EIGHT HOURS LATER
"Alicia, please try to calm down," Koldis says to me for probably the hundredth time, but just like the previous times, I ignore him and continue wearing the floor thin.
After what seems like a while but I know can only have been a few minutes, a nurse walks in our direction and I immediately rush to her. "How is he? How is he? How is he?"
It's funny how the human mind thinks. Saying words three times or even more will not lend your words a sense of urgency. It will only make the recipient of the questions irritated, like now. A look of annoyance passes over the nurse's face like a shadow, but it's gone in an instant, making me feel I imagined it.
"He's in surgery, ma'am, and the surgeon is doing his best to remove the bullets from his chest."
She tries to pass, but I hold onto her hand as tears pool in my eyes. "Please. . . he's the father of my unborn child." My voice is scratchy from all the screaming and crying. "He cannot die." I shake my head. "He just can't!" I say, more emphatically.
A ghost of a smile slips onto her face and she somehow manages to pat my hand with her left hand which is held in a tight grip by me, and uses her right hand to unclasp her left hand before walking off without another word.
If I were in her shoes, I'd probably have bustled off. She's a much better person than I am.
I watch as she walks away, and my heart begins to clench again. I wish I had a magic wand - I would have gone back in time to shoot the right person instead, but I didn't have any other choice then. I had to end mad hatter's reign of trouble on us.
Tears flood my eyes and fall onto my cheeks.
"Alicia, ma'am." Even before I turn, I know who it is. All of Ash's men have been coming and going ever since he was rushed here to the hospital. They were here for the better part of three hours until they left to attend to business.
"What is it?" I ask without turning.
"I've come to take you home." Night Eyes says in a low voice. "Your clothes are soaked in blood, and-"
"I'm fine!l" I snap. "I'm not going anywhere."
I hear his long drawn-out sigh before he comes to stand in front of me. "Alright, I understand you don't want to leave, but at least take this. . . please."
I look at his hands to see him holding a to-go cup with steam escaping from the top.
"You can't go wrong with Starbucks coffee." I want to say no, I really do, but the least I can do is remain strong for Ash, plus whatever is inside that cup smells divine. "It's cappuccino - just the way you like it." I smile tremulously, and collect it from him, taking a sip immediately.
The heat does wonders for my insides which had felt cold and shriveled.
"Since you're taking coffee, it's only right for you to take a bagel with it." He practically thrusts a brown bag into my hand, stands back, and grins at me.
As the first bite hits my tongue, I let out a moan, because it's delicious.
"See - I told you." Night Eyes says, leaning against the wall and grinning.
I smile and continue munching. I must admit, it feels good, and I'm beginning to feel whole once again, plus the headache that had been budding is ebbing.
"Relations of Ash Thunder! A voice booms suddenly. Out of the blues, a doctor appears in his green scrubs and white overalls, and I pale. I thrust the items in my hand into Night Eyes' chest, and walk to meet the doctor.
"I'm his girlfriend, doc, how is he? How did the surgery go?"
The elderly doctor smiles kindly at me and nods. "We removed the two bullets that were lodged in his chest and also one in his lungs, although. . ." He falls silent as his face takes on a serious look. "The one in his lungs has been there for a while. Good thing it was removed now, otherwise. . . " He shakes his head. "It could have caused a lot of damage."
My chest tightens. Ash had a bullet lodged in his lungs long before we met. "Um. . .doctor, can I please see him?"
"I'm afraid not, young lady, he's under an induced coma which will last for a couple of hours. He should come around after that, all things being equal. Go get some rest, you need it." He smiles kindly before nodding at Night eyes and Koldis, and walking off.
"Ash is a strong man, it's going to be alright, you wait and see." Night eyes says, handing over the things I had thrust into his chest some minutes ago.
I nod and silently agree. I had feared the worst when I mistakenly shot him. I close my eyes and release a harsh breath, 'cause who am I kidding? I shot Ash intentionally, but then again, I had no other choice.
It was either that or things would have ended in tragedy.
EIGHT HOURS EARLIER
Pop.
The sound of the gun is not that loud, but it resounds in my head like a drum. I open my eyes and the first thing I notice is that I can't see. Sweat and tears have leaked into my eyes and they sting like a bitch. My hands are also shaking so damn much, I can't focus on anything.
I blink repeatedly trying to clear the fog, but it's not working, so I lift the edge of my tee shirt and clean my eyes. That seems to do the trick but the room is still slightly foggy. I focus my attention on the floor where Ash and the mad hatter are. One of them rises, I don't know who, but when he throws his head back and laughs, my stomach practically plummets to the ground.
I look to where Ash lies, unmoving, on his stomach, and then I look back at the mad hatter who chuckles darkly. "Oops! Wrong brother!" His eyes swell with hatred as he walks toward me slowly. "I'm going to have fun breaking you."
My heart beats so hard and my chest squeezes so tightly, I'm almost unable to breathe. I point the gun at him and click, but nothing happens. I try again, but the empty click is like a death trap to my ears. Mad hatter stops a short distance away and cups his hand behind his ear. "Sounds like you're screwed."
I'm sweating buckets at this point as I keep clicking but nothing happens. It seems like the odds are against me. How is this even possible? I don't think Koldis will walk around with just one bullet, will he?
Feeling fucked, I throw the gun to the ground and watch as it slides to the edge of the wall. Mad hatter looks at it for a bit, and then his cold dead eyes settle on me once more and I shiver. He barks out laughter as he sees this. "No! Don't go cowardly on me now, not when things are just about to get really interesting."
I begin to walk backward, but I quickly realize doing that will back me into a corner, so I change tangent and walk sideways instead. He doesn't lunge, doesn't pounce, just watches me with an intensity that is chilling. I brave a glance at Ash, only to see blood seeping out of his chest at an alarming rate.
Can't Koldis hear what is going on? Why isn't he here, or any of the other men?
I look down at Ash once more and that's when I see his gun - he's pinned underneath it - but I'm able to see the black holster peeking out. If I can just get to it before mad hatter gets to me, I can end this cat-and-mouse game once and for all. I decide to do something to distract him and stall his moves.
"Brother, huh?" I say, curling my lips into a sneer. "Some bother you are- a brother who tries to kill his flesh and blood, and for what?"
Mad hatter's eyes glitter dangerously and I know I've touched a nerve. "A brother who stole my very existence the moment he was born."
His eyes dim with sadness, but I guess I imagined it because his cold, dead eyes are flashing with hate as they pierce me.
"Aww, you poor baby, why don't you cry to mummy then, let her clean your tears and kiss your-"
I don't get to finish my words before he lunges at me with a growl. The man is fast, but I'm faster. Adrenaline roars through my veins as I pull out the gun from underneath Ash, land on my butt and remove the safety. I even manage a few words before I pull the trigger. "Go to hell, you fucker!"
Pop.
Everything that happens thereafter is like slow motion. It feels like I'm watching things from a bird's eye view. Mad hatter opens his mouth and blood pours out of it, and then slowly, ever so slowly, he crumples to the ground and remains still. I don't know what happens after, all I know is someone is screaming. It's not until someone is shushing me that I realize I'm the one. Suddenly, strong hands clamp around my waist as they pull me away from Ash.
The next thing I know, we land in the hospital.