Page 5 of Chaos
I was hoping to go over to her house when we got home so I could talk to her. I wanted to tell her how I felt and what I wanted. I wanted to put all my cards on the table and see what she said. Instead, I thought I was going to lose her before I had her.
Midas hangs up the phone and drops his head into his hands, and starts pulling his hair. Odin gets up from his chair and starts pacing back and forth across the entire waiting room. I wish I knew what to do to help, but I don’t. I can barely handle how I am feeling, let alone trying to comfort my friends. My skin is crawling, and my heart rate is racing. I need a way to get this feeling out.
I need to keep her safe. That’s my main priority right now.
Odin
This is a goddamn nightmare. It has to be. There is no other possible explanation for what just happened.
Serena was shot.
And the fucking bastard got away.
His days are numbered. I will go to the ends of the earth to hunt him down and kill him for what he did. I don’t care who he is, he is a dead man walking. I pace back and forth across the waiting room floor. Too much adrenaline coursing through me. I can’t stay still until I know what is going on with her.
I need to know if she is going to be fine before I can calm down. The urge to get out there and find that guy is making me even antsier, but being further away from Serena isn’t an option right now.
I had a shot, and I didn’t take it. Why didn’t I take it? Maybe if I had, then this wouldn’t have happened. Serena would be safe once and for all. But I fucked up.
That thought has been running through my mind since I watched him drive away in his car. The whole ride here was a blur. I don’t even remember getting here.
Midas is sitting beside Zeus, on the phone with Serena’s mom. He offered to call her instead of the hospital. Like always, he takes on the role of the leader and tries to fix everything. He hangs up the phone and runs his finger through his hair, exasperated by the whole situation.You and me both.He leans over to Zeus, whispering something to him to try and calm him down, but it doesn’t work. His posture is rigid, breathing is ragged, and his fists are clenching and unclenching.
I have never seen Zeus the way he was tonight. He was scared, and that’s not something I ever thought I would see. I have watched him stare down the barrel of a gun and not even flinch. He has faced death more times than anyone our age should ever have, and he has never cared. Seeing Serena getting shot broke something in him.
It broke us all.
Midas is losing it, even if he isn’t showing it on the outside. I saw him with Serena, holding her close to him. I could see him whispering to her. The tension in his body while he cradled her. The anger in his eyes.
I know he blames himself for this even though it’s not his fault. No one could have predicted that her stalker would break in and shoot her. The worst thing I thought could happen would be him kidnapping her- not that I want that to happen either- but not trying to kill her.
Fuck.
I continue pacing back and forth until Serena’s mom rushes into the room. Her face is so full of fear as she looks at the three of us, all in different states of dishevelment. The blood covering Midas the most, as he was the one to hold her, but Zeus and I each have blood on our hands. I watch, dumbstruck as she drops to her knees, tears falling down her cheeks as she screams out. A sorrowful noise that will haunt my dreams for so many nights to come.
I rushed over to her, falling to my knees to hold her as she cried and begged for her daughter to be alright. I don’t know what else to do, but I can at least try to comfort her. Her grip is unyielding on my shirt as she buries her head against me and cries. I wish I could tell her that everything is fine, but the words are stuck in my throat.
Logically, she should be just fine. The wound was on her arm, not in a life-threatening spot, but that doesn’t stop the worry I feel for her. I know the hospital staff is competent, but anything could go wrong. That is what scares me the most. We have just been waiting for something, any sign that my princess is better.
I eventually get Emma to sit down in a chair. I keep my arm around her, holding her as close as I can to give her any form of comfort. I have never been one that people turn to for comfort. Pain and destruction are my specialties, not this, but I would do anything for my princess. Holding her mom while we all wait for news is the least I could do in this situation.
We all stay silent. No one speaks, moves, anything. I expected Emma to ask questions, but she is in such a catatonic state right now. I don’t blame her. Her only daughter was shot. That has to be scary for her. For now, we sit in silence, soaking up any comfort we can amongst ourselves as we wait.
After a couple of hours, a female doctor who looks to be in her thirties walks into the waiting room, still wearing a gown they use for surgery. Her light blue eyes scan the room before she walks over to Emma and me.
“Are you Mrs. Gold?” The doctor politely asks.
Emma jumps up and nods her head. Midas and Zeus rush over to sit next to me, wanting to hear what the doctor has to say. I feel like I am unable to breathe until I know what happened and how she is doing. The last time I saw her, she was conscious but in so much pain.
I hated not knowing. I am so used to being in control of everything around me. Of being the protector, and I feel like I failed tonight. I couldn’t protect her when Serena needed it the most. I failed her and everyone tonight. I don’t know if I can live with that. This was the first time in my life that I froze. I froze, and it could have cost Serena her life. I can’t help but blame myself for everything that happened tonight. Serena is in a hospital bed because of me. I have always lived by the motto of shoot first and ask questions later. But when it really mattered, I didn’t. I failed her.
“I’m Dr. Kendell. I was the surgeon who worked on your daughter. She suffered a gunshot wound to the arm. Thankfully, it was a clean shot. The bullet entered and exited without hitting anything vital, but it did go through some muscle tissue. We were able to stitch it up. She will have a small scar, but besides that, everything is fine.
“She also had a superficial wound to her foot. We were able to clean that up and bandage it. She went into shock from the loss of blood, so we have her in a room currently, receiving some fluids. You can go back and see her if you would like.” She held out her arm in the direction of where to go.
Emma nods her head before walking behind her. She reaches the door, pauses, and looks at us. Gratitude shines from her, but blame is prevalent too. With one final look that tells us to go home, she leaves.
A sigh of relief leaves my lips knowing she is alright, but now I am more worried about her mom. Does she blame us for this happening? Will she ever forgive us? Right now, I would say no. In a sense, she is right. We are one of the reasons this happened. None of us stopped it before it got as far as it did. But we didn’t bring this upon her. That sick fucker who is obsessed with her is the real man to blame.
