The Psycho (The Soldiers of Anarchy 1)

Chapter Forty-Three

Liv

When we got to the entrance to the hospital, Devon drove onto the ambulance lane and then shot out of the van once we were right by the doors. The other three pushed the side door of the van open to free themselves from the back, and I sat there, cradling Adam in my arms, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay.

Devon opened my passenger door and they reached in, taking Adam from me and then they all ran towards the building. I ran too, and when we made it to the reception area, Colton started shouting, “We need help here!”

A group of nurses saw us and ran over, one grabbing a trolley and wheeling it to us so we could place Adam onto it. Then we saw doctors running down the corridor towards us, everyone sparking into action, ready to do whatever they could to save him. I watched, standing still in the middle of the reception area as they ran with the trolley, calling out something about trauma teams. It felt like the whole world had ground to a halt, and here I was, watching life happen as if it was a dream. A really fucking bad dream. Movement, sounds, voices, it was all happening around me, and yet, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak.

“Liv? Liv! Are you okay? Talk to me?”

I tried to answer, tried to nod my head, but nothing was working.

“I think she’s going into shock. Liv? Say something. Liv!”

Stars were dancing before my eyes, and I started to feel sick and dizzy.

“We need to get her some help. Sit her down over here.”

I let them carry me and I sank into the chair they were pushing me into. This life didn’t seem real to me anymore.

“You’re going into shock. Stay with us.”

I jumped as I felt a slap on my cheek and then another. Devon took my face in his hands as he knelt in front of me and he spoke clearly saying, “Look at me. The nurse has gone to get you something, but you need to fight this. Stay strong for Adam. Can you do that for me?” I nodded and then flinched as Colton sat next to me and forced a plastic cup into my hands.

“Drink this. It’s shit coffee but it’s something.”

I lifted the cup to my lips and sipped the sour liquid, wincing as it burnt a path down my throat. Devon was right. I had to stay strong. I couldn’t let this beat me. I had to keep faith that there was a life for me to fight for. A love I couldn’t give up on.

Tyler took his hoody off and draped it around my shoulders, and I pushed my arms through the sleeves, welcoming the warmth.

The four of them flanked me like my own personal bodyguards as I kept sipping the coffee and taking deep breaths. When a nurse eventually came over to us, holding some tablets, I shook my head, refusing to be sedated or whatever the hell they were trying to give me. I needed to stay alert in case Adam needed me. I didn’t want to be drugged and not feel this.

“I can see why you’re Adam’s girl,” Will said, folding his arms over his chest. “You’re more stubborn than he is.”

The rest of them gave a low, sorrowful laugh, then Colton leant forward to look at Devon and said, “Good luck explaining why you slapped his woman around the face.”

Devon’s face paled and he turned to me to gage my reaction, saying, “I did what I had to. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It was all I could think of to do in the moment.”

“It’s fine.” I smiled sadly back at him. “You’ve saved me enough times today. I don’t think you need to apologise for anything.”

Eventually, once the noise and bustle of the main reception area became too much, we moved to a side waiting room. Once in there, all five of us sat, biting our nails, watching the door, desperate for news. Colton thought he could charm the nurses into getting information out of them faster, but it didn’t work. They had a job to do, and as long as they were saving Adam, that’s all that mattered to me.

It didn’t take long for the police to show up, but Colton and Devon took charge and went off with the officers to give their statements. When they came back, they assured me that it was all taken care of. I didn’t need to worry. But the police were the least of my worries. All I cared about was Adam.

After a few hours of us all sitting in relative silence, stuck in our own versions of hell, a doctor came to the door and called out Adam’s name. We all stood up and he looked at us before asking, “Which one of you is next of kin?”

My stomach bottomed out that he was asking that question. Why did he need the next of kin? Had Adam died?

The soldiers shrugged and Devon said, “He doesn’t have any next of kin. We’re his family.”

But I stepped forward and said, “I am.”

The doctor looked me up and down and then asked, “And you are?”

“I’m his fiancée,” I replied proudly.

He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, then announced, “I suppose that’ll have to do.”

I heard Colton scoff behind me, but I ignored him.

“How is he, doctor? Is he going to be okay?” I felt nervous asking, but at the same time, I wanted to shake the man and tell him to stop stalling and spit it out.

“It might be better if we go to a private room to talk,” the doctor said, but I shook my head.

“No. Can we do this here? Anything you have to say, you can say it in front of all of us.”

The soldiers stood, arms folded, nodding in agreement.

“Okay.” The doctor gestured for us to sit down at some seats in the corner, and he joined us, placing his phone on the table in front of him. “He’s been very lucky today. The bullet went right through his shoulder, and thankfully, a pretty low impact handgun was used, otherwise it could have been a very different outcome. The bullet narrowly missed the subclavian artery and there’s no major damage to the brachial plexus–”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Colton said, holding his hand up. “Doc, can you speak English please? I have no idea what the fuck you’re on about.”

The doctor stuttered out an apology before he carried on.

“Plainly speaking, there was no damage to any main arteries or nerves. He’ll be in a lot of pain for a while and the shoulder will need treating to make sure it doesn’t become infected. I’m not sure what Mr Noble does for a living, but he won’t be able to use that arm for a while. Also, we’ll be keeping him in for observation. The blow he took to the head when he fell knocked him out and left him with a pretty bad concussion.” He saw my eyes go wide and added, “But it’s nothing to worry about. We just need to keep a close eye on him, keep him under observation.” He looked around the table at each one of us. “Do you have any questions?

“Is he awake?” I asked.

“Not at the moment, no. We have him sedated.”

“When can I see him?” I added, feeling a desperate need to look at him and be near him just so I could convince myself that he was okay, because my mind was still expecting someone to run in and tell me it was all a lie.

“You can come and see him now. But we only allow two at a time at the bed side.”

I glanced at the others and cautiously, I whispered, “Is it okay if I go in on my own for now?”

They didn’t argue and I stood up, ready to follow the doctor to Adam’s room.

We walked down the corridor in silence, me following in his footsteps and him leading the way. When we got to the door of Adam’s room, the doctor pushed it open and stood to the side to let me in. I couldn’t help but gasp quietly to myself when I saw him. Adam lay unconscious in the bed with machines and wires all over the place. His head and shoulder were bandaged, but he looked so peaceful, his face softened as he lay there in rest.

“I’ll leave you alone for a while,” the doctor said. “If you need anything, there’s a buzzer on the wall. A nurse will be in to check on him soon.” And then he closed the door.

I walked over to the side of Adam’s bed and then reached down to kiss him, stroking his cheek as I whispered.

“It’s all over. He’s gone. It’s all gonna be okay.”

Then I pulled a chair closer to the bedside so I could sit and hold Adam’s hand as he slept. The gentle beeps of the machines around us and the dim lighting of the room made the exhaustion I’d been fighting creep back over me, and I lay my head on his arm and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.