Chapter 31
*** BANG! ***
. Ryan felt a sharp pain. He dropped to his knees.
The bullet had pierced his right shoulder.
"You don't mess with me you mother fucker!" Tad exclaimed, gun still in hand.
Marissa was sobbing... and she reached to comfort Ryan, but stopped herself knowing that Tad's gun was still loaded, and he could take a shot at any time. She peered to her side, noticing the door open ajar. She wondered why no one had heard the gun shot.
There was no chance she could run to the phone...He would easily get a hold of her...or even worse...shoot at her. She didn't care... Ryan could be really hurt, she didn't want him to be alone. Marissa ran to Ryan's side. Surprisingly Tad stood there, unmoving.
"RYAN!!" Marissa yelled. She could see the deep red blood seep through his white button up shirt. She opened it up, to get a closer look..
"Oh Ryan..." Marissa said, sounding worried and weak.
"Thank God it wasn't closer down your chest...it just caught the top" Marissa said, peering up at Ryan. Ryan was strong. He didn't cry...even though deep down he wanted to scream. He wouldn't' do that in front of Marissa. He bit his lip hard and squeezed Marissa's hand.
They heard footsteps outside...and a head popped in. The lady stopped and gasped at Ryan's condition. Tad saw her, and raised his gun... "Get out!!!"
...The lady ran...back to her room, calling 911 immediately. She ran to the lobby, where she could await the Cops.
Tad released his grip on the gun, and slipped it back in his jacket. He knew the cops would arrive soon. He walked closer to Marissa and Ryan...at a fast pace. Marissa, worried, pulled Ryan closer to her, protecting him and herself. But Tad did not stop...he walked straight past. He exited the room.
"Marissa...." Ryan said softly. Marissa could tell he was losing a lot of blood now. She bunched up a shirt or Ryan's lying on the bed in his suitcase, and put pressure on the wound. She forced him to lie down on the floor until the paramedics would arrive.
She could hear running in the halls. Tad struggled to open the elevator door... time was something he could not wait for. Frustrated, he opened the door to the stairs, and began running.
Down in the Lobby, the cops arrived, along with the paramedics. The lady instructed them to the room where Ryan and Marissa were. The cops split up...half covering the elevators...and the others taking the stairs.
Tad began to pant...he had gone about 12 flights of stairs so far. He heard yells and running below him. He was trapped...and he knew it. The cops came from above and below him at the same time, surrounding him, guns in the air. Tad was a fighter in some situations...but knew there was no way out of this. He dropped down, hands in the air.
The cops handcuffed him, and took him down the rest of the stairs. He struggled in the handcuffs, tight around his wrists.
Back upstairs, on the 15th Level...Marissa cried next to Ryan. His eyes were closed, but she felt a steady pace in his breathing. She knew the loss of blood now was intense.
"Ryann.." She spoke quietly, huffing between cries.
"...Mar...Marissa.." He spoke, looking her in the eyes.
"You're going to be fine! Don't worry okay?" Marissa said, leaning in closer to him.
"I know...I've been in worse situations..." Ryan said.
"You always get hurt because of me!" she cried.
"Don't say that Marissa...It isn't true! I was protecting you." He said, tightening his grasp of her hand.
"But Ryan..." Marissa said, knowing he was partially right, but still felt unbelievably bad for what happened.
"Marissa...You have to know that I love you more than anything...and to let you get hurt without trying to help would make me sick" He struggled for breath "You're the only thing that matters to me" Ryan spoke, trying to sit up gently, to kiss her...but knew the pressure was too much.
"Ryan...I love you. I don't know what I would have done without you. But you should stop talking, you need to relax. "Marissa said, leaning down to kiss him. Her lips touched his gently at first. She was interrupted by the paramedics...who came rushing in, with first aid bags and bandages.
"Excuse me.." One of the men said to Marissa. She backed away. They placed Ryan on a stretcher, applying gauzes to his wound. "We gotta get him to the hospital, he loosing blood fast" one EMT exclaimed. Marissa walked to one side of him as they rolled him towards the elevator. She held his hand; Ryan's grasp assured her that everything was going to be okay.
Once they got out on the bottom floor, they rushed to roll him outside to the ambulance. The paramedics started rushing, and she couldn't keep up. People were all around...shocked to see someone on a stretcher, bleeding. They placed Ryan inside the ambulance, and Marissa ran to step inside.
"I'm sorry mam...Family members only" The man spoke, as he stopped Marissa.
"I am family...I'm...I'm... his wife"
*** BANG! ***
. Ryan felt a sharp pain. He dropped to his knees.
The bullet had pierced his right shoulder.
"You don't mess with me you mother fucker!" Tad exclaimed, gun still in hand.
Marissa was sobbing... and she reached to comfort Ryan, but stopped herself knowing that Tad's gun was still loaded, and he could take a shot at any time. She peered to her side, noticing the door open ajar. She wondered why no one had heard the gun shot.
There was no chance she could run to the phone...He would easily get a hold of her...or even worse...shoot at her. She didn't care... Ryan could be really hurt, she didn't want him to be alone. Marissa ran to Ryan's side. Surprisingly Tad stood there, unmoving.
"RYAN!!" Marissa yelled. She could see the deep red blood seep through his white button up shirt. She opened it up, to get a closer look..
"Oh Ryan..." Marissa said, sounding worried and weak.
"Thank God it wasn't closer down your chest...it just caught the top" Marissa said, peering up at Ryan. Ryan was strong. He didn't cry...even though deep down he wanted to scream. He wouldn't' do that in front of Marissa. He bit his lip hard and squeezed Marissa's hand.
They heard footsteps outside...and a head popped in. The lady stopped and gasped at Ryan's condition. Tad saw her, and raised his gun... "Get out!!!"
...The lady ran...back to her room, calling 911 immediately. She ran to the lobby, where she could await the Cops.
Tad released his grip on the gun, and slipped it back in his jacket. He knew the cops would arrive soon. He walked closer to Marissa and Ryan...at a fast pace. Marissa, worried, pulled Ryan closer to her, protecting him and herself. But Tad did not stop...he walked straight past. He exited the room.
"Marissa...." Ryan said softly. Marissa could tell he was losing a lot of blood now. She bunched up a shirt or Ryan's lying on the bed in his suitcase, and put pressure on the wound. She forced him to lie down on the floor until the paramedics would arrive.
She could hear running in the halls. Tad struggled to open the elevator door... time was something he could not wait for. Frustrated, he opened the door to the stairs, and began running.
Down in the Lobby, the cops arrived, along with the paramedics. The lady instructed them to the room where Ryan and Marissa were. The cops split up...half covering the elevators...and the others taking the stairs.
Tad began to pant...he had gone about 12 flights of stairs so far. He heard yells and running below him. He was trapped...and he knew it. The cops came from above and below him at the same time, surrounding him, guns in the air. Tad was a fighter in some situations...but knew there was no way out of this. He dropped down, hands in the air.
The cops handcuffed him, and took him down the rest of the stairs. He struggled in the handcuffs, tight around his wrists.
Back upstairs, on the 15th Level...Marissa cried next to Ryan. His eyes were closed, but she felt a steady pace in his breathing. She knew the loss of blood now was intense.
"Ryann.." She spoke quietly, huffing between cries.
"...Mar...Marissa.." He spoke, looking her in the eyes.
"You're going to be fine! Don't worry okay?" Marissa said, leaning in closer to him.
"I know...I've been in worse situations..." Ryan said.
"You always get hurt because of me!" she cried.
"Don't say that Marissa...It isn't true! I was protecting you." He said, tightening his grasp of her hand.
"But Ryan..." Marissa said, knowing he was partially right, but still felt unbelievably bad for what happened.
"Marissa...You have to know that I love you more than anything...and to let you get hurt without trying to help would make me sick" He struggled for breath "You're the only thing that matters to me" Ryan spoke, trying to sit up gently, to kiss her...but knew the pressure was too much.
"Ryan...I love you. I don't know what I would have done without you. But you should stop talking, you need to relax. "Marissa said, leaning down to kiss him. Her lips touched his gently at first. She was interrupted by the paramedics...who came rushing in, with first aid bags and bandages.
"Excuse me.." One of the men said to Marissa. She backed away. They placed Ryan on a stretcher, applying gauzes to his wound. "We gotta get him to the hospital, he loosing blood fast" one EMT exclaimed. Marissa walked to one side of him as they rolled him towards the elevator. She held his hand; Ryan's grasp assured her that everything was going to be okay.
Once they got out on the bottom floor, they rushed to roll him outside to the ambulance. The paramedics started rushing, and she couldn't keep up. People were all around...shocked to see someone on a stretcher, bleeding. They placed Ryan inside the ambulance, and Marissa ran to step inside.
"I'm sorry mam...Family members only" The man spoke, as he stopped Marissa.
"I am family...I'm...I'm... his wife"