Hidden Under Perfection

Chapter 31: Doran

I see Claire tip over, her torso falling on top of her mom's body. I look down, there is a growing puddle of dark blood oozing from her leg. I rip off the bottom of my shirt and I tie it around the top of her thigh, trying to stanch the blood flow. My ears are ringing from the gunshots, I bend over and I pick up Claire and cradle her in my arms. I go into the building with the generator, Lynn is sitting on the floor, eyes glassed over. Claire's sister huddles in the corner, shaking. She sees Claire and looks up at me, her eyes come into focus and I say, "can you help Lynn stand up, we need to go to the hospital."

She nods and dries her tears with her sleeve, she goes over to her and with gentle movements and tugs she gets Lynn to stand. Jennifer supports her as best she can and we walk back outside. Claire's dad is still crouched over his wife's body, I hear Jennifer start to sob, but she stays here and helps Lynn. Lynn turns her head and looks around, she yells, "John!"

"They took him, Lynn. I'm sorry." I tell her. She looks at me, her face falls and tears start rolling down her face. We walk over to Mr. Willis.

"dad, you need to pick up mommy, and we need to go to the hospital." Jennifer says, almost no emotion showing. He nods and picks her up with no issue, he cradles her in his arms, crying silently. We walk past Liam's body on the way to the car, I shot him in the heart. A part of me is gone, I will never be the same, but I don't regret doing it. He made us believe that he wanted to help, that he cared about Claire, but he shot her mom dead and shot Claire in the leg. I don't feel anything, I am numb, I just need Claire to be okay. Claire is the one thing I have left in the world that loves me, that I love. Without her, I don't know how I would survive my own thoughts. I limp to the car, my ankle hurting, with Claire in my arms. The bleeding hasn't slowed and if we don't get her their soon, she will bleed out. The bullet must have hit an artery, I climb into the car, claire cradled in my arms. Lynn and Jennifer sit in the back with us. Mr.Willis buckles Claire's mom's body into the passenger seat, then he walks over to the driver's seat and starts the car. There are tears coating his eyes as he drives.

He drives down the deserted streets, avoiding the newly visible potholes. We pull into the ambulance loop, it is the fastest way to get a doctor. We stop right outside of the hospital doors and I get out of the car and I carry Claire into the building. The moment the doors open I start shouting, "Help, we need a doctor! My girlfriend is shot, so is my friend! Someone please help."

Footsteps come pounding towards me somebody gets a gurney and takes Claire out of my arms. They wheel her into one of the trauma rooms and I stand there overwhelmed by the sudden commotion. Doctors run outside with gurneys and when they come back, Claire's mom is one one and Lynn on the other. They are all rushed into separate rooms and I stand there, my ears still ringing, confused. A woman in a lab coat comes up to me and starts speaking, but I don't understand, I ask. "what?"

She repeats herself louder and I can make out, "sir are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?"

"I don't care about myself, I just want to know if Claire is going to be okay." I state.

"Claire?" she asks.

"She is the girl I came in here carrying, her last name is Willis, you may recognize her from the news."

"Oh, okay. Sir I am going to get a doctor to come and check you out, if you could sit right here." She directs me to a hospital bed against the wall. I sit down and she asks, "I will check on Claire for you, I'll let you know what's happening."

She walks away and I am left on the bed, panicking. Claire needs to be okay, I need her to be okay. A man comes up to me, his hair is hidden under a surgical cap, and he hold a cup of water in his hand. He hands me the cup before he says, "Hello, I am Doctor Brown, I am going to perform a standard medical exam. What is your name?" he asks.