Chapter 25

Stacie

I groan and cover my face with my hands as I wait to hear about Beca and Chloe. Why the hell did they do this to me? First, they both got into this huge fucking mess with John and Aubrey. They didn't even try to talk to me. I might've been able to help and this would've never happened. Then, Beca got herself kidnapped and hurt. When I heard John say that she was dead, my heart broke into a million pieces. Beca and I have been friends since middle school. We just instantly clicked and even though she had taken off when we were teenagers, she found a way to get into touch with me. I didn't-don't want that friendship to ever go away, but last night, I thought it was gone. That she was gone.

All of that was bad enough but then Beca passed out and her heart literally stopped beating. I thought Chloe was fine but then she passed out on me too. Tears threaten to spill at the memories of the night before and ones from my past, but I hold them back. How the hell am I supposed to tell their parents what happened?

"Beca Mitchell?"Someone calls out and I stand up. "I'm Dr. Mason Drake. Are you family?"

"No, her family is on their way,"I tell him and my heart breaks all over again when I think about Emily. If Beca doesn't make it, Emily will grow up without a mother. And I will continue to live and grow without my best friend.

"I'm her best friend though. Pretty much family,"I blurt out, desperate to hear about her. The doctor gives me a sympathetic look and nods.

"She's stable right now but we're going to keep her in the ICU for a couple of days. She had several broken ribs, a concussion, multiple cuts and bruises, and here's what's weird. She had several stab wounds with what looked like the claw of a hammer." My stomach heaves at the image I get from that and the memory of how bloody Beca's shirt looked.

"I think I'm going to be sick,"I say and run to the nearest trash can, throwing up until I can't anymore. Standing up, I look around the waiting room and notice that there's nobody but me and the doctor in here. A really cute doctor and I just threw up in front of him. Nice going Stacie.

"It's okay,"Dr. Drake says and puts his hand on my shoulder. "It happens more often than you think."

"I know, it's just that,"I wave my hands all around, nervous now. "I'm embarrassed. I've seen much worse things than that and yet I'm still affected."

"Worse things? I heard what happened last night and I saw those injuries. What could you have seen that was worse than that?" I stare at him, his dark, blue eyes drawing me in.

"Nothing,"I tell him, dismissing it. I curse myself at how close I was to telling him about my past. I haven't spoken about it to anyone, even Beca. She can't know. Ever. Nobody can.

"Alright, well, are you also a friend of Chloe Beale?" I shrug and he smiles. "Well, she's doing pretty good. She lost a lot of blood but is stable. You can go see her if you like."

"Thank you."I walk past him and try not to look back. I thought all doctors were old but man was I wrong. He can't be older than 30 and his body… I think I have a new book character. Hot, sexy doctor swoons scared, worried patient. Oh, all the places they could have sex in a hospital. Waiting room, patient room, office, gurney…. Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I head into Chloe's room, not bothering to knock.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty,"I call out and Chloe looks over at me. She looks tired but not as pale as she did when the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance.

"Hey, have you heard anything about Beca?"

"No good morning Stacie? How are you? Sorry for leaving you alone while your best friend is dying on the ground. Not to mention the person who is responsible for it is also lying on the ground, just a few feet away. Dying but alive nonetheless. Oh and don't forget about having to decide on whether to stop CPR on your best friend to see if her girlfriend is alive or not because you know she would be very upset if she died."

"Okay, I get it,"Chloe interrupts and I hang my head, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes, threatening to fall. "I'm sorry. I wish everything had gone down different, but it didn't and we're alive. We are all alive, aren't we?"

"Yeah, Beca's doing fine. They have her in the ICU so nobody can see her just yet. At least, only family can." Chloe lets out a sigh of relief and I study her. It's no wonder that Beca likes her. I mean, she's beautiful, stunning really. There's just this uneasiness I get around her. It's probably because she's a cop and I can't stand cops at all.

"That's good,"Chloe says, watching me and I just shrug not caring that I got caught staring at her.

"It is good. Really good."

"Chloe!"Someone yells and I turn to see a women with Chloe's red hair fly into the room.

"Hey mom,"Chloe says with obvious affection in her voice. A young boy comes in to, probably around 18 or so and hugs Chloe. A man that looks nothing like the boy or Chloe comes in and I slowly back out of the room. On the way I spot Dr. Drake speaking to Beca's mom and dad. Her mom is holding Emily and my eyes tear up at the sight of her. She looks so much like Beca. Only much younger and much more innocent. When Beca showed up with Emily, I could instantly tell how much she loved her. Beca is a great mom whether she knows it or not.

"Stacie,"Beca's dad says as I walk up to them. Dr. Drake is still there and I can tell he's annoyed that he got interrupted.

"How are you guys?" They both just shrug and I put my bloody hands in my back pockets. I put a jacket on earlier, covering up my shirt that's painted with Beca's blood. I haven't had the chance to clean up just yet.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that this would happen. If-"

"Stacie, we were told by the paramedics that you were doing CPR on her for at least 10 minutes before they arrived. That by doing so, you saved Beca's life."

"Yeah, of course. She's my best friend."

"You're such a good friend. I'm sorry that we never really got to know you. We thought you were a bad influence on her."

"I never encouraged her to do bad things, but I never stopped her either."

"You're still a good person and friend,"Beca's dad says, putting his hand on my shoulder. I slowly move away because the truth is I'm not. They don't really know me. Nobody really does and if they did, they definitely wouldn't like what they would find.

"Why don't you go home and clean up?"Beca's mom suggests, hugging me before letting me go. I kiss Emily on the cheek and wave goodbye.

"You are a good friend, you know,"Dr. Drake calls out when I reach the parking lot. "I saw your face when they said that to you. It didn't look like you believe that but you should. You saved your friend's life."

"Only because I can't live without her. Doesn't that count as just being selfish?" Dr. Drake comes closer until he's only a few inches away. I take a deep breath getting a lungful of what he smells like. It's woodsy, like pine maybe. I don't know what it is exactly, just that it's my new favorite scent.

"Not at all. What were you thinking about when you were doing CPR on her?"

"About how Emily would grow up without a mother. I would never get to see her again. She would never be happy and have the relationship that she deserves."

"None of those are selfish thoughts. Those same type of thoughts float through my head when I working on someone. That if I mess up, I can ruin their lives and the lives around them. So no, it's not selfish. Nothing about it is fucking selfish. What is though is the person who did this to her."

"Aubrey? Is she…"

"She died. About an hour ago. I was working on your friend so I couldn't help her."

"Help her? She almost killed two people." Dr. Drake gives me a sad smile.

"Even if I don't like the person, I swore an oath to do everything in my power to help. Even if they're the worst person in the world." I nod, understanding now.

"I have to go home,"I say and he backs away. I instantly miss the warmth between us and the smell is almost just a memory now.

"Goodbye,"Dr. Drake says, backing towards the hospital doors as I turn to go to my car. "And Stacie?"

"Yes?"I turn towards him, startled by his breathtaking smile.

"Call me Mason." With that, he goes into the hospital, leaving me alone in the parking lot.

…..

A few hours later, I stand in front of my mirror with a towel around my body and on my head. My eyes keep drifting back to the hair dye box that I opened and used earlier. For years, I kept dying my hair, never using my natural color. I've done it since I was 13. At first, it was a rebellious thing but it soon became a comfort. It was the only thing I had control over in my life and I always felt like everytime I dyed my hair, I became a new person. Like I was slowly covering up who I used to be. In reality, I was still that person at home. When I was at school or with Beca, I didn't have to be. I was someone completely different and to this day that persona I kept when I was with Beca had become a part of me. Even if I did go back to my old self, it wouldn't be the same.

I don't know why I picked this color though. Never once since I started dying my hair did I go back to my natural color. Until now and I'm starting to regret it. I don't want to be who I used to. Something about Mason Drake just stirred up old feelings. Feelings that I worked hard to bury. If I'm not careful, Mason might just break past my walls and I definitely can't let that happen.

A/N- So I've decided that after I'm finished with this story, I'm going to be writing a sequel that's in Stacie's POV. What do you guys think?

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!