𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 ⚠︎︎ 𝐉. 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑

chapter nine

His wife immediately clammed up, she continued to walk but a pit dropped dead in her stomach, like a ton of bricks. "What, is it something lame? Like you fell down the stairs or something?"

"I didn't fall down any stairs."

"Ok, so what then?"

"Someone shot at me and missed."

"See that's cool. Did you shoot him back?"

"Yeah."

"Did you hit him?"

"No. I missed. Happens more often than you'd think."

"Cause you suck at shooting, or like, in general?" Thalia fought back tears as that night surfaced in her mind, trying to keep herself out of the rabbit hole of memories.

Too late.

It was the night after Thalia had revealed to Joel her pregnancy loss. They hadn't spoken since, he'd simply left their apartment and they had yet to see each other. Thalia was coming home from a job in the QZ, trying her hardest to move on with life.

She was walking down the halls of the complex, reaching for her key when a gunshot rang through the air, her heart sped up and so did her footsteps. If there was a gunfight the last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the middle.

Thalia rushed to her door and opened it with fumbling hands, letting out a small sigh when it finally creaked open. She walked inside and dropped her keys in the bowl, but stopped upon the sight in front of her.

Her hand went to over her mouth, muffling the scream that threatened to leave her lips. There he was, on the floor in a pool of his own blood. She thought her heart stopped beating seeing her husband hurt, but the pain only worsened, hitting her hard when she saw the gun lying in his own hands.

"Oh-oh god- oh god, no please no." Thalia ran and dropped to her knees beside him, grabbing his face and gently scooping his head into her lap. The bullet had grazed his head and for that she would thank the higher powers every night.

She sobbed and stared down at him, hands violently shaking and frantically moving about. Thalia tried not to scream, keeping herself together and looking down at her husband who was moving in and out of consciousness. "Someone help me! Please!"

The wife cried out, screaming at the open door and hoping that someone would hear. Eventually an older lady stumbled upon them, gasping when she saw the girl lying over her husband, "Get help! Please, get help!"

Thalia sobbed and stroked his face as gently as possible, making sure the neighbor was off to do what she asked. "Please... Joel. I'm sorry- I'm so sorry, baby. I love you I-I... can't do this... without you."

She was hyperventilating, fighting off the panic attack that was rising to stay strong for her husband who so desperately needed her right now. "I love you... you swore you'd st-stay with me. Fucking stay, Joel. Don't leave me, not yet... I love you more- more- than anything..."

There was another thing they never spoke of, Joel hated seeming weak and she'd seen him at his absolute lowest, his weakest. She reminded him every night of his recovery how much she loved him and that it was ok to be hurt.