Her Savior (Book Two Of The Brave Series)

27-Flatline

27-Flatline

Aria was worried. It was well pass dark, and her mother hadn't come back yet. The rest of the group had shown up hours ago and opened their gifts. Aria had gotten Kenzy rare chocolates from around the world, Marco got a new X-Box, since he'd said his was broken, Jax got a repaint voucher for his truck because he hated the yellow, and Raven was given a five-hundred-dollar shopping spree at a mall of her choice, since she was back to herself.

They seemed to love their gifts, and it made Aria happy to see them smile so brightly. Afterwards, they'd eaten dinner and the crowd was rowdy and boisterous as usual. It almost calmed Aria, but she couldn't get the nagging feeling that something was wrong out of her mind.

It was close to 9:00 at night when Aria's anxiety became too much. While everyone watched silly Christmas movies in the living room, Aria decided to step outside. She silently opened the back-patio door, and it seemed no one noticed, other than Blu who seemed to grow an inch every day. The tap of her nails on the tile sounded behind her and Aria turned. Blu stood there with puppy eyes and Aria smiled, reaching over to the hook that held her leash.

"Okay little one, you can come with me." She said quietly and she clicked the leash on her collar, stepping into the cold, snowy winter air. Closing the door behind her, Aria took a few steps off the back porch and sat on the bottom one, cleared off by Xepher's dad and him that morning. Blu stopped beside her, laying on the remaining space of the step. Aria pet her head absentmindedly as she looked up at the cloud ridden sky, stars peaking out here and there. The wind blew, bending the trees within her eyesight and she took in a freezing breath.

"When will this be over?" She asked the wind, but of course it couldn't answer her.

"What?!" Aria jumped at the scream and Blu followed, heads turning to look through the glass door. The light to the kitchen was on now and Mrs. Laine was on the phone, a horrified expression on her pale face. Everyone stood either in the doorway or just inside, worried looks on their faces.

"Where's Aria?" Mr. Laine asked, looking around. Aria stood then, her limbs shaking as a knot started in her throat. Please, no. That was her only thought as she opened the sliding door slowly, everyone's surprised eyes on her as Blu walked in, leash falling from her grip as Mrs. Laine looked her in the eyes, eyes that had tears pouring from them, reddened. Her throat moved as she looked at Aria.

"We're coming." She said before hanging up the phone.

"Aria, sweet pea, I-he-your mother is in the hospital. H-he shot her."

Aria ran through the hospital doors, ignoring the dull throbbing in her back and everyone's yelling for her to be careful. Blood rushed through her, her heart pounded in her ears, the panic settling in her veins as she stopped at the nurse's station.

"Cadence Nightingale, my mother, I need to see her right now!" Her voice echoed around her and when the nurse saw her, the same girl that she'd nearly choked for flirting with Xepher, she merely nodded and started typing into her computer. Her face fell as she looked back to Aria.

"I'm sorry, she's in surgery right now, and we don't know when she'll be out. The wound is in her chest." Aria felt the air leave her body and her legs collapsed. The only thing that kept her standing was Xepher who wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I-is she going to be okay?" Aria asked, but she feared knowing the answer. Her mother and her were never tightly knit as mother and daughter, but she still loved her and couldn't even imagine what life would be like without her. The grave looked that passed over the nurse's face did nothing to ease the panic rising within her.