Page 11 of Sweet Union
My hands shakily grab the gun. “Are you sure?”
“You’re my wife. I’m sure of you. You got this.”
“Ok.” I steel myself for what I’ll have to do. I run out the house and get into the car, driving to the nearest urgent care. It takes me less than five minutes, fortunately.
Sticking the gun in my coat pocket, I hurry inside. The room is quaint, with only one other person, an elderly man, waiting. I walk up to the receptionist and tell her that I need to see a doctor urgently.
“It will probably be about twenty minutes,” she tells me.
“No. No, I can’t wait that long. My husband has been shot. He needs help.”
She gives me a pitiful look. “The closest hospital is a fifteen-minute drive away. You should take him to the ER.”
“No. I can’t do that. I need one of your doctors.Now.”
“I’m sorry, miss. Either take your husband to the hospital, or you’ll have to wait twenty minutes.”
I lift the gun out and point it at her. “No. Get me a doctor, now.”
The elderly man gets up and leaves in a hurry.
With a squeak, the receptionist nods. “Sure. I’ll get the doctor.” She stands up to walk away, but I follow her.
“I’m going with you.”
She nods again. The receptionist takes me down a hallway and into a simple medical room, where the doctor—a woman in her thirties—is looking into the eyes of a middle-aged man.
“Dr. Ryder?” the receptionist says. “I need you to come with me right now.”
Dr. Ryder doesn’t even glance in her direction. “I’m almost done, Lizzie.”
“No, doctor. I need you to come with me right now.”
Dr. Ryder sighs. “What is it?” She looks over at Lizzie and pauses when she sees me, the gun still pointed at Lizzie’s head. “What’s going on here?”
I point the gun at Dr. Ryder’s head next. “I need you to come with me. My husband has been shot, and he needs help. He’ll die.”
“Then why don’t you put the gun down,” Ryder suggests.
“No. I can’t do that. I need to make sure you come with me right now. Only then will I put the gun down.”
“Ok. I can go with you.” She glances at the man on the exam table. “All right. Gerald. You’re fine. If you have more issues with your eyes, come back.” She gets up and follows me out of the room. “Lizzie?”
“Don’t,” I interrupt. “Don’t anything. Just follow me. And Lizzie?” I look straight at the receptionist. “Do not call the police. I don’t want to have to hurt Dr. Ryder.”
Lizzie nods emphatically.
I turn to Ryder. “If you just fix up my husband, I’ll let you go. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to save my husband.”
“All right,” she says calmly. “Let me just grab some things first.”
I know I sound hysterical, but I’m terrified I’ll actually lose Luca. “Ok. Quick.” I watch as she fills a bag full of medical supplies. “Let’s go.” I keep the gun on her as we walk to Luca’s car. She gets in without complaint, and once I’m seated, I lock the doors so she can’t escape.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” she says as I drive to the safe house.
“I do, actually. I don’t want to hurt you, truly. I just need someone to save my husband.”
“I’ll do my best.”
