enemies | rc

trente-deux

charlotte's point of view

everything happened so fast. i let myself get distracted, i let my guard down, all for richard. i wanted to blame him, but this one's on me. i shouldn't have looked back. if only i had seen who shot me, i could've stopped them. i looked behind me as i walked out the door to see if richard would come running behind me, but he didn't. at least not while i was still conscious.

yet, i saw everything in slow motion. sound of the gun, the bullet piercing through my skin, the blood on my shirt. my knees failed me and i collapsed on the ground. i could faintly heard richard's voice. i tried my best to keep my eyes open, but they acted on their own. i couldn't see his face anymore. i could only hear him.

he pressed on my wound so i wouldn't keep bleeding down. it hurt like fucking hell. i tried to reach for him, but once again found myself unable to move.

"my girlfriend's been shot."

i wanted to smile. my girlfriend. i want that to be true. maybe someday, if i survive this...

"i love you, charlotte." i heard him closer to me this time. i can't believe i had to get shot for you to finally say it, but goddammit i love you too, richard. i wish we could run away from all of this, but these are our lives. it doesn't matter where we go, it would haunt us forever.

someone else was here. i felt two more pair of hands touching me. one was touching my face, the other was inspecting the skin around my wound. i wanted to hiss when they pressed too hard on it. judging by what they were saying, they were paramedics. they picked me up and then dropped me, i assumed it was a stretcher since i felt them moving me afterwards. i couldn't hear richard's voice anymore. i started to panic. where was he? did he leave me alone when the paramedics arrived?

"gsw to the stomach. no exit wound, we're afraid it may be near her spine. she needs surgery. now!"

i thought when people were unconscious they were supposed to not smell, hear, or feel anything. but i did. i could smell the hospital everywhere. that awful smell, like it's so fucking clean you could eat off the floor, but at the same time you have to be careful not to touch anything because there are germs everywhere. i could hear the nurses saying they had no way to identify me, the doctors expressing their concern for where the bullet is located. i could feel them cutting my skin open and fishing around for the bullet inside me. one wrong move and i could die. i would die.

it was probably hours that i spent in there. at least they took their time with me so i wouldn't bleed out on the table. i didn't hear anything else after i was taken to recovery. a nurse would check my vitals every once in a while and touch around my wound.

maybe a day passed by before i heard anything else. i couldn't just look at the clock or a calendar to check, could i?

a warm hand held onto mine out of nowhere. i thought it was a nurse, but then i heard his rough voice and i instantly felt relieved.

"hey, baby." he whispered. i felt his lips on my forehead before he spoke again. "i'm sorry i can't be here long, but your family knows what happened. if your uncle catches me here... well i won't be able to see those pretty eyes look right into mine as i'm about to kiss you."

i was gonna go ahead and bet that he was staring at my lips when he said that. my suspicion was correct, his finger ghosted over my bottom lip not even a second afterwards. i tried to smile, to squeeze his hand, anything to show him that i was listening.

"i wish i held onto you so you wouldn't walk out. at least, i should've walked with you, i should be laying on that bed instead of you."

he sniffed. my heart ached for him.

"i love you." he whispered and kissed the back of my hand. "so much."

my hand instantly turned cold and once again i was left in my lonely, endless darkness. i couldn't do anything other than wait until my body would finally obey my mind, and i was beginning to get impatient.