AN: Yeah, just another short chapter. The last two will be longer :) Please keep updating and I Hope that you all are still enjoying my story (even though several of you are really upset with me right now and this will only make that worse!)
Maxon's POV
I laid back, trying to put pressure on my wound even though I wanted and knew that I was probably going to die. My thoughts kept fluttering back to America, wondering how brave she had been in final moments, what her last thoughts had been, if she had died realizing that she had always loved me and that we had always been made for each other. We had a perfect fit about us and I hoped there was a heaven so we could experience all of that again. But I knew here, in this moment, locked in the safety of this room with Kriss and Scott—I wouldn't be able to die. I had to keep Kriss calm enough to save him. It was the fair thing to do after the misery that I had put her through in the last few months of our relationship.
"Maxon," Kriss whispered quietly as she tied yet another—and the last—layer of bandage on Scott's stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. "I, I need you to know that nothing happened between us during the Selection or even after you and I started to have problems in our engagement. I was never unfaithful to you—I didn't even know that he had feelings for me before a few days ago." She whispered, trying to clean her hands of his blood on her dress. I could see how much it upset her to have to ruin such a pretty dress—especially since she now wore a reminder that there was still a chance he was going to die.
He weakly reached up and held her hand, their eyes locking for a moment. It was like they were the only two in the room and there was nothing but promised time to be together. And looking at them now, I wondered how they were never together. I knew Kriss—she wasn't like America and Marlee, trying to stay in the competition and figure out their feelings while having another romantic interest. Kriss was honest and faithful, there was no way she knew about Scott's feelings for her the whole time we were together. I should have known that Kriss was the girl Scott talked about losing right before the Selection. He had been her guard but he was also too loyal and honest to do anything about it. I should have been able to figure it out from the few signs that followed us around. I guess I had just been too wrapped up in losing America to realize.
"He told me how he felt about me when you were away in New Asia," Kriss continued, brushing her fingers through her hair as she clearly tried to ignore the blood still stained on them. She tried to whisper to him to keep calm and keep his eyes open but I could see the urgency in her eyes. I hoped this raid was over soon. "I had always liked him, Maxon. I just never thought anything would come out of it. He was just Georgia's brother."
I paused for a moment. "You're Georgia's brother." I replied, playing with the idea in my mind. So no matter what, Kriss was going to end up with some royal connections in her family, as she would now be related to August—who I imagined would be the only person left to take the crown from me when I died.
"Small world," Scott whispered, looking up to Kriss as he went to holding her hands in his. There was nothing but obvious weakness in the tone. He had lost a lot of blood and I doubted that the bandages would be able to hold him for very much longer. I had to hope that we would get out of here soon and he could be rushed straight into surgery in my place. I knew if they took me first simply because I was king that I had a greater chance of living but that Scott would surely die. I didn't want to live so I might as well give up my rights to life to someone who truly deserved them I figured. "I love her Maxon, I have always loved her. I'm sorry I went and tried to date America to play rebound—I just I just figured it'd be alright since you were engaged to Kriss. I quickly realized you are still in Ames, though." He replied, each breath slower than the last. Every word seemed to come out of his lips and off his tongue slower and with more time taking to actually speak. He needed to save his energy.
"It's alright, Scott." I replied slowly, playing with the words in my mind. I was still in love with America. I was in love with America, I had to remind myself of that. She was gone, I had heard the gunshot that had ended her life and passed it off as nothing. I should have known it would hold grave consequences for my life. I brushed the tears out of my eyes, trying to regather my thoughts as I laid down thinking. "I did love America, greatly," I whispered, wiping my eyes. "I'm sorry I ever lead you on Kriss."
She smiling softly over at me. She was always too kind. "It's alright Maxon. If you hadn't, I probably wouldn't be here with Scott right now. Good comes out of everything. And, and you don't know that America died. He could be lying," she whispered. That was the Kriss I knew. Always trying to inspire hope inside of everyone that she knew, always trying to push us towards a good idea that things weren't as bleak as we thought. She would make a wonderful wife for Scott.
"I heard the gunshot from the stage. I didn't think it was anything," I whispered quietly. "But now I know for sure, Kriss. And I don't want to keep living to see the world without her," I replied, wiping my eyes as I looked up at the ceiling. "I feel terrible for wanting to leave my mother without me or my father, but I can't live without America. I don't want to see that kind of world again." I whispered, crying both in agony from pain and loss. I felt my heart beat start to slow and my breathing start to get shallower. When I had thought about death before, it had never been as tragic as this.
The door flung open and in rushed August and Aspen. I quickly gestured over to Kriss and Scott, trying to pull attention off of my own wound. "Help them," I whispered, fainting into the darkness as I went. My brain still ran wildly, able to hear everything that was going on around me. Kriss sobbed as Scott was lifted out of her arms or at least taken from her. I felt like my body was floating as someone must have picked me up off the ground. Then, I could feel something soft below me, some wind brushing quickly over my body. They must have lifted me onto a gurney. I tried to fight, wanting to be thrown off. I didn't want to be saved but my efforts were to no avail.
I woke with a bright light in my face, Kriss and Aspen at my bedside. Upon seeing me wake up, Aspen left the room and without another word, never bothering to turn back. I knew he had the answer to the question that I wanted to ask. I wanted to know if America had survived. If by some miracle, I wasn't left alone on this earth. But I knew that couldn't be possible. She was dead, that was why Aspen had left without saying anything to me.
"How's Scott," I whispered, taking hold on Kriss' hand. I could see that her body was shaking, tears threatening to pour out of her body. I hoped that she wasn't going to be left alone too. She deserved to be happy.
"The, the bullet went right through his stomach. It was lodged pretty well in there. He's waiting for an organ transplant that may not come in time. He's been in surgery for three hours," she whispered, trying to take in everything that she had been told. I lightly squeezed her hand. "You were put into surgery and taken out within half an hour, or just slightly more than that. It didn't take them too long to close the wound, the bullet went right through your shoulder." She whispered, letting me squeeze and hold her hand. "They said you lost a lot of blood, though. You'll have that IV in you replacing it for a little while yet," she whispered, lightly letting go of my hand as she curled into the chair next to me.
"I wanted to die Kriss. She's dead, why couldn't they have let me die too?" I cried, letting the tears flow out of me like a river.
She looked sadly at me, then up at the ceiling. "They're still looking for her Maxon. Half the palace isn't even off lock down yet. They are pretty certain they caught everyone who was instigating the attack, which is why they rushed to find you and your mother. They didn't want any other members of the monarchy to die like your father. You, you never know. She could still be alive."
I wanted to give into the hope but I knew that it wouldn't do me any good. America was gone and getting my hopes up for them to find her body was only going to hurt me more. "I suppose," I whispered, just wanting Kriss to relax. I knew she was scared that Scott wasn't going to pull through. If I pretended to have hope for America, perhaps she would be able to pull through her own fears. "Do you think they can give me a sleeping pill? I need to rest, I…I don't want to be awake right now. My shoulder is killing me." I looked up at her, hoping that she would give into sympathy and just let me fall apart. She left to get the doctor and the tears poured out of me once again. Quickly, I found myself giving into the darkness of sleep, trying to relax through the heart break. I didn't want to have to deal with the loss of my America just yet. I knew it was going to be an inevitable truth but in this moment, perhaps I would just be able to drift into a peaceful dream or memory of our time together that was cut far too short.
Review? Please :) I can't believe that you guys have almost pushed me to 500 reviews and I would truly appreciate it if this story was able to reach that mark by the time it's over.
