Chapter 5

RECAP

My eyes widened and I opened the door quickly to stop the man. I screamed.

“Stop!”

Thet both turned over to me, fast and I saw the panic in Aziel's eyes before I heard the gun in Jordan's hand go off. I heard Aziel shout.

“Preethi.”

Aziel pulled out his gun and shot Jordan four times straight in the head. He fell fast. I stood shocked as everything felt like it was going in slow motion. I looked down at my stomach and touch the stain of blood that was spreading. The red liquid now on my hand.

I saw Aziel in front of me now, screaming at me but everything was blurred and I felt like I was underwater. I collapsed to the rugged floor and stared at the ceiling, Aziel in my peripheral vision. He was still yelling at me. My eyes suddenly felt heavy and next thing I knew my vision was blinded by white that started to surround me.

PRESENT

Aziel's POV

“Preethi's eyes drew blank and she was now staring up at the ceiling. Her head was resting in my lap and she was going cold, I could feel it.

“Preethi! Preethi! Get up!” I ordered her.

No. No. No. No. No. Please get up!

My hands went to Preethi's shoulders, gripping her tightly and shaking her a little to see if she would open her eyes. When she remained still I stood up and pulled at my hair.

“God no. Please no.” Vius, Kendric, Luella, Timea and a few guys from the gang came running downstairs prepared to fight but they lowered their guns seeing Jordan's lifeless body. Which looked a little similar to Preethi's. I shouted at her.

“Fuck! I told you to stay in the room!”

“I can get the doctor here in less than ten min—” Luella started to say but I interrupted her.

“She going to a fucking hospital for fucks sake, look at her! There's nothing that our doctor can do right now. She need professionals.” I carefully took Preethi into my arms in a bridal style.

“Vius go start the car!”

Vius darted up the stairs to start up one of the vehicles. I run upstairs with Preethi in hold and when I get to the car, Vius is waiting with the backdoor open and ready for me to set her in. I place her on Timea and run to the drivers side window on the left.

Kendric jumps in the passenger side and shouts at Vius and Luella to meet us there, but he can barely finish his sentence because I'm already skidding off the drive way and pass the gates.

When a few minutes pass by I start to push my foot down harder on the gas. Rushing to get to the closest hospital as fast as possible, while also looking at Preethi through the rear view mirror.

When he arrive, I don't even part properly and stop night in front of the emergency entrance. Throwing my door open I go around the side and take Preethi out of Timea's hands.

“Help! Someone fucking help me! She's dying!”

I shout at anyone who will listen. Three nurses and a doctor run over with a wheeled stretcher. They carefully lift her out of my arms and into the transport bed. The door ask me what happened and Kendric responds, saying she was shot.

They push her across the hallway and I run to follow them past white double doors, but on of the nurses hold me back.

“Sir, I'm going to need you to stay here. You are not allowed past here.” she explains, calmly.

I am anything but and shove her arms off me.

“Fuck that! I meed to see if she'll be okay!”

“You are not helping her situation my arguing with me. I can't promise ghat she will be, but I need four you fo remain calm and let the doctor take care of it from here.” The nurse rushes out of the lobby and follows where the door went.

My closet is heavily rising and falling as I contemplate what the lady said to me.

“Preethi.” I turned my head and see Kendric gesturing for me to sit down next to Timea and himself.

“She's in the doctors hand now. You need to calm down a bit before you have a heart attack.”

He grabs the back of my neck and forces me to sit but I stand right back up and lean against the wall.

“You don't understand, Kendric. It's my fault she got shot. I should've never brought her into this life. I was selfish and didn't realize what I was bringing her into. Jordan was after something and I should've known it was Preethi. He knew I loved her before I even did.”

“You love Preethi?” My brother asked, her eyes wide.

I glance over at her and look back to the floor. I see Kendric give her a look as to

say, 'not the time to be asking questions'. Despite how I'm feeling, I answer her question.

“Yes. Yes I do. I love Preethi Tien West. I'm so in love Preethi Tien West. ” I swallow my saliva and take a deep breath.

The small waiting room is silent since it is only us with two other people.

“I know, dude. I know.She's going to be fine.” Kendric says, breaking the silence.

“You can't promise that. You don't know what going to happen.” I argue.

“You're right, I can't promise that. But I can hope and pray for the time beg and you should too.”

“Preethi got shot because of me. I'm the reason she's here. Don't you get it? I'm the reason she's fighting for her life right now.” Even through I try hard not to let it, my voice breaks and I lift my head up against the wall, looking at the ceiling.

“You need to give yourself a break, Aziel or gonna explode your head with all your negative thoughts. You need to keep it together right now. Have faith that Preethi will come out just fine. You need to sit and rest so you're in the right mind. Not just for yourself but for Preethi.” Timea stands up and puts my face in her hands.

“She's a very strong woman, Aziel and right now she needs you to be strong too.”

I release a breath and nod my head. She smiles at me, buts its sad. I take a seat between her and Kendric, pressing my hands against my face to try and think.

“What the fucked happened, Rowan? Is Preethi okay?” Amir asks.

Kendric stands and fills them in on everything that happened and I can see Amir getting angrier by the second. When Kendric finishes Amir rushes up to me and grabs me by the collar pushing me up against the wall.

“You fucking got my sister shot. You brought her in this asshole! I should've been you instead of her!”

I shove him off me.

“Don't you think I know that? I should be surgery, not her. I should be laying on a hospital bed, not her. Don't you think I know how fucking stupid I am!”

The nurse came back out and called for Preethi's family, interrupting my fight between her brother. All of them went over and they talked quietly before Amir took a step closer to her and she rushed him behind the double doors.

I looked at Preethi's mother to see tears falling down her face but her father didn't have any. His eyes were very red and watery. I could see he was trying to contain himself for his wife. He whispered reassuring things in her ear that I couldn't hear and rubbed her back as they went to sit down in the opposite side of the room.

I wanted to give them their space but Kendric held my arm down, stopping me from moving.

“I don't think it's a good idea for you to go over there. I don't know if they'd want to talk to you when they know that you were with her when she was shot by Jordan. Give them sometime.” He says.

I glance her back at the couple across the room to see Thiago glaring at me while his wife cries on his shoulder.

“You're probably right.”

The room goes silent again as everyone waits for news. Three hours pass by and a different nurse comes into the room with Amir behind him.

“West family? ” He calls.

Mr. And Mrs. West get up and walk over to them both. Amir has a bandage over his forearms.

“She had a direct blood transfusion.” Timea nudges me and I turn her way.

“Preethi needed a transfusion. Amir is family and I'm guessing he had the same blood type, which is why he followed the nurse.”

So that's why he went back there. I look back at the nurse and Preethi's family to see them all crying. My heart starts to beat faster as I what them react to something the nurse said.

The nurse goes back into the room and closes the door behind him.

Amir weals his arms around his mother and they all cry together. His father letting go. Is she okay?! What going on?

“I need to know if he's okay. I don't care if they hate me.” I announce before I jump out of my seat and make my way to them.

Thiago looks at me and releases his family.

“You're the last person I want to talk to. Get away from me and my family.”

I ignore his what he said and look to his wife. “Is she okay?”

“Did you hear what my said? Back the fuck off and leave my family alone!” Amir said as he tried to move my backwards, but I wasn't going anywhere.

“Get the fuck out of here!”

“First, tell me is she going to live?” I yell.

I feel Kendric come up behind me and just stand there. Really if Amir does anything.

“Fuck off! Don't pretend you ever cared about her!

“I do care about her, you dick! I fucking love her!” I shove him into his dad.

Amir just stares at me, his eyes blazing red.

“You can bullshit everyone into thinking you give a shit about her but I know the truth. You wanted Preethi in you gang as a prize to show off to other rivals. Now your angry because you damaged your trophy! Well guess what, Rowan. Preethi isn't yours.

“West, you have no idea how wrong you are.” Kendric buts in.

I ignore Amir and look back at Mrs. West. She has sympathetic look in her eyes.

“Please. I need to know. I love her, please. Preethi is going to live. She being stitch.” She takes a deep breathe and closes her eyes.

I don't hear the rest of what she says because I turn around to face Kendric and she grabs my head and hugs me. A tear leaves my eye as I thank God over and over again.

Preethi's going to live, she's alive. Thank you. Fuck. Thank you so much.