She Covered Me
The event started with the speeches of the businessmen who hold a huge part in ConFAP. There are some politicians, the President of the foundation, and some ConFAP staffs waiting in front to cut the ribbon.
The sounds of the clicking of cameras were never ending because of what's happening. My eyes involuntarily went to Natsu whose seat is not that far from us. He's alone. He's not with Touka. Even her father, Senator Alabaster isn't there.
"Dad…" I heard Loke call. My brother whispered something to daddy.
We stayed in our seats while the Mayor of Magnolia gives his speech. He's thanking the huge people who gave funds to make this project a reality.
Every primary guest was called. Uncle Weis was also given recognition. Sting's dad stood up and smiled at the other businessmen there.
"Jude Heartfilia…" Dad also stood up.
I stayed silent while the recognition happened. A reported went to me to ask why Layla Luna didn't come when she's one of the founders of ConFAP.
"My mom's busy with my sister's career. I can also represent her. Anyway, Aunt Leandra is here," I smiled at the reporter who gave her thanks for allowing an interview.
I accepted her hand. The reporter left after that. I turned in front and saw that the ribbon cutting will happen now. We stood up for that ritual.
We clapped our hands when the Mayor and my Aunt Leandra cut the ribbon. Daddy stood up to go infront and congratulate the two. We went with him, I stayed beside dad.
Words of congratulations filled the place. I just smiled at every greeting I received. I'm used to these kinds of events. Daddy always bring me whenever Sting's involved.
I stopped when I saw Natsu uneasy. He's standing and was talking to someone in his phone. There are two bodyguards beside him which scared some reporters who are attempting to interview him.
"Lucy..." Sting called before holding my elbow.
I snapped out of it and tried to walk faster but daddy was stopped because of another reporter.
I glanced at Natsu and saw him frantically pointing towards something. His two bodyguards quickly ran towards the direction that he's gesturing. A loud sound which is obviously from a gun stunned me. Almost every one quickly docked. Sting draped his arm on my nape to guide me and cover my head. Screams of panic filled my ears as the gunshots continued.
"Dad!" I heard Loke's shout.
I immediately turned to Daddy who's beside me. He's also ducking with some of the businessmen near our area earlier.
"Loke! The bodyguards!" I shouted at my brother.
My hands trembled. My thoughts wandered back to the time Natsu was pointing at something to his bodyguards. Is this…
"Capricorn!" Loke shouted at daddy's head security.
"Lucy!" Sting called me, his arm was still in my nape in an attempt to cover me because of the continuous gunshots we're hearing. I saw the Mayor who is now inside the Home with the help of his bodyguards. Why can't we do that?
"Sting, where are your bodyguards! Evacuate daddy!"
I looked at Sting who's now trying to tug his dad inside the Home. "Our bodyguards are firing in front, Lucy!"
"Loke!" I cried. "Wait! Lucy!" I stared at him as he slightly stood up. He quickly docked when a shot came in his direction. I stared at the bullet which is now buried on the Home's concrete wall, "Shit!" Loke shouted in shock.
"Loke! Stay down!" Sting shouted.
That's what I did. My heartbeat is racing while I tightly held daddy's arm. I looked at where I saw Natsu earlier but he isn't there anymore. The people around us stayed hiding under the tables and chairs while some tried to run. I heard screams of panic and cries; it looks like someone got shot.
"Loke, we need to go inside the home..." I told my brother.
A shot fired in our direction which was quickly followed by another until the concrete wall near us got filled with bullets. Loke and Sting both cursed.
"Mr. Heartfilia, go inside the Home!" Capricon shouted, he has a wound on his left arm. My eyes widened.
"Who are these people, Cap?" Daddy furiously shouted.
"This is not the time to ask that, dad!" Loke snapped at him.
"Quickly, please! While I'm still here!" Capricorn begged before proceeding to fire shots. I slightly looked at the direction he's firing. I saw a man who's near the playground holding a gun while hiding in the metal slide. There's also one who's hiding in the garden. The bodyguards of the guests and ours are scattered around, also firing shots while hiding themselves in the trees. "They're many!" Cap said,
Numerous gunshots filled the air. These are no ordinary gun! I looked at dad and saw that his position is making him uncomfortable.
"Fuck! How many are they, Cap? Where is Corvus and the others?" Loke asked.
A bodyguard crawled towards us. He's Sting's. He pointed the direction of the Home.
"Get inside! You're the target of Mard Geer…"
"Mard Geer? Isn't that one of the agents of Drakes?" My eyes widened. I remembered the scene where Natsu was pointing towards something again. He's even uneasy!
Loke turned to me. Cap gave him a gun.
"Loke!" I shook my head, disapproving what the gun means. "Escort dad inside, I will cover you!" Loke said with finality.
I don't want him to do that but this is not the time to argue. I nodded in defeat and waited for his sign. "In three, two…"
I saw Sting who's also holding a gun while nodding to the other bodyguard who will escort his dad.
"Lucy! Go with Grus!"
"Lucy! One!" Loke shouted.
I quickly stood up and helped daddy to stand. Uncle Weis also stood up with the help of their bodyguards.
Shots were fired one after another when we ran. Fear for my brother and my dad consumed my system but I managed to look back.
"Mard Geer!" a familiar voice somewhere shouted.
I clearly saw how the man in the playground fixed the scope. It's pointing at us. I have no clue how good at he is in targeting but I didn't think twice in covering daddy. Adrenaline rushed through my veins when we quickly ran inside the home while they continued firing. I let out a huge breath that I didn't know I was holding when we finally got inside.
"Lucy!" Loke shouted at me. I turned to him and quickly felt the immense pain in my back.
My vision started to get hazy and I felt daddy's trembling hands supported me just before my legs gave out. Loke got in his knees in front of me. I don't know why my back hurts so much. The pain is too much that it's making me numb.
"Dad, Lucy was shot in the back…" Loke's voice cracked.
Daddy's jaw dropped while looking at me who's head is now on his lap. He raised his hand and I saw it covered in blood. That was until I passed out.
My memory was hazy. I couldn't remember everything that happened. The second thing I saw after that are the blinding lights above me. I'm lying down and felt the push of many people on the thing I'm lying at. I saw Loke and Sting at my sides, their faces are both filled with anger, tiredness, and worry.
My eyes squinted when I slightly woke up. I felt the tug and removal of something in my chest. I'm dizzy and my vision is spinning so I didn't try to fight and just gave in. I let myself sleep and drift away.
The next thing I remembered was the scene where we are in the Home's staircase. The gunshot started when I stood up to go inside the Home and I saw Natsu. He's holding a long-range gun. It's like a rifle or something. Our eyes met before his finger moved to pull the trigger. He shot me in the chest which made it hurt and I fell.
I grimaced when I felt a sharp pain in my back and chest. Tears made it's way to the corner of my eyes. I almost sobbed until I woke up in the smell of the hospital and the sounds from the machines.
"We will file a case against them..." I heard daddy's voice.
"File a case, Jude? Do you want to kill yourself? If you'll file a case, you'll also end up in jail! What happened three years ago would resurface!" Aunt Michelle shouted.
"If we'll get convicted, they'll join us behind bars!" daddy shouted back in an angry tone.
I badly wanted to open my eyes but I have no strength to do so. I tried moving my finger and let out a deep breath when I felt it move.
"Michelle, tone down your voice. You'll wake my daughter," mommy's cold voice filled my ears.
"Go ahead, Layla. Find a way youself since that kid is yours, anyway," I heard the sound of the door slamming.
The whole room went silent. My eyes stayed close.
"Who did this, Jude?" mommy asked in a formal voice. "Layla…"
"I let her in your care because I trusted you to – "
"Don't play pretend, woman! Won't you give her away even if I passed her in your care?"
My chest tightened. The tears that were threatening to fall earlier successfully escaped my eyes. I forced not to make a sound and just let the hot fluids fall. It's tiring. Every thing is tiring. I felt the stabbing pain again in my back and chest. Maybe I have a huge wound because of the bullet.
"This won't happen if you didn't concern her in your businesses! Why don't you stop involving her to your things? This thing about you forcing her to Sting, huh? Why don't you stop it!"
"It's not because of that, Layla! This happened because of our enemy in business! This has nothing to do with Sting and her!"
"Business? Same thing, then! Who are the one behind this and why are your investigations as slow as a turtle?!"
"We don't need to investigate. We've known since the first shot was fired! It's the Drakes."
Silence engulfed the room. I took a deep breath and realized that… Natsu did use me. This is the consequence of me following my whims.
"Aren't you in a conflict with them? Jude, this isn't about what happened three years ago, right?"
Daddy gasped and I felt the movement of someone in my bed. "I'm afraid it is. This might be... revenge..."
"Revenge? To whom? Why's Lucy the one who got shot?" mommy asked.
I forced myself not to cry which just made the pain on my chest worse. I can't breathe.
"The taget might be me. She covered me…"
The room went quiet. I forced myself to calm down. Daddy stood up and I felt him caressing my hand. "Layla, she's bleeding again," Daddy said.
"I'll call the nurse..." mommy answered
I fell asleep again after that. I don't know how many hours I slept but I'm still tired when I woke up.
Mommy and daddy are no longer in my room. I successfully opened my eyes. There's a nasal cannula on my nose. I saw Loke's orange hair and Virgo's wide eyes, they're sitting on the space near my feet while talking.
"They're her friends, Loke…" Virgo insisted.
"The doctor strictly told us that only families are allowed. Besides, it's not safe yet, Virgo!"
"It's..." she turned to me and her eyes quickly widened.
She ran to my side. Her mouth is stretched in a wide smile and her hand immediately flew to my hair to caress it. Loke went to the intercom to call for a nurse when he saw me awake.
"Hi, Princess! How are you feeling?" I slightly tugged my mouth in an attempt to gve her a smile when she called me in her nickname for me.
I looked at my chest. I'm wearing a white dress so I can't see how huge my wound is.
"Don't move too much…" Virgo stopped me from sitting up. "I'll call Levy and Cana," Loke said.
"I told you..." Virgo said. My head is badly hurting. I raised my hand to touch it. I also saw the tube in my hand.
"For how many hours was I out?" I asked Virgo. "36 hours…" she answered.
That explains the intense headache, then.
"Don't move..." Virgo warned me again.
The door opened and Levy and Cana came in with their worried and reddish eyes. They're carrying a basket of fruits which Cana placed at the table beside the sofa. They quickly went to me.
"Levy, don't..." Loke scolded, "She's still bleeding."
Levy nodded and sat on the seat beside my bed. I smiled at the two of them but Levy's tears can't be contained.
"Virgo, I'm gonna call dad. You should call Aunt Layla..." Loke said.
"Okay..." Virgo nodded before following our brother outside.
The three of us were left inside the room. I forced myself to sit. The pain in my chest almost made me scream. Cana let out a panicked gasp before carefully helping me. Levy fixed the pillows behind me.
"Don't move too much, Lucy!" Levy said with irritation.
"What happened?" Cana asked, her voice cracked.
I deeply sighed before looking at them. How am I going to tell that the Drakes are the ones behind all these?
Tears lined my eyes. I couldn't bring myself to talk or do anything but cry. My chest just hurt more but I couldn't stop myself. I cried in the arms of my two best friends.
