Page 10 of Sweet Union
I pick up speed and hurry. Luca doesn’t have much time left. He’s bleeding heavier. His skin is whitening. His breathing is becoming more ragged.
I just need to focus. I can’t think about the alternative.
I can’t think about how my husband might die.
CHAPTER6
Natalya
The safe house finally comes into view. It’s a small ranch style out in the suburbs, miles away from the city. Luca has been steadily bleeding for half an hour now. While still alive, he looks minutes away from death.
I run out of the car and open the front door to the house before returning to get Luca. “Come on, Luca. Help me out here.” I try putting my hands under his arms to help him out, but he’s too heavy for me to lift.
His eyes flutter open. “Nat?”
“Can you stand?”
Groaning, he struggles to get out of the car, but eventually, he does. I sling his arm around my shoulders and help shuffle him inside. This Luca isn’t my normal confident husband. This one can barely stand on his own.
I help Luca to the couch, where he slumps into the cushions. “Ok. Ok. What do I do? Luca, what do I do?”
“I have a first-aid kit in the bathroom. I need to stop this bleeding.”
“Ok.” I run into the bathroom, practically tripping over the threshold, and find the first-aid kit under the skin. Then I hurry back to Luca and grab the gauze out of the box. “Here. Use this.”
He takes the gauze and wads it up, pressing it against his abdomen. It quickly becomes coated with blood.
“Luca, you need a hospital. I can’t fix you.”
“No. No hospitals. Call my doctor, see when he can get here.” Luca hands me his phone.
“Ok.” I press the doctor’s number and wait for him to answer. When he finally does, I feel like I’m itching through my skin.
“Hello?” the doctor’s nasal voice sounds on the other line.
“Hi, yes. This is Natalya, Luca’s husband. He’s been shot. He needs you to come and help him right now.” I rattle off the address. “When can you get here?”
“It’ll take me at least an hour with traffic to make it out there. Will he be fine until then?”
I glance at Luca, who’s almost as white at the couch. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, you’ll need to stop the bleeding.”
“What if it’s internal?”
“Then that isn’t good. I’m on my way out the door. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“Ok.” He hangs up before I can ask for more advice. “Ok, Luca. The doctor is on his way. But he’s an hour out. Will you be fine until then?”
He chuckles, but there’s no humor to it. “I don’t think so. I probably only have a half hour at most. I just keep losing blood.”
“So, then, we need another doctor. You said no hospitals, but what if I bring a doctor to you?”
“That could work.”
“Ok. I’ll go to the nearest urgent care and get someone. Better than nothing.”
“It might take a while to convince someone to come so, here. Take this.” He takes his gun out of waistband and hands it to me. “Use this in case anyone isn’t willing.”
