Chapter 18 Zoey
ZOEY
I open my eyes and blink a few times, wondering if I am imagining things or caught in a bad dream.
Lizzy sits across from me with Mason’s arm slung around her. She’s blotting her cheeks with a tissue as my cousin speaks softly to her.
Shit. I didn’t dream Hunter had been shot. No. He really was shot, and we are sitting in the waiting room.
My heart rate skyrockets as the realization washes over me. I bolt upright in the chair, and my father squeezes my hand.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he says as Lizzy’s gaze finds mine.
“Is he…” I can’t finish the sentence. “How long was I out?”
“A couple hours,” my dad replies. “The surgeon hasn’t come out, but we expect to hear something soon. Lizzy’s spoken to the nurses.”
A couple hours? How could I pass out at a time like this?
I push off the chair and rush to Lizzy. She leaps up and embraces me as if she needs the connection as much as I do.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” I tell her as I hug her tightly.
“Don’t apologize, Zo,” she replies and sniffles. “He’s going to be okay. He’s a tough one. I know my brother, and he isn’t going out like this. He has too much to fight for.”
“Oh my God. Amira,” I whisper, a new set of tears flooding my eyes.
“And you,” she states, like I’m an idiot for not including myself in his reasons to stay alive.
I pull back and stare into her eyes. “It’s my fault.”
She shakes her head, mustering a small smile. “It’s not your fault.”
I babble on about how he had to walk me home and what happened after we left the bar. I recount the entire series of events from the twirling to the kiss.
Lizzy listens to every word as she grips my arm. “That doesn’t make it your fault. The only person at fault is the person who shot him.”
Suddenly, I remember Mason being there when Hunter was loaded into the ambulance. The officer who was asking us questions. My cousin telling him about the security cameras.
I peer down at Mason as he watches us. “Did you see anything on the security footage?”
Mason nods, his lips turning down at the corners. “The cops have it now.”
“Was it an accident?” Lizzy asks as she sits down.
This time, Mason shakes his head, his face draining of color. “It was Mark.”
My body goes numb, and I stagger backward like someone sucker-punched me in the gut. All the air leaves my body, and I’m instantly light-headed.
It is my fault. It is, and nobody can tell me any different. First, Mark attacked Lulu because of me—and now Hunter. I am the root cause of the people I care about being hurt by a vicious and vindictive man.
“They’re out looking for him,” Dad adds from behind me. “They’ll get him.”
“Honey,” Mom says, coming up behind me and grabbing my shoulders. “Why don’t you sit down?”
I sway as she helps me back to my chair at my father’s side. “It’s my fault,” I whisper, and tears stream down my cheeks in a torrent. I’m in too much shock to stop them as they plop onto my coat like raindrops during a thunderstorm.
A nurse approaches us and stops at the end of our row. “Hunter’s family?”
Lizzy nods. “I’m his sister.”
“We’re his family,” Dad answers without skipping a beat. “How is he?”
“He’s doing well. They’ve been able to stop the bleeding and are just making sure everything is good before closing him up. The doctor will be out to talk to you as soon as surgery is over.”
“Does that mean he’ll live?” Lizzy asks, sitting up stiff as a board at my cousin’s side.
Mason reaches over, taking Lizzy’s hand in his. I clock the movement even though this still feels like a bad dream. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this loving, caring side of my cousin with anyone except family. It’s sweet and endearing, reminding me very much of my uncle Angelo.
“He’s alive and fighting is all I can say. The doctor will be out soon.” The woman gives us a stiff smile with sorrowful eyes before she turns around and leaves.
A sense of relief washes over me. He’s alive, and he is fighting.
I never doubted that. Everyone fights to live, but at some point, the ability to stay on this earth is taken from them.
Whether it be the skill of the doctor or some greater force, we don’t always get to control whether we continue to breathe.
“Oh, thank God,” Lizzy says as Mason pulls her back down into her chair. She curls into him, a fresh wave of sobs overtaking her.
She’s not the only one in tears. Every single woman sitting with us is crying, while my dad and Mason hold their shit together as if it’s their duty to make sure they’re strong for us.
I stare straight ahead, unable to process much of anything as people come and go from the surgical waiting room and life carries on around us like it’s any average day.
But it’s not average.
Life hasn’t gone on for me or for Hunter.
He was shot, and I was the target.
“Hey,” Dad says, pulling me under his shoulder. “Get out of your own head.”
“I can’t.”
“He’s going to be okay, Zoey.”
“I know,” I lie.
Sure, he may heal from his wounds, but he is still injured.
And he’ll always have a scar from where a bullet hit him that was meant for me.
An hour later, and the entire surgical waiting room is empty besides my family and Lizzy. It is late, and my eyes feel heavier than they ever have before. As soon as one person yawns, it spreads like wildfire.
“I’m grabbing a coffee. Who wants one?” Tate asks as she stands and stretches.
“Me,” Lulu says to our cousin. “Lots of sugar.”
“No other way to have it,” Tate replies. “Anyone else?”
Her question is met with silence. The last thing my heart needs right now is a dose of caffeine.
But before Tate can move, the doors open and a doctor walks in, removing his surgical cap.
My heart leaps in my chest, beating wildly. I study his face, trying to figure out if the news he is about to drop on us will be good or bad.
“Hunter Evan’s family?” he asks.
“Yes,” Lizzy replies.
We’re the only people left, and deductive reasoning would make his guess that we are with Hunter accurate.
“He’s out of surgery and in recovery. We’ll be moving him to a room soon.
Everything went well. As well as can be expected from a gunshot wound.
” The surgeon rubs a hand down his cheek.
“The bullet missed all vital organs and was lodged in his gut. We were able to stop the bleeding, and his vital signs look good. The man is very lucky, though, a few inches either way and we’d be having a very different conversation. ”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Lizzy breathes, practically deflating at the news.
I’m with her since I feel as if I can finally take my first full breath in hours. I had imagined the worst, preparing myself for the news that he didn’t make it or would have some lasting injury.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Lizzy adds. “When can we see him?”
“He’ll most likely be out all night.”
“Can I sit with him?” Lizzy asks.
“I’ll have a nurse show you to his room, and you can stay with him.”
Lizzy’s eyes find me. “You’re staying with me, right?”
I nod. “Wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
“We’ll wait here,” she tells him. “Thank you for everything, Doctor. Thank you for saving my brother’s life.”
“I’ll be by tomorrow to check on him, but if all goes well, he should be out of here in a few days.”
I blink, shocked at how quickly he’ll be able to leave. “Really?”
“Once he’s eating, drinking, and able to walk, he’ll be able to go. It’s always best to recover at home. Less chance of infection or other complications.”
“Wow,” Lizzy whispers and covers her mouth for a second. “That’s great news.”
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” he tells us before he leaves.
“Maybe we should go,” Mom says to Dad, touching his arm. “The girls have each other, and it’s late. Are you okay with that, honey?”
The last question is to me. “Yeah, Mom. I’m going to stay with Lizzy. We’ll be fine.”
“I can stay,” Mason offers, but he looks more tired than I feel.
“You go,” Lizzy tells him. “Get some sleep and bring me a good cup of coffee tomorrow.”
“I’ll be here first thing,” he tells her.
First thing to my cousin is after one in the afternoon. We’re night owls. We always have been, but that’s because of the bar life. Our days are typically getting started when everyone else’s ends.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” he says to her.
“Make that two cups,” I tell him.
I doubt Lizzy or I will get any sleep tonight, and by the time the sun comes up, we’ll need more than a little caffeine to function in any capacity.
“Call us if you need anything,” Dad says to me as he climbs to his feet. “I can be here quick.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” I say, wrapping my arms around him as soon as I stand.
I can’t imagine going through something like this without him around. Lizzy and Hunter don’t have any parents. She has no one to lean on except for us in this moment.
“Try to get a little rest,” Mom says as she gives me a hug. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Can’t have you getting sick.”
“I know, Mom. I won’t overdo it.”
She stares at me like she knows I’m lying, but she doesn’t give me shit about it.
After all the hugs and kisses, along with a goodbye that takes forever, Lizzy and I are left alone. It’s a quiet walk to Hunter’s room as we wait for him to wake up.