The paramedics arrived shortly after Adrian passed out. They got them loaded each on a stretcher and loaded Alex into one ambulance and Adrian into another. The paramedics were getting their vitals and trying to keep both of them alive until they got to the hospital to be stablized. And off the ambulances went wailing once again only this time with Adrian and Alex in them.
Several hours later Adrian awoke in the hospital. She had machines hooked up to her and she had a tube down her throat so she couldn't talk. She looked up but the dizziness hit her fast so she laid back down against the pillow. She saw Bryan walking up to her. He took her hand and pulled it up to his lips and kissed it so gently and tender as if Adrian's was glass and she break if she was handled to roughly. Adrian could see he had been crying and he looked like someone had broke his heart. Adrian felt terrible for scaring him like that. Although she had no control over the situation.
"It is so good to see you awake honey. I thought...We weren't sure... I am just so glad you made it through... I don't know what I would do... I can't even imagine..." Bryan said as he began to cry and he put his hands up to his face and tried to stop the tears but they kept coming.
Adrian put her hand up to his cheek and gently rubbed it with her fingers. Her touch so gentle so much like her feather. Bryan looked over at her with his sad eyes and he leaned down by the bed and he pulled her hands in his own and he placed his head upon them and just cried for several moments until the tears finally stopped. Adrian looked at her husband and she loved this man so much. He was the other half of her and she needed him like he needed her.
"I love you Adrian. No matter how much we fight, or what we go through. I will love you until the very last breath and heartbeat within me. And even then I will still love you. I am going to go get the doctor and let them know your awake. Don't go away." Bryan said as he got up off his knees and kissed her hand and then left the room.
A few minutes later the doctor and a few nurses were in Adrian's room. They had removed the breathing tube and Adrian was now comfortably breathing on her own. They did a physical exam and Adrian felt so weak and no energy. The doctor put some notes on her chart and he did a few more tests with Adrian.
"Adrian are you feeling any sharp pain? Any numbness or no feeling at all?" the doctor asked her.
"No not right now. I just hurt like I did a hard workout at the gym. Am I going to be okay? Is my brother okay?" Adrian asked the doctor as he continued to ask her more questions which she answered as best as she could but she patiently waited for an answer to her questions.
"You haven't answered my questions. Please tell me?" Adrian asked again as her voice cracked as she said it.
"Adrian I am not going to lie to you. You were shot twice once in the shoulder and once in the abdomen. You lost several volumes of blood which we replaced through blood transfusion. Your body has been through a war and you have a long road of recovery. We had to remove your spleen and your heart stopped once. It's going to take months for you to heal and I can't promise you will be back to one hundred percent you will probably have some affects from the shooting that will stay with you. I am sorry to be blunt but I feel you need to be aware of the challenges ahead of you. I don't know anything about your brother I will find out and get back to you as soon as I know anything. Let me know as the pain increases the meds will probably begin to ware off soon and I will do a better exam at that time. Call the nurse if the pain gets unbearable if I don't get back before it gets that bad." The doctor said and he left the room.
"Oh my God. How could this have happened? I don't understand...Please God tell my why... I can't handle this...I can't do this... I can't change it... I can't fix it...Alex... Dear God No... Not my little brother too... I..." Adrian said as she burst into tears and started to breathe irratically. Adrian couldn't stop the pain or the tears. They were coming as if she would drown in them.
Bryan sat down on the bed and he engulfed Adrian in his arms and held her in an embrace. But he could feel it didn't really do anything to help. So they just held onto one another and let the tears fall for all the pain and tragedy that had unfolded in front of them. They cried for all the pain in their past and all the challenges and pain it would cause in the future.
And then a knock came at the door and a nurse came in with a very sad face. She was carrying what looked to be a chart and she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She walked over to them and before she could say anything Adrian knew what she would say. She could see all of it in her mind and she knew that her brother was already gone from this life.
"He's gone isn't he?" Adrian said as if the words felt bitter and foul.
"I am so sorry they tried so hard to resusitate him but he was pronouced dead on arrival. He had several gunshut wounds to his..." The nurse began.
"I don't want to know the details. Please give me a few minutes alone with my husband." Adrian said and the nurse left quietly.
"Oh dear God this is all my fault. He's dead because of me. How am I going to tell my parents and his mother? His mother trusted me to keep him safe and I let them all down. I killed him. Awwwww. I can't take this not again. Bryan why?" Adrian said as she cried more and more and Bryan could only hold her as she was falling apart. In truth everything had just fallen apart the moment the first shot was fired now the aftermath was showing it's ugly head