Flaming Hearts

Chapter 31

Taylor's POV

As soon as we got to the hospital, the doctors took me to an OBGYN exam room to figure out what's going on with me. I told them not to let Carter know where I was and why under any circumstances. I haven't even told him that I'm pregnant yet- what's the point if the baby is just going to die.

As of this moment, I'm lying back on an exam table, eyes fixed on the ceiling. The doctor- a blonde woman who looks to be in her mid thirties- keeps asking me questions. I try my best to answer them, but my mind is elsewhere, with Ariel.

'God, please don't let her die,' I think, closing my eyes.

"How far along are you in your pregnancy?" she asks, her voice full of pity. I frown, trying to figure it out in my head.

"Um, I think about 8 weeks, maybe 9," I answer after a while.

"Okay- is this your first pregnancy?"

I nod, not putting a response into words.

"Taylor, I think its best if we do an ultrasound to determine what's going on, okay?"

I nod again, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand to try and rid my face of the tears that are silently flowing down.

"Okay Taylor, just lie back. I'm going to put this gel on your abdomen- it might feel cold," she tells me.

I do as shes says, keeping my eyes closed as she turns on the ultrasounds and starts to run a piece of equipment over my abdomen.

For a minute or so, nothing happens. All I can hear is the sound of my heartbeat coming from the machine.

"I lost it, didn't I?" I ask, sniffling.

Before she can answer, I hear something I didn't hear before. Its soft, almost inaudible, but there.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

A second heartbeat.

"Actually, Ms. Evans, I don't think you did," she lightly replies.

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Ariel's POV

Carter was shot once. I know because I've always thought it was partially my fault. If it hadn't been for me Taylor would have taken Carter with her in a heartbeat and he'd never have been shot.

I remember asking him about it a few months later, about how it felt to be shot.

He told me it was a very strange experience for him because, at the time, he believed that Taylor was dead. He had absolutely no idea what was real and what wasn't at that point. At one point, he was unconcious, and at the next he was in a warehouse with a gun pointed at him.

When he was shot, he lost a lot of blood and passed out almost immediately.

"Did you know what was going on when you were out, or was it like you were sleeping?" I had asked.

Carter had smiled down at me and said, "It was like I was sleeping."

Later, I found out he was lying to me to protect my innocent mind.

No, it wasn't like he was sleeping. He knew he had been shot, and he knew he could die. He even told me that he had, in the moment, wanted to die. That was because he had thought Taylor was dead, and he didn't want to live without her.

The ironic thing is, while he was wishing he could die to be with Taylor, she was sitting by his hospital bed and crying for him to wake up.

When he finally did wake up, he realized how stupid he had been to wish he could die.

Carter, despite his will to die, lived through being shot in the chest.

Now I've been shot, and I have no reason to want to die.

I have so much to live for. I want more than anything to live. In fact, I can list a multitude of reasons why I should live off the top of my head.

1. My parents have been through so much already without losing a daughter.

2. Flame won't have an owner if I die.

3. Taylor and Carter are getting married in less than a month, and I should be there.

4. I'm going to have a niece or a nephew.

5. I want to see Troy getting his ass locked in jail for the rest of his life.

6. I just got an acceptance letter to go to Cornell University- full ride scholarship based on merit.

7. Colton.

And there are more, so many more reasons why I should not die because my stupid ex boyfriend was actually the nephew of the cop who took my family hostage decided to shoot me. But none of those reasons will matter if my heart stops beating. None of those reasons can stop me from dying if I've lost too much blood, or if there are complications due to the surgery that I will undoubtly have to go through. I could die, and no amount of reasons why I should live can stop that. I could write down a million reasons why I should live and it wouldn't make a difference.

I have a horrible feeling that all of those reasons are mundane and irrelevant. A feeling that I'm going to die today.

Taylor's POV

After speaking with a long line of doctors, I slip out of the exam room and make my way towards the intensive care unit, which is where they told me Ariel would be.

Once I walk into the waiting room, I'm instantly swept aside by Carter.

"Taylor where were you?" he asks, holding my hands I'm his.

"With a doctor," I vaguely reply, my gaze on Colton, who is sitting in a chair in the corner, his head buried in his hands.

"Why were you with a doctor if you didn't get hurt? Are you okay?" he questions, concerned. I turn my eyes up to meet his, offering a tight smile.

"I'm fine Carter. Don't worry about me," I sigh. "How's Ariel?"

"She's in surgery right now. It's not looking good," he whispers.

I nod, tears welling up in my eyes again. I can't lose her. Not my sister.

"Carter," I whimper, burying my face into his chest. He wraps his arms around me protectively, holding me tightly to him.

"It will be okay," he assures, pressing his lips to my forehead. "She'll be fine."

"What if she isn't?" I ask, pulling away to look up at him.

He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can a small black and white picture falls out of my back pocket, and starts to flutter to the floor.

The ultrasound.

"Carter-" I start, but he's already picked it up.

He looks at it for a few seconds, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Is this- are you- Taylor?" he stutters.

Despite the situation, I chuckle.

"Yeah Carter. I'm pregnant."

A/N

I AM SO SORRY WORDS CANT EXPRESS HOW SORRY I AM FOR THE WAIT! FORGIVE ME PLEASE!

Anyways, here is your chapter. Sorry it's not longer. And also I don't have time for an authors note cause I'm in class right now!

Have A Great Day My Lovelies!