MADE WHOLE

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ALEX

I'd arrived in San Francisco after an hour and a half flight from Vegas. Going down the escalator into baggage claim I spotted my mom who was grinning up at me. As soon as I was down I walked to her and she pulled me into a big hug. I hadn't seen my mom in two months now since we'd both left Texas. She looked the same as always and happy to see me. It was always great to see my mom especially after I moved so far away. For my entire adult life until I moved to Vegas I'd always lived relatively close to my mom and now living in Vegas it was the farthest I'd ever lived from her and it was weird to be so far.

"Where's Nick?" she asked at once.

"He had to cancel. There is this big case and they just had a break in the case so he had to stay home to work." I explained. I still was feeling the sting of disappointment after he'd come home and told me he wouldn't be coming with me. As much as I hated it I was excited to see my family and my friends.

"Oh no that's too bad I know everyone was looking forward to meeting him." She said.

"Yeah I'm pretty bummed, but life goes on." I said with a shrug.

"So what are your plans for today?" my mom asked while we waited for my bag.

"Simone said something about going to the mall and then there is the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner tonight." I said.

"Yeah I am supposed to be at the church in two hours to help decorate. I cannot wait until this wedding is over. Your damn cousin and her demands." My mom said rolling her eyes. I laughed. I was glad that I lived far away or I would be feeling the same as my mom.

I walked through the mall with Simone who was looking for something to wear to the wedding. Since Nick wasn't able to come she was now my new date. I sipped a smoothie as we walked around peeking into the shops. It was nice to be home after being gone for 5 months.

"Ooo we have to go in there." Simone said as we stopped in front of a lingerie store.

"New boyfriend?" I asked her.

"No we have to go in for you." She said as she pulled me by my arm and dragged me into the store.

"Hello how can I help you ladies?" the shopkeeper asked.

"My friend here just needs a few sexy things to wear for her boyfriend." Simone said giving me a grin.

"No I don't." I said to Simone.

"She's kidding. She knows he would love for her to come home from this trip with some new spicy things." Simone said.

"What is he into?" the shopkeeper asked. "Silk is big this season and we also have some nice crushed velvet things…"

I let out a sigh giving Simone a look. "He likes lace." I said.

"We have a lot of lace. Lace is a classic. I think all men like a little lace." The shopkeeper said. She started to grab a few things off the racks and hand them to me. "The fitting rooms are over there." Simone was also grabbing some things. She took what the shopkeeper had and dragged me towards the fitting rooms.

"I can't believe you brought me in here." I said to Simone.

"Hey it will be perfect for you guys." She said shoving some pieces at me.

"It's not like we need them. Our sex life is just fine." I said.

"Yeah, but you can always use a few pieces to change things up a bit so it doesn't get boring." Simone said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Believe me it's not boring." I said thinking about the last time we had sex which was in the shower one morning earlier in the week when I was getting ready for work.

"Whatever. I'm sure he will appreciate coming home to you in one of these." She said grinning. I rolled my eyes and went into the dressing room with the few pieces she'd already handed to me. I changed into the first one. Personally I didn't like it and it was uncomfortable and I'm sure he would hate it too. I changed into the next one. I liked this one. It was like a full nightgown that just covered my butt and was all see through white lace.

"Come out here let me see." Simone said. I rolled my eyes and slowly opened the curtain. "Woooo. He is going to love you in that. I doubt it will stay on you very long. Give me your phone. We are going to see him a pic."

"No way I'm not sexting my boyfriend." I said at once.

"Come on it will give him something to look forward to when you go back." She said. I went in the dressing room and pulled my phone from my purse and handed it to Simone. "You can't just stand there. Pose or something."

"Just take the picture." I said.

"Not until you pose. You want him to look forward to it don't you?" she said. I let out a groan and then leaned against the wall. "Perfect" she said as she snapped the picture. She then seemed to be texting.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Sending him a message with the picture." She said.

"Please don't." I said.

"Well it's sent." She said as she handed me back my phone. I looked at the message she sent.

"I can't believe you said that!" I said at once.

"Well it's sent. He is going to be itching for you to be home all weekend." She said giving me a wink. I rolled my eyes and closed the curtain.

NICK

This day seemed like it would never end. I could only hope it would. I hated that everything had to go down this weekend. Alex I know was beyond disappointed that I couldn't go with her. It was definitely hard to find time together and this weekend was going to be one of the few times where we got a few days almost totally together and then I had to cancel on her. I poured myself what had to be my 5th or 6th cup of coffee today. I hadn't slept, but I needed to keep going. This hopefully was all going to be over soon. I sat down knowing I just needed a moment.

"Hey pour me a cup." Came Greg's voice as he walked into the break-room. I grabbed a mug and poured him a cup also. I think we were all pretty much running on coffee at this point.

"Here you go." I said as I handed him his cup. I walked to the table and sat down. I looked at the screen of my phone. I kept it set to a photo I'd taken one day of Alex while she was sleeping. She hated that I used that picture, but to me she was perfect in it.

"So you were supposed to be in San Francisco this weekend?" Greg questioned.

"Yeah with Alex. Her cousin is getting married tomorrow." I answered.

"Bummer you had to miss it." He said. I shrugged. I was more upset about losing a full weekend with Alex. I already missed her even though I knew she would only be gone for a few days. She was also so upset when she left. I hated to see her that way. This whole thing with her having to change shifts and then everything else was just getting to be complicated. I hated the complications. I wanted simplicity again and I knew Alex wanted it also. "I miss Alex around here with us."

"Yeah me too." I said. Things were so different without her. I hated to not have her working with us anymore. She'd brought something new to the group and now that something had been taken away from us and it pissed me off.

"So you guys are pretty serious. She moved in and all." He said. "How is it?"

"Yeah we are and it's as could as it could be for now." I answered. I loved that I had her with me when I could, but with us working separately I still felt like my house was empty most days because my days were spent without her.

"Do you think you'll marry her?" he then asked.

"I can only hope so." I said with a smile. Just then my phone beeped. I looked to see there was a text message from Alex. I opened it and got a shock. There she was looking amazing as she always did, but with a little something extra. She was wearing lingerie and the message she sent along with it was beyond suggestive. I shifted in my seat. I didn't know how I was now going to last these next couple days without her. I quickly sent her back a text about what I wanted to do to her when I saw her. I knew she would blush. I was already counting down the minutes for her to get back

ALEX

As much as I missed Nick I was having a great time. I got to watch my cousin get married in a beautiful ceremony and now we were all dancing at the reception. I was having the best time with my family and Simone who had come with me in the place of Nick. My family seemed to have so many questions about Nick and they all seemed to be happy for me and that was all that mattered. I walked away from the dance floor and back to my table for a sip of water. I was thirsty after all the dancing.

I opened my clutch purse on the table and pulled out my cell phone. I'd been texting back and forth with Nick since Simone sent that text to him. I couldn't wait until tomorrow night when I would head back. He said if possible he would take the night off. I simply couldn't wait. Instead of getting a text from Nick I had about ten missed called from Catherine. I took my phone and walked out of the party hall and outside into the cool San Francisco air. I dialed Catherine's number and let it ring.

"Alex!" Catherine said at once as she answered the phone.

"Hi I just saw you called me a million times." I said.

"Yeah…umm… Alex, Nick was shot. He is in surgery now. I've already called his parents, but I knew you needed to know." She said. I couldn't and didn't believe what I was hearing. I leaned against a pillar to keep my balance because I felt like I was going to pass out. I had no words. "Alex are you there?"

"Yeah…" I then said. I could feel tears already falling. My heart was pounding. "I'm coming. I'm going to get my first flight I can get….I…." My back slid down the column and I was sitting on the ground crying hysterically.

"Alex." I could hear my name being called. It was Simone who had come outside. "Oh my god Alex….what's wrong?" she asked as she ran to me. I just held up my phone. Simone grabbed my phone. "Hello… Yeah I'm Alex's friend… He was what?... Ok… Yeah… I'll take care of her." Simone then ended the call.

"I need to get to Vegas." I said directly to Simone. "Oh God!" I cried out. I was a mess. I was so afraid he was going to die on me. There was no way I could lose him. I'd found my everything in him and I couldn't just end like this. Simone pulled me from the ground. "I need to go to the airport."

"Alright we will get you there." She said.

Sitting on the airplane I was shaking. I still wore my bright pink bridesmaid's dress. I needed to be there. I needed to know he was going to live. I could only hope and pray he would live. I hated that I'd been so far away. I should have been there. I needed to be there for him. Tears just flowed from my eyes as I looked out of the window. I could see the lights of the strip from out of the window. We were to be landing soon. I was shaking so hard the closer we got to landing. I closed my eyes for a moment and just imagined his face. I needed to feel him close to me. I'd been so lost until I met him and I wasn't going to just lose him this way.

As soon as the plane landed I ran straight to get a taxi to the hospital. Getting to the hospital I ran inside and up to where Catherine told me everyone was waiting. I saw them all sitting around when I stepped off the elevator. Everyone looked up at me with long faces and it worried me so much. I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure if I should be bracing for the worst news or not.

"Hey Alex." Catherine said.

"How is he?" I asked at once.

"He is out of surgery. One bullet nicked an artery near his heart. He bled a lot, but they were able to stop the bleeding. He is under surveillance for awhile to see how things go. My heart was beating quickly. Tears were falling from my eyes. In the moment I wasn't sure if they were tears of joy or tears of sorrow. In a way I suspected they were both because I was so happy that he was alive, but at the same time I hated that this even happened to him.

"The doctor is expecting him to recover." Sara then said. I just nodded. "And Ray too."

"Wait Ray was shot too?" I asked.

"No he was stabbed by Nate Haskell." Catherine said.

"What the hell happened tonight?" I asked.

"A lot." Catherine responded.

"Do you know if I can see Nick?" I then asked.

"They said it is up to his family, but his parents are on a plane right now. So I think we have to wait for them." Catherine said. I let out a disappointed sigh. I remember Nick telling me how he couldn't see me right away after my surgery when I was shot and how angry he was. I completely understood him now. I was angry because I just wanted to see his face and hold his hand.

A couple hours passed before Nick's parents arrived. I jumped up as soon as I saw them. Nick's mother pulled me into a hug. She then pulled away and looked at me. I could see her studying my dress.

"It looks like a bottle of Pepto Bismal exploded." She said. I instantly started to laugh. It was the first time I'd laughed since I got the news. It felt food to laugh. "So who do I need to talk to about us seeing our son." She said at once.

When I finally got to see him he was already awake. A weak smile came across his face when he saw me. I rushed to his side instantly and held his hand. We both didn't say anything as I sat in the chair next to his bed and just held his hand. I felt like all of the emotions I'd felt through the night had all bubbled up together and I started to cry. I placed my head on his bed and just cried. I felt his thumb start to stroke my cheek.

"Shh baby. I'm alright." He said weakly.

"I was so scared." I said to him. "I can't lose you." I said at once.

"You won't." he said looking down at me. I gave him a smile. I stood and then bent to press my lips to his. It felt good to have my lips against his. I then sat back down. "The first thing I thought about when I was shot was you. I thought about you and my parents. I thought about how much you meant to me and how my life had changed just having you with me. I love you so much."

"I love you too." I said to him giving him a weak smile through my tears that continued to fall. I knew for sure that my forever was with him. There would be nobody else. He held my hand tightly, but suddenly his grip started to loosen and the machines in his room started to go crazy. I jumped up. As soon as I jumped I saw his eyes were closed. The room filled with nurses and doctors. They pushed me out of the room. I stood outside just watching. I felt like I couldn't breathe. They were shouting things. One of the nurses pressed a button. A blue light outside of the room was flashing and then came an announcement.

"Code Blue room 446, Code Blue room 446." I saw the number on his door. My heart sank. His heart had stopped beating. He was essentially dead right there. I wanted to scream out, but there was nothing in me to do so. I just fell to the floor in a puddle of pink dress. I could then hear the doctor yelling.

"CLEAR!" I heard the charge of the paddle and the jump. "AGAIN...CLEAR!" The long BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP of the machine continued. "ONE MORE...COME ON DAMN IT...CLEAR!" the doctor yelled.