Fighting the Fall ✔

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Dustin King

When I first saw them, I'd wondered if this was what dying looked like; I thought that any one of the memories of watching McKenna and Bishop enter the hospital room from my cot was resurfacing, allowing me to see their faces a final time. But it wasn't a memory - it was here, now. It was real.

An intense sharp pain blazed deep inside my stomach. I gritted my teeth, cringing.

My eyes reopened to find that their faces had gone pale.

A soft hand grazed my cheek. I looked up at Lydia sitting in a chair beside me. Her hair was in her face and her eyes were welling with tears. "Hey you." She smiled. "You're awake."

I let the silence linger for a while, comforted just by knowing that my siblings and Lydia were here. Even though I hated for them to see me in this state.

"You were sleeping for... fifty-six hours!"

McKenna shook her head at Bishop, but refused to break eye contact with me. Her sensitivity was incredible but I hated how well she always read me. "Eight hours," she said.

Bishop was the first of the two to reach my bedside. He crawled up and took a seat beside my legs. "It felt like really long."

"I'll get the doctor." Lydia got up and kissed my forehead. I noticed the sling around her arm.

"Hey, wait, what happened?" My voice was scratchy and slurred. I held onto her free hand.

"I'm okay... I'm strong remember?" She laughed. "I'm going to go get the doctor." She said again. I searched her eyes, there was something she wasn't saying, but we were in the hospital.

"Hey guys."

McKenna frowned at me. It was a mixture of disappointment and sympathy. "You're not okay, Dustin."

I shook my head, forcing a smile, mustering a grimace. "I am. You're both here."

Disappointment made way for exasperation. She opened her mouth to say more, but Lydia walked back into the room with a doctor following close behind her. She came to my side and held my hand again with her free one. I wanted to pay attention to the doctor but I was more focused on the look on Lydia's face. Something was off with her. I heard the doctor flipping through the notes on his clipboard.

"Hi Dustin, I'm Dr. Peterson. You are lucky to be alive, I've been told this young lady here saved your life." He said and I squeezed Lydia's hand. "The bullet didn't rupture any organs, and the surgery to remove it was a success. You were very lucky. I'm going to suggest you stay for observation for the rest of the week. We have you on pain medication, as well as fluids. Do you have any questions?"

"The... the sh... gunman..." I couldn't finish my sentence. I was grateful to finally see the look of understanding on his face; he knew what I was asking.

Lydia answered my question. "He was arrested, there were lots of witnesses. He's going to jail Dustin." She lifted my hand to her lips and kissed it gently.

I sighed, relieved. We were going to be okay. Bishop and McKenna were going to be okay. "Good."

"Do you have any other questions?" He asked. I shook my head. I was sure I'd have some later but in that moment I had none. "Alright, I'll check on you again later." Dr. Peterson walked from the room, closing the door behind him.

"When will you come home?" Bishop spared a quick glance toward me. "When will we live with each other again?"

"Bishop." McKenna rarely used that tone, especially with our little brother. I could hear the emotions behind her emotions. It made sense. We were both struggling to fight them.