Sirens blare in the distance, and I cry out in relief. Chase! “Anna, we need to get out of here, okay?” I stand up and lift her in my arms. Shielding her from Mrs. Taylor’s body, I rush out of the room. The throbbing in my head worsens and white spots cloud my vision. My hand whips out to the wall to steady myself.
Taking a few deep breaths, I push off the wall and hurry down the stairs, fighting each wave of dizziness. My tears mix with the dripping of blood from my head wound and my eyes burn. Keep going, Bridget. “We’re almost there. Just hang on.” The fear of what I’m coming back to has me on the verge of breaking down. What if he’s dead? What if it’s too late… The kitchen lights up with red and blue as I race out the back door.
A man blocks the stairs and I almost trip backwards as he lifts his gun, pointing his weapon at us. “Help us…” I choke out a sob.
“Is there anyone else inside?”
“She’s upstairs. She’s been shot—I don’t know if she’s dead, but she tried to—Chase—I have to get to—get to—” My voice trembles so bad, I can’t make out a full sentence. The officer slowly lowers his gun. “The guesthouse. He’s in the guesthouse. He’s been shot. He needs help—”
A team of police barge through the back doors and disappear into the house.
“The guesthouse! He’s in the guesthouse!” I panic. Every second that passes is too much time.
“What’s your name, Miss?”
“It doesn’t matter! He needs help—”
“Paramedics are already working on him. You’re bleeding. Do you need a medic—”
“Some of it’s hers… And his. Oh god, he’s—you have to help him!”
A paramedic comes up and gently asks to have Anna. I don’t want to let her go. She has a death grip around my neck. “Miss, we need to check her out.” I’m hesitant to let her go.
“Anna, honey. I’ll be right here with you, okay? They’re not going to hurt you.”
“No, Bridget, don’t let them take me. What if they ask? What if they know?”
I shake my head, caressing her cheek. “No. Don’t you worry. You’re not in trouble, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.” She slowly releases me and allows the medic to take her. I bolt down the steps toward the guesthouse when the door opens, and paramedics rush out towing a gurney.
“Chase!”
“Miss, please, you need to get out of the way.” They hurry past me, and I run alongside them, trying to see him. His skin is almost translucent. Blood soaks his shirt, the front nearly covered. My eyes zero in on his chest. To see the rise and fall. To see any movement. It’s there, but barely. “Is he going to be okay?” I ask the stupid question as they lift him into the ambulance. “Please, can you tell me anything?”
“Bridget!” I take my eyes off the ambulance for a second. Just enough time for the doors to shut. A sob tears up my throat and I call out as I stare after the blinking lights until the vehicle turns onto the street and disappears. “Bridget! Jesus, you’re covered in blood. What happened?” I barely register the person in front of me. Blink. Blink. Blink. This is a bad dream. This isn’t real. “Bridget?”
Hannah. She’s in front of me. Why is she here? “Oh, honey, what happened?” My throat burns. Each attempt to speak feels like a sliver slicing across my chest. “He…I…” The words won’t come. This isn’t real. Please wake up. This isn’t real.
Levi rushes up behind her. “Bridget, what the hell happened? Is everyone okay? Chase said—”
“He saved her… He saved me… He saved…He…”
“Shit, you’re in shock. Someone! She needs a medic.” Levi reaches for me, but I slap his hands away.
“It’s not my blood. It’s his. It’s his blood. He saved her. He saved me.” A rush of panic surges through me and the dizziness returns. I sway to the right. My chest cracks open, and the pain cripples me. My knees give out, and Levi catches me as I breakdown. Anger and guilt tear at my chest, and I fall apart in Levi’s arms.
“Shhh, it’s going to be all right,” Hannah soothes as she rubs my shoulder. The back door opens, and another gurney is wheeled down the steps. Diane Taylor is handcuffed to the bed as they rush her to another ambulance.
“You—” I fight out of Levi’s arms to throw myself at the gurney, ready to kill her if she isn’t already breathing her last breath. Levi catches me, and I kick and scream in his arms.
“Bridge, chill.”
“She killed him! He’s going to die because of me!” Tears rush down my cheeks. I hold my stomach, the pain too much to bear. I look up at Levi, whose expression is somber. “I’m so sorry. I killed him. He’s going to die because of me.”