

Colby's voice is a rope she wants to cling to. She wants to catch it and tie it around her waist and she wants him to haul her out of this paralyzed world she's trapped in. She wants to tell him not to worry, that she's fine, that she's going to be okay because she's accepted it, she's ready to die now, but she can't. She can't say anything.

She still can't breathe, can hardly shape her lips into words. All she can do is take these torturous little gasps and wonder why the hell her body hasn't given up yet.

All of the sudden Colby is straddling her bleeding body, careful not to allow any of his weight to hurt her, and he takes of her shirt. "Liv, I'm pulling the bullet out, when I do I need you to press this shirt on her wound and don't let go. Randy, run back to the bedroom this second and grab a first aid kit and something so we can stitch her up, got me?"

Randy looked at him, but didn't move. Colby's voice broke. "I'm begging you—please—"

He ran off a second later. Colby knew this had to work. At least long enough for them to make it back home and have doctors help her.

Liv grabbed Colby's shirt and tried not to cringe. "Are you sure this won't kill her?"

"If we let her lay here any longer, she will die." He said fearfully. Colby kept one hand on the wound and moved the other to her face. "You are going to be okay. We are going to fix this—they're going to help me fix this and you—you're going to be fine." Deep breaths. "You're going to be perfect. Do you hear me? Rebecca can you hear me?"

She blinks up at him. Blinks and blinks and blinks and she finds herself fascinated with his chocolate eyes. She intakes another tight breath and gives him the smallest smile. "Atta girl. Just hold on, darling."

Randy comes back down the stairs and crouches beside of Liv. Colby puts his fingers in the hole of her chest and grabs the bullet. He slowly pulls it out, careful not to tear her skin even more. When Colby pulled away Liv pressed the shirt down, waiting for Randy and Colby and stitch her up.

Rebecca stared up at the ceiling, breaths still shallow.

All she could think about was at least she didn't die alone.