The officers looked at each other after confirming he was dead.
I was just thinking how grateful I was that he could never hurt us again, when a searing pain tore through the back of my left shoulder.
And everything went dark.
43
NYAH
As the ambulance sped through the streets, sirens wailing, a sickening feeling of déjà vu washed over me. The motion, the urgency, the helplessness—it all felt hauntingly familiar, as if I had lived this moment before and known exactly how fragile everything still was.
I tried to keep my eyes open. Every time I managed to force them apart, I slipped back into darkness again. I was terrified of losing consciousness completely. I was terrified of what might be happening to Caleb while I wasn’t awake.
Jeremy had succeeded in doing the one thing he had set out to do.
He had taken me down with him.
He had hurt me.
And he had hurt Caleb.
Now that Jeremy was dead, we were fighting for our lives.
When I finally woke properly, the first thing I did was press the call bell. Panic flared in my chest as I waited. When the nurse swept into the room, I urgently asked about Caleb, the words tumbling out before she could even finish greeting me. She took my vitals, checked my wound, and told me she would go check on him and let me know his condition.
The waiting felt endless.
Minutes later, the doctor walked in. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “Just tired and a bit nauseous. How’s Caleb?”
She put her glasses on before answering. “He’s still unconscious.”
My heart clenched. “Is he alright, though?”
“Well,” she said calmly, “the bullet exited your shoulder and went through his. It stayed lodged in his, but luckily, we were able to extract it. So, in short, he will be absolutely fine.” She smiled gently, then continued, “As for you, the nausea is normal, especially at your stage. It will probably last another month or so.”
“A month?” I stared at her, confused. “Why would it last so long?”
She took off her glasses. “Well, my dear, because you’re about six weeks pregnant.”
The world stopped.
My jaw dropped just as Eleanor walked through the door.
“Don’t worry,” the doctor added, “your baby is just fine.”
I’m pregnant.The thought echoed wildly in my head.I’m pregnant with Caleb’s baby.How was that even possible?
My brain scrambled, desperately trying to remember the last time I’d had my period. I realized, with a dull shock, that I hadn’t even noticed I’d missed it.
The doctor glanced at Eleanor, smiled politely, and excused herself, saying she would return later to check on me.
Eleanor marched straight up to my bed. “Does Caleb know?” she demanded, her tone threatening.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t even know until just now!”
“Good.” She paused. “Keep it that way.”
