The Love of Lightning and Ocean

Shots Fired Part II

A/N: Annnddd part two. Hope you like it, my dear readers! :D

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It’s been too long. She’s been in surgery for hours now. What if she’s gone?

I sighed, leaning back against the chair. My back was burning; the vest may have stopped the shots, but they definitely left a beautiful bruise. It had started forming almost instantly. I glanced at Danny, who was sleeping uneasily in the chair next to me. He’d wake up, most likely screaming, if she was already gone. Yet it was late now, very late.

“Phoenix’s family?” I shook Danno awake as I stood. We both anxiously waited for an answer from a graying doctor. His expression didn’t help our hope. “She’s in a coma. She may come out, she may not. I guess it depends on if she fights.”

We both let out shaky breaths of sadness. My Phoenix. She had to fight. She had to.

“Can we see her?” Danny asked quietly.

“Room 201.” Was the simple answer. Then he glided away.

We didn’t waste any time getting to her door. Danny stopped just outside of it, frozen in time. I saw the fear in his eyes.

“You don’t have to come in, Danny. You don’t want to see her like this if . . .” I couldn’t finish. He meekly nodded.

“I’m going to go,” he took a shuddering breath, “break the news to Grace. Maybe Rachel will let her stay with me.”

“Go.” I said simply.

He nodded and slipped away dejectedly. I took a deep breath. And opened the door. For a second, I thought she was fine, that she was just sleeping. The next moment, I could see how she wasn’t. Managing to sit down in a nearby chair just as uncomfortable as the one in the waiting room, my heart broke even more.

Her hair, usually in a long trailing braid, was framing her beautiful face. She was way too pale. Her skin was a ghastly white, not the Hawaiian sun-kissed skin it usually was. She wasn’t smiling or frowning like she usually did while sleeping. Her face was slack and emotionless. The oxygen tube was hidden by her hair until it came forward under her nose.

“Hey Nix.” I managed to whisper, grabbing her left hand. It was too cold. I wished if I held it long enough it would warm her whole body up, bringing more life back to her cold lips. For the longest time I just watched her breathe, watched her chest rise and fall ever so slightly. The heart monitor constantly beeped. Nurses came, wrote something down their board, and left. Kono stopped by, but only for a bit, the sight of her friend like this breaking her heart. Danny called constantly, only stopping when he fell asleep. Gracie demanded to see her aunt, but Danny refused; if he couldn’t bear to see his sister like this, then how could his daughter?

Joe came in around ten, telling me he would lead me to Shelburne that very night. I refused. It was simple, really. Phoenix was a constant in my life, someone who I figured would always be here for me. Now that she was taken away with very little possibility to be returned . . . I decided that Shelburne was a person that didn’t matter as much Phoenix did. Joe, to my surprise, had smiled before excusing himself. He understood, I supposed. Sleep was on and off for me, maybe getting an hour or less each time I drifted off, heartbroken when I woke up to her in the same shape she was in. It was hours after that – maybe one, two AM? - before I summoned up the words to speak again.

“We got her. You know, the one who did this to you? She tried to shoot us too, but we got her before it got out of hand. Max is completely fine too. Might go home in a few days even. Which means you,” I ran a thumb over hers, something that always drew a shiver no matter what, sometimes big, sometimes small. There was no shudder this time. “My girl, are the only one that’s still out.”