Than this?
What’s this?
He steps back and for a minute, I stand in confused silence. Then, I feel the gun press to my stomach. Everything after that happens in slow motion, it’s hard to explain the fear that rushes through me and yet my body is unable to move. The man pulls the trigger, the gun is so quiet nobody would even know what’s happening.
At first, I don’t feel anything.
It’s like shock and fear have made my body numb.
Then, when the warm trickling of blood can be felt running down my skin, does reality kick in. Pain, red hot pain, unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my short life washes over my body. I fall to my knees, gasping and gurgling as I try to scream. The man disappears, as if he were never here. My hands move to the wound in my stomach and immediately they’re soaked with blood.
I can’t scream.
I can’t move.
I can’t think.
The pain is all consuming and my vision begins to blur.
With a spluttered cough, blood fills my mouth.
I’m going to die.
This is how I’m going to die.
I cry out, but my cries are gurgled. My voice is gone. My soul has been crushed. I lay on the ground wondering if it’s going to hurt. Death.
Will it be quick?
Then, Star and Hugh’s faces flash in my mind. Their beautiful smiles. The way they light up the room.
I can’t give up.
I can’t.
I roll to my side with a gargled scream, the blood is coming out too fast and everything is blacking in and out. I reach for my purse, which has fallen to the floor. With every single ounce of strength left in me, I pull out my cell phone and I dial Riggs.
“Maggie, did you find Hugh?”
“Riggs,” I splutter, the sound almost demonic.
“Maggie? Hey. What’s going on? Maggie, are you good?”
“Shot. I got shot. Near the bar. Ple...”
Darkness takes me.
And the world goes silent.
22
“Maggie, hey.”
My mind spins, coming in and out of consciousness.
“Maggie, can you hear me?”
Voices.
Distant.
“Maggie, if you can hear me squeeze my hand.”
A warm hand in mine. I want to squeeze it.
My body isn’t working.
What is happening?
“Maggie, you’re safe. If you can hear me, you’re safe.”
Safe.
Safe from what?
My mind swims and as my eyes flicker open, bright lights blind me. I blink and squint, wanting to reach up and rub them but my hands won’t move. It’s like I’m in a dream, and someone is talking to me, trying to get me to wake up from it.
“Maggie.”
Maggie, Maggie, Maggie.
My eyes flutter open again, this time the light is a little less bright.
With every passing second, my vision clears, and my brain becomes a little less foggy.
I see a man staring down at me, glasses sitting on his long, sharp nose. He’s wearing white, and he’s speaking to me, though right now I don’t know what he’s saying.
“You’re in the hospital, Maggie. There was an accident. You’ve come out of surgery.”
Surgery?
What?
I blink some more, and little by little, reality comes crashing back in.
I got shot.
Someone tried to kill me.
“Maggie, if you can understand what I’m saying, can you nod?”
My head moves in a small, painful nod.
I don’t feel anything, my body is numb.
“That’s great, excellent work. I’m Doctor Wood. You came in here with a gunshot wound to your stomach, we had to do some surgery, but we are confident we have everything under control, and you’ll make a full recovery.”
I nod again.
“Would you like a sip of water?”
Another nod.
He hands me a cup with a straw and brings it to my lips. My throat is horribly dry and burns with every gulp, but the water does eventually soothe it. Little by little, I’m regaining perspective and when I feel confident enough to talk, I do.
“I got shot,” I croak.
Dr. Wood nods. “You did, yes. You were very lucky, Maggie. That would have killed you had your friend not gotten you in here as fast as he did.”
Riggs.
I called Riggs.
“How bad is it?” I ask, my voice raspy.
“You’re going to need a good deal of time off to recover. There was some serious internal bleeding, and you’ll need to take it easy. But as I said, I’m certain you’ll make a full recovery.”
I close my eyes, exhaling.
“My nurse Kerry here is going to run some observations, and then we have some people who would like to see you.”
I nod, keeping my eyes closed as they run a few tests.
When they’re done, I’m given some more pain killers and both of them leave the room.
A moment later, the door opens, and Gabby comes running in. She’s the first person I see, and her face is red and puffy from crying. She charges over and throws her arms gently around my neck. “Don’t you ever do that to me again. Never. Not ever.”
I laugh weakly but doing so hurts.
“I didn’t plan it,” I murmur.
She pulls back and takes my face in her hands. “God dammit, I’ve never cried so much in my life.”
A figure steps into my line of sight, and my eyes focus on him. Hugh stands there, his face blank and yet so incredibly broken it makes my heart ache. Gabby looks to him, and then kisses my forehead promising to be right back, before leaving the room. When she’s gone, Hugh stands there, just looking down at me.
The last time I saw him, he was angry.
Does he still feel that way?
He walks over and I hold my breath, unsure what to expect. He reaches down and takes my face in his hands, and in a raspy voice, he growls, “Don’t you ever fuckin’ scare me like that again, Maggie.”
I swallow.
“I’m sorry, Hugh. For everything.”
“Do not be fuckin’ sorry. I should have never left you alone, I knew better, and I did it anyway. This is on me.”
“It isn’t on you,” I shake my head. “This is my fault.”
He leans in, kissing my lips, holding there for a long moment.
“I have never, in all my life, felt the way I did when Riggs told me you had been shot. I thought I was goin’ to stop breathin’ then and there. I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Maggie.”
“I’m sorry, too,” I whisper, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“I’m fallin’ in love with you.”
I close my eyes, the tears still pushing through.
“Me, too,” I whisper.
“Don’t leave, Maggie. If you fuckin’ leave it’ll crush me.”
God dammit.
Why?
Why now?
Why him?
I don’t want this to be how we end.
“I don’t know what to do,” I say softly. “Hugh, I’m so torn.”
“Know you are, I get it. Nothin’ I can say will change your mind unless you decide to stay, but you gotta know, Maggie, I’d do fuckin’ anything to make you stay. Anythin’.”
“Come with me,” I dare to ask, dare to dream.