A/N – Alright, I am really excited to get comments on this chapter because it was really easy to write, which is odd for me, so I'm wondering if it was a good thing or not. I'm hoping that I did each scene justice with all of the emotions that are going on. So, here is the chapter, please leave a review!
Chapter 4 – Sacrifice
"John," Anthony prodded. "Don't you have something to say."
Johnny glanced nervously at Lulu. She showed no fear as she stood calmly, glaring at Anthony. She had no idea how much danger she was in. No matter how many times he thought about the possibility of Anthony discovering Lulu, he could not have been prepared for the feeling he had when it finally happened.
"What are you doing here?" Johnny asked.
"I had a feeling you were lying to me," Anthony explained. "That you were trying to leave me."
"I'm not leaving you, dad," Johnny replied. "Why would I?"
"For her," Anthony smiled. "Your little tramp. You should be thankful, John. I waited until you finished screwing her in the back of your car before I came to kill her."
"Excuse me," Lulu interjected. "I am not a tramp and you don't know what you're talking about."
Johnny's eyes widened in surprise. After everything he had told Lulu about his father, he did not expect her to speak to him in anyway, especially not contradicting him. He looked to his father and saw that sickening smile plastered on his face.
"She's fiery, John," Anthony smirked. "I see why you found her so attractive."
"What do you want?" Johnny questioned.
"I'm here to kill your little girlfriend," Anthony said simply. "Then I'm going to take you home with me where you belong."
"Do you have any idea what would happen to you or Johnny if something happens to me?" Lulu wondered. "Jason Morgan is a personal friend of mine and once he finds out that you were responsible for trying to kill me, you're as good as dead."
"Are you trying to scare me?" Anthony demanded. "You're the one who is going to die. You're the one who should be scared."
"Dad," Johnny warned. "Leave her alone. She didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who betrayed you, remember?"
"Of course," Anthony answered. "And your punishment is watching this girl die. Just like I had to watch my Maria die."
"You shot your wife," Lulu scoffed. "It made you crazy. Don't do that to Johnny. He deserves better."
"I know what's best for my son," Anthony yelled. "He's infatuated with you and that does not serve him."
"You're right," Johnny interrupted. "I should stay away from her and I will. Let's just go home."
"It's too late for that, John," Anthony chided, pulling out a gun. "She has to die now. You've left me no choice."
"Mom wouldn't want this," Johnny soothed. "She would have liked Lulu. She'd want you to let her go."
"You're right," Anthony sighed. "But your mother isn't here. Too bad for LooLoo."
Everything was a blur for Lulu. She heard Anthony utter his final words and saw him raise his gun. She heard the shot and saw the wicked glint in Anthony's eye. What she didn't see was Johnny. Not until he was on the ground bleeding. He had a bullet in his shoulder and he was unconscious. What she didn't hear was herself scream. Lulu fell to the ground beside him and touched his face. She didn't even know she was crying. All she could see was the man she loved bleeding on the ground because of her.
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Lucky sped to the drive-in. The last thing he expected was to get a call from Jason telling him he was needed for Lulu's safety. He brought with him an ambulance and two other police cars because he was going in blind. He didn't know what to expect, but when it came to Anthony Zacchara he needed to be prepared.
He got to the theater and instructed everyone to turn their sirens off so no one would be alerted to their presence. He flashed his badge and got through the gate. Cruz had his car parked along the side of the drive-in that was hidden by trees, in case someone tried to flee on foot. Lucky realized he wouldn't be able to drive around the theater parking lot so he parked his squad car and started on foot towards the front, looking for anything suspicious.
The first thing he heard was the gunshot. The second thing he heard was a woman scream. It sounded too much like Lulu and he started running, gun drawn. He had never run so fast in his life. He yelled into his radio for the ambulance as he got to the three people on the far side of the lot. Anthony Zacchara stood with a shocked expression and a gun in his hand. He was staring at a man on the ground. A man that Lulu was hovering over while she sobbed profusely.
Before Anthony knew what hit him, Lucky disarmed him and put him on the ground. The old man did not protest as Lucky cuffed him. Cruz burst through the trees and helped subdue Anthony as Lucky turned to Lulu. She was trembling and begging the man, who Lucky assumed was Johnny, to wake up. He barked into his radio his position and information about Johnny's injury. Johnny's eyes opened briefly and Lulu stroked his face.
"You're going to be okay," Lulu promised. "The ambulance is coming."
"My father?" Johnny wondered.
"He can't hurt you," Lulu replied. "Lucky arrested him. He can't hurt you anymore."
"Go, Lu," Johnny breathed. "You shouldn't be seen with me."
"I will do no such thing," Lulu argued. "You need me right now and there's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Are you sure?" Johnny whispered, his eyes closing a little.
"Of course," Lulu smiled.
She kissed him softly and squeezed his hand. He offered her a brief smile before he passed out again. Lulu cried harder as she looked around desperately hoping the ambulance was there. She saw the medical team approaching and she finally backed away from Johnny to let them attend to him. They loaded him on a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance.
"Lulu, he's going to be okay," Lucky assured her.
"I need to ride with him," Lulu replied. "He needs me. He needs to know I'm there."
"He knows, Lu," Lucky responded.
"Please, Lucky," Lulu begged.
Lucky nodded and helped her into the back of the ambulance. He told the rest of the officers present to get as many statements as possible against Anthony Zacchara. Cruz had already left to take Anthony to the station. Lucky breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Lulu was okay. He pulled out his phone and called Jason.
"Morgan," Jason answered.
"She's safe," Lucky replied.
"What about Anthony?" Jason wondered.
"We arrested him," Lucky said softly.
"For what?" Jason asked. "If he didn't hurt Lulu, what did he do?"
"I don't know exactly," Lucky explained. "When I got there Johnny had a gunshot wound and was on the ground bleeding. Lulu rode with him in the ambulance, so I didn't get her statement yet."
"Was she okay?" Jason questioned.
"She was shaken up," Lucky offered. "I think she'll be fine as long as Johnny pulls through."
"How did he look?" Jason prodded.
"I've seen worse survive," Lucky answered. "But that's another reason I called. I can't leave here until we've gotten all the statements and I was hoping you could go to the hospital and be with Lulu."
"Of course," Jason responded. "Thanks for coming through on this."
"Thanks for trusting me enough to let me handle it," Lucky countered. "I'm going to do everything I can to put Anthony Zacchara behind bars for a long time."
"I'll keep you updated on Johnny's condition," Jason promised.
"And Lulu, too please," Lucky requested.
"Okay," Jason agreed. "Bye."
"Bye," Lucky said, closing his phone.
He looked at the blood on the ground and couldn't help but be happy it wasn't Lulu's. However, he didn't want anything to happen to Johnny either. He didn't know what had happened but he had a feeling that Lulu had been right. Johnny was nothing like his father.
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Lulu sat silently in the waiting room. Waiting was not something she did well, but it was her only choice. She had to wait to see if Johnny would pull through. She thought about all those romantic movies she watched growing up. The ones that had the leading ladies be calm in moments when their men were in danger. In the movies they always knew. They had a feeling that told them everything would be okay.
Lulu didn't have that feeling.
Lulu couldn't find comfort in a memory because she had some damn feeling that soon she would be making new ones with Johnny. The only memory she could muster was the recent one of holding his hand while he slipped in and out of consciousness. The only thing on her mind was the image of him bleeding. She wanted that feeling. She wanted to be at peace knowing that everything would be okay. She wanted Johnny, safe and in her arms.
"Lulu," a voice said and shook her out of her trance.
Lulu looked up to see Jason's calm blue eyes and she fell apart all over again. He sat next to her and pulled her into his embrace and she sobbed into his signature leather jacket, probably ruining it. He held steady, the way he always did. He soothingly rubbed her shoulder as she got out the last of her sobs. She pulled herself together and wiped her eyes.
"I can't keep doing that," Lulu scolded herself. "Johnny needs me to be strong for him and I keep falling apart. He would never do that if the situation was reversed. He would be strong, willing me to come through and come back to him. All I can do is cry and think about the worst that could happen."
"Lulu, I won't pretend to know Johnny better than you," Jason started. "But I do know you're wrong about that. If you were in surgery to remove a bullet that you took right in front of him, he would fall apart. I saw the look in his eyes when I warned him about you being hurt because of him. You mean a lot to him and he would be just as upset if not more than you are right now if the situation was reversed."
"I just don't know how this happened," Lulu sighed.
"What did happen?" Jason wondered.
"Johnny wanted to take me out on a real date," Lulu explained. "I was so excited about it I didn't even think of the danger. I mean I did, but he seemed confident so I let it go. Everything was going great and we were about to leave the movie...that's where he took me, a drive-in movie...anyway, we were about to leave when Anthony showed up. He came out of the trees. Apparently he had been watching us and biding his time. I don't remember much after that. We all argued and Johnny tried to get Anthony to let me go, but he said I had to die. He pulled a gun and aimed it at me. The next thing I knew Johnny was on the ground with a gunshot wound."
"He jumped in front of the bullet for you?" Jason asked.
"Yeah," Lulu sighed. "I don't know what he was thinking. He could die and I don't know what I would do if..."
"He was thinking that your life meant more to him than his own," Jason replied, cutting her off. "He was thinking that he couldn't live with himself if something happened to you because of him. That's something he told me himself."
"I don't know if I could either," Lulu admitted.
"You don't have to worry," Jason assured her. "Johnny has something to live for. He'll be fine."
"I wish someone who had a medical degree would tell me that," Lulu responded. "No offense."
"None taken," Jason smiled.
"You really think Johnny will be okay?" Lulu wondered.
"I really do," Jason answered.
Lulu smiled as a feeling of relief washed over her. This was the feeling she had been looking for earlier. The feeling that allowed her to think of the night she met Johnny. To think about the way he tasted the first time they kissed. The way it felt the first time they made love. This was the feeling she wanted more than anything. The feeling that everything would be okay.
"You know what?" Lulu said with a small smile. "I do, too."
