What's Enough?

Chapter 110

I'm sitting on the side of the hospital bed; my legs dangle off the edge. My body is frozen. I'm barely breathing, but yet I'm still alive.

I'm alive, and Ryder is not.

Why would he do that? Why would he jump in front of me? Why would he shield me from what was meant for me?

The bullets were for me, not him; Travis wanted to kill me.

Bang

My breath hitches; I look over to my right. Caleb is still standing alive and well. Travis shot past him. Was it on purpose? Caleb looks at me; his expression is blank, as it should be for someone who saw his life flash before his eyes.

I look back at Travis; his gun is now pointed straight at me. I don't have time to do anything; I can't scream, I can't run; I can only embrace what's coming.

His hand squeezes the trigger; I close my eyes.

I then feel tight arms wrap around me.

Bang

Bang

Bang

A sharp pain comes to the back of my head once I hit the ground, and then everything goes dark.

The door flies open and incomes, the last person I want to see...my father. He rushes over to me and embraces me in a hug; I don't hug him back. I don't have the strength to.

He releases me and then looks into my eyes, "Are you okay?" he asks. I don't respond. I just watch him with a blank expression. Even if I wanted to say something, I don't think I could.

"Jayda," he says softly trying to get me to speak. I don't change my expression; I watch as his concern takes over his face. "I need a nurse in here!" he yells.

A few seconds later, a nurse walks into the room. "There's something wrong she's not talking, she's not--" his voice cracks; he doesn't finish his sentence.

"Doctor Grey!" the nurse calls.

A blonde lady appears at the door; I don't turn my head to look at her; I just keep looking straight ahead. "What's wrong?" Her voice is high pitched.

"She's not responding,"

"Jayda, can you hear me?" she asks me while walking over.

I try to say something, but my mouth doesn't open.

She grabs one of the little black lights off the wall and then says, "I'm going to shine this in your eyes, okay?"

Okay

The light shines in my eye. Usually, I blink when the doctors do this, but this time I don't. She sighs and then stands up straighter; she then turns to my father and says, "She's in shock,"

"Wha-- What does that mean?" he asks. "Can she not talk anymore?"

"It's up to her; she needs time," she explains.

"How much time?" he asks sternly.

"I don't know; it's up to her," she repeats. What she just went through," she shakes her head, trying to find the words, "No child should ever have to go through,"

My father sighs, "Can she-- Can she hear me?"

"She can," Doctor Grey replies.

He walks back over to me and looks at me like I am completely broken.

The doctor says "I'm going to get a nurse to come and stitch her side up and put a cast on her arm."

"Why wasn't this done already?" he asks sternly.