Chapter 22
Listen to me carefully, Damien McAllister,I whisper in Damiens ear as the bodyguard continues to apply first aid. Youre going to get through this. I need you to, because I cant go on without you, do you understand me? I cant. Youre all I have left in this world.
Tears spill from my eyes, rolling hot across my blood-stained cheeks. I wipe them away with my blood-soaked palms as I feel the warmth leaving Damiens body.
His body slowly grows colder.
Maam, I need you to step away from him.
The unfamiliar voice stops my rambling, and I turn to see the paramedic who has arrived on the scene.
Gentle hands pull me away from Damien. Its going to be okay, Miss Kingsley, the head bodyguard, Travis, promises as he pulls me away from Damien.
At any other time, I would find it funny to be called ‘Miss’ by the bodyguard, but right now I can’t even react to that, because all my senses are focused solely on Damien.
He lies in a pool of his own blood, far too pale. The bodyguards step aside so that the paramedics can act.
They monitor his vitals work on stopping the bleeding while they prepare the ambulance to take him away.
Im going with him. I run to the ambulance and climb in beside Damien, grabbing his hand.
Instantly, the phone in my pocket starts ringing.
Damien, please hold on. I need you to stay with me.
His vitals are weak, and his breathing seems absent. I fear that he might be... No. I refuse to let myself think about it.
The phone, meanwhile, keeps ringing.
I answer it, fed up with the constant sound. What? I snap.
I hear Ethans familiar voice on the other end of the line. Andrea, tell me what happened.
Relief suddenly floods my senses as I hear a familiar voice, and it causes me to start crying again.
Oh, Ethan... It was Brandon. Tears well up in my eyes. He shot Damien. Hes going to... he might...
Dont think about it. Dont even say it. Were on our way, Ethan promises.
The call cuts off and I sniffle, holding Damiens hand against my lips as I shake. Did you hear that? Your family is on their way, I whisper.
As if he hears me, Damien seems to try and turn his head toward me. He doesn’t get all the way though, as he still seems quite weak.
He seems alien from the person I know. A mere shadow of the man Ive fallen in love with.
The paramedics rush him out of the ambulance as soon as we arrive at the hospital. I follow them until they disappear behind the emergency room doors.
Only then does the world collapse around me.
I feel myself start to fall forward, weak with desperation, until strong, firm hands close around my arms.
Its all right, Mrs.
Travis, the chief bodyguard, had followed us to the site in one of Damiens cars with the rest of the security team. He holds out a small backpack to me and gives me a friendly smile.
Ill take care of everything. You go to the bathroom and change your clothes.
I dont want to. I have to be here in case the doctors try to find me.
It’ll take a while for the doctors to attend to him. Mr. McAllister will be fine, Miss Kingsley. You can be sure of that.
How do you know that?
Because he wont leave his son fatherless. Now, go get changed.
Traviss kind words break my heart a little more, but I obey him. I dont have the strength for anything else at this point.
Okay. But Travis, do me a favor.
Anything.
Call me Andrea, I ask.
Travis gives me a kind smile. Of course, Andrea.
I enter the bathroom and take some time to change. As I pull my mud and blood smeared clothes off me, there’s a strange feeling that clings to my skin.
My body feels numb, like it’s unable to obey the simplest commands. I find it horrendously difficult to button my shirt, so I leave it open over the T-shirt and walk toward the sink to rinse my hands.
The dried blood sticks to my skin like my anxiety. It feels impossible to shake this feeling, and I’m starting to think it won’t leave me until I have Damien by my side again.
When I come out of the bathroom, I discover a small crowd of people waiting for me.
Two extremely pretty women are waiting in the hallway. One of them, light-haired and light-eyed, has angel-like features. The second looks like a model, or a queen. She has dark hair and green eyes, and bangs frame her head down to her cheeks.
Four extremely handsome men stand next to them, who I recognize as Damiens friends. Im guessing the two women are Jackson and Ethans wives.
Andrea... we came as soon as we heard what happened, Ethan says.
One of the girls, the one with light brown hair and blue eyes, walks up to me and places a hand on my shoulder. Everything will be fine, she promises me. Well support you through whatever happens.
Thank you, I whisper,
More people are entering the emergency room. This time, I recognize them to be a police squad. Ethan seems to take the lead on this, and rushes over to them while Jackson, Landon, and Andres follow close behind.
Dont worry. Theyll take care of everything, promises the brunette, Kristina.
I follow them anyway, because I need to know what’s going on.
Upon arrival, I hear the squad leader speaking to Ethan. ...From the footage on the cameras, we’ve been able to quickly identify the attacker. He’s already in custody.
What will they do with Brandon? I inquire.
A sudden pain seems to drive into my chest like a stake. I cant believe that after all this time he really took such drastic action.
For now, he’s under medical observation. The police have detained him, and the paramedics have given him first aid, the policeman says.
Brandon will be brought to trial once he recovers, Andrea. Thanks to the information we’ve been gathering, we now know that he’s been your stalker.” Ethan gives my shoulder a supportive squeeze.
Brandon... he was my stalker? I ask. My throat feels dry.
Ethan nods, and Jackson explains. Ethans company has been digging into it for a little while now. We found out that Brandon has been the one behind the whole stalking thing, from the beginning. The letters, the people he hired to sneak into your room, and the threats... Its all been him.
All this time, he fooled me completely...
Brandon is also the one who was paying your mother to stalk you, Ethan states. He wanted you to feel vulnerable, so that you would only trust him. He was also the one who revealed all the information about your new contract to your mother, encouraging her to go after you.
No, this cant be...
I suddenly feel dizzy. Kristina holds me upright as I stagger, and Andres walks over to help me sit down.
I think this might have been too much information for one night, Andres says as I collapse into one of the chairs.
Andrea, youll have time to find out all the details. For now, let the guys take care of it, Kristina says.
Haley approaches me with a glass of ice water. I thank her, and I drink in small sips, trying to keep my head from spinning.
After what seems like an interminably long time, the ER doctor appears from the emergency room doors and walks toward me.
From his bloodstained hands and exhausted expression, I sense the worst, and for a moment I brace myself to take the hit.
If he doesnt survive...
Are you the family of Damien McAllister? the doctor asks.
Thats us, Landon assures, immediately approaching the man.
How is he? I ask, getting to my feet.
The doctor gives me a serious look at first that stops me in my tracks, but finally he gives me a calm smile.
Then I know, from his expression alone, that everything will be fine.
Hell survive, the doctor promises.
At that moment, I dont care about anything else.
I begin to cry, filled with joy and the knowledge that Damien will live.
My son will know his father after all.