River.

Chapter 35: Sun sets on East

"I know how to do basic surgery! All I'm doing is removing a bullet!" Dad shouted though I could tell he was more upset than angry.

"You're right but this isn't basic surgery... If you looked close enough you'd see that that's way too much blood from a simple shot in the chest. He's bleeding out from his heart. We need a heart surgeon." Mitch calmly stated.

I glanced through the window to the hospital room that Riley was in and saw the nurses getting him hooked up to machines and getting equipment out.

"We don't have a heart surgeon here right now. Dr. Smith is out of town today..." Dad said with a defeated tone.

"I can do it."

We all turned around to see who the source of voice was.

River was standing. Still with a bloodstained shirt on.

"What?" Mitchell asked confused.

"I can do it. I'm a licensed cardiothoracic surgeon." River replied.

Dad looked at him but rejected the idea.

"I can't let you." He said. "You're not licensed to this hospital and if the surgery goes wrong you could be tried in court by the state.

"Mr. Monroe, you have to let me." River pleaded. "I know how it feels to lose a child. Its a feeling that I would never wish upon anyone. Please, let me do this. It's the only way to save Riley's life and you have my word that I won't fail."

After thinking about it for a moment dad sent River to the room to do the surgery.

"Xander you're a respiratory surgeon aren't you? Come with me I might need you." River said.

"He cant." Replied Dad. "He's in too much shock to operate."

River nodded his head though worry spread across his face as he walked away.

"Andrew are you crazy!?! You could get fired if the city found out we let a doctor that isn't even licensed in the state of Colorado operate on a patient!" Mitchell exclaimed nearly pulling his hair out.

"This isn't just a patient this is my son. My kids' lives are a lot more important to me than this damn job. If we postpone this surgery any longer my son will lose his life and that's not something I wanna have to go through."

With that he followed River into the room and the door closed.

I took one last look at Riley through the window. The nurses were helping River get suited up. Dad came up to the other side of the window and took a long look at me then he shut the curtains.

I sat down and waited with the others for what seemed like forever. Praying that River could save Riley.

********************
-3 hours later-

We sat in the waiting room. None of us had said a word to eachother nearly throughout the entire time we were there. Xander was pacing back and forth through the waiting room. He was still in shock. He kept thinking it was his fault that Riley got shot. Mom tried to tell him that it wasn't but he just wouldn't stop blaming himself. Danny and AJ were getting some shut eye since it was 11 pm. Jordan was on his phone with Max who was on his way to the hospital.

I hadn't seen Max since 'that night'.

Grayson was sitting on the floor playing with another kid. Though my heart stopped when I heard their conversation.

"So why are you here?" The little boy, who's name was Ethan, asked.

"Wiley's getting suhjuwy done." Grayson replied.