Heaven or Hell (Sequel to "Love or Lust")

Chapter 13:

My elbows dug into my knees as I rested them on top of my dark skinny jeans that clung tightly to my legs. I placed my head between my knees, sighing to myself as I studied the floors. Little specks of blue and green were scattered across each white tile of the room, giving the slightest amount of color to this dull room. I glanced at my shoe which was stained with more blood, blood mixed with both the man in the street and Madison's.

I let out a shaken breath; how could I let this happen? What was going on with me? A few tears formed in my eyes, blurring my vision. My mind was continuously replaying the memory of hearing the gun shot, finding Madison injured, and most importantly, finding Madison watching as I took the life away from Jennifer.

My ears pricked up a bit as I heard shuffling in the room, and I lifted my head to see a nurse checking up on Madison. She was a young woman, maybe in her twenties, with short curly black hair and black glasses to match. She hadn't looked up from her clipboard, and I sighed, standing up as I walked over to the nurse. She scribbled notes on her clipboard before turning to me, startled a bit at my presence.

"Sorry," I mumbled, "Will she be okay?"

The nurse looked at me and back at Madison, sighing softly. "Well, she wil come through. The bullet didn't go all the way through, so it was very easy for us to remove it. She did however lose a lot of blood, and if the bullet had gone further or was shot at a different angle? It would've hit one of her organs or possibly her heart, and we wouldn't know what to do."

I sighed with relief. "Thank you so much."

"How did this," She pointed at Madison, who lay still in the hospital bed, "all happen?"

I bit my lip, coming up with a lie. "There was a shooting from a gang in an alleyway by my place. We went out and checked on it and next thing you know, she was on the floor in my arms as I tried to put pressure on it."

The nurse nodded her head and sighed to herself before speaking, "Well, if you hadn't of gotten her at the time you did, she would've bled out soon enough. You're a hero."

I looked away, humiliated. "Trust me, I'm no hero whatsoever." I looked back at her, her face twisted in confusion. "Can I spend some time with Madison, please?"

The nurse stood still for a moment before giving a small nod and ducked out the door, shutting it behind her. I sighed, pulling a chair up from the table and sitting directly next to Madison, taking her limp hand in mine as I stroked it gently with my thumb. I looked around the room, examining all the machinery that was attached to her small frail body. Small tubes hung down from the little sac of fluids that hung above her, and they trailed down into an IV that stuck itself in her arm. My eyes looked next to it, finding the small heart monitor that was at a constant steady beating, showing nothing but a healthy heart. I sighed with relief at that.

I studied everything until I felt I felt the hand I held squeeze me lightly, causing me to snap my head down, looking at it awestruck. I looked up once more, meeting her beautiful blue eyes that I missed for the few hours they had been gone. She smiled warmly at me, whispering hoarsely, "Hi."

I felt myself smile as well. "Hey, how are you feeling babe?" Madison looked down, stretching her back a bit but wincing slightly as she replied, "Alright I guess. Kinda stiff."

My smile faded, replaced by a frown as I looked to the ground, letting a long breath out before I spoke. "I am.. So sorry Madison. For everything." I choked on my tears as I looked up, my eyes full of tears, "I'm so sorry that you got hurt, I'm so sorry Jennifer came, and I'm so sorry you saw me like that. I thought I changed but, I guess you can't run away from what you are."

Madison looked at me, her eyes full of sorrow and worry as she leaned forward, struggling a bit. I quickly helped her, placing my hand on her back, as she spoke, "Andy, it's okay. I'm alright, I-gah!" She clutched at her side, taking a break. "Promise. You saved my life, without you I'd be dead."