I Won't Let You Go Again

Chapter 19 - Farewell, my friend

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New chapter, right here. Prepare the tissues. (Just a little warning.)

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She crouched down beside Ben as tears streamed down her face.

(Hannah) "Dad?" – she whispered. – "Daddy?"

But no response. Immediately, Jude crouched down beside Hannah, her eyes leaking tears as well.

(Jude) "Ben? Ben, wake up!" – she tried to shake her lover.

(Hannah) "Don't move him. It can injure him even more." – she tried to wipe her tears frantically with one hand, while reaching for her phone with the other one. – "I need to call an ambulance."

She explained everything to the woman on the other side, trying her best to not let the crack in her voice be constantly heard but she couldn't. Every time she looked at her father, blood surrounding him, she remembered the day they found out about her mother. She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea that she could lose the last parent she had. That someone had tried to murder her own father, right in front of her eyes.

When she was done with the call, she crouched down beside her father again and put her hand on the wound on his head, trying to somewhat stop the bleeding, even though she was starting to panic, without knowing what to do exactly.

(Toni) "Ms. Galletti..."

She looked behind her to see Toni holding Marco in his arms, but Marco had his back to the scene and Toni had his hand on the little boy's head to make sure he wouldn't turn around and watch the horrible state his grandfather was.

(Toni) "Is he alive?"

(Hannah) "I don't know..." – she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. – "I can't get a pulse... I don't know if he's not... Or if I'm too nervous that can't sense his pulse."

Toni was starting to worry too, especially for seeing his strong boss the way she was in. Crying, shaking, desperate, angered... So many emotions going through her that he didn't know what to do either.

But finally, two minutes later the ambulance arrived and two paramedics walked out and ran to Ben.

"Ladies, I have to ask you two to step back." – one of them, politely said.

Hannah grabbed Jude's arm, who wasn't moving from her position, to pull her back. They both watched the paramedics check for pulse and then intubating Ben, when they discovered he wasn't breathing.

(Jude) "Is he going to be okay?!"

"We're not sure yet. It doesn't look good to be honest but only in the hospital they will be able to run every test and take care of him the best they can."

They put Ben on a gurney and loaded him in the ambulance.

"One of you can go with us."

Instantly, Jude pushed Hannah forward, who raised her eyebrow at the older woman.

(Jude) "You're his daughter. Go."

Hannah kissed Jude's cheek, silently thanking her and walked inside the ambulance while they shut the doors behind her. She grabbed her father's hand as she saw the paramedic pumping oxygen into Ben's lungs.

It was like she was dying. Everything came through her mind in a flash. The first memory she remembered was the one on her fifth birthday. How her daddy gave her a teddy bear with the words: Always my little girl; in a heart on the bear's stomach. Then, the image of her father walking her to the first day in kindergarten. How she was nervous to meet new friends but he told her they would all love her no matter what. Next, it was the picnics they had with the De Luca. How they all have so much fun playing family games, telling stories, jokes and they would just spend such a great time together. After that, it was the first time she had a boyfriend. Ben was so protective over her. He would always threaten he would tell Christian about the new male that claimed to be in love with her, warning her that Christian wouldn't hesitate to show her "boyfriend" a piece of his mind. Ben wouldn't either but he knew Hannah would be angry at him so he chose to put her angry at Christian. Finally, it was the memory of her talking to her father, when he thought she was old enough to talk about those things. No, it wasn't the sex talk, it was the wedding talk. He told her he wanted to take her down the aisle, but if he wasn't there for her – she told him that she would never forgive him if something happened to him before her wedding – he would like Roberto to take her, since he was like a father to her and Ben knew there was no one worthy enough to take his little girl down the aisle.