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Chapter Eleven

When the gun went off in the hot confines of the trailer's hall, Holly fell to the floor in a limp heap. Eddie's snarl froze and then he just looked surprised. Ryan flinched from the pop, covered his head and yelled, "Don't!" When he opened his eyes, she was bleeding from just below the centre of her belly. Eddie was staring at her like some fourth party had come in a pulled the trigger instead of him, like he was the other victim. "I–I–I'm sorry," Eddie said, his stutter reappearing with the emotional trauma. "You little fuck," Ryan spat in response, lunging forward to reach for the gun. He shoved reasonably hard and the trigger-happy guy fired another shot into the wall before tripping over the toilet and slamming his head against the half-open sliding shower door, then off the edge of the sink. Ryan's senses were on full alert, but Eddie was down. He was completely knocked out, blood quickly pooled from his head and spread over the bathroom tiles.

Ryan was staring at the boy's lifeless body when he remembered Holly. Jesus fucking Christ, she's pregnant and shot. He crouched down next to her in the hall, her foot pedalling the air, banging against the wall of the trailer a couple of times. Her eyes rolled back and around, searching while she emitted endless sounds of pain. Ryan pulled her body to lay her flat, it seemed important to get her straight. His heart thumped behind his chest, pounding like a base drum. Holly's shirt was red from the waistline up to her breasts and sopping wet. His vision became foggy. Eyes watering as if the wind were blowing invisible thorns into them. "I'm here, girl. Okay, we're going to be fine..." He didn't know this would be fine. He ran back to the bathroom and — don't look! Don't look at that problem on the tiles, not yet, not now! — grabbed two white striped beach towels. Was he supposed to wet one first? No — soak up the blood. Like he'd seen on that Criminal Minds episode. The medicine cabinet was open and his hand shoved around for anything useful, a tin of band aids and some antiseptic wash would have to do. He crouched and pressed a towel onto her stomach, Holly cried out, screaming as she kicked her legs. "Hold still, hold still... I'm sorry. I know..." He sounded too soft, but he repeated it until she blinked tears away and saw him, twisting against the pain, trying to get away. She beat her head against the floor and clenched her teeth, staring right up through him. She was angry on top of the pain. Was he to blame for all this? Probably, in some way. Two gunshots. Someone must've heard. The police will be here soon.
He felt the towel rapidly dampening beneath his hand and lifted it to make sure he was pressing it in the right spot. Her shirt was up, he couldn't see the wound's exact location yet. There was too much blood. He inspected her hips, Jesus Christ, where was it? Scrambling around for his phone in his pocket, he managed to hold it and dial for an ambulance. "Be still, sweetheart, be still." The blood was pooling in her belly button. She was going pale, her white complexion blending in with the carpet underneath. "Oh, God..." He finally got through to the 911 operator, practically screaming at her their whereabouts and what had happened. The phone slipped from being gripped between his sweaty shoulder and cheek. Holly was whimpering. Ryan had hoped she was in shock, shock would be a blessing. "The baby... Save the baby," she whimpered. Lifting the towel to check the wound again, Ryan finally spotted where the bullet had sliced completely through her. It was possible that the curve of her belly had prevented Eddie from getting a direct shot, and in doing so saving the child. Her skin under the blood was stained grey with either gunpowder or first bruising. Underneath the ripped skin he saw yellow fatty tissue make pink with her blood, queasiness hit him, but he shook it off when he heard the sirens approaching. Police or ambulance? Please be an ambulance.
"Stay awake, Holls. You have to stay awake." He pleaded, watching her eyes grow heavier, as her body fell limp. The EMT's were just a blur around him, there was a ringing in his ears as he watched them take care of her. Something he had promised he would do. He'd failed her. One paramedic encouraged Ryan to step out the way so they could do their job, he didn't take his eyes off her until she was hidden round the hallway corner. Holly's eyes had closed, and they were swift to give her oxygen through a mask. Practically stumbling out the trailer, Ryan broke down as his mind attempted to catch up.

~•~

Thankfully, Holly didn't need surgery. Ryan waited outside her room until any staff gave him permission to go in to be with her. He sat with his hands in a prayer over his face, not once taking his eyes off the door keeping him from seeing how she was. "Are you the father?" Ryan was shaken out of his daze by a petite nurse standing beside him with a clipboard, he sat upright and quickly stood up. "No, I'm not." "Oh, well do you know where I contact the baby's father?" Ryan's hands moved nervously. "Oh, no–I am, well I'm not. I thought you meant—" Ryan stumbled over his words. He didn't know what he was, and he didn't want to put his foot in it without Holly's permission. "—It's complicated." The nurse gave him a sympathetic smile, one he was sure she had to perfect throughout her career. "So you're a close friend?" Ryan nodded towards her. Let's go with that. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure because I can't give away patient details unless she trusts you." Ryan gulped, his furrowed brow softening. "She trusts me." The nurse gestured for him to sit down with her on the metal chairs provided, seemingly setting him up for bad news.

"Her injury didn't require surgery, but she's going to take a while to heal with the stitches. The baby's doing fine, but we're going to have to monitor it closely. The bullet skimmed at an angle, they're both incredibly lucky."

Yeah, lucky that asshole has a lousy shot. Ryan thought to himself, listening and hanging on the nurse's every word. "If you hadn't of been there she probably would have bled out, you pretty much saved both their lives." He felt a brief twitch in his heart, he could finally relax. Holly was okay. Her and the baby. "I was just doing what I thought was right. I guess survival instinct kicked in." The nurse stood back up, wearing that smile again as she held the clipboard against her chest. "She's lucky to have you. Oh, and you're welcome to go in and sit with her. Just go easy, she's going to be fragile for a while." Ryan thanked the woman before she wondered off in the opposite direction, and he headed into Holly's room.

She was wired up to every machine under the sun, and the beeping made Ryan's head pound. The most important was around the bottom of her belly, taking the baby's heartbeat. Sporadically etching scribbles onto the moving paper close-by like an artist during a eureka moment. Ryan watched the movement for a minute, grabbing the nearby chair to set it beside her bed. She was so still, just like when he found her asleep on the couch. His eyes examined her body, the slow rise and fall of her chest, her belly snug under the hospital gown. Ryan's bear-like palm found her petite fingers and held on, he bought the back of her hand up to his lips to kiss the soft flesh. She was tougher than he had ever guessed, maybe tough enough to have made it in Seattle. A granite slab of guilt pressed down on him. That he had pushed Eddie to do this to her; that she was here at all. He kept hold of her hand and thought about the baby inside. The life between between them that they'd only discussed in questions and long silent stares now seemed enormous, everything. A bullet had grazed its soft, thin shell and what was inside was a little hero.

Holly's long lashes twitched and she opened her eyes to the touch of Ryan's lips on her skin. "Hey," Ryan whispered, her fingers weakly squeezed around his hand. She didn't speak but attempted to swallow, and when her drowsy eyes eventually noticed him, she smiled. Oh, how I've missed that smile. It was something so small, but easily enough to make Ryan forget about all the problems pulsing in his brain. He reached a hand up to tuck a long tousle of her blonde hair behind her ear. Her voice was croaky and strained, but she managed to move her head a little to face him. "Thank you for saving us," she said, caressing her small thumb over the back of his hand. "This is becoming a habit of yours." Ryan's smile widened, and her eyes drooped again.

I'll always save you. You are everything.