Chemistry (Otis Milburn)

38

I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. My head started spinning as I desperately tried deciphering what Nick was saying, but I was too in shock. I watched him take his phone out of his pocket and dial 3 numbers. 

My whole body felt numb. I stepped closer to Otis's body and fell right next him, screaming at the top of my lungs. Nick quickly grabbed me and pushed me out of the way. "He's moving! Oh thank god.... oh thank goodness.... the paramedics are on their way." I heard him say. 

I watched the paramedics place Otis on the stretcher and take him inside the ambulance as I sat in the grass, unable to move. One of them walked over to me. "The bullet went in his arm. He's lost quite an amount of blood, but he will be okay. We're still not sure how or when this happened, but the police are going to keep you updated. Did you happen to see anything?" 

"No. We were inside and just heard a gunshot." I responded. "I want to go with him to the hospital." 

He helped me up, and took me into the ambulance with Otis. I watched over him as I started crying uncontrollably. Otis suddenly opened his eyes. 

"Vivienne-" He softly spoke. 

"Otis! What were you doing here who did this to you?!" I held on to his hand.

"I wanted-" He faintly responded in a raspy, weak voice. 

"Why did you come here Otis why didn't you just stay home?!" I cried. 

The ambulance rushed Otis into the emergency room. I waited outside with Otis's mother as Nick made his way over in his car. 

"How's he doing? Do you know anything?" 

"They just told me to wait out here." I buried my face in his shoulder as he comforted me. Everything felt as if it were all a blur- as if it were all a dream; a horrible dream that I desperately wanted to wake up from. 

The doctor stepped out of the room and explained how Otis was going to go into surgery. 

"How long will the surgery take?" His mother asked. 

"A couple of hours at most." He turned to Nick and I. "Are you guys his friends?" We both nodded. "Well then, I suggest that you both head on home." 

"I want to stay to make sure that he is going to be alright." I refused. 

"Otis is going to be okay. We are expecting a healthy, smooth recovery. I can give you a call as soon as he is out of surgery so you can come back, but for now it's best if you leave." 

"Please, call us." Nick insisted. 

"I don't understand. This just- this is my fault. This has to be my fault." 

"Vivienne what are you talking about?" Nick turned to me.

"If I hadn't been friends with Otis and dragged him into this messy, plastic life of mine, none of this would have happened! He wouldn't have ended up in the emergency room with a gunshot wound if it hadn't been for me!"

"You didn't ask Otis to be outside of my front yard. We will figure all of this out, but don't be so quick to blame yourself for something you weren't responsible for! We don't have any answers yet."

"I have to figure out why Otis was there- what he was doing at your house, and most importantly, who did this to him." I had a feeling I knew who did. There was only one group of people who are trying to get rid of Otis.

"Once Otis recovers, we have to ask him. Otis is in danger now, and we have to protect him as well." He insisted. 

"Don't worry about that, there is only one way Otis can be saved from this entire mess. I just have to know that he is going to recover." 

As soon as we got back to Nick's house, I went over and sat on the couch- waiting for the doctor to call.