The Day My Life Ended (Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Four (Revised)

Things are quiet. The quiet is terrible.

Everything's dark too. That's more normal. I can give into it. Right? The bullet hit so hard. I can just go. Everything's okay now.

Stay for my family? No. My family certainly doesn't need me. They don't want me around.

The ponies? They just need me to take them home...maybe when I die they get sent home. Or erased from existence. Either way, problem solved.

School friends? Also no. They can get a new one. I am very replaceable.

Lilac

...

Can I leave her behind?

...

No. No I can't. I can't leave her behind. She needs a mom that loves her for who she is. She needs a mom that'll let her be emotional, that can get her art supplies, to make her favorite banana nut muffins with sapphires, to sing lullabies the way she likes.

I need to stay for my baby. We're gonna be free, when I wake up.

Please let me wake up. Don't let Lilac be alone. Please don't let her be alone like I was, please.

Dominic. Dominic can still hurt my family, hurt my friends, hurt her. I won't let them. Fuck dammit I will not let them. He will not get his stupid hands or blades or bombs on my baby!

But I am so tired...

"He won't get the chance."

That's not me. But I...I think I know...how do I know them? How can I know this voice?

"I met you before." My eyes opened. It's still so dark. The world was blurry, fuzzy.

She stood there all the same. Solid and clear and bright, amidst the darkness around us.

She brushed her hand on my face. Strands of hair hot tucked behind my ear. When she stared down at me, light brown eyes scanned my every feature.

She's not my mom, but she's got that same kind of love in her eyes. It's freaking me out more than the gunshot wound.

"Hi Morgan." Her smile was small, her words too. It's so kind. It's kinder than I like it. "I'm Delilah."

I couldn't say anything. She's just so different from her autopsy photos.

"We've met before." She confirmed. "You don't remember? No, I should have expected it. You're just- you've remembered weirder. You remember now."

Yes. Yes I'd remember her. This time, this way, I would.

Delilah smiled wider, laughing with tears. She looked over my body. Tears filled her eyes. "Fuck, he's a bastard. A right fucking bastard. He shouldn't have known about you. You should've-" She tightened her fists, bunching at her sides.

I grunted, pained.

Her hands relaxed. She held my face again. "No, no. Shh. It's okay. It's okay. You rest, okay? You're gonna be okay. I know you- your whole life. You're too stubborn to die lying down. Come on!"

I laughed. It was true.

"Please, Morgan, please. Get up. He can't win. She needs you to stay." Delilah repeated. "Remember?"

She needs me to stay.

Chamberlin needs to fucking die.

She needs me to stay.

"Go get your girl back, okay? And get him. Get him for all of us." Delilah stated. "We'll help you get him. That's it. There you go. It's time."

==DMLE==

It hurt. It hurt like I expected it to hurt. Even though I tried dodging, it still dug in and hurt. It's not a good look for me.

Except wait. No. I'm not super hurt. It hurts, yes, but not as strongly as it should.

I checked. My injuries very quickly lost my interest. Lilac was curled up on the hospital bed, wrapped around my arm. The IV was in my other arm. I tightened my hand around her.

"Mommy I'm tired." She mumbled, half asleep, before curling even tighter around me.

"Hi Tired." I whispered back. She tensed at my side. "I'm Mom."

She lifted her head up. Midnight blue eyes, human for the first time ever. It's odd to not see reptilian eyes looking at me. She's beautiful as a dragon, and still beautiful as a human.

"M-Mommy?!"

"I said-"

She climbed up on the bed, throwing an arm around my stomach. "Mommy!" I winced, quickly hiding it. She's already crying. "You're awake!"

More people came. Or I finally noticed them? My perception ability is weird right now.

"Hello." I wiggled my shoulder at them. Mom and Dad, they came up first. My brothers aren't here. Why? No, I sent them to a friend's house. They'd still be there. "I'm here."

Mom tried to reach for me. Lilac blocked her, covering up any part or hand Mom could take. Lilac's very clingy when she cries, and when she's tired. It's honestly adorable, and I love it.

"I'm here, princess." I reminded my baby girl.

"Okay, Lilac, you need to get off her now." Mom scolded. Her tears were coming fast, welling fast and slipping down her cheeks. "We agreed until she woke up."

"I can fall asleep again." I reminded her. If she wanted Lilac gone from my side, she better shoot me herself. It's the only effective way. "Let her stay."

Mom shook her head. "She needs-"

"Me. She needs me. She's gonna stay." I insisted. "I'm not gonna die-"

"Don't you say that!" Mom snapped. "No! I won't hear it. You're not dying!"

I blinked. "I...know?"

"My baby was shot! And nobody knows who did it!" Mom ranted.

Honestly, she's disturbing my rest more than Lilac is. Just witnessing this rant is exhausting me.

"This never happened before those girls came! We're good people, in a good neighborhood, in a good school! Nobody should feel the need to bring guns here!"

I do. Every day. The bag is really big inside, and nobody noticed.

Dad went to Mom's side, holding her shoulder. She turned into his chest to cry.

"She stays." I ordered. "Lilac stays with me. She's not going anywhere."

Dad huffed, very put upon. He nodded his head down to his wife. "Look, do it for your mom-"

"She stays. With me." I replied, five times as stern and thirty times as threatening. "Don't even try."

Dad paused, staring at me with a dropped jaw.

"Hey Li." I focused back on the thing that mattered. "Hey. I got you. It's okay. Get up here, huh? Give Ma a real hug."

Lilac crawled up, just enough to rest her head on my shoulder. She wrapped her arms around me, avoiding the wound this time. Her hair dusted my chin. Hair, my baby has hair.

"Yeah, just like that." The world started going dark again. "Just- just like-"