THEN:
At age thirteen Logan Stanfield already knew about bad timing-- his parents got divorced, he moved to a new town, and was forced to start his life over again from scratch. But when he walked into the classroom that first day and laid eyes on M...
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LOGAN
All I can see is her face and all I feel is overwhelming pain. Those are the two things I cling onto as my eyes finally peel back open. My whole body hurts, like I've been slammed into a semi, and my entire right side is throbbing with a dull burn. As the room comes into focus around me, I'm not sure where I am, but I remember Maisy in my arms and then a gunshot, and it all comes rushing back. I blink, taking in the white walls and floor, the machines beeping next to me, and the grey haired nurse fussing above me. I'm in the hospital.
"How are you feeling?" she asks as soon as she notices I'm awake, but I can't make myself speak. My lips are so chapped they're almost sealed together. The nurse turns to the side and picks up a pitcher and that's when I see her, Maisy, behind a window, turning away from me and walking away. My heart pounds and the machines next to me come to life as I croak out her name and throw the sheets back from my body. I'm just attempting to swing my legs over the bed, ignoring the pain shooting through me, when the nurse tackles me. She grabs onto my shoulders and shakes her head.
"Oh no Mr. Stanfield! You need your rest." She's surprisingly strong for such a tiny thing, and in my condition she's easily able to keep me from getting off the bed. She guides me back onto the mattress with invisible strength and eases me back onto the pillows.
"The doctor will be in shortly," she says, trying to placate me by offering a plastic cup of water which I greedily take.
I chug the liquid down, letting it quench my dry mouth and bring me back to the living as my eyes scan the now empty window. The fogginess slowly lifts and I wonder if I really saw Maisy out there, or if it was all in my head. I try to piece together what happened. I remember holding her in my arms and then being shot from behind. I look down at my right arm and my bandaged shoulder. There were two more gunshots I think, and the last thing I remember is dropping to the floor and covering Maisy's body with my own.
"Maisy?" I ask the nurse, managing to croak out one single word. She stops writing, holds the chart in her hands up to her chest and stares down at me with confusion.
"The girl--"
"You're awake!"
I swing my head over to the door just as Will walks through it with his arms open and a wide smile. My body fills with instant relief at seeing him. I know he'll have answers for me.
"Jesus man!" He comes towards me, clasps my left hand and leans into my body, gently placing his hand my back. "Did you ever give us a scare. You can't be doing that shit Logan! You're getting too old to be taking on gang members." He chuckles good-naturedly and steps back to get a better look at me and his mouth sets into a grim line. "You're dad's on his way," he lets me know.
