She's A King

37.

Taron Mills
Maggie. My Maggie.
Shot.
I watched as she crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Like a pile of bricks just collapsing.
I screamed.
Loud and clear.
As did Carter and her mother.

In a blur I crawled over to where she was.
Eli couldn't believe what his daughter had done.
Saved him by sacrificing herself, as he did for me.
I pulled her into my lap and looked at her face.
Her eyes weren't focused and kept drooping.
Her breathing extremely shallow and slow.
Ruth lifted her daughters shirt and cried as she viewed the bullet hole that had cleanly entered Maggie's ribcage.
I wanted to be sick.
Carter was crying and holding Maggie's hand.
"Carter? Mum?" Maggie whispered and both of them leaned up to her face, their tears falling steadily.
"Hey baby sister"Carter cried, pushing a smile on his face.
"I love you both" Maggie said closing her eyes.
"Don't you say your goodbyes. Don't do it. You'll be fine" her Mum cried.
"Bullshit" Maggie smiled. "Dad?"
"I'm here" Eli said stroking her other hand. "I'm so sorry Maggie. I'm so sorry" he cried.
"You do it for Taron. I do it for you" she whispered and I could see she couldn't open her eyes anymore.
"You're so stupid" Eli cried and another small smile appeared on her face.
"I'm dying and those are your last words to me?" She said and all of smiled as we cried.

The sirens were basically on top of us and I prayed they had an ambulance.
Her eyes opened for a moment and looked straight into mine.
"Hey." She smiled.
"Hello"
"I wanted to answer your question" Maggie coughed and it broke my heart as she closed her eyes again.
"What?" I cried.
"I will be your girlfriend" she whispered.
"Great" I smiled through my tears.

Her face had fallen flat.
Her eyes closed.
Her body went completely limp.
The only thing giving me any hope was the shouts of police and ambulance crew, along with Maggie's pulse still going.
"Just hang on" I whispered as Carter kissed her hand.
Both her parents were sobbing next to her body.

It was a blur as the paramedics pushed us all away to work on reviving her.
They picked her up like a rag doll and put her in the ambulance.
"Go with her. We'll follow" Eli rushed and I nodded, jumping in the back of the ambulance.
All I could do was sit there as we drove to the hospital.
I knew it wasn't looking good as soon as we got to the hospital and they whisked her away so quickly I couldn't say anything.
All I could do was wait.

"Where is she?" Carter asked as the family burst into the waiting area.
"I don't know. They wheeled her off about ten minutes ago and I haven't heard anything" I sighed.
"Not good enough" Carter growled before storming up to the receptionist, slamming his fists on the table and ordering her to tell him where Maggie was.
The poor woman looked terrified as she searched on the computer.
She turned to her colleague and Carter growled impatiently.
"She's in surgery. I'll get the doctor to come and talk to you as soon as she's done" the woman whispered and Carter slumped down in the chair next to me.
I looked at Eli and Ruth and was pained to see their tear stained faces. Ruth's head was placed on her husbands shoulder, Eli rubbed her hand as both of them stared into space.
We all just wanted to see Maggie.

The walls of the hospital were too white.
The smell of antiseptic was too strong.
My phone was ringing and it took all my energy to pick it up.
"Are you ok? We saw on the news that you were there" Mum sighed through the phone.
"I'm fine" I whispered, scared that if I spoke too much I would break down.
"And Maggie?"
I paused.
"Shot"
"Oh god. Taron I'm so sorry." Mum gasped but I scoffed.
"No you're not"
"Shes a child. She should never have been shot whether I like her or not" mum said and I could almost hear a hint of sadness. "How is she?"
"I don't know. We're all just waiting" I sighed rubbing my forehead.
"Ok. Let me know. Come home as soon as you can darling" She croaked out and I sighed before hanging up the phone.

It felt like days had gone by before we heard anything, when really it was only an hour or so. None of us had moved.
"King family?" The doctor sighed and Eli stood up and shook the mans hand. "How are you Eli? Do any of you need checking over?" He asked and I realised that Eli knew the man.
"I just want my daughter" Eli said, attempting to sniff down tears.
The doctor looked down and Ruth joined her husband side by side.
She clutched Eli tight and I just watched as the doctor said something I couldn't hear.
I looked at Carter who looked back at me, a sense of fear written all over his face.
Just as I turned back to Ruth, Eli and the doctor, an ear piercing scream rang out in the waiting room.

I gasped and Carter ran over to his mother who was now crumpled on the floor.
Ruth was screaming.
Eli has his hands over his eyes.
Carter was asking Ruth what was wrong.
I already knew.
My heart knew.
Any sense of doubt was quickly crushed as Ruth cried, "My Maggie. Dead".