Page 84 of Levi
I scoop Halo into my arms and hold her tight to me.
“Get her out of here,” Levi says as he checks us over quickly.Ginger is sniffing Halo and licking every inch of her.
Just as I’m about to run out of the living room, Brody makes his appearance from the hallway and sees Dad and Zeus fighting.Dad is hitting Zeus with the butt of the gun to knock him off his leg.Levi shields us, and tries to guide us over to Mitch, who has his gun out yelling at Dad to put the gun down.
I glance back one more time and watch as Dad points the barrel of the gun at Zeus.
“NO!”I scream, and Brody jumps from behind Dad to push the gun away from Zeus and Dad.
In a matter of seconds, the gun goes off.Something passes by my head in a whiz, as Levi tenses behind me and heaves out a loud gasp.
“Baby,” Levi’s eyes are wide and it’s as though he’s struggling to breathe.
I turn fully around and see his shirt spotted with the color red but it only takes moments before the spots are covering most of the white shirt.
“Oh my God!No!”I yell, shifting Halo to one side and placing a hand over the blood-soaked clothing.
Two more shots ring out, then a wail follows, but I can’t bring myself to pull away from Levi.
“Ginger retreat!”I scream a command at our dog and she comes over to us, grasping Halo with her mouth latched on the back of my baby’s clothing and takes off with her crying out of the guesthouse to safety, like she has been trained to do.I’m frozen in place and can’t take my eyes off of Levi’s eyelids, as I watch them slowly getting closer to closing.
“Saylor,” Levi gasps for a breath.
“Don’t talk, just focus on me.”We sink to the floor and I immediately move his shirt up to see the damage.“I love you so much.”
Blood is seeping out of a hole in his chest.Leaning over, I reach for anything I can to put some pressure over the gaping wound.Mitch comes over and tears off his shirt, turning Levi on his side to keep pressure on the back exit wound.The room is eerily quiet, but I can only focus on my man right now.
“I love you, baby.I love Halo,” He’s panting for air, but I can only see his eyes lowering more and more.
“We love you too.So much.Please stay with us.Focus on me.Stay with me.Stay with us.”I move one of his hands to my stomach, and whisper for him to focus on me and my voice.
There are sirens in the distance and then a whirl of people are in the room.Levi gets loaded up on a gurney and rushed out.I’m rushing out the door, when I happen to look back over the living room to see Brody on the ground and the paramedics are performing CPR on him.Oh my God, when did he get hurt?
“We have a pulse,” one of them says, and they load him up and move to rush him out.
Dad is over by the couch with a paramedic, checking his shoulder, as it looks like he was shot in the arm.Police have him circled and cuffed.
I’m numb.It feels like the events in the room are playing out in slow motion and I’m rooted to the floor, watching as everything moves around me.
I can’t even grasp what just happened here.Every good childhood memory is now tainted by the events of today.Everything I thought my dad to be was nothing more than an illusion.How could he have done something like this?
“Saylor, we need to get you to the hospital,” Mitch grimly says, and ushers me out to where Zeus and Ginger have circled Halo, as a pair of police officers try to entertain my daughter, but both dogs are making it impossible to get near her.
In a flash I’m running over and as she sees me, she does the same with our dogs following, growling at everyone to stay back away from us.I can’t even put into words how I’m feeling as I hold her little frame to mine.What if Halo had been the one to take a bullet?I shake off the thought and try to focus on the love of my life, who’s fighting for his life right now.
Somehow, we arrive at the hospital but I’m in a haze.Mitch escorts me to a conference room, and has Halo and I set up with Zeus and Ginger there for comfort.I vaguely heard a protest about our animals, but it was shot down when they found out who was brought in.I’m certain Mitch made sure to reveal the donation that this hospital will receive if we’re kept comfortable and not disturbed.He also made the horrible phone call, that no parent or relative wants to get, to the Thornes, who should be arriving soon.My grandparents are on the way, along with Everly and Linc.
It feels like hours have gone by and not a single doctor has made it in here to update us.Ryan came in not too long ago after being released from the ER.Dad had injected security with a high dose of tranquilizers to put them out until he was able to get us out of the house.Zeus was also given some but thank God he was able to come out of it and make his way in to save us from Dad.
Save us from dad.
The words seem funny to say in the same sentence, in reference to my dad.The man who raised me and taught me how to tie my shoes and played ballerina with me in elementary.
I’m lost in my thoughts, watching Halo sleep next to Ginger and Zeus, as Everly and Linc go to get everyone some food and more coffee.A vet came in when we first got here to check them out.I’m sure Mitch scheduled that and I’ll thank him later for it, when I can bring myself to speak.
Finally, the door opens with Mitch, Ryan and two doctors in blue scrubs coming in, both holding their surgical caps in their hands.Their faces are unreadable and I think I might vomit.
“Mrs.Thorne,” one starts.“I’m Doctor Vincent.”
