I didn't choose her, my heart did

The twist

Keira's POV:

The bang filled the alley, and everything suddenly seemed to happen in slow motion. Lucy's body stiffened, and a moment later she fell backwards into my arms.

'Lucy!' I screamed, my voice hoarse with panic. Her hand holding mine fell limply down, and I felt a warm liquid on my fingers. Blood.

The man stood there, the gun trembling in his hand, as if he himself was shocked at what he had done. But before he could say or do anything, the sirens sounded louder and brighter. Blue-red lights flashed down the narrow alley, and he took off, the gun still in his hand.

I couldn't look after him. All that mattered was Lucy.

_

'Lucy, stay with me,' I pleaded, holding her against me. Her breathing was irregular, and her eyes flared, half-closed.

'I... I'm okay,' she murmured weakly, but her voice sounded as if she didn't believe it herself.

I pressed my hands to the wound in her side as my head dizzied with panic. The blood did not seem to stop. 'No, you are not okay! You have to keep breathing, stay with me, please...'

The policemen entered the alley, and one of them bent towards us. 'Ma'am, let her go, we'll help her,' he said.

But I couldn't. I could not let go of Lucy. Only when an ambulance arrived, and a paramedic put his hand gently on my shoulder, did I realise I had to leave her in their hands.

_

The ambulance felt cold and sterile, a strange contrast to the warm tears streaming down my cheeks. I sat next to Lucy, my fingers clasped around hers. Her eyes remained half-open, but I could see she was fighting to stay awake.

'You are strong,' I whispered, more to myself than to her. 'You'll get through this. You always do.'

Lucy squeezed my hand weakly, and I felt my heart break. 'Kei,' she whispered, 'I... I didn't expect this... but... I'm glad you're here.'

I swallowed away the lump in my throat and leaned towards her. 'I won't leave you alone. Whatever happens, I will stay here.'

The paramedic cast a quick glance at me. 'We have to hurry,' he told his colleague. 'She is losing too much blood.'

I tried not to panic, but fear was eating away at me. Lucy, the strong, fearless woman who always did everything for everyone, seemed so vulnerable now.

_

The hours in hospital were a blur. Lucy was immediately taken to the OR, and I sat helplessly in the waiting room. My hands were shaking, and I could not get the image of her blood out of my head.

My teammates had come quickly after I called them. Leah, Georgia, and Ella sat with me, their presence both a comfort and a painful reminder that I had caused this.

'Keira, this is not your fault,' Leah said softly, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head, my eyes filled with tears. 'It is my fault though, Leah. If I hadn't been so scared to be honest... If I hadn't...' My voice broke, and I couldn't say any more.

Georgia pulled me into an embrace. 'We'll get through this together,' she said.

_

After what seemed like hours, a surgeon came out. I stood up immediately, my heart pounding in my chest.

'She is stable,' he said, and I felt a wave of relief surge through me. 'But the bullet did a lot of damage. She will need time to recover, and we are keeping her in intensive care for now.'

'Can I see her?' I asked hurriedly.

The surgeon nodded. 'A few minutes, but she needs a lot of rest.'

As I entered her room, I felt as if my heart was breaking in two. Lucy lay there, pale and vulnerable, with tubes and monitors that seemed to guard her life. Her eyes were closed, and I heard the beeping sound of the monitor indicating her heartbeat.

I sat down next to her and took her hand. 'You are strong,' I whispered, as my tears fell on the white sheets. 'You will get through this, Lucy. You have to.'

_

Later that evening, I heard from the police that the man had been arrested. He had been hiding in an abandoned building, but thanks to witness statements and camera footage in the alley, they were able to track him down quickly.

An officer told me he had enough evidence to file a strong charge against him. 'He won't cause any more trouble for now,' he assured me.

I wanted to be relieved, but I just felt empty. The fear that Lucy might not make it overpowered everything.

_

Days passed. Lucy slowly began to recover, but doctors were concerned about internal bleeding that could potentially cause complications. They wanted to operate on her again to check this, but the risks were high.

'What do you mean by risks?' I asked, my voice hoarse with fatigue.

The surgeon looked at me seriously. 'She is already very weakened by the blood loss. A second operation may save her, but there is also a chance that her body may not be able to cope.'

I felt my heart sink. Lucy looked at me from her hospital bed, her face pale but her gaze determined.

'Keira,' she said softly, 'I want you to know that I am fighting this. For you.'

I couldn't say anything. I just pressed a kiss on her hand and hoped she would find the strength to win this fight.

_

The night before the operation, I sat next to Lucy, my head resting on the edge of her bed. I did not want to leave, afraid that this would be the last time I would see her.

Suddenly the door opened, and a nurse stepped in with a worried face. 'Keira, you need to come out. Now.'

I looked at her in surprise. 'Why? What's going on?'

She cast a quick glance at Lucy and gently pulled me along to the corridor. 'There is... someone here in the hospital asking about her. A man.'

My heart skipped a beat. 'What do you mean? What kind of man?'

The nurse hesitated. 'He claims to be her relative. But he... is behaving suspiciously.'

I felt a cold shiver go down my spine. 'Is it the same man? The one who shot her?'

'I don't know,' she said. 'But we called security. I just wanted to warn you.'

I looked at Lucy, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully in her bed. But in my head it was anything but calm. Who was this man? And what did he want from her now?