On the Run [a.i. au]

25. Mark My Words

Some of the events of this chapter may not work this way in real life, but this is an AU so let's pretend they do for the purposes of this story :) love you all!

Thalia's POV

As the paramedics carry Luke and me away from Calum and Ashton, my head is spinning. Lack of blood might be a cause, but the events of the past half hour have made me realize what I've truly gotten myself into.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" asks a male paramedic as I'm laid on a stretcher. I reply with a short, "Yes," before I begin to be assessed by two other paramedics.

My head turns to my left where Luke is currently on a stretcher surrounded by at least six paramedics. He already has numerous instruments around him, working to full capacity to keep him alive. I can feel sweat forming on my hairline as I try to concentrate on what they're doing to Luke. He's the only person I have now; God only knows if I'll ever see my family again after this is over. If I can't see them, I can't lose Luke now.

We haven't known each other for long, but when you're thrown in a cell with someone who was willing to nearly die for you, you're bonded deeper than most people could be. I'm grateful that he did that, though my heart hurts because I feel responsible.

A sudden, monotone beep fills the area, and my heart races as I try to sit up. "What's happened?" I frantically ask the first paramedic I spoke to, who is preparing to load me into the ambulance. "I need to see him!"

"Thalia," he orders loudly as he lightly pushes my shoulders flat against the stretcher against my will. "You need to stay right here. You've lost a lot of blood. If we didn't get an anonymous tip you had been taken here, you would've died."

"What about Luke?" I cry out as I try to fight his grip. "He already died once, I can't let it happen again!" I wriggle around, feeling more blood oozing from my leg as I try to see Luke. I catch a glimpse of his lifeless body, tears springing to my eyes. I can't let him die.

He takes a deep breath as I'm surrounded by other paramedics who strap restraints on me so they can load me into the ambulance. "I'm sorry, Thalia, we're doing everything we can. Please, trust us."

I narrow my eyes at the man above me, taking in the sympathetic look upon his face. He seems genuinely worried about Luke and me, but I can't bring myself to trust him. Trust is something I don't know if I'll ever be fully capable of again.

They proceed to load me into the ambulance and shut the door behind the paramedic that's been with me since the beginning. Soon enough, I feel the vehicle move under me and it makes the world spin.

"We're almost there, Miss Moore," he says as he wipes my damp hairline with a gloved hand. "Just hold on."

I do as he says, even though it's pure agony. By the time we stop, I'm weak and I can feel my vision blurring as I go in and out of consciousness. However, somewhere inside of me, underneath the blood and wounds, I feel as if these are not my final moments. I feel like I can find my way out of this and back home, although the odds are against me. Even though I'm on the brink of death, I feel so alive.

I can feel the stretcher being wheeled into the ER, and the faint shouting of nurses and doctors around me. Everything becomes a blur as my body is placed on a table. My entire being and state of mind is filled with nothing but torturous pain.

"She's lost over two pints of blood," someone says, though it's muffled to my own ears. "I don't understand how she can be conscious right now." A needle pinches the inside of my left forearm and I feel a burning sensation fill my veins, making me more woozy than I already was.

"The boy with her is in worse shape," says somebody else from what seems to be a far distance away from me, "They've already had to revive him twice. It isn't looking good." I swallow nervously as I think of Luke lying in a hospital room, helpless and lifeless, with no one with him. I want to be with him right now. No, I need to be with him, and he needs me right now. He can't go through this alone.