Page 117 of The Moral Dilemma

“I’m fine. Truly.”

And to prove that she was indeed fine, Lucero stood up. She pressed her hand to her shoulder as she walked to the bathroom. There was, indeed, a lot of blood, but she didn’t think the bullet had hit anything vital—or so she hoped.

Shrugging her shirt off, she quickly poured some disinfectant over the wound and patched it up. It didn’t look great, but it didn’t look bad either. Certainly, it could wait a little more. Noelle, on the other hand, couldn’t.

She quickly put herself together as best as she could before going back to her friend.

Noelle was still on the floor, in the same spot Lucero had left her. She was utterly still, so much so that Lucero became worried.

“Noelle?” she called out.

“Something’s wrong, Lulu,” she uttered in a low, desolate voice. “I…” she trailed off as liquid pooled to her feet.

“Your water broke,” Lucero said, her eyes wide.

Noelle slowly turned her head, her expression one of pure terror. She might not be too knowledgeable about pregnancy in general, but she was aware that once her water broke she had a limited time at best before delivery.

“Let’s get you in bed,” Lulu suggested, helping her up.

It was hard on both of them. Noelle could barely move due to her belly, and Lucero was recently shot. That she was able to ignore her pain to help Noelle was a wonder in itself, but not one that didn’t take its toll on her body.

“Your wound…” Noelle exclaimed when she saw the blood trickle down her arm. “Lulu! What are we going to do?” she cried out, her emotions finally bursting through the surface.

She’d never felt so vulnerable or so afraid before, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. Her maternal instincts surged forth, her main focus on the wellbeing of her baby. But how could she protect him when she couldn’t protect herself? When her friend was doing her best to help her with a bullet in her shoulder? When Sergio was lying in wait for the moment she’d have her guard down, and then he’d strike?

How the hell could she protect her baby when she wasn’t sure what the next moment would bring?

“You need to calm down,” Lulu said. “You won’t solve anything if you stress about it. I’m fine, see?” To prove her point, Lucero moved her arm around. Though it pained her to do so, she also understood that Noelle wasn’t thinking logically anymore. She was terrified—a normal response considering her condition and their circumstances. But because she was aware of what her friend was going through, Lucero decided to put on a strong front.

“Are you sure? You’re still bleeding.” Noelle’s lip quivered as she regarded her with suspicion.

“I’m sure.” She nodded. “Here, lay down and I’ll go grab some more towels and disinfectant.”

“Lulu… You need to get the bullet out,” Noelle continued, as if she hadn’t heard her. “You can’t leave it in. What if you get an infection?”

“Let me worry about that. For now, we have to make sure Mali is fine, okay?”

Noelle reluctantly nodded, getting into a comfortable position on the bed. Lucero gave her a small smile before she left the room.

A few hours passed, and Noelle was in and out of sleep until her contractions started to get more pronounced and closer together—a sign that she was about to go into labor.

“Lulu?” she called out, her voice worn out from the pain.

“I’m here,” she replied, entering her room and laying down a bucket full of hot water and several towels. She also brought in some bottles of alcohol. Since she couldn’t find any actual disinfectant, she’d decided that alcohol would do.

“I’m scared,” Noelle admitted, voicing her fear out loud for the first time. “What if something happens?”

“Nothing will happen.” Lucero tried to comfort her.

“If it comes down to me and the baby…” she trailed off, swallowing hard. “Choose him.”

“Noelle—” Lucero’s eyes widened.

“Please promise me. Promise me you’ll save him and take care of him.”

“I won’t let you die.” She shook her head.

“Sometimes things just happen.” Noelle gave her a sad smile. “I’m starting to make peace with my past and everything that I’ve done—everything that led me here. I’ve been ready for death for a long time, Lulu. But as long as my baby lives, then I can go in peace.”

---