Chapter 9

When the medics finally loaded John in the back of the ambulance, they rushed him to the hospital. When the got him to the emergency room, Ady wasn't permitted to be with him. Instead of being at his side, she was forced to wait in the waiting room.

As she sat in the chair with her face buried in her hands, she heard a familiar voice talking to a woman. "Where can I find Ms. Byrneheart?"

Ady stood up and wiped the tears from her face and walked out of the waiting room. She saw Brendan standing at the desk. "B-B-Brendan?"

He looked over and saw her standing by the door, her face wet and red from crying. "Ady! Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

She took in a deep breath. "John got shot while we were at a club tonight." The tears were falling down her cheeks in a rapid pace. "I can't believe it." She covered her face and began to sob, her knees buckling beneath her.

Brendan caught her and held her in his arms. He gently stroked her hair as he held her close to him. "Shh, Ady, everything will be fine."

She clung to him, not wanting to lose the comfort of being in someone's arms. "I don't want him to die, Brendan! I love him!" She continued to sob into his shoulder.

As he held her, a doctor walked up to them, tapping Ady on the shoulder. "Excuse me, miss. Are you Ms. Presley?"

Ady looked up at him with tear stained eyes. "Yes, that's me."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "He's stable right now, but I'm not sure how long he will be. The bullet missed his heart, but slightly punctured his left lung. We're trying to contain the blood loss, but if we can't, we might lose him."

As she soaked up the doctor's words, she held on to Brendan tighter, holding herself up. "Doc, can I see him?"

He nodded. "Yes, but only for a few moments. He needs his rest."

Ady nodded and wiped tears away from her face. "Okay."

Brendan let her go, letting her stand up on her own. "Do you want me to walk you to his room?"

Ady shook her head and took one of his hands, kissing the palm. "No, thanks Brendan. I can walk by myself."

The doctor walked off, Ady following behind him, leaving Brendan to sit in the waiting room alone.

When Ady opened the door to John's room, she saw him with tubes helping him breathe and more tubes up his arm. She couldn't stand to see him this way. The pain caused her to tear up, closing the door for a moment. "How long is he going to stay this way?"

The doctor shrugged. "For as long as he needs to be, ma'am."

Ady nodded and walked inside, holding the tears back as best as she could. When John turned his head in her direction, she smiled. "Hey sweetie."

He faintly smiled as she walked up to the bed. "I'm so glad you're here, Ady."

She took his hand and kissed it, caressing it with her other hand. "Of course I'm here. Do you think I'd leave the man I love alone after he's been shot?"

He slowly lifted her hand up and kissed her palm. His lips still felt warm and soft against her skin. "Thank you so much, Ady."

"It's okay John. I love you, and I'm going to be by your side." The tears were coming back now, but she still held them back with all her might.

John saw the tears behind her somber eyes wanting to fall. He pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Baby, if you want to cry, go ahead. There's no need to be the strong-willed woman when I'm like this."

She took a deep breath and prolonged the tears even more. "No, it's okay. I don't want to cry."

"It's okay. It just makes you human."

Finally, she let them go. They streamed down her cheek as she took deep breaths to be able to talk to him clearly. "John, I'm so sorry!"

"About what?"

"You getting shot! Somehow I feel responsible for this happening to you!"

He wiped away some of her tears, as even more began to fall. "It's not your fault, you didn't do anything at all. Please don't feel responsible."

She calmed down and stopped the tears from falling so hard. "I'm sorry. I just don't want anything happening to you."

"I know you don't, and nothing will. I'll get through this, and we'll be happier together. Trust me, there's nothing to worry about."

She nodded the moment the doctor entered the room. "Ms. Presley, time's up. You have to leave."

"Okay." She stood up and kissed John's lips softly and lovingly. "I'll be here in the morning to visit you, okay sweetie?"

He smiled, squeezing her hand gently. "Okay. I love you."

"And I love you, too." She walked out of the room to find police waiting for her in the waiting room.

One of the officers stepped up and held out his hand. "Ms. Presley, I'm Detective Thomas, and this is my partner, Detective Morera. We'd like to ask you some questions about the incident tonight."

Ady, Brendan, and the two officers sat in the waiting room for the next few hours, questioning Ady about every single detail. By the time it was over, Ady was completely drained, and Brendan took her back home.