Shot In The Dark [Book 1]

3.8 - Dead Girl Walking

"Let me hold her hand." I finally hear a familiar voice amongst the chaos as I'm pushed down the seemingly endless hallway. I look down to see Koleton holding onto my hand as if his life depended on it, tears streaming down his face.

He's still wearing the outfit he put on before we went outside to help Meemaw, his hands nearly colder than ice.

I open my mouth to speak, when one of the doctors interrupt me to place an oxygen mask onto my face.

"I'm right here, okay? I'm not leaving." He grips my hand so tight I'm convinced he thinks he'll die if he lets me go.

The doctors push me into a dimly lit room, sticking IV's into my arms quickly. I begin to get light-headed again, my eyes falling shut no matter how hard I fight it.

———

I open my eyes to hear a faint beeping noise that keeps its rhythm. I open my eyes to see Koleton beside my bed, fast asleep.

He's still got such a tight grip on my hand as if he needs my touch to breathe.

He's still wearing the same outfit, the jacket still being far too small for him. I shift quietly, trying to get comfortable on this thin, sad excuse of a mattress without waking him up.

I fail, causing him to wake up and look over to me frantically as if I've left the bed and my hand is the only thing left. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just feel as if I have a stick stabbing into my back." I croak, feeling as though I've never had a glass of water in my life. "How long have you been here?"

"Two days, but that's not important. Calum and the others will be back soon." He hurriedly hands me a small bottle of water and I furrow my eyebrows as he continues. "Meemaw and the others were worried. They had to drag Meemaw out of the hospital."

"They should've asked the nun to sit out in the parking lot to lure her out. Also, you need to go home and change. When did Calum and the others get here?" I take a swig of the water and lean my head back again.

"Last night. I called them and they got the first flight they could." He informs me, soft talking being heard from the hallway.

We both turn to look at the door, where Calum and Ashton are walking into the hospital room holding bags of food, Noelle and Luke following them.

Calum turns to look at us, his smile dropping as soon as he sees me. "No way, when did she wake up?"

Koleton moves away from the bed, allowing Calum to take his place. "How are you feeling? How did you sleep? Do you need anything?"

His questions shock me. I didn't expect him to come all the way to Tennessee to see me, much less care about how I'm feeling. He cups my face in his hands, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

I've seen different versions of Calum, seeing as I grew up with him, but this side of him.

I don't think I've ever seen this side of him.

I glance over to Koleton who seems torn up about the scene playing out in front of him and it causes my heart to break. I don't want to see either of them hurt, but I don't want to lose either of them.

"I'm okay," I whisper, trying to lighten the mood.

The doctor enters the room, smiling at the sight of me being awake.

"She's doing well, but you'll need to watch her closely over the next few days and take her to the closest ICU if anything else that's out of the ordinary happens." The doctor informs us before looking at Koleton. "She's lucky her boyfriend brought her here as soon as she fainted."

"I'm not her boyfriend." Koleton quickly shakes his head and the doctor's eyes widen.

"I'm so sorry! I just thought that-"

"It's okay, it's not a big deal." Koleton shakes his head. The doctor talks for a few more minutes before leaving the room, allowing Ashton to speak.

"That was awkward." He lets out a sigh of relief and I roll my eyes.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed." I smile and he mirrors my face, smiling as well.

"Well one of us has to stay the same." He rolls his eyes playfully. "Speaking of changing, Koleton has been in those clothes for two days."

"Shut up, you're the one that looks like you don't know how to change your underwear regularly." Koleton rolls his eyes, causing me to let out a laugh along with everyone else. "Anyway, he's right, I need to go home and change."

He slides past Calum and places a gentle kiss onto the top of my head, leaning towards my ear.

"Call or text me if you need anything. I'm one number away." He pulls away, giving me one last smile before leaving the room.

I turn to see everyone looking at me, causing me to frown. "What?"

"According to the nurses, he's been here since you were brought here and he refused to leave your side. Now that you told him to leave, he did?" Noelle raises her eyebrows.

"Perks of being the dead girl walking I guess, I don't know." I shrug and Michael opens his mouth.

"That sounds like a movie title." He raises his pointer finger in the air. "You know, one where a girl dies then comes back to life? It would definitely sell out theatres."

"Yeah, well right it down then dingus." Luke looks at him and I smile.

"Jeff said he'll be here right before we leave to go back to Los Angeles." Noelle informs me and it causes my mood to instantly drop.

"I can't leave, we just got here." I shake my head and Noelle looks at me as if I'm out of my mind. "I'm serious! I finally got a break and it's getting taken away from me because of something I can't control?!"

"We're just worried, Margo." Noelle keeps hushed tone, only causing my anger level to rise.

"I'm not leaving. I'm safe here, dare I say I'm happy. You heard how quickly Koleton and his family brought me here." I argue and she nods.

"I did hear that, but-"

"Now hear this, I'm not leaving until our trip comes to an end. I like being here, around these people. They make me feel safe and as if nothing can hurt me." I snap at her and she backs away from the bed. "This place feels more like home than anywhere I've ever been. Not to mention Koleton is my literal bodyguard. I would be a fool to go anywhere without him."

"We can hire Abe again until Koleton gets back." Her offer makes me cringe, she obviously doesn't understand how I feel.

"And let him kill someone else? No way! You keep trying to fucking take Koleton away from me as if he's disposable." I sit up, shoving Calum's hand away. "Don't think he doesn't notice the glares you all give him!"

"Why are you defending him so aggressively? You're acting like he put the stars in the sky or something." Calum furrows his eyebrows, looking at me as if he doesn't recognize me.

"Because he literally saved my life and you all are acting like he was just a fucking bystander. I'm tired of you all acting like he's a fucking bad guy." I roll my eyes, clearly upset with all of them. "Fun fact; he's told me more and kept less secrets from me than anyone in this room."

"Whatever," Calum stands up and walks towards the door. "If you want to fuck your bodyguard then go ahead, but I refuse to watch him break your heart."

"Yeah, because you have a lot of experience in that field, right?" I laugh, causing him to turn around. "I loved you Calum. Hell, maybe I still do, but you're still with her."

"I'm not with-"

"Save it." I hold my hand up, stopping him from speaking any further. "Leave before your presence causes me to go into cardiac arrest."