VIVA LAS VEGAS - 1 ENGLISH EDITION

VIVA LAS VEGAS-1/90

I was breathless when I grabbed Michael's hand. I could see that he was scared. He pressed his hands on his belly. I saw blood between his fingers.

„Oh my god, Michael, you are injured! Help! Please help us! Help!"

I desperately looked around but everybody panicked. Nobody stopped and helped us. Nobody seemed to hear my cry.

Michael coughed and groaned. I could tell that he was in severe pain. His white shirt was covered with red blood. He was wounded badly.

When I took his hand off his body, I saw the injury. There was a big hole in his belly. More and more blood came running out of it. I tried to cover the wound with my own hands and hoped I would be able to stop the bleeding.

"Damn! Why isn't anybody helping us?"

But there was only chaos around us.

"No! Let me go! I have to get to her! Let me go!", there was no doubt, it was Elvis' voice I was hearing. When I looked over my shoulder I saw that the boys held him. I was relieved when I recognized that he obviously wasn't hurt at all. Again and again he tried to free himself, but the boys didn't let their boss come to me.

„Boss, we have to move. It's not save here!", Charly yelled. He had a hard time holding Elvis back.

„Idy!", Elvis had no chance. His bodyguards continued holding him down.

„Help! We need help!", I begged.

But instead of helping Michael and me, the boys pushed Elvis with all the strength they had into the backstage area. It was a precautionary measure, because nobody could tell if the shooter would not fire another time. I understood the reaction of his bodyguards but at least Charly or Johnny could have responded to my desperate cry. Now, that I needed them more than ever. But I had the impression that they hadn't even heard me.

„Idy! I....I", Michael's voice was cracking, interrupted by severe coughing.

„Hang in there! Somebody will help us, Michael.", I was scared to death when I noticed that his face went pale. He could hardly talk.

"Idy, I won't make it. Please listen!"

"No, Michael, you will survive this! I won't let you die!", I yelled. I was deeply shocked, tears ran down my face.

„I'm sorry, Idy! I'm so sorry. I didn't intend to do that to you!", I had to bend down to him and hold my ear close to his mouth because his voice was very weak.

„What do you mean?"

„I assigned the killer. Tonight I wanted Elvis to die. How was I supposed to know that he would make you come on stage."

„What?", I stopped breathing. What did he just tell me? With disbelief I stared into Michael's eyes that were only half open. With the last bit of strength, that was still in his body, he held on to me.

„I wanted to have a life with you, Idy. We could have been a family. I wanted to kill him. It was a mistake. I'm sorry. Please forgive me!"

I was devastated. I didn't understand at all what he was trying to tell me. Michael had hired a killer for Elvis, only to be with me?

„Wait a minute! Did you write this death threat?" Michael nodded.

„You thought I would break up with Elvis because of the threats. You hoped that I would be scared and walk away from him." He nodded again.

„As soon as you realized that nothing can hold me back from being with Elvis, you decided that he had to die. You really thought that I would return to you and have a family with you and Elvis' children?"

From Michael's eyes I could tell that my assumptions were accurate. I closed my eyes for a second. This was all so hurtful. I didn't know what to think anymore.

„How dare you!", I yelled angrily, „You put Elvis and me in danger. You put our children in danger!"

Suddenly I saw this deep sorrow in Michael's eyes. He coughed again. Now there was blood coming out of his mouth.

„No! No! No! Please don't die, Michael. Please don't leave me alone! I love you!"

I was shocked about my own words. Hadn't I hated him just a few seconds ago for all what he had done to us? But I also realized that a big part of my heart belonged only to him. I stroke his cheek tenderly. He smiled, then he shut his eyes.

„Nooooooo!", I sobbed and dug my face into his hand that was soaked in blood. Michael didn't respond anymore. He had stopped breathing.

It felt like somebody had ripped out my heart. My body was shaking. The pain that I felt was indescribable. I cried and I cried while I noticed some of Michael's men who were crushing down a dark figure.

„We got him!", one of them shouted. Obviously the killer was under control.

„Help!", I whimpered, „Help!"

I was still holding Michael's lifeless body in my arms. I couldn't believe that he was dead. I shook his body again and again because there was this little spark of hope that he might wake up again. But Michael didn't move.

„It's all my fault!", I thought.

Suddenly an awful pain stroke my body and I noticed something wet between my legs.

„Oh no! Not the babies!", I knew that my water just had broken.

With all the strength that was left inside my body, I managed to get up. Then I cried as loud as I could: „Damn! I need help! Why is nobody helping me?"

Suddenly I heard a voice behind me: „I will help you, Idy!"

I turned around and looked into Ann-Margret's blue eyes.

-to be continued-