Chapter 20

Chad hurried over to them, making it just as Marissa lowered her lover to the ground safely. "Wake up," Marissa cried as she stroked Alex pale face.

Jodie leaned against her car as she watched the scene before her. Her heart breaking even more as she watched Marissa comfort the only girl she ever loved.

Chad kneeled down and scooped Alex up in his arms. Rileigh approached then and checked the blonde's pulse in her neck.

"It's faint, we need to get her to a hospital," Rileigh's voice was calm. She ripped Alex' shirt from her abdomen and inspected the damage. Quickly, she pressed the material to the wound and held it there firmly in hopes to stop the excessive bleeding.

"No! You fix her! No hospitals!" Marissa yelled, standing next to Chad holding her precious girlfriend's head.

Rileigh looked to Chad and then to JJ.

"Fix her!" Marissa's body shook as she cried, still stroking Alex' soft face. She couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked.

Rileigh only nodded, "okay, okay, we need to get her to a house though so I can have a clean place to work on her."

Marissa threw open the backdoor of the Civic she just raced and crawled in. Chad settled Alex into the car, her head resting in Marissa's lap. Rileigh looked in to Marissa, "hold that on her stomach, she can't lose much more blood or she will have to be taken to a hospital," she gestured to the bloody cloth she'd torn from Alex' shirt and pressed to the wound just a minute before. Marissa nodded her response and the door was slammed shut.

"It'll be okay, baby. You promised you wouldn't leave me and I won't let you," Marissa cried as she waited for the others to get into the car. She moved the hair from Alex face, "they're gonna fix you. Rileigh is going to fix you." She looked at her hands and more tears poured from her eyes as she saw Alex' blood covered them. The front doors opened then and Chad and Rileigh filled the seats. "Go!" Marissa yelled to Chad.

The bald man wasted no time and quickly threw the car into first gear as he floored it out of there, just in time to hear the faint sounds of police sirens.

Marissa cried silently as she held her girlfriend in the backseat, not caring as her hands were covered in blood.

"Riss…" Alex choked out. Marissa felt her breath catch in her throat and her eyes darted back to Alex' foggy blue ones. "Riss…" Alex spoke again more forced this time. The blonde choked on her words and she turned her head and spit out the blood that pooled in her mouth. Rileigh turned to check on her and felt fear overcome her as she watched her friend spit out the metallic-tasting liquid.

"I'm here baby, I'm here," Marissa cried while clasping Alex' hand on her stomach and stroking her face once she fell back into her lap after coughing the blood out onto the floor and clasping her hand with Alex' left on her stomach.

Alex couldn't help but let herself succumb to the faint feeling again and her eyes slipped shut once more, but before she did she forced the words out, "marry…me…". Marissa cried more as she saw Alex' eyes slide shut and her breathing become more shallow.

"Drive faster!" Marissa demanded to Chad. She caught his eyes in the rearview mirror as he peered back at them and he only nodded slightly. "It's okay baby, I'm here, I'm here," she turned her attention back to Alex. She continued stroking her soft face as she leaned her head back against the seat, tears streaming down her face.

Rileigh peered back at the couple and reached to grab Alex wrist to check her pulse, "we gotta hurry, Chad. She's fading fast."

Chad looked to Rileigh and sped up. He saw his exit in sight and quickly switched lanes. "Fuck, we've got cops," his deep voice finally came out.

Rileigh peered behind them and she groaned. Marissa looked behind as well and her eyes narrowed, "this fucking car is not stopping!"

"Get off at the next exit. We'll lose them," Rileigh kept her eyes on the flashing lights. Chad slid into the exit ramp and flew down it. "Here, turn here. Then take another right in the alley," Rileigh directed him. "After the alley take a left. We'll be near their house then." She looked back to Marissa, "you have the garage door opener with you?"

Marissa nodded towards her purse on the floor in the front seat between Rileigh's legs, "it's in there, it has a five block radius."

Rileigh dug in Marissa's purse and clasped her hand around the remote control garage door opener. She pressed the button, hoping it'd be up as they arrived to the house. She averted her eyes back to the rear window, "we lost them."

Within minutes, Chad pulled the car into an open garage and the three hurried to get Alex out. Chad hoisted Alex gently into his arms and ran into the house behind Marissa.

"Where do you want her?" Chad asked as Rileigh came in behind them.

"On a bed, somewhere that I can work," Rileigh answered as she shut the door to the garage leading to the house and pressed the button on the remote she had fished from Marissa's purse. Chad nodded and started for the stairs, taking two, sometimes three at a time, Marissa close behind.

Rileigh made her way quickly up the steps. "Marissa, I need hot water, cold water and lots of towels. Tweezers too so I can get the bullet out, rubbing alcohol and peroxide," the black haired girl demanded as she made quick work to rip the remaining part of Alex' shirt from her body.

Marissa nodded and ran to the bathroom to gather the things requested.

"Chad, get the water while Marissa gets the other things," Rileigh tore into her medical bag and pulled out a pair of gloves. She started poking and prodding around Alex' abdomen as the girl still lay unconscious.

Chad left the room and bounded down the steps to the kitchen, within minutes he was returning with bowls of hot and cold water. Marissa returned at the same time with an arm full of towels and washcloths along with a pair of wide tweezers and the rubbing alcohol and peroxide.

The slender blonde felt more tears come as she saw the blood gush from Alex.

"Marissa, I can't handle you too so if you can't handle this get out of here," Rileigh didn't even have to look at the blonde as she shoved towels under Alex to keep the blood from spilling over the bedding.

Marissa only nodded and crawled onto the bed next to Alex, taking her head into her lap.

"Chad, get me something thin that can take heat, I need to cauterize the wound once I'm done to help stop the bleeding," Rileigh spoke as she concentrated closely on cleaning the area to remove the bullet from Alex.