This chapter is dedicated to PRIN-CY265, for leaving the best comments ever and encouraging me to finish this book, thank you so much!! I really appreciate it! ❤️

•••

My head hurts, my chest hurts, my legs hurt. But what hurts the most is watching the paramedics place Levi on a stretcher and carry him into the back of the ambulance. The very thought of him dying brings me to tears every time I even try to think of it. And now I regret every last thing I said to him.

My eyes hurt too due to the blue and red lights, flashing from the top of all the cars that pulled up. I can drearily see some residents of the neighborhood watching the scene from a distance, some with their phones out. I just hope our faces don't go trending all over the internet. I'm glad it's already dark.

I wince in pain as the paramedic wraps the plaster cast around my right arm, it just had to be the useful one that got fractured. The crash wasn't so bad because Levi wasn't driving at full speed when it happened, he slowed down when taking the turn. That's what saved my life. "Ow, ow, ow, please be careful."

"Sorry... it just has to be tight enough," she apologizes. "Excuse me miss," an officer calls out, approaching me. "I'm sorry about all this happening, you look pretty young," he tells me.

"I'm 17," I reply, earning a really? look from both of them. "Um alright then... can I ask you some questions about what happened, since you're the prime witness... that's if you don't mind..."

I nod. "I don't."

"Who is the victim to you?" he asks.

"He's... he's my boyfriend," I mutter. "Do you know anyone that could have been behind this? Maybe an ex or... a friend he was having problems with?"

I shake my head. "No... I don't know anyone." My best surmise is this shooting could have been connected with him being a mafia boss, but I can't tell that to an officer.

"Oh... then after the bullets were fired, did you notice anyone in the surrounding area that could have been responsible?"

My breath hitches, as I remember the guy who was staring at me through the window. He eventually left without doing or saying anything. All he did was stare. Up till this moment that I'm surrounded by people who can protect me, I'm terrified. I just can't get that image out of my head. The moment I need Levi protecting me, he's battling for his life. I feel so unsafe knowing that guy is still roaming around.

But I can't tell that to the police. If truly this shooting took place 'cause of a mafia-related problem it could be trouble for Levi. That's if he survives. "I... I didn't see anything... it all just happened so fast, the car crashing and all," I tell him.

"Okay then... still, we'll try our best to get this guy. Till then, stay safe. Don't go out at night and if you notice anything that could connect to this shooting you know the line to call," he says. "Good night then." He walks away, leaving me with the paramedic lady.

"The ambulance is about to leave." She packs up the first aid kit and gets to her feet. "Come on, can you walk?"

"I-I can try," I reply. I think my knee buckled when the car collided with the tree. I get up, watching the car get towed away. How did I end up in a situation like this? She takes my hand, helping me into the ambulance. I'm escorted in to sit on a stretcher. "You're going to be okay, just take deep breaths and try to stay calm. We'll take care of you," the lady reassures me. I nod weakly, my eyes fixed on Levi who lies on a stretcher nearby. Two paramedics are tending to his gunshot wounds.

"We need to stop the bleeding. Get me the gauze and the pressure dresser," one of them says to the other, applying pressure on Levi's wounds. He quickly gets handed the necessary supplies and they begin applying firm pressure to control the bleeding.

I watch anxiously as one of them inserts an IV line, administering fluids to help stabilize his condition. "I'm going to stay with you both. I'll keep you updated on his condition," the lady says.

I nod, grateful for the reassurance. Slowly, I reach out and take Levi's hand, my fingers trembling as I hold on tightly. I didn't even realize the ambulance had been moving this whole time. All I'm focused on is seeing the twinkle of his silver eyes again.

Throughout the ride, they monitored his vital signs, adjusting the oxygen supply and administering pain medications. It doesn't take long before we come to a halt and the doors of the ambulance swing open. The paramedics swiftly transfer Levi's stretcher to the waiting medical staff, providing them with a brief report on his condition.

Meanwhile, a nurse approaches us with a wheelchair. "Okay, let's go get you examined," the lady who was attending to me says, helping me get down from the bus and into the wheelchair.

Immediately she starts wheeling me towards the large hospital. Honestly, I don't feel hurt enough to be getting rushed down the hall. My knee just hurts a little bit and my arm has already been bandaged. Who they should be putting their full attention on is Levi. He has to survive.

We burst through the doors in haste. I can feel all eyes on me as I get wheeled down the hallway and it makes me feel exposed and vulnerable. She veers me into a door down the hallway where a doctor is waiting. He's a male, probably in his late twenties, putting on gloves as though he's getting prepared to examine every inch of my body.

The nurse helps me off the chair and onto a table. "Hey there, I'm Doctor Stevens," he introduces with a warm smile. "I'm just going to take a closer look at you to see if there's any part of your body that needs further attention."

I swallow my saliva, a bit nervous because I've never been examined before so I honestly don't know what to expect. "Okay," I reply.

"Very good," he beams. "You will have to take off some clothing though."

My breath hitches and I turn to the nurse. "S-Some clothing?"

She lifts the white gown with a warm smile. "You can change into this if you're comfortable-"

"No I'm not comfortable," I snap. "I feel better... I don't think I need to be examined anymore."

They glance at each other for a brief second. "I promise not to do anything that you're not comfortable with," he reassures me.

I heave a sigh of defeat. This is like a pop quiz I can't escape and this annoying doctor is that teacher that never gets off your back about it. I reluctantly nod in agreement, seeing I have no other choice.

I just hope Levi is okay.

•••

The cast on my arm was replaced with a brace because it's easier to maintain. Apart from that everything else was fine, luckily. I sit in the waiting room of the hospital, my eyes fixed on the swinging doors that lead to the operating room.

I try to keep myself occupied, flipping through a magazine, but my mind keeps drifting back to Levi. Finally, I get up from my seat, stopping one of the nurses scurrying by. "Please excuse me... s-sorry but my friend got shot and he's been in the operating room for a while now... I just want to know if he's
okay."

She takes my hand, gently placing hers over it. "Miss, calm down. If anything new happens we'll inform you immediately, but be rest assured that we're doing everything we can, okay?" I nod, allowing her to proceed to wherever she was going before I stopped her. Then I quietly head back to my seat, picking up the magazine I've been trying to focus on, but heaven knows I couldn't give less of a damn about what's in vogue.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, snapping me out of my thoughts. I forgot even had that in there. Pulling it out, the first thing I notice is the cracked screen. I'm honestly surprised the damage wasn't worse.

'Gaia' is pasted boldly in white text. I don't know how I'll explain to her what's going on. I'm pretty sure she's going to be furious when she finds out I flew out of the city and didn't even tell her about it. Well, it's not like it ever popped into my mind.

I tap the green button, placing the phone beside my ear. "Hello-"

"Bitch!" she yells. "Just what is going on in that household of yours? Your mum swatted me out when I asked if you were home. And Margo said you're going through a phase so you ran away with your boyfriend. I know that can't be true because you just don't have the balls to do that. So tell me, Marie. Where the hell are you?"

"I-I... I had to go somewhere... to air out my thoughts."

"Air out your thoughts? Could you put this in more detail?"

"Listen Gaia... it's kind of complicated to explain but I promise I'll try to when I get back."

"What are you talking about? All I'm asking is that you tell me where you are."

"I'm sorry Gaia... I can't," I mutter. Telling her I'm in Chicago will only mean I'll have to explain why I'm here and how I got here in the first place. And the last thing I can do is tell her about Levi because that will lead to me telling her about Ace. I just can't do it.

"Oh is that how it is? It's all cool."

"Gaia-"

She hangs up the call, making me regret all the decisions I've made to this point. At this point, no one can comfort me or understand the pain I'm going through. Everyone just hates me now and there's nothing I can do about it.

Finally, the doors swing open and a doctor steps into the room holding a file which I can assume is Levi's. I hurry to my feet, striding over to him. "Hello there, I'm Doctor Peters and I've been taking care of Levi. He's in critical condition but we're doing everything we can to stabilize him. He sustained three gunshot wounds, one to the side of his head and the other two to his neck and arm, and we've performed emergency surgery to address his injuries. He's currently in the intensive care unit, and we'll continue to monitor him closely."

My eyes begin to well up with tears, but I nod, thankful for his transparency. "Please, do everything you can to save him. He's all I have."

"We'll do our best. He's in good hands. Do you want to come see him?" I don't think I'm prepared for that. To see him unconscious in what might be his deathbed. Nevertheless, I nod.

He leads me into the intensive care unit. I walk in, nearly frozen in my spot when I see Levi. They've changed him into a hospital gown and cleaned his wounds. He's connected to various monitors and machines.

I slowly approach him, taking his hand in mine. Deep down I still believe all this is a prank. And at some point, he's going to sit up and flash me that goofy grin of his, and the doctors are going to shout 'April fools!' Then he'll tell me. 'I can't believe you thought I would go down that easily pooks'

But unfortunately, we're in December, not April. The doctors look too solemn for this to be a prank, unless they're just really good actors. And Levi has been at this for too long for me to believe it's just acting.

I didn't even notice tears were cascading down my cheeks already. I wipe my eyes and take a deep breath. "Please be okay," I sob, hoping somehow he can hear me. "Remember you have to survive for Ace... plus I don't know what I'll do if you don't wake up."

I gently place his hand on his chest and give it two pats. "I'll leave now," I tell the doctor. "You should come back to visit tomorrow," he suggests.

"Yeah," I reply, nodding my head. Right after I find cash, a means of transport, and a home. Then I'll come to visit. I exit the room and return to the chair I was sitting on.

I throw my head against the wall, groaning out all my frustration. I think the worst part of this is knowing I'm alone. There's no one I can lean on at this point. Leaving this hospital, I won't know the first thing to do.

I hold my face in my palm, wiping my wet eyes.

"Hey."

I lift my head and turn to my side. Jessie is sitting right beside me, holding out a napkin to me. "Are you okay?" she asks.

I don't know the first thing to say or even the first move to make. Should I hug her or ask her why she's here? No. The first thing I do is cry. All I can do is cry as I stare at the piece of cloth she's holding out to me. But these are happy tears. I feel like I've finally found that light at the end of the dark tunnel.

About to take the napkin, she draws her arm back to dab her own eyes. "Stop crying, Cassi... it's making me upset," she groans.

"H-How did you know I was here?"

"I heard what happened... the crash didn't take place too far from my house so I quickly heard the news," she says. "I was devastated. So devastated that I just had to come here myself to make sure you were okay."

"Thank you," I smile.

"How's Levi?"

I turn away, fighting back the tears. "He's... in the intensive care unit... they're not sure if he's going to make it."

"That's fine," she replies.

"That's fine?"

"I don't mean it's fine that he might not make it... it's fine that he's in the intensive care unit."

"Oh... I guess so."

"Levi is being taken care of at least. But you look like you have nowhere to go... you even have a broken arm," she points out.

"Well... it's a bit complicated." I guess that's been my answer to everything nowadays. "Come on... let's go get you cleaned up."

She gets up, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Huh? Where are we going?" I ask.

"My house, where else?" she asks, taking my hand.

"Oh..."

A feeling of warmth fills my chest. And in this moment I feel like everything is going to be fine after all.

Finally, I have a home to look forward to.