“Victoria,” he yells, “Please, don’t leave me. Not like they did. Please, V. Fight. Stay with me.”
Speechless, paralyzed, I watch in disbelief as Hunter’s world comes crashing down and there is nothing I can do to stop it.
“I didn’t see her!” The gentleman panics as he starts to pace back and forth. “I swear, I didn’t see her. The sun’s glare blinded my eyes. I haven’t been drinking, I haven’t been…”
But his pleading cuts off as he slowly starts to cry. His body shakes like a child as he realizes the magnitude of his mistake.
“Sir,” the woman from earlier repeats. This time Hunter looks up. “I can help.” She flashes a badge from a nearby hospital. “If you’ll let me?” Slowly Hunter lowers Victoria from his arms and lets her address her wounds.
“Someone call 911,” The woman shouts. Stunned, Hunter and I glance up at each other in fear.
“My phone,” he panics. “I left it at the apartment.”
I glance up to the crowd. I don’t have a phone either. Luckily, I catch the eye of a bystander who quickly pulls their phone from their pocket and begins frantically dialing.
“Yes, a woman. She was hit. She is bleeding pretty badly. I am not sure; someone is here who says she’s a nurse. We are at the corner of Main and PCH.”
The bystander’s words trail off as Hunter pushes to his feet and barrels towards the man who hit Victoria.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” he yells, as he tackles the man to the ground and begins an assault of punches to the man’s startled face. Defenseless, the man lays underneath him and tries to block each blow. Quickly, I rush towards them and attempt to pull Hunter from the man with no luck.
A few men in the crowd rush to my aid and a moment later we have Hunter backed up against the assailant’s car.
“Breathe, Hunter!” I plead. “I am going to need you to breathe!” His nostrils flare as he stares at the man, who is now attempting to stand and address his own wounds. “Hunter!” I yell. It works and he finally looks into my eyes. Fear, anxiety, hopelessness stare back at me. I worry I’m losing him. “Breathe, Catch. For me. Please.”
I take a deep breath and will him to do the same, but he stands firm. Motionless. As if nothing will get through to him. I continue, taking a deep breath in and out, needing it to calm me as much as I need it to calm him.
Finally, he mimics my breaths and slowly starts to take a few deep inhales. His shoulders sag, his eyes grow sad. Soon, the man I love falls apart. He grabs me to his chest and begins to sob uncontrollably. Sirens grow closer. My heart drops to my stomach as the woman from earlier yells, “We’re losing her! Get her to the ER, STAT!”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hunter
“She’s lost a considerable amount of blood. We’ve operated, as the impact damaged her spleen and it had to be removed. She has six broken ribs and a broken left arm as a result of the impact. When she fell, her face hit the ground with such force, her jaw was broken and had to be set by one of our plastic surgeons. The blunt trauma of the impact caused internal bleeding, which fortunately we were able to stop, but that doesn’t mean she is in the clear. We wanted to come speak to you for close to an hour now, but she still has not woken up from surgery. All signs point to a coma. Irregular breathing. Depressed reflexes…”
The male doctor’s voice fades as I look through the glass window separating me from Victoria. Edward stands motionless, watching Sylvia pick up Victoria’s tiny hand and hold it close to her heart. Sylvia’s lips move, she shakes her head.
I feel just as lost as she looks holding V’s seemingly lifeless hand in her own.
I turn to Rochelle at my side and watch as a tear rolls down her sweet face. She looks up at me and grabs a hold of my hand, squeezing it and giving me the strength I need to keep standing here and listening to this doctor tell us that hope, something that I have always believed in, might just be useless when it comes to her prognosis.
“I don’t understand,” Edward says, snapping me from my thoughts. “No match! Not one of us?”
I shake my head. “What… what do you mean match?” I demand, but Edward cuts me off.
“That is my baby girl in there,” his voice wavers, tears fill his eyes. “Do something! That is what you are hired for, right? Fix this! Find someone! Anyone! Fix my little girl, or so help me…”
“Edward!” I yell. Reaching out, I grab him back towards me, stopping him from taking another step towards the now very frightened looking man in a white coat. “What someone? What are you talking about?”
Edward’s shoulders shake as I pull him another step back. “Victoria,” his voice trembles. “Needs blood, Hunter. Or she won’t live. She has a very special blood type,” he says, looking up at the doctor.
“AB-negative,” the doctor states. “Very rare. There has been a blood shortage in recent months, and unfortunately, this one is tough to come by. We can get it, but it could take a few days. And Victoria…”
The man trails off and Edward says, “Doesn’t have a few days.” He falls apart and I pull him into my arms, wrapping him in a tight hug. It’s the only comfort I can offer him in this life altering moment.
“Well, test me!” I shout. “Test all of us. I’ll call everyone I know! Test them too, damn it!”
My Angel’s hand lands gently on my arm.
