Page 1 of With Love

April 2015

I wake up in excruciating pain. Every muscle, bone, and tendon in my body burns with a heat so hot it feels like I'm going to be incinerated at any moment. Once my vision clears, I search the room, taking in my surroundings. I’m in the hospital, hooked up to all kinds of tubes. The pounding in my head worsens with every beep from the machine that I’m connected to. My eyes search the room for Adrienne.

That’s when the memory comes flooding back. We were in Lock’s apartment. He had a gun. He shot me. Oh my god. I try getting up but the pain in my chest and abdomen are too strong and I collapse back down onto the bed.

Oh my God, Adrienne. My heart shatters into pieces. What have I done? I drove her away, directly into the hands of a monster.

My Adrienne.

My love.

My life.

Gone.

At that moment, I realize that the pain from my injuries is nothing compared to the agony that I am in knowing my life has been stolen away from me. Not only did I cause it, but I was too late to stop it.

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