“Code red, code red, this is an emergency. Get an ambulance, right now,” she yelled through a walky-talky.
“Where were you?” I screamed at her. “You were supposed to protect him!” I grabbed her coat and shook her, but she pinched my hands and pushed me away.
“I’m sorry, Julie. I wasn’t there when it happened. I was patrolling the upper floor when this started.”
“Did you catch them?” I yelled.
She shook her head and bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Julie. They managed to infiltrate the fleeing crowd and ran away.”
I frowned, angry at everything and everyone, and turned my attention back to Dominic. He wasn’t conscious anymore, and I was desperate to know if he was still alive. When I lowered my head near his lips and nose, I couldn’t hear him breathe.
My sobs became louder and louder, but the sound echoed into the void that ripped my heart to shreds.
***
The trip in the ambulance seemed to last forever. I held his hand during the ride toward the hospital, but he wasn’t awake. I prayed for his wellbeing, hoping it might make a difference. Sharon sat beside me with a blank stare on her pale face. I guessed she hadn’t seen this much action before.
Neither had I.
When we arrived at the hospital, Dominic was picked up by three men with a stretcher and he was ushered into the emergency room. I wanted to go with him, but they told me I couldn’t. Waiting hours in the hallway wasn’t helping. My anxiety took a hold of my body, shaking it rigorously. My heart ached, the pain tearing my chest apart.
Sharon got me some snickers from a vending machine and bought me a coffee, but I couldn’t bite or swallow through anything. It was like my body was completely shutting down, just like Dominic’s was.
My mind was going in circles, trying to think of things I still had to do. Anything to avoid having to think about the things I might miss if he were to …
I thought about his voice, his touch, the way he looked at me, and all it did was bring more tears to my eyes.
When the doctors came to tell me the news, the big news, I clenched my seat. They told me he suffered some grave injuries and that he was extremely lucky because the bullet hadn’t penetrated any of his vital organs. They’d taken it out and closed the wound. He needed to be held under observation and was only allowed visits on specific times of the day.
I didn’t care if I could only see him five minutes. I needed to see him and was glad with each minute I got. It was more time than I thought I would have. It had crossed my mind he could’ve died, but now that I knew he was okay, I was relieved. My breathing became normal again, and I went inside his room.
“Dom?” I said quietly.
He didn’t answer. He was lying in the bed with his eyes closed.
I came closer and shivered from the ordeal we’d been through. It terrified me to see him like this, but at the same time I knew things would be okay. They had to. He was still here. He survived.
I held his hand, and his eyelids started moving. I held my breath. When his bright blue eyes appeared underneath, my heart came to a stop. I was so happy to see them open again, even if only for a little while.
He groaned and winced.
“Hi, Dom.” I blinked away the happy tears in my eyes.
“Hey …” he muttered.
I squeezed his hand, and he coughed, and then winced again. His hand moved to his side, to the bullet wound.
“What … what happened?” he said, his voice still hoarse.
“I don’t think you should touch that,” I said. “You were shot, Dom. They came to the casino.”
His eyes fluttered open again, and he looked at me with confusion as if he’d forgotten all about it. “Seriously?”
I nodded.
He sighed. “Jesus Christ.”
He tried to move a bit, but the pain held him back. “Never thought they would go that far for revenge. All because of that fucking money.” He snorted.
I placed my hand on his cheek and caressed him. It felt good to feel his warm skin, and it made my eyes sting with tears again. He placed his hand on top of mine and smiled.
“I was so afraid,” I whispered.
“Don’t cry,” he said. His other hand reached for my cheek to wipe away the tear that rolled down. “I’m still here. Alive and kicking.”
I laughed. He pulled my head closer, and I leaned forward to give him a kiss. It felt wonderful to have his lips on me again, knowing he was still breathing and his heart was still beating.
Someone knocked on the door.
I quickly came up again and turned my head. Sharon cleared her throat and came inside.
“Hi, Dom,” she said. “Glad you’re feeling okay.”
Dom held up his hand for a quick wave and dropped his head back onto the pillow.