Gabby.
"Jax!" I continue to scream as I clutch his EpiPen in my palm.
"Gabs give me the pen!" My dad runs towards my direction.
"Did he touch one?!"
"He must have." He yanks the pen from my hand and darts in the other direction as I follow.
"Gabby pull out your phone for light and do not step in the trail of blood, do you hear me?!"
Blood?! Whose blood?!
I stop where I'm at and yank my phone from my pocket to turn on the flashlight. Sure enough a few feet in front of me I see a trail that looks like lines in the dirt with dark patches of blood beside it. My dad is running beside it, holding out his own phone, calling out for Jax and Courtney. Neither of them are answering.
"JAX!" I scream as loud as I can, tip-toeing around the trail of lines.
No answer. But then I see where this is taking us. The scent of the lake water is getting stronger the closer we get.
"Dad this is taking us to the dock!"
"Fuck" he mutters as if this isn't a good thing. I'd rather Jax wasn't in the woods. Or Courtney.
More people begin to call out for my dad, I can only assume those are EMTs and police officers. I frantically follow him, continuing to call out for Jax and my best friend.
"Shit! Gabby! Stay close I need you!"
I run faster as branches break open my exposed skin as I run. When I reach the clearing I can barely see my dad hovered over who I can only assume is Courtney attempting to give her mouth to mouth. She's lying half in the lake and half out. Jax lies beside her, his feet are pushing his chest off the ground as he struggles for air.
I begin to panic looking between the two of them.
"Dad! What do I do?!"
He tosses me back the EpiPen as he keeps counting aloud with his chest compressions. "You have to hit him with it in the outer thigh Gabs! At least three seconds you hold it. Strike hard."
I do as I'm told, kneeling beside Jax. If I wasn't just with him, I would have never recognized him. His eyes and lips are swollen tight.
My phone gives me the light I need to see. I'm crying so hard that I'm having trouble reading the instructions. I only have one chance to get this right.
"Stay still Jax! I have the pen! Just stay still!"
His legs continue to flail as he fights for a breath. I straddle his knees do keep them down. Then I lift the hem of his shorts and stab him in the thigh just where the picture shows and hold it, counting aloud slowly before I pull back.
I continue crying as I watch him struggle. But after about thirty seconds I hear him finally grasp a breath. My sobbing gets louder as I let up on his knees and put my face next to his ear, gripping is shirt with my fist. "Breathe Jax!"
"Fuck, come on Courtney breathe!" My dad yells and presses his mouth to hers again.
"Dad!" I choke out a sob. I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should stay by Jax or help him with Courtney.
"Take my phone Gabs, 911 is still on the line. Run as fast as you can to the edge of the woods and show the EMT driver how to get here!"
"Okay" I nod in agreement. I bend back down to Jax. "I love you Alfie just hold on a little longer!"
I run to my dad and grab his phone, for the first time getting a glimpse of Courtney. It doesn't even look like her. Her face is swollen and bleeding with a large gash across her upper jaw. She's drenched and blood is all over her face. Her top is off and appears to be tied tightly around her foot.
"Oh my god" my hands cover my mouth in shock as I cry.
"I know Gabs... run!"
I run. I run so fast I don't even think as I do it. I take the woods, knowing I can get to the edge quicker if I take the old trail, which I know doesn't have blood on it. I get to the edge of the forrest in record time, motioning for the ambulance to take he old road that is partially hidden by brush. It pushes straight through it.
"Gabby what's going on?!" Mrs. Parker runs from her backyard.
"It's Jax and Court! You need to come quick! Don't take your car because the ambulance won't be able to get out!"
"Oh god!" She instantly begins to cry, not even knowing what's happened.
I leave her, running back through the woods as fast as I can, back to my friends. I can hear the police cars with their sirens following the ambulance. They whiz past me. Red and blue light my way as I run until I can barely breathe.
When I finally break through the brush again I find the EMTs hovering over Jax, Courtney remains right where I left her, my Dad talking to a police officer.
"Dad?"
His glance moves to me, he frowns, tears filling his eyes as he shakes his head no. She's gone.
I go to run to her as I sob but my dad grabs me by my waist, holding me back. I scream at him to free me. I want to be with her. She's lying there all alone.
"It's a crime scene Gabby. Stay here."
"No! Court no!" I collapse into him. "No!"
He pets my hair and clings to me tightly. I feel like I no longer have control of my limbs. I drop to dirt floor and cover my head as they lift Jax's cot into the ambulance.
"Alfie!" I cry out.
Dad bends down to me, clutching my face in his hands. "You did a good job Gabs, he's breathing. They think he will be okay. I need you to stay calm. I need to stay but I'm going to call mom to take you to the hospital."
"They can't just leave her there!" I motion to Courtney's lifeless body. She's half naked. "Can't they cover her? People are going to start running out here!"
"They will stop people from getting in. Just stay calm. Nothing else you can do here okay? Stay calm, stay strong for Jax, he's going to need you."
I nod my head yes as he takes his thumbs and wipes my tears. "Dad who would do that to her? Everyone loves Court, who would do that?! We were just with her!"
His eyes wander around the clearing as he presses his lips together. "I don't know Gabby... I really don't."
Screams behind me jolt my head back. My dad lets me go and quickly grabs Mrs. Parker before she gets to Courtney.
"Don't look Sue!" My dad covers her eyes and holds her as she screams for Courtney. "Don't look, trust me. You won't unsee it and that's not how you should remember your daughter."
My entire body shakes as I look at my best friend, dead, her body half in the water of Lake Lux.
He's right. I will never unsee this.
<><><>
My mom, Felix and Syd rush into the hospital with me. I didn't speak a word in the car. I couldn't. Everyone was crying and I was silent, keeping my eyes focused on my legs that were now covered in cuts, bruises and dirt.
We are met there by police officers and I'm taken to a private room and asked questions about things that I saw and heard. The sound of Courtney's screams radiate in my ears. She was alive. She was alive and scared. Could we have gotten there sooner? Maybe just one minute would have made the difference.
They repeat questions several times. Like where I was when I heard her. Who I was with. Estimated times. If there were people who disliked her. I couldn't think of a single person who didn't like Courtney. She was good, so good. After every question I asked to see Jax or if he's okay, getting no answers.
After about an hour my dad finally walks into the room, looking just as rough as what I imagine I look like right now. He has cuts on his arms from the branches, mud all over his clothes and skin, and dried blood on his face. "Come on Gabs, no more questions tonight." He holds out his dirty hand to me and I take it, standing from my chair. He feels how bad I'm shaking and gives my hand a firm squeeze as we walk the hospital hallway back to the waiting room.
The room is large with chairs around its perimeter. TVs play random shows that no one is paying any attention to. As my dad and I walk in further to the room I take notice to just who all is here. My entire family, Morgan, Cole, Kane, Tyler, Lily and Mickey all raise their heads to me.
My dad bends down and whispers in my ear. "Just our family knows about Courtney..."
My breathing turns rapid, suddenly I feel nothing but anger. Hot tears stream down my cheeks.
"So what?! I'm supposed to give them the update? These people that were supposed to be my friends? They aren't! Courtney was my only friend and she's gone!" Dad wraps his arms around me firmly again as people gasp to the news behind me. "She's gone dad..." I sob as I clutch his arms as tight as I can.
"I know Gabs. I know." He places a kiss in my dirty hair without hesitation. I'm crying so hard now I can't breathe, but he continues to hold me tight, keeping me standing. I ignore everyone behind me, their 'oh my gods', their whimpers, their apologies; All of it.
Sydney stands and walks to the window of the nurses station. "Excuse me!" She bangs on the glass with her palm and points to me. "Can she see Jackson Parker yet?!"
My eyes form saucers at my younger sister's boldness. I've never heard her scream at any adult other than my parents. I feel my dad's body let out a sigh towards his youngest. He just doesn't have it in him to scold her tonight.
A nurse walks up to the window, sliding it open and gazes from me back to Sydney. "Only family can go in."
"What about fiancés? Can they go in?"
Fiancé?
"Jesus Syd" my dad mutters under his breath.
The nurse looks towards me again. She looks exhausted, as if she's had a rough night. Her hair is pulled back into a pony tail that is falling out and she has some sort of bodily fluid all over her light pink scrubs. "Are you his fiancé?"
Before I can even answer honestly my dad lies for me. "Yes she is. Now what room is he in?" I glance up to my dad in complete shock. "Don't get used to it" he mutters.
"Room 7, follow the blue arrows on the floor." She hits a button and the door unlocks for me to push my way through. I give her an appreciative nod and thank her before rushing through the large metal doors.
I run the hallway of blue arrows until I find a blue curtain with a sign that says ER-7 TRAUMA over it. I take a moment to brace myself before walking inside, remembering what my dad told me in the woods about Jax needing me right now. I take a deep breath, wipe my tears and slowly clutch the blue fabric hanging from the ceiling. It rolls gently to the side and I look forward to Jax. He's no longer puffy, but he looks rough. No color in his face, his green eyes are bloodshot. His tattoos that were once black and skin toned now show black, blue and a few inflamed cuts that are bright red with stitches.
His eyes meet mine and his shoulders slump. "Hey Alfie." As hard as I'm trying to keep my shit together I feel my stomach tense and a familiar knot form in my throat.
"Hey Books" he croaks. He scoots over to one side in his bed holds up the sheet that covers him, inviting me in. I don't hesitate for a moment, I crawl in with him, placing my head on his shoulder and my arm around his waist. His body shakes as he cries, clutching me tight. "I protect her. I'm her older brother. I protect her, that's my job."
"This isn't your fault Jax. Dad will find out who did this. It's not your fault." I'm not sure how many times I repeated these words, but I did it until he finally gave in to sleep. Then I repeated it a few more times, hoping maybe he would actually listen.