Photo: Noah
Song used for this chapter: Knocking On Heaven's Door, by Bob Dylan
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"This can't be happening," I sobbed, stroking the hair away from Noah's forehead which was clammy, his warmth gone.
There was no way I could lose him. Coming to my senses, I gently laid his head on the floor and scrambled up as quickly as I could. I ran in to Jen's room frantically and looked at the floor where my phone was. "Fuck!" I screamed, my heart beating rapidly as my eyes caught sight of it, shattered in to pieces. I couldn't use it.
A muffled cry came from the bed and I glanced up. Jen was trying to sit up, a confused look in her eyes. Running over to her, I held her shoulder and tried to catch my breath. "What did he do with your phone Jen?" I cried, despair filling my heart as I thought about Noah lying on the hardwood floor alone. "Goddamn it Jen where is it?"
"I, I - " she mumbled, her eyes closing as she tried to focus.
"Jen," I shouted, forcing her to look at me. "Please tell me, Noah's been stabbed. I need it now!"
"He, he took it."
With the tears streaming down my face, I sprinted from the bedroom and back in to the living room. My eyes drifted to Noah as I stopped beside the unconscious form of Pete, slumped on the ground. I could see Noah's chest rising and falling, but his shirt was soaked red. The bleeding wasn't stopping. Pure hatred filled my heart as I knelt down beside Pete. I wanted nothing more than to pick up the knife and take his life away, but I knew there wasn't time. Fear almost paralysed me as I reached out and put my hand in his coat pocket. But there wasn't anything that was going to stop me from getting that phone.
My hands shook as I quickly tried both pockets and I never took my eyes off him. When my hand closed around Jen's phone, I cried in relief and pulled it out. Flipping it open, I dialled 911 as I crawled back over to Noah. After an agonizing second, a voice came on the line.
"This is the - "
"You have to send an ambulance now, my boyfriend's been stabbed. He's bleeding badly, he needs help now!" I screamed, pulling him in to my lap as I rocked back and forward on the floor of the apartment, refusing to let him go.
"Calm down Miss. What's your address?"
"17 Market Way," I sobbed "Apartment 2A. Please hurry!"
"Miss an ambulance has been dispatched and is on its' way. It'll be with you in five minutes. It's vital that you tell me...is the perpertrator still in the apartment?"
But I couldn't answer. The only thing I could do was look at Noah. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and he was cold to the touch. "Please don't leave me, college boy," I whispered, dropping the phone as the woman's voice faintly spoke on the other end. "You said we'd grow old together. Just open your eyes okay? Please just open your eyes."
But he didn't. I stroked his face, too scared to look down at his shirt. It's white colour wasn't visible anymore. The only thing I could see was blood, and I couldn't look. His breath was ragged, and I knew he didn't have long left. The tears rolled down my face as I kissed the top of his head. I couldn't lose him. He was the one I was going to marry someday. And as I cried for him, I waited for the ambulance, praying it would reach him in time.
It was the longest wait I had ever had in my life but five minutes later, the ambulance arrived.
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A banging came from the other side of the door, and a loud voice boomed through the hallway. "Miss, this is the Police. Open the door."
Wiping my eyes, I scrambed to the door and yanked it open, crying in relief when I saw two Police officers standing there, weapons at the ready. My eyes caught sight of two uniformed Paramedics as they shoved their way past the Police and barged in to the apartment carrying a stretcher.
"Please help him," I sobbed, running back over to Noah and dropping to my knees beside him. I was afraid if I left him, he would just slip away. Behind me, the two Police officers handcuffed a still unconscious Pete. But I was barely aware of what was happening. The only thing that I could focus on was Noah. He was my entire life.
"He's losing too much blood," one of the paramedics said quickly, gesturing for the other to help him move Noah on to the stretcher.
"What does that mean?" I shouted frantically, crying as they both lifted him carefully. He didn't make a sound and even I knew that wasn't a good sign. "Please, you have to save him. Goddamn it you save him!"
"He needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible, we can't do anything for him here."
I watched helplessly as they both stood up and lifted the stretcher. Reaching out towards him, my fingertips grazed his arm as they took him away. As I stepped forward, ready to follow a hand went on my shoulder. Fear overwhelmed me and I screamed, spinning around to just find one of the Police officers looking at me.
"We need to take your statement," he said apologetically, as he loosened the binds around my hands and his partner made his way towards the bedroom where Jen was. "It's protocol."
"I don't give a damn about your protocol," I whispered, throwing the rope to the floor and pushing his hand off my shoulder. "I'm going in that ambulance and there's no way your keeping me from being with him, do you understand?"
But I didn't wait to hear his answer. I span around and ran out of the apartment as fast as my legs would carry me. A small part of me worried about Jen but I knew she would be okay. My priority was Noah. I couldn't leave him alone. I had to be there when he woke up because he would wake up, he promised me. Taking the stairs two at a time I burst through the double doors and out on to the sidewalk.
The sun was still shining, and people bustled past. It was just an ordinary day for them. They went about their usual activites with not a care in the world. But there I was, watching two strangers load the love of my life in to the back of an ambulance. People had started to gather around, trying to take pictures. Anger surged through me as I barged past, shouldering them roughly as I fought my way through.
"Hey, watch it lady," someone shouted as I shouldered past, knocking the phone she had been using to try and get a picture.
Pure, unadulterated rage coursed through me and I span around, my blood boiling. "You're despicable," I whispered, blinking away the tears as she glared at me. She opened her mouth to say something but I just turned around and ran to the ambulance. I started to step up but the paramedic shook his head slightly.
"I'm afraid you can't, I'm sorry," he muttered, shutting the doors quickly.
"I need to go with him," I sobbed, trying to open the doors but he just stepped in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders.
"He's lost a lot of blood," he said. "We can't tell if he's going to make it to the hospital and if that happens, you can't be there. You'll have to follow behind."
As the tears streamed down my face, I just watched as the man disappeared around to the front of the ambulance. He climbed in to the driver's seat and slammed the door. And less than two seconds later, he pulled out of the space and sped towards the hospital. I quickly climbed on my bike and grabbed the keys from my pocket. My hands trembled as I stuck them in the ignition but I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Finally, they went in the slot and I turned the engine on and pulled out in to the traffic, leaving the crowd behind as numerous people carried on trying to take photos.
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Barely ten minutes later, I arrived at the hospital behind the ambulance. I clambered off the bike and ran over, praying that he was still alive. As the paramedic climbed out quickly, he nodded at me. I released a breath and stood back as they opened the doors and climbed up. My heart was still beating fast, from either adrenaline or fear. Panic surged through me as they unloaded the stretcher. I ran over as they started to make their way towards the hospital entrance.
Running beside, I reached out and took hold of Noah's hand. It felt cold, and it scared me. But as I looked down, his eyes fluttered open. I smiled at him and squeezed his hand gently. "Hey there," I whispered, my voice breaking as he blinked up at me. "I'm always with you, Noah. You're going to be okay. I promise."
"I need a doctor now!" the paramedic shouted frantically as they wheeled Noah in to an empty room.
I stayed with him, never letting go of his hand. And then he did the most wonderful thing; he smiled at me. I cried and stroked his cheek, kissing him on the forehead. I could feel it. He was going to be okay. Suddenly, a doctor ran in to the room and looked down at Noah.
"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" I nodded, almost trying to convince myself. "Tell me he's going to be okay!"
"Get her out of here," the doctor motioned to the nurse that ran in beside him.
"No! I have to stay with him," I cried helplessly as she stepped forward and gently took hold of my arm.
Looking over my shoulder, I watched as they attached him to a heart monitor and began cutting his shirt. His eyes were closed. And he wasn't smiling anymore. As the tears began to fall once more, I allowed the nurse to lead me out. But just as I reached the door, the heart monitor's beeping stopped. Spinning around, my eyes widened as they fell on Noah. He was ghostly pale, and he wasn't breathing.
"He's going in to cardiac arrest," the doctor said frantically, reaching for two paddles. "He's losing too much blood, he's hemorrhaging."
"Noah!" I screamed, running towards the bed.
The nurse stopped me again, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me out of the room. "One, two, clear!" The doctor shouted, before pressing the paddles to Noah's chest. His body convulsed and jerked upwards. I stared at the heart monitor willing it to make a sound, but there was nothing. It still detected no pulse.
"Please..." I sobbed, banging desperately on the glass with my fist as they charged them again, working desperately to restart his heart. "Wake up," I whispered, pressing my face against the glass. "Don't you leave me."
Suddenly, a beep came from the heart monitor as the doctor shocked him for a third time. I cried out in relief as Noah's chest began to rise and fall. But I didn't have time to feel anything else as the doctor and the two paramedics grabbed hold of the stretcher and began to wheel him out of the room as quickly as possible. They ran past me without a second glance.
"He needs to get to surgery now. If we don't stem the bleeding we're going to lose him," the doctor panted, his white coat billowing behind him as he ran.
"Noah!" I screamed, collapsing on the floor as they led him away, my energy completely drained. I never took my eyes off the stretcher as they ran down the corridor. Without stopping, they charged through a set of double doors, leaving them swinging wildly behind them.
And just like that, they were gone.
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The next update for this book will be on the 9th June. I have two exams this week so unfortunately I can't update until then. I'm sorry to leave you waiting, and I hope you'll all be here when I get back.