Page 4 of Sweet Anarchy

"Check her, please," he says, folding his arms and blocking my pathway back to the bar.

"I'm fine!" I spit out, weakly trying to push away hands as they search me over.

"It looks like you've been hit by shrapnel. There's shards of metal and glass in your wounds," a female paramedic scolds, forcing me to sit down on a chair at the back of the ambulance.

I pause, looking down. She presses her finger to a wound in my shoulder, and for the first time, pain registers in me. I hiss, jolting away.

"We need to get you to the hospital. I'm going to start an IV. Keep still - this may sting for a moment," she says, tapping my wrist before sliding a needle through the skin.

"Ow!" I complain.

The door of the bar is wedged open and I look up when I see the paramedics that were working on Chuck fly out. They're pulling a gurney with Chuck on it.

I stand up quickly, my feet wobbling as I try to rush over. The female paramedic lets out a yell of frustration and Vito grabs me, holding me in place.

"Let him go, Lee. They are doing everything they can. He needs to get to the hospital," he says softly.

"I want to go with him," I argue weakly.

Vito sighs. "I know you do, but you can't. He would want you to be safe, Lee. He would want you to be looked after."

My body freezes, tensing up at first, before I just collapse against Vito in a flood of tears. He wraps his arms around me in a hug, hushing me and repeating comforting words in my ear.

Eventually, I let him walk me backwards to the chair again, the paramedic continuing her work before she mutters something to Vito about taking me to the hospital.

I think I hear the words 'sedative' but everything is going too quickly for my mind to register. The sirens, flashing lights and chatter is making me feel like I'm drunk.

I feel something cool enter the IV and I glance down at my hand. Vito kneels in front of me, his hand on my knee.

"It's going to be okay. I'm going to be right behind you, and I'm going to call them. Just take deep breaths."

Them.

The thought oddly calms me, even if only a little.

"Okay," I mutter, surprised to find my voice is a little slurred.

Suddenly, the flood of voices slow down in my head, the flashing lights no longer making my heart rush.

I think it's okay.

Maybe a little.

I'm not sure...

"The sedative is kicking in," a voice says around me. "She might pass out briefly. We're going to transport her now. If she has family, let them know."

"I'm calling them now," a deep voice responds. "Look after her, please."

It's a little dark, and it takes me longer than it should to realize I've closed my eyes at some point. My body sways as I'm moved, positioned on my back on the world's most uncomfortable bed.

I hear a bang and the noises die down, followed by a rev of an engine. My fingers grip something metal next to me as I feel my surroundings shift.

I might take a nap. I'm feeling a little tired.

And in my head as I start to fall asleep, I can hear my Dad singing lullabies to me, his sweet voice calming me as I start to forget that I'm covered in blood.

Chapter 2

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