I've never been so scared in my life. You don't even understand. But I don't want to scare all you guys away, so I'll explain the whole night first.
We, Fang and I, were walking around uptown and I licked the ice cream I was holding to make sure it didn't drip onto my shorts. We were walking down the block and every few steps our shoulders would brush each other's. We kept walking since it was getting late and we needed to get back home sorta soon so we started heading in the direction of our houses.
We headed down a back road that was a lot quicker to get to our houses since there weren't really any cars or people this way, but it was safe. It's not like we live in some dark town. That turned out to be one of the biggest understatements ever.
"Come on, let's get back before your mom starts to worry," Fang said with a lopsided smile and grabbed my hand pulling me along with him. I agreed since I didn't want my mom to cut off my time with Fang by staying out to late or something stupid like that.
After we'd walked a few minutes I felt like something was off. But I couldn't tell what. But I soon dismissed the thought thinking that if Fang was with me I couldn't get hurt.
I didn't know I could be that wrong.
One second I was walking next to Fang, who was being uncharacteristically quiet even for him, and the next he had slammed into me, knocking me to the ground.
"What the hell Fang?" I asked a little miffed thinking that he had thought it was a funny joke, but then I realized Fang wasn't laughing. He hadn't moved. He was still lying face down on the pavement. And that was when I noticed the dark red, purple spot on the back of shirt growing larger and larger the longer I stood there.
Oh my god. Someone had been trying to shoot me, and he realized it before jumping in the way and taking the bullet.
I whipped out my phone and dialed 911 without thinking as I bent down to check him out.
"Hi I need to speak with someone immediately. My boyfriend's been shot," I said my voice panicked even as I tried to keep it steady. I heard what I'd said repeated a few times as the information was passed on.
"Yes, I'm almost positive. We're on Michigan Avenue down almost by the train tracks. His name is Fang Ride and I'm Max Martinez." I paused as she told me to hang on. "Yes, it's just us and well he's unconscious and bleeding pretty bad, somewhere on his chest. I'm sorry I really can't tell." I wondered if the lady could tell how frightened I was. Probably, my voice was unusually high and shaky. Now I'm not much of a crier, but I swear if Fang doesn't make it through this, I'm gonna lose it. The lady said she'd be sending people immediately and that sent me a little relief, but not much.
I bent down as I crouched next to Fang who's eyes were closed. I lowered my head over his chest and I thought I heard faint breathing, but I couldn't be sure. I just had to hope the paramedics would make it in time. I started praying to every God I could think of not even knowing if I believed in one or not, but I was desperate.
His long hair fell over part of his eyes and I softly brushed it away with my own hand. As I brushed it away, I noticed his head was scraped as well as a lot of his right arm. The sidewalk was beginning to turn a deep red as the blood continued to seep out of his chest and I wasn't sure if I should take his shirt of or not to see if I could find any holes or anything. I decided against it, but pulled my own jacket off and balled it up and pressed it against his bleeding chest, in an attempt to slow the blood flow. It didn't work too well and my jacket started to turn a dark color as blood soaked through it. I applied as much pressure as I thought he could take and grabbed one of his hands in my other hand and waited like that until the ambulance arrived which was soon after that.
Paramedics jumped out as the ambulance screeched to a stop, lights and siren on full strength. Please be okay Fang, please be okay.
"This is Fang?" one man asked while a few others wheeled out a gurney and I just nodded trying to keep my cool. They lifted him up and I saw the pool of blood he left on the pavement and my stomach and heart both squeezed. Not because I'm squeamish or anything like that but just seeing how much blood the best person in my life had lost…it was scary. Heart-stoppingly scary. I bet when I said today was a bad day, none of you would've ever guessed this.
Once they'd hooked Fang up to a series of IVs and things that I didn't know what they were, they told me to get into the ambulance now and we took off for the hospital. If it didn't involve being around all these people who were injured and possibly dying, I would want to be an ambulance driver. I mean you get to go through all the traffic lights, disregard practically all driving laws and blare those sirens. And be a part of saving someone's life, that too.
"How well do you know Fang?" one of the paramedics who wasn't busy taking care of Fang asked me.
"Really well. He's my best friend and my boyfriend," I admitted and I swear he sighed or did something in like admiration but I really wasn't thinking straight so who knows.
"So you can give me all of his information then, right?" he asked and I nodded and leaned over to help fill out paperwork. I glanced over at Fang's pale face and my heart stopped as I realized there was a chance he might not make it. What if it hit his heart? He could die any second. And that was probably one of the scariest things I'd ever realized in my life. I hurriedly applied myself to filling out paperwork so I wouldn't have to think about things like that.
"Can I call his mom?" I asked quietly once we were getting close to the hospital. The paramedic nodded and agreed that that was a good idea.
I called his house twice and no one answered and got a little nervous. It's okay, I thought, I'm sure they're just out of the house or something. I tried one more time just in case and this time I heard a click as a voice answered. "Hello?" a sweet little voice asked through the phone. No. It was Angel. She loved Fang more than anything in the world. I couldn't tell her what had happened. No one even knew what was happening.
"Hi Angel, it's Max," I replied softly. I swear I could hear her face light up through the phone, she was that adorable.
"Hi Max!" she called happily.
"Can I talk to your mom sweetie? Just real quick, it's kind of important," I asked still on the verge of crying. She quickly agreed and ran off to find her mom.
"Hi Max, Angel said you were looking for me," a warm motherly voice said through the phone and I grimaced. Why did he have such a perfect family?
"Yeah. Actually it's an emergency. Fang got shot and I did my best and no we're in an ambulance," I tried explaining but it came out all mumbled since my voice was all shaky still.
"Wait what? Fang got shot, by a gun?" she asked sounding terribly worried and I heard her swallow and grab the car keys. She shouted to Angel that she needed to go in the basement and watch TV because she had to go somewhere. It sounded like she was running towards the door and I felt awful. It was my fault. Don't you dare say it wasn't my fault.
"Yes. I'm so sorry. We're at the hospital now," I informed her as nurses came rushing out of the hospital to come to Fang's aid. The sun had set long ago leaving a a sliver of a moon with only a few stars which just added to the anxiety of the night.
"I'm on my way. Mike's at a dinner for work, but I'll call him as soon as I can and Angel's in the basement. What even happened Max?" she asked sounding frantic and terrified. That was when I realized that this would not be the first child she'd lose in the past year. Kaylie had passed away last summer and she was young too, just in college with a careless boyfriend. Why was life so unfair for such a good person?
"I'll have Ella or my mom come over and take care of Angel while you're gone." I heard a sigh of relief and knew that must've taken one burden of the many, off her shoulders. "And Fang and I were walking home down Michigan Avenue and all of a sudden Fang shoved me over and then was on the ground. I hadn't realized what had happened until I saw Fang unconscious on the ground. What I think happened was that someone had been trying to shoot me and somehow he had noticed it and then gotten me out of the way but got hit himself. I'm so sorry, I'm with him now." My voice broke at the end and I couldn't go on.
I heard her tense up but breathe out slowly, "Thank you Max. He'll be okay, I promise. And if he's not…" she paused for a while taking in the severity of the situation, "always know that he loved you more than you could know. It's hard to see it, especially on a guy like Fang since he's more closed off, but as his mother I know he loved you from the day he met you." I nodded knowing she couldn't see me, but I couldn't talk. Tears had somehow found their way out of my eyes and were streaming down my face as I walked in silence next to one of the paramedics into the hospital.
"I love him too, no matter what," I replied quietly. She told me she needed to go and I nodded and hung up. I signed one last paper for verifying that I had been a witness to the accident and had to keep wiping my eyes to make sure I didn't get tears on the papers.
"He's a very lucky guy to have a girl like you," the guy who I'd been filling paperwork told me as he walked me to the waiting room where I could wait until they were done with Fang.
I shook my head no, "I'm the lucky one. The reason he got hit was because he jumped in front of a bullet for me." Those words stayed in my head. Took a bullet for me. Took a bullet for me. I went over to a chair and sat down, fresh tears falling down my face. I didn't deserve him.
I made sure I kept my promise to Mrs. Ride, and called my mom to send her to over to watch Angel, "Hi mom," I said quietly as she answered with her usual Hello.
"Hi sweetie, what's up?"
"I can't talk long but I'm at the hospital. Fang got shot taking a bullet for me and he's in the emergency operating room now. I called his mom and told her that you or Ella would watch Angel because she didn't want to bring her. Don't say anything to Ange either," I explained quickly wiping the tears off my face. I don't cry in public. Enough said.
My mom agreed to watch Angel and would let Ella know when she got home. So I curled up on the chair I was sitting in and leaned my head against the wall. Soon enough, a frazzled looking Mrs. Ride came in and sat next to me after giving me a hug.
"It'll be all right Max," she told me quickly sitting down, but looking like she needed to know what was going on with her son. She kept changing positions as we waited and waited, her anxiety getting the best of her. I was tired as all get out, but there was no way I would be able to sleep now. With my best friend and boyfriend behind those heavy white doors, all I could do was hope. I got up and walked around for a little while after I went to the bathroom, and peered into the heavy doors but all I saw was an endless hallway with countless doors filling the walls. I shook my hands out and jumped up and down a few times trying to get out some of my nerves but nothing was working. I knew I wouldn't calm down until I could see Fang, or at least know that he would be okay.
The longer we waited the less sure we got. We never gave up hope, don't get me wrong, I always believe in him but the more we waited the more nervous I got.
After what felt like a million years, the doors swung open and an exhausted looking doctor walked out holding a clipboard with pages all over it. Please let this be Fang's doctor, please let this be Fang's doctor.
"Fang Ride?" he asked, his voice hoarse and I realized that it must be near 2 in the morning. We'd been here for hours and we'd gotten here around 10:30. Molly Ride and I both stood up and I wasn't sure which one of us wanted to see him more.
After we'd found Fang's doctor, the news we would hear would just get worse and worse.
"Can we see him?" his mom asked her voice staying calm. The doctor shook his head no, and my face fell. His face turned grave, and my heart squeezed painfully. This was not looking good at all. "Would you like the good news or bad news first?"
"Good," we both replied in unison.
He sighed, and shifted some papers in his notes. "Well the good news is that he is currently alive." That's it? That's the good news? Oh my gosh. "The bad news is that we aren't sure how he's going to hold up." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "We aren't positive he'll make it. Thankfully didn't hit his heart directly but it went close to his heart, shattering a few crucial arteries and veins. If you want we can explain the scientific details, but what's important is that he's lost so much blood and were not sure if he'll live through the implanting of the new arteries and veins. But the surgery we're doing right now is crucial and without it there is no other option except that he will surely die. I'm so sorry. I'll keep you updated," he explained a deep look in his eyes. Oh my god. He might not make it. What did he mean he might not make it. Mrs. Ride stood there stone faced, but then her shield broke and tears poured down her face and the doctor gave her a hug, patting her back. "We'll try our best, we will really will. I can tell how much he means to the two of you." She nodded and stepped back and went to sit in one of the armed chairs.
I stepped back, and my knees practically gave out. A shocking reality hit me. Fang was almost dying. Maybe he was, and I didn't even know. I wouldn't know until it was too late. I sunk onto the floor, and collapsed leaning my head against the wall near Mrs. Ride. They had to save him. They just had to. I don't know if I can live without him. Mrs. Ride has already lost Kaylie, she doesn't deserve to lose another child. He couldn't die. Fang had to live. Fang and dead in the same sentence couldn't happen.
How could I come to care for someone so much in the past year? I cared for him more than anyone else I'd known my whole life. With my mom and sister being the exception. Please don't die Fang. I need you.
I love you Fang.