Group Therapy

56 - Helicopter.

"Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be so hard."

The Scientist ~ Coldplay.

° ° ° °

"Fuck. What the hell happened?" alex asks, rushing over to help lay ryder down on the couch.

I freeze at the sight of blood gushing out of his body, don't get me wrong l want to move more than anything right now, l want to go over to him and make sure he's okay but l can't manage to move. It's almost as if my mind went into overdrive and crashed down.

I have a good understanding of medical care too, l can help him but my stupid mind won't cooperate with me.

"one of the fuckers shot him right before we scared them away." chase snarls.

Come on laynie, now is not the time to freeze.

"can you call someone to come check out the wound?" alex asks, placing a cloth that eli handed him on the wound and applying pressure to control the bleeding.

"no, no one can get here in less than three hours, by then he'll probably bleed out." chase begins to panic.

That was enough to send me back into reality.

"l-l.. Are you okay ryder? Are you alright?" l immediately drop to my knees in front of the couch to be on eye level with him.

He nods in response, his jaw clenched and breathing heavy in response to him trying to control the pain.

"hey, relax. I know it hurts but try to relax okay? We'll get you something for the pain." l gently brush his black locks away from his face and continue stroking his hair in attempt to comfort him.

"Why are you guys just standing there? We have to take him to the hospital now!" l say through the tears

"we won't get there in time unless we have some sort of helicopter." chase explains

"well what are you gonna do about it just stand there and watch him bleed out?" l ask frantically

"there's only one option left then." eli mumbles before running upstairs.

I have a feeling l won't like that option

"hey, stay with me alright? You'll be okay just stay with me." l stroke his head in attempt to get his mind off the pain.

Eli comes back running with a first aid kit and places it on the coffee table.

"alex told me you're good at this stuff." eli mumbles, pointing to the kit.

The realization of what he wants me to do hits. "No. No eli are you kidding me? I have a basic understanding of medical care but l can't treat a damn gunshot wound on my own!"

"do you know how to do it?" he asks

"yes but-"

"Then do it. At least stop the bleeding."

"okay, alright, fine." l wipe my tears away and decide to save it for later, ryder needs me to help him right now not breakdown.

"okay, alex keep applying pressure." l instruct and open the first aid bag, looking through it as l mentally check off a list of things needed to stitch up the wound in case the bleeding doesn't stop.

I turn back to face them and say "chase, go to the medicine cabinet in my bathroom and find a bottle of pills called acetaminophen-oxycodone."

He doesn't say another word and follows my instructions, meanwhile ryder doesn't even groan, keeping it all inside. If it weren't for his heavy breathing and facial expressions no one would even suspect that he's in pain. This boy is damn good at hiding his feelings, even physical feelings.