Chasing a Broken Butterfly

Chapter 31:

"Elle!"

"Elle, come on wake up!"

There's banging and clashing and I wake up. I sit down immediately and take everything in. Nathan is on the floor, straddling Kylie and holding her wrists above her head as she attempts to kick furiously. Mikey is trying to undo the last ties of rope at my feet.

When did Mikey get here?

"Mikey?" My voice sounds so weak, and I gasp in pain as I feel a surge of agony. I look down and see red. There's red everywhere around me. Then I realize it's gushing out from my stomach. I must look horrified, because then I see Mikey fumbling with the rope in a hurry.

"It's okay, Elle. Just hang in there, we're gonna get you outta here."

My breathing is becoming shallow as I try to block out the pain. I see flashes of light coming from outside the tool shed.

"Over here!"

"We need help!"

"I need an ambulance ASAP"

Voices are overlapping to the point where I can't distinguish one from the other. I see Officer Westmoreland enter the tool shed and move Nathan aside as he grabs Kylie from the floor and handcuffs her. Paul enters a few seconds later and rushes towards me and Mikey. He's saying something into his walkie-talkie, but I'm too much in a daze to clarify anything that's being said.

Moments later, three paramedics dressed in white barge in through the door. I'm transferred gently to a stretcher, but not without screaming out in pain. I'm being rolled down towards the driveway and all I can think about is Nathan and Mikey. We reach the ambulance and as I'm being hoisted up, I catch Kylie being shoved into the back of the police car. She looks like she's yelling, but I can't hear a damn thing, and for once...I'm glad. My eyes find Nathan and Mikey coming through the gates and towards the driveway.

"Wait," I tell the paramedic next to me. She has soft brown skin and big, chocolate brown eyes that seem so inviting. She also has great intuition, because just by following my eyes, she knows what I'm asking.

"Only one of them can fit in here, honey."

Nathan and Mikey make their way towards me. Mikey looks both anxious and relieved at the same time. Beads of sweat that formed at his temples are now beginning to dry. He smiles up at me and my heart melts. He's my anchor when times get rough. He's home. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him. I look over at Nathan and see that his face is stained with dirt and sweat from fighting with Kylie, but his green eyes shine brightly at me; like stars guiding me home. I've only known him for a short while, but already he's proven to be worthy enough to stay around. He makes me anxious sometimes, but that's what has made me feel alive again. He makes me want to be somebody...as scary as that is.

"Go ahead," I look over at Mikey and realize that those words fell from his lips.

Nathan looks at him in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. She already knows that I'm always here for her. It's your turn now." Mikey places his three middle fingers on his lips and then points them toward me to pass me an air kiss. I love this kid. He knows me more than I know myself. I smile at him to thank him.

The paramedic starts shouting out orders and Nathan pats Mikey's shoulder before climbing inside next to me. He grabs my hand as the woman paramedic places an oxygen mask on me. I look over at Nathan and see him mouthing 'I'm sorry'. I try to scrunch my eyebrows in a questioning glance, but instead I feel my eyes flutter close.

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