Author's note: I think the song In my Veins by Andrew Belle is perfectttttt for Phoenix and Lucas so go listen to that <3
Lucas' P.O.V.
I watched in horror as the bullet buried itself in the best thing that ever happened to me. I felt the weight of the world crash down around me as my feet started running without me telling them to. The future I craved so much could disappear in an instant.
I got to her side in seconds. Somewhere in my mind I could hear myself barking orders to call an ambulance. Who those orders were to, I have no idea and I didn't care either. I just needed to be here with her. I could feel tears slip down my cheeks in streams.
Moments started flashing through my mind in a breeze. You know how they say when you're dying, you'll see your life flash before your eyes? Well Nix was my life, and I could feel her slipping away as fast as melting ice in the summer, soon to just be a memory.
I remembered holding her on the beach as she cried in my arms. She was so weak in that moment, relying on me to be her rock.
I remembered the pain I felt those days she'd gone missing. I destroyed myself piece by piece with every second. The more I missed her, the more I hated myself. When she found her way back, it was like a jump start to my heart, giving me the ability to be happy again.
I remembered the sparks that flew when I was kissing her in the car before the carnival. The heat and the passion between us, I'd never felt anything like it. Her hunger and need for me in that moment made me feel like I was on top of the world, a king among his subjects.
This one girl brings out both the best and the worst in me. She has taught me how to live in the moment, how to forgive, how to be strong. She's taken me in her arms and stripped me down to my weakest, showing who I truly was and then she's built me back up to be a better person. Without her, I'm worthless. I can't lose her...
I hear sirens in the distance. Everyone but our group has already left, leaving the place fairly vacant and quiet aside from my sobs.
"I love you, it'll be okay... I love you so much, just don't leave me. You promised you would marry me and you haven't yet so don't you fucking leave me!" I yelled, knowing she couldn't hear me. It was mostly to try and calm myself down so I could think straight. I pulled my hand from her chest where I had been trying to stop the bleeding. My hand was covered in a deep red color.
God help me. Wherever you are, don't let me lose her. Don't take her away...
Paramedics arrived and came to where I was sitting on the ground with Nix. They took her up on a gurney and I tried to follow but I was stopped by one of the paramedics, "You can't go with since her condition is as bad as it is!"
"No! You're not making me leave her! I will not let you make me leave her!" My defiance was useless though, they weren't letting me go with and that's that.
As soon as the ambulance started pulling away, I was in Rayne and driving off with the others close on my tail, including one of the drivers that had stayed along with a brown haired girl. I don't know them though.
If she dies, she takes my soul with her. I won't have any other reason to stay alive. I guess that makes my decision, if she dies, I die too. I won't live without her. As selfish as that sounds, I can't. I just can't live without waking up to her beautiful brown hair all over our pillows. I couldn't survive without being able to feel her kiss. Everything would be dull.
I park the car terribly and just barely think to lock it before sprinting inside the hospital. The ambulance must've gotten here maybe ten minutes before me. The lady at the front desk behind the counter gives a panicked expression at the sight of six teenagers running in all at once. "H-how may I hel-" she starts.
"A girl, she was just brought in, shot in the chest, where is she?!" I get the words out but they seem jumbled so I don't know if she'll understand me completely.
"Uhm," She stares at her computer too long for my liking. "Third floor, surgery room seventeen, you'll have to wait in the lounge space there since she's in surgery." I barely heard the last part before I was running to the elevator, pressing the up arrow repeatedly.
"Come on, come on, COME ON!" My annoyance grows with each push of the button, "OPEN!" The doors just so happened to open right there. The lady in the elevator looked at me in terror with my yelling but I didn't care.
In the elevator I saw that everyone else looked petrified as well, especially Bentley. He looked so utterly lost. It occurred to me at that moment that he had lost Cody the same as Phoenix did. He lost Cody in the same way he was possibly losing Phoenix. His entire family as far as I knew. The guy I didn't know had a hand on Bentley's should while the girl was looking at him worriedly. Bentley just looked gone, like connection with him wouldn't even be possible. I wonder if that's the expression I'm wearing right now.
The doors open and we all run out.
<3
It's been thirty minutes since we got here and still there's no word on Nix's state. I've found myself staring at the door and crying with a blank face. I was just sobbing to the point of rocking back and forth but I ran out of energy so it's resulted in me gluing my eyes to the door as tears drop down my face.
At first, they were trying to talk to me and comfort me, but I think when I gained a stoic expression yet was still crying, they decided there was nothing they could do.
Personally, I believe when a person cries but it blank at the same time, that's when you know they've shattered. That's when you know they've lost all hope. It's like the breaking point. When you're too tired to do anything. It shows when a person has lost their fight.
Emily has her face buried in Nate's chest as she's crying. He's holding her tight, like he'll never be able to hold her again. My heart aches at the sight of the two.
I miss her so much. I've barely been away from her but I just miss her.
Room seventeen's door opens to reveal a doctor in her mid twenties, holding a clipboard. "I assume you're the friends of the girl in there." She gestures to the room. She's got a sad expression, which worries me so much more.
"Her name is Phoenix Stone." Bentley replies.
"Is anyone here family? I need to speak to family." She asks tentatively.
"I'm her fiancé." I reply. The women turns her attention to me.
"My name is Dr. Leah." She says, trying to be polite but I wish we could just skip the formalities. She sighs, taking a deep breathe, "Losing a loved one is hell."
I feel my legs go weak as I sink to the floor. Losing a loved one is hell. Phoenix is dead... she wouldn't say that if she wasn't.
She leans down to me, speaking as if she was a friend, "They're attempting to start her heart again, but it's up to her now. The chances are slim, but there is still some hope." I've lost her.
The chances are slim. She's dead. They're attempting to start her heart again. My Phoenix is dead.
I can't breathe. My lungs feel like they're on fire. There's a ringing in my ears like a flatlining on a heart monitor.
My mind floats off, remembering details about her. Like when I caught her dancing,
When I reach the top floor and head to Phoenix's door I peek in. There's slow music playing on a radio in the corner and she's twirling around like Cinderella at the ball.
A smile stretches across my face. She's preparing for our school dance.
After watching her for a few more seconds I decide to speak up. "Morning. I see your already up." I open the door a few inches more and step inside.
"Huh?!" She almost falls. "W-were you w-watching me?!"
"Yes, actually I was. Your not half bad, little ballerina." I smirk.
"Shut up, twerp." She replies snarkily.
I laugh at her embarrassment. It's quite cute to see her like this.
She was so beautiful and carefree then. I miss seeing that. I miss seeing her dance around in her pajamas, laughing as she twirled.
I miss telling her I love her. I remember the first time I did, up on the roof when she came home after she'd been gone for days.
"I'm so sorry... I'm an idiot, a jerk, a douche... I could go on forever.... The point is I messed up and I'm so sorry... I don't expect you to forgive me but you have to know... I love you..." I mean every word that just came out of my mouth. I expect her to yell and be pissed but she says the three words that make my heart stop and then speed up.
"I love you..." She leans against me. I think she's to nervous to look at me.
I'll never have that again. I can feel it sinking in as I'm thinking. I want to go back to the night we spent with me playing video games and failing right before we went to the concert.
The bed creaks slightly and Phoenix moves closer to me. To my surprise she ends up straddling me. She leans froward and kisses my neck, making me shiver slightly.
I open my eyes to find her looking at me.
"You know you're adorable when you're frustrated?" She smiles sweetly.
I put my hands on her hips. "And you're adorable when you're in my lap." I smirk.
She rolls her eyes. "I love when you ruin sweet moments with that devious smirk of yours. I can see what you're thinking about. Stop mentally undressing me."
Damnit I miss her so much! I miss being stupidly in love! I miss teasing her! I miss everything.
I must've been blanking out because I only focus again when I feel Bentley shaking me rapidly. "Idiot! Focus! She's alive! They started her heart again!" I'm slapped. I assume to get my attention because that's what completely clicks me out of my trance.
"Wha?" I say weakly.
"SHE'S ALIVE!" He yells in my face. "They got her heart started again! She's going to be okay!"
The joy that flooding my veins was immensely strong. "S-she's alive? That's a sick joke to play... please tell me this isn't a joke..." I choke the words out, trying to comprehend what he said to figure out if it's possible.
"Yes! She's alive! Currently, she's resting, but she's in a safe state. They got the bullet out and its no longer threatening her heart. She'll be weak for a long time and they don't know when she'll wake up. But she'll wake up." I'm still sitting there, stunned. His last words are what make me meet his eyes, "Luca, your fiancée is alive. My best friend is alive!"
I don't care if it's weird, I hugged him. He seemed a little shocked before hugging me back. We're both crying from relief.
He pulled away, "They said they'd let one person in to see her so you can go see her. The rest of us will wait here until they'll allow more people in."
I stood up, nodding to him before taking a breath and walking towards the door. I opened it slowly to be greeted by the sweet sound of the heart monitor beating steady and strong. She had tubes in her and a lot of machinery I didn't recognize sitting around her.
There's a seat by the bed so I take it, staring at her, still not sure this is real.
My baby is going to be okay. She's okay. She's going to wake up.
The thought calms me. I reach out to hold her hand, feeling the warmth of her skin and the pulse in her wrist. I guess the adrenaline must've just dissipated because I was suddenly exhausted. My panic had taken a lot of energy out of me, so when I leaned my head against her hand that I was holding on the best, I fell asleep.
<3
Bentley's P.O.V.
The nurse walked up to us, getting ready to speak, "She's awake now and she asked me to tell you that you can go in as long as you're quiet." I felt my spirits lift at the thought of getting to see her. I was petrified to lose her. I couldn't lose them both, I don't know what I would've done. But my panic was nothing compared to the fear in Luca's eyes. He'd lost all hope the moment we got into the hospital.
I would've freaked out as well, but Charlie kept speaking to Aiden and I, so I had something to focus on aide from my own fear. Charlie is Aiden's girlfriend. They were both in college now, they're my age. Aiden is more of a street fighter than a racer, but I got him somewhat into racing back when Cody was still around. Aiden is naturally good at just about anything as far as I know of, so he caught on fairly quickly to racing.
Charlie looks at me, "We don't want to crowd the room, so we can go if you want us to."
"You're welcome to stay. You're family to me, so in turn you're family to Phoenix." I smile. I'm glad to have them around, so I hope they stay.
We all slowly crowd into the room. I walked in first to find Luca leaning against Phoenix's bed, clutching onto her hand. He's asleep while she's awake, refusing to move her hand away from him. I'm not sure he even knows she's awake.
"Make sure you're quiet." She whispers, smiling at us and then at Luca. I smile back and roll my eyes at her.
"You want us to be quiet so he stays asleep, don't you?" Emily whispers, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Yes. I was told he almost had a panic attack and had been crying since you guys got here. I'm really worried about him." She replied.
"You just had a bullet in your chest and you're worried about someone who's merely sleep deprived and scared?" I said, apparently too loud because Luca stirred in his sleep.
Phoenix shot me a glare. "Wake him, and bullet hole in my chest or not, I'll put you six feet deep." And I definitely believe her. I put my hands up in surrender as she smiles at me.
"For someone who was just shot, you seem oddly cheery be relaxed. I mean, it's a good thing, but it's weird." Nate scrunched his eyebrows as he speaks.
"You assume this is my first time being shot." Phoenix replies.
Nate's face takes on a series of different emotions before the realization of what she said actually hits him. He quiets down, not replying.
Aiden is the next to say something, "At least it's been a while since he last time you were shot. I think this is a record amount of time between incidents."
True. Last time she was shot was back before Cody died. It has been quite some time.
She smiles, "After all, the goal is to go as long as possible without bullet holes in my body." Emily yawns. Phoenix sees the exhaustion written on her face, "you all should go home and get some rest. I'll be alright here with Lucas."
"Don't you want us to take him home so he can rest too?" Charlie looks confused.
"There's no way in hell you could get him to leave her. I'd pay to see that." I chuckled.
Charlie meets my eyes and nods, understanding. After a few more words are exchanged, we slowly left the room. I was the last one out, so I took one last glance over my shoulder to see Phoenix lovingly stroking Luca's head while he held onto her hand, still fast asleep.
I'm glad they found each other. Phoenix deserved to be happy and I can tell Luca is her happiness.
With that last look, I carefully closed the door behind me and followed the others out of the hospital.
<3
Luca's P.O.V.
I know she's going to be okay but I can't help but be filled with worry and fear, even in my sleep. I'm aware that I'm not 100% asleep anymore, maybe more like 50%. I can tell there's movement in the room, so I attempt to wake myself up. The first thing I see is the door to the room shutting.
I let my eyes wander a little more to see what I've been dying to see. Nix is staring at me with a small smile, "Go back to sleep. You look half dead."
"Well if that isn't the greatest thing I could hear from my fiancée, I don't know what is." I couldn't contain my joy at being able to see her gorgeous shining eyes. I leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I love you so much, Baby." I said, trying not to let myself hurt her by hugging her because all I want to do right now if hug her and kiss her and hold her.
"I love you too, Lucas." She begins, "I'm so sorry that all of this happened, I never expected to see him there... in all honesty, I never thought I'd see him again." She looks down.
"Wait, so you knew the man who did this?" I ask. It had never occurred to me that there was a chance this person could have been a part of her past. I knew she still had a lot of her past that she hadn't told me and I never plan to ask about much more than I already have, but I think this situation calls for some answers.
"Yes. I told you the story of Cody and I know Bentley once told you that there were people out to get me and I needed to be careful. The guy that shot me is the one that killed Cody. He's the one Bentley was talking about." She pauses, "and I doubt that's the last time we'll see him."
"We don't need to worry about that anymore right now. You're safe and we're together. Nothing can happen to you with me here." I responded when I saw her scared expression.
"I know it would probably be considered innapropriate, but if I scoot over, will you sleep in this bed with me?" She gives me a hopeful look that I can't help but say yes to.
I help her carefully moveover a bit so I can lay down as well. It's not the roomiest most comfy bed in the world, but she's in my arms and that's what matters.
I kissed her forehead as she relaxed against me. I figure we'll get in trouble for this but I don't care at the moment. I close my eyes, enjoying her closeness. "I love you, Phoenix Wood."
"I love you too, Lucas Stone." And with that, we fall asleep together to the sound of the heart monitor, beating strong.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Now, I know that kind of quick recovery is unrealistic but I don't know what it should actually be like because, well, I've never been shot in the chest nor have I met someone who has.
Were you scared she was dead? Comment your thoughts on it!
Remember to vote, comment, and follow me! Thanks!
- Nyx S.