Page 65 of Rise In Arms

“Charity? Charity! Oh my God, please let her be okay,” Hazel cries out from beside me.

I look up at my sister, my tears now flowing freely down my face. “She’s going to be all right, she has to be. If it’s the last thing I ever promise, she will be okay.”

“Oh, Kane. What have we done?” Hazel begins to sob, and wipes Charity’s forehead gently with her fingertips.

“Kane? I’m so cold,” Charity whispers, her body starting to tremble. I quickly take my cut off and place it over her.

“Stay with me, baby, you’re going to be okay. The ambulance is on its way.”

Her eyes shine with unshed tears, and she suddenly cries out “The baby!” The compound’s floodlights are all switched on now, and I look down her body and see blood on the ground between her thighs.

All the air leaves my lungs, and I lean down and hug her gently. “You’re going to be all right, baby. Shush, save your energy.” I don’t know what else to say to her right now.

The sound of sirens not too far away is like music to my ears. The ambulance flies through the gates, stopping just near us. Two male medics get out, and one runs toward us while the other heads to the back of the vehicle.

“Move back, we’ll take it from here.”

“No fucking chance, man,” I growl at him.

“Kane, please, let them help her,” Hazel says, pulling on my shoulder to get me to step back.

The medic looks at me. “I promise we’ll take good care of her.”

Not wanting to let her go, I hesitate, but then do as he says. The medic starts asking all kinds of questions—what happened? Is there any type of medication she’s on? How old is she?—and for the life of me I can’t answer any of them. Luckily Hazel is next to me, because she reminds them that Charity is pregnant. The medic raises his eyes to look at Hazel and me, then glances down at the blood between Charity’s legs and begins to check her vitals. Prez and the rest of the boys come to my side at that point, and I feel hands on my shoulders.

Letting the medics take over, I watch them in action, not able to respond to any of my boys as they try to get my attention. The medics finally place her on the stretcher and push her toward the back of their ambulance. I follow, my boys and Hazel not too far behind me. They slide her into the back, and I place my foot on the step, ready to get up inside there too.

“Whoa, hold up, buddy, you’re going to have to meet us there.”

“But…? I’m her….”

“Look, there’s no time to argue, we gotta leave. She’s in a critical condition, and I need room back here, and to be able to focus.”

“Trigg, let them take her, we’ll follow,” Quill says, pity clear in his eyes. He knows how I’m feeling, it wasn’t that long ago that Jasmine and Luisa were rushed to the hospital in a critical condition as well.

I nod at the medic, still not happy but not wanting to hold things up any further. “Take care of her,” I say, tears burning in my eyes again.

The medic replies, “We’ll do our best.”

Hesitantly I step back, and the other medic quickly shuts both doors then runs toward the driver’s seat. My hand stays on the back of the ambulance doors, then falls away when it takes off.

Stepping out of my dreamlike state, I rush to my bike and start it up. My brothers follow, with Quill in front.

“I’m coming with you, Kane.” Hazel looks at me with pleading eyes.

“Get on,” I reply, not willing to waste any time arguing. “We should get you checked out too.”

“I’m fine,” she says, waving it off. She sits on the back of my bike, and I quickly hand her a helmet, not bothering to put one on myself. I start my bike, and floor it out of the compound and onto the street. Hazel holds on tight, and I pass Prez as I speed on by, following the ambulance to the hospital.

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