The sun shone brightly through the windows as my eyes opened slowly, then shut quickly. My head…god it felt like Ray and his band were in there playing as loudly as they could amps cranked jumping around…I moan and bring a hand to my head, shifting on the small couch…I must have fallen asleep out here after…my eyes open wide again and I move my head away from what I thought was the back of the couch. Looking up, I see Ray, sound asleep, chin rested on the top of my head. More awake now, I shift again and I can feel his strong arm wrapped around me, holding me tight to him. I smile and rest my head back on his chest and close my eyes. Things had worked out in the end…all it took was me dumping my husband, starting a scene in the hospital, getting drunk and getting into a bar fight to make it happen…but it was worth it. After last night…it was all finally working out. Neela could finally be happy. I smile again as I drift back off into a deep sleep…
"Neela!" Ray shouts as I walk through the doors that led to the busy ER.
"Ray!" I shout back with a teasing smile and a roll of my eyes "I just saw you a couple hours ago…not worth getting all excited over seeing me now…" I raise an eyebrow and frown, wondering what he was up to.
Before I could say anything else. He moves from behind the counter and runs to me, lifting me up in the air and spinning me around and planting a soft kiss on my lips. I smile, caught in the moment briefly before pushing him back slightly.
"Ray…we are at work…" I whisper, giving him a look
He shrugs and grins, "I don't care. Talked to Sam, she's cool…been wanting to shout from the rooftops that I love you…man it feels good to say that…" his grin widens "I love you Neela Rasgotra and I don't care who knows it!"
I smile back at him and hug him tightly, but before I could respond to him, tell him that I loved him too, he sets me back on the ground and turns to face the other's standing at the nurse's station, watching us.
"I LOVE THIS GIRL!" he shouts and I can't help but laugh and hug him again, looking down, slightly embarrassed but happy…happiest I had ever been…
"Yippee you're in love good for you both but there are patients here who need your help so get movin…" Carrie says, walking over to us and shoving a chart in each of our hands. "Save the loving for when you're at home we have lives to save…"
I nod and laugh, pulling away from Ray slightly to look at the Chart Carrie had given me.
"Tonight after shift, I'm taking you out for dinner." Ray says quietly, turning to face me again, his wide grin still plastered on his face. "Give you something to look forward to." He leans down to kiss me again,
and I lean upwards to meet him half way, once again caught in the spell that man had over me.
"Son of a bitch…"
The kiss breaks quickly as a voice is heard from behind us. Both Ray and I turn to the sound, and see Michael standing there, looking disheveled, like he hadn't slept in days, his face twisted in anger.
"Not doing anything with her huh?" he asks pointing an accusing finger at Ray "Just friends you said…I knew you were playing me. I could see it…I could always see it between you two the little looks the jokes just between you two…" he looks to me now, his eyes narrowing, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gun and pointing it at Ray and I.
My eyes widen, and Ray steps in front of me, hands raised. "Whoa…calm down buddy…we didn't plan it…it just kinda happened and well Neela is happy now. If you cared for her at all, you'd want her to be happy…now can we set the gun down, talk this out like adults…"
Michael shakes his head, his gun hand also starting to shake slightly. "You stole my wife…from under my nose you took her from me…your not an adult you're a snake…a slimy disgusting snake and you need to be put down…"
"Michael you don…" I start, stepping out from behind Ray, but don't get to finish.
The gun goes off, ringing out so loudly, I hear my ears pop, and my eyes close tightly as one of the bullets hit my shoulder, sending a shockwave of pain through my entire body and causing me to fall backwards onto the cold hard waiting room floor. I try to speak, but all that comes out is a soft squeak as my body begins to shake uncontrollably. I hear Ray call my name…but it sounds as if he was calling me from the other end of the hospital. Another shot rings out, but to me it sounds more like a muffled thud, followed by another as a body lands next to me on the floor. Turning my head, I can see Ray laying there, bleeding from his chest, and coughing up more blood onto the floor as he rolls onto his side to look at me.
"Neela…" he chokes out, tears forming in his eyes "I…I lo…love…you…"
I swallow, tears falling down my cheeks now. "I…love you too…" I reply in a choked horse voice. "Hold…on Ray you…you've got to…I just found you I can't loose you now…"
He opens his mouth to speak again, but instead coughs, spraying more blood onto the floor. I wince and close my eyes, the pain in my heart now outweighing the pain in my shoulder. I couldn't loose Ray…was I not allowed to be happy ever? How was this fair? Things had finally begun to work out just as I wanted…
"Back the hell off all of you!" I hear
Michael yell to all the rest, his voice still sounding so far away…
"Back the hell off now or I will shoot you all…"
My eyes slowly flicker open and I finally manage to speak. "Michael…" I croak out, my voice so quiet…barely above a whisper "Don't…I…love…him…"
Michael turns back to me, his face twisted in anger now. "You love him? You love him? That is what you say? That is what you think will save you?" he shakes his head "No Neela. There's no way to save you now…" he turns the gun to Ray and fires again, aiming for his skull.
The bullet hits and I am forced to turn my head away, I couldn't watch Ray…my Ray my love…how could Michael do this? I feel the spray of blood and other things I couldn't even bring myself to think of on the back of my head and I squeeze my eyes shut even tighter tears streaming down my face, my own wound forgotten now.
"And now to take care of my bitch wife…" I hear Michael say, but I don't turn to him this time. I couldn't look at his face…his murdering treacherous face. I remember a time in my life when I couldn't look away from him, when seeing his face was all that I ever wanted…I can't believe now what he had turned into…or had he been like this all along?
The gun goes off again and I don't move, I just wait…wait for it to all go away…wait until Ray and I could be reunited again….
The phone rings and I sit straight up, elbowing Ray hard in the ribs. I gasp for breath and clutch my chest, check my head…nothing I was all right…
"Neela what the hell…if you wanted to wake me up you coulda tried something a little less painful…." Ray complains, sitting up next to me
We were on the couch, in our living room…no Michael…no gun and no bullets…I turn to Ray and wrap my arms around him, tears rolling down my cheeks now. It had all felt so real…
"Ok…this is new…could definitely get used to it…" Ray says with a grin, then pulls me away to look into his eyes "Neela…what's wrong?"
I shake my head "Nothing…bad dream…" I sniff and hug him once more. "I love you Ray…" I pull away to look at him again…his face, his eyes…
"I love you too…" he says with another smile "I have since I met you Neela…" he hugs me again then pulls away again. "Nothing can stop that…and nothing ever will." He kisses me passionately and I wrap my arms around his neck, a smile coming to my face now.
The door bursts open violently and Ray and I turn
to the sound to see Michael standing there looking disheveled, like
he hadn't slept in days…
"Son of a bitch…"
