Page 45 of Stephan

I didn’t look up at the paramedic.

“Seventeen year old female. Shot to arm thathit artery. I’ve cut the flow with the bandage but she needs care.Stephan is holding what I think may be a graze or a through andthrough shot. The cast has cracked and she passed out a couple ofminutes ago.”

“Son, I need you to move now.”

I pressed down on Jade’s wound too scared tomove.

“You can let go now.”

I couldn’t move. I heard the voice, but wasterrified to move my blood soaked hand.

“Stephan, the paramedic needs to worknow.”

I looked at Derick, he was covered in blood.It never occurred to me he could be hurt.

“Son, you’re covered in blood. Are you hurt?”another paramedic asked Derick.

Derick shook his head and gazed down. “It’snot my blood. It’s my sister’s.”

“The girl is your sister?”

Derick nodded. “She will be,” he saidhoarsely.

Brand removed my hand and dragged me back.“Stephan, you have to let them work.”

Gazing up at him, my cheeks felt wet. “Wherethe fuck where you? How the hell did this happen?” I shook myselfout of his hold and stood. I studied the scene around me, bulletholes were everywhere: in trees, cars, the school building, and theground. It looked like a war zone. “What the fuck happened?”

Brand stood and ran his fingers through hisshort hair. “There are two vulnerable times, at drop-off in themorning and pick-up time. We monitor both, but there are so manycars and it’s hard to tell if they’re not picking up someone. Wewere lucky not many got hurt.”

“What do you mean lucky? Jade is fuckingalmost bleeding out.”

“Only six people got hurt. None arefatal.”

I wanted to yank my friggin' hair out. “Welive in Australia. Guns are illegal. Why the fuck did we just havea shootout. This is something I expect Dustan to tell me about inAmerica.” I was furious, but I’d rather be angry than a blubberingmess. Brand didn’t say anything, not that I expected him to. Heknew how it went.

The paramedics wheeled Jade away on astretcher. I ran after them. There was no way they were leavingwithout me.

“Are you family?”

“Yep.”

They eyed me for a moment before one nodded,I got into the ambulance.

I hovered over Jade. Her eyes were open andshe smiled seeing me but it quickly turned into a grimace.

“Hey,” she rasped out.

“Little bit, what am I going to do with you?”I stroked her cheek.

“I’ve never been shot before I met you.”

My heart sank at her words and I cleared mydry throat, was I killing her? Was I the reason she’d been shot atso much. “Angel, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t like thatlook. You didn’t do this.”

I nodded, but didn’t believe her. I needed toleave her alone. I could make myself live without Jade as long asshe was alive. What I couldn’t live with was her continuallygetting hurt because of me. If she died, I don’t think I would everforgive myself. I needed to leave.

I couldn’t get the image of her covered inblood out of mind and I thought I was going to be physically sick.I needed to stay away from her and then she’d be safe.

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