July 25, 2015
(After Alaina and her Dad leave on their horses...)
Ryan's POV
"They've been gone a long time." Dustin says as he leads one of the horse's in the stall.
"I know." I sigh. "I think I'm going to go check on them and make sure she's okay."
"I'll come with you." He states and I nod in agreement.
"Get the rifle just in case." I order him. I didn't want to take any chances if they were fighting. God only knows how violent her father has gotten in the past.
We don't even bother to saddle the horse's and just ride them bareback.
If I know anything, they are more than likely at the pond. I'm positive Alaina would have wanted him to visit Kevin's grave.
I was planning on proposing to her there later today after her dad left. After she talked to him today she was going to tell him she didn't want to see him again. I think she just wanted closure to that bad part of her past. Closure from him and the memories.
All week she had been a nervous wreck about seeing him. I couldn't blame her. I was nervous too. I didn't trust the man. And I never would.
Not after I have seen what he has done to her. The thing's he's truly capable of.
That day I found him strangling her in the barn did it for me. Never would I have thought he would try to kill her, his own flesh and blood. But I was wrong. So very wrong.
The look in his eye's that day still haunt me. So distant and heartless. So cold and lifeless. It was like he didn't have a soul anymore. Maybe he still didn't. But for Alaina's sake, I hope he really had changed.
How wrong I was.
The sound of a gunshot filled the forest, spooking both of the horse's. My eye's went wide as I heard the sound of a horse screaming following right after.
I kicked Levi to urge him into a gallop and we ran towards the pond. I had never been more scared in my entire life than I was now.
When Dustin and I reached the opening in the tree's, my heart stopped in my chest.
There laying on the ground, was a lifeless horse and my Alaina was laying right beside him.
I couldn't manage to move my horse from my spot as I watched her father hover over her with the gun pointed at her head.
Then I saw him get ready to pull the trigger.
"No!" I screamed.
Another gunshot filled my ear's and her father fell to the ground. I looked over to Dustin, who had the rifle aimed towards him.
I didn't even thank him before I was riding towards Alaina.
"Alaina!" I yelled jumping off of my horse. Bending down beside as I gathered her up in my arms.
The color was gone from her face and she felt almost cold to the touch. Blood slowly pooled out of her mouth and down her chin.
"Baby?! Open your eye's!" I begged but got no response. "Please, baby! Don't do this to me! I need you. I need you so much." I sobbed, pulling her against my chest as I rocked us back and forth.
It was only when a hand gently touch my shoulder, giving it a squeeze, that I looked away from her.
"You need to get her back to the house. I called for an ambulance. I'll take care of everything else." Dustin said as a tear fell down his cheek.
I nodded and he quickly helped me put her up on Levi's back. I didn't waste anytime getting back to the house. Levi running faster than he ever had for me.
I hadn't even gotten us off the horse before I heard the sirens and the ambulance shooting up the driveway. All the EMT's rushing out of the ambulance towards me with a stretcher in tow.
Wasting no time, they took her away from me and put her in the back. I couldn't seem to move my feet as I watched them drive her away.
Shaking my head from the shock, I put Levi in the barn and jumped in Alaina's truck. The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever.
I don't know what I would do without her. She's my whole life.
My lover. My very best friend. And my soul mate.
If I lost her, I don't know what would become of me. My life wouldn't be worth living anymore.
[*]
Arriving at the hospital, I wasted no time to run inside. Not even bothering to apologize to the people I ran into along the way.
"Alaina Stokes! Where is she?!" I asked the receptionist.
"She's in surgery right now. Have a seat and we'll be with you when she's finished." She told me calmly.
"Surgery?! What kind of surgery?!" I questioned, and I felt my stomach twist.
"She's lost a lot of blood and her left lung was punctured by the bullet." She said. "She's in very bad shape." She smiled sadly.
"I have to see her. Please." I begged.
"I can't let you do that, sir. I will be sure to let you know when she's finished. Then you can go and see her." She promised.
Nodding hesitantly, I walked over to a random chair and sat down.
She's in very bad shape. She's in very bad shape. She's in very bad shape.
That was all I could seem to think about. Those five words repeated over and over in my head. Taunting me, tormenting me.
My phone began to ring, making me jump. Pulling it out of my pocket, I saw that Dustin was calling so I quickly answered.
"Hello." My voice probably sounded so broken.
"How is she doing?" He asked anxiously.
"Not good. She lost a lot of blood and the bullet punctured her lung." I almost whispered.
"Fuck." He sighed. "Well, I don't have good news either I'm afraid."
"You might as well just tell me." I mumbled, running my hand through my hair.
"Rebel is gone. He didn't survive." I tensed at his words. Alaina was going to be heartbroken when or if she finds out.
Don't think like that, I scolded myself.
"She's going to be so upset." I told him truthfully.
"I know." He sighed. "The cops are here also. They are going to want to talk to you and Alaina when she wakes up."
"Fan-fucking-tastic." I said sarcastically.
"I know. Apparently things were not what they seemed with her father. I'll let them fill you in though." His voice was bitter at the mention of her father.
"Thanks, Dustin. Take care of everything until I get back."
"You got it, boss. Keep me posted on everything that happens." He said, but paused for a moment. "Ryan?"
"Yeah?" I can feel the tear's swell up in my eye's.
"If, I-I mean when she wakes up, tell her I love her. She's been such a good friend to me over the year's. She's like a sister to me. I-I never got to thank her for all she's done for me." He sniffs. "And you tell her that if she makes it out of this one she can call me Doodie any time she wants and I swear I'll never get mad again." He chuckles with a sob.
"I'll tell her. I promise." I wipe the tears off of my cheeks and smile sadly.
"Thank you." That's the last thing he says before he hangs up.
Silently, I sit in the waiting room, praying that this nightmare will soon be over.
[*]
A few hour's pass and Alaina is still not out of surgery. I was beginning to go insane. I'm sure my hair was sticking up in every direction from constantly running my fingers through it. I probably look like a fucking mad man. Not that it really mattered. All the other people waiting would sometimes glance my way, giving me a sad smile. A look of pity.
Even though I didn't like the looks they gave, I smiled back. They were all going through the same thing I was. Waiting to hear about a loved one on the other side of those double doors.
All of us looked towards the entrance when we heard several footsteps come in.
The police had finally showed up. One of them in a suit and tie and the other in a uniform. Their black shoes tapping on the tile floor as they walked over to me.
This day was going to hell in a hand basket so fast.
"Mr. Adams?" An older officer asked, adjusting his tie.
"Yes." I said.
"Could you answer a few questions for us?" I just nodded and followed them to a vacant hospital room the receptionist led us to.
"Can you tell us in your own words what happened today?"
I sighed and told him word for word what had happened. All from the day I had met her three year's ago, what all she had told me, everything I had witnessed, until today.
"I see." They both said when I was finally finished. "Well, it turns out he was lying about being better. He had been held in a mental institution not far from here for the past three years. I guess he escaped a few weeks ago."
"Escaped?" I gaped at the men.
He fucking escaped! That lying cocksucker!
"He did. We haven't been told how he did it, but he was far from being mentally stable. One of the head nurses there said he was very violent and made several suicide attempts. "
"Holy shit." I said rubbing my hands over my face.
"Now listen, we know the only guilty person in this was Charles, so none of you are being charged with anything. But, we still need to talk to her when she wakes up." He says.
"I doubt she will be in the mood to talk, sir. Could you possibly wait a couple of days?" I ask. I really don't want her stressed out right away.
He smiles. "Of course. Thank you, Mr. Adams. We'll be in touch."
Giving them a forced smile, I shake their hands and watch them leave.
I cannot believe that bastard lied about everything! He's just lucky he is dead or I would have killed him myself, even if I would have spent the rest of my life in jail. It would have been worth it for every day I rotted away in a jail cell.
"Mr. Adams?" A man in blue scrubs asks as he walks towards me.
"How is she?" I get up and rush towards him.
He gives me a grim look and my heart drops. No!
No, no, no, no, no. Please no!
"She is.... stable. Her lung collapsed from the bullet but there was some internal bleeding." He paused.
"Is she going to be okay?" I stood silently, for what seemed like hours before he answered.
"I don't know." He said sadly.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. That new phrase kept repeating over and over again in my head.
"What do you know?" I snap and he flinches at my tone.
"I know it's all up to her now. We have done all we can for now. All we can do is wait and see what happens. She's in a medically induced coma." He sighs and my heart falls even farther.
Coma?
"Can I see her?" I croak.
Nodding, he motions for me to follow him and we walk down a long hallway.
"Here we are." He murmurs and stands outside a door numbered 1103 B.
My feet seem to be cemented to the floor. For the first time in my life, I'm afraid to see her. I don't know what kind of scene lies behind that door.
"She needs you, you know?" The doctor states and I look at him. "I have known that girl since she was born, and let me tell you something. She has always been there for everyone else besides herself. She needs someone to be there for her now more than ever."
"I-" I start but I can't seem to finish. Nothing is coming out of my mouth.
"Don't give up on her, Ryan." With that he walks away, leaving me staring at the door to Alaina's room.
Minutes go by and I am still staring at the door.
Taking a deep breath, I finally open it and walk in. My breath hitches when I take in the sight before me.
She's hooked to a breathing machine. Her chest rises and falls slowly as its hiss fills up the room. Wires are hanging from the delicate skin of her arms as she lies quietly on the bed. An awful colored hospital gown cover's her body.
She looks so... lifeless.
A strangled sob escapes my lips as I take her cold hand in mine.
"Please come back to me, baby. I love you so much. Don't leave me. You can't leave me. I want to live the rest of my life with you. Start a family with you. Grow old with you. I want you to be my wife. Just, please don't do this to me." I beg, laying my head gently on her stomach. "Just come back to me."
I just want to see her open those beautiful green eye's again, give me that breath taking smile I've fallen in love with.
I want to tell her how much I love her. I want her to know how much she means to me. I just want her.
Always her. Only her. And that's how it always will be.
I close my eye's and continue to cry until I no longer have any tear's to shed, praying I will wake up from his nightmare.