Always Her Protector

Not Yet At Least

POV: Catie

He was too close to shoot, so I smashed his head with the butt of my rifle.

Oliver stumbled a little as I aimed at his head, but before I could shoot he grabbed the barrel of my gun and pushed as hard as he could. I did my best to push back.

I fired my gun once to see if it would shake him, but he just removed his hand because of the heat from the barrel.

"You bitch," Oliver hissed at me before quickly aiming his pistol at my head.

I pushed it to the side before he could shoot my forehead, but he still fired and got my shoulder. I grunted, not wanting to show too much pain. My adrenaline was pulsing through each vein at this point, and I push kicked him into the kitchen counter.

His gun fell from his hands, but he picked up the chair as I fired once, twice, three times all in his abdomen.

Oliver fell to the ground holding his stomach. I reached for my phone out of my pocket to call the police, and within the second I looked away an indescribable pain surged through my body, and I had no idea where the source was as I looked down to see Oliver's gun weakly aiming at me.

I aimed at his neck, planning to end it now, and I pulled the trigger.

My knees gave out, and I hit the floor hard. Before I fainted, I saw blood gushing from his neck, pooling onto the floor and over to me.

Kate ran out of the room and saw me. She tried to stop the bleeding from my shoulder  abdomen as the task of breathing began to become nearly impossible.

I coughed up clots of blood, and Kate had pure fear, pain, and panic in her eyes as paramedics came in. That's when everything went dark.

POV: Kate

I knew I shouldn't have let her do it on her own, but I didn't have time to argue and she is definitely the better fighter of the two of us, and I hope she proves that.

"We didn't work on her shoulder yet because we wanted to get some more blood in her before she loses even more." The doctor came in with blood all over his scrubs and I nearly fainted at the sight. That's my baby's blood. "The bullet went through the bottom of her lung, and it wasn't through and through so we had to get all of the pieces out of her lung before we could repair it, and she lost a lot of blood in the process." He let out a very tired sigh after the nearly five hour long procedure.

Andy had just woken up hours before, and the stress on his heart from the news him made him go right back into a coma.

"We're trying to get her stabilized in the ICU right now. She isn't breathing on her own from the damage of her lung, but we think she will pull through once the blood transfusion is done and her body makes some more. After that we have to bring her right back into surgery and fix her shoulder to prevent permanent damage." The doctor gave Catie's parents and I a sad smile before leaving the room.

I broke down, and Catie wasn't there to hold me.

"Kate sweetheart, come here." Catie's dad, basically my father in law/dad at this point, waved me over as he held her mom with one arm. Tears were streaming down his face as well, but he tried to stay strong for his wife and I.

My legs weakly carried me over the the bench and I curled into his other side like her mom was.

Catie is in the ICU. She isn't breathing on her own.

Oliver is dead, and if I could kill him over and over and over again on my own I would.

POV: Catie

My eyes shot open and I tried to sit up, but the amount of wires on and in me prevented me. I started to breathe heavy and the pain in my chest grew with each breath. The machines beside me began to beep quicker and quicker as nurses came in.

"Calm down sweetie. Calm down. You're okay." One nurse held my hand as the others pumped something in my IV bag.

I tried to speak. I need to know how Kate is, but the tubes down my throat and the pain in my lungs prevented me from speaking. I mouthed her name, and they got the hint.

"She is okay. Kate is okay. They knew you would ask. Everyone else is okay too. Andy is okay, you mom and dad are okay, and Kate is okay. So breathe easy and relax." The nurse brushed my hair out of my face as I rested my head back onto the pillow.

She's okay, but I'm definitely not. I'm so tired, but I need to stay awake. I need to pull through.

"You've got one more surgery to go. After that one you can see everyone. We're doing everything we can." The nurse smiled at me before leaving the room with the other nurses, and just a few minutes later they came back in the the doctor.

"Let's get this surgery going kiddo." The doctor looked confident. Not a hint of doubt was on his face, and that was reassuring. Could he be a good actor after so many years? Yes, but at this point fuck it.

I feel like death, but I'm not dead. Not yet at least.