NovelEnglishAFTER... JESS
The car felt stifling, the air too thick to breathe. | stared out the windshield, watching the ambulance ahead of us,
its flashing lights bathing the night in ominous reds and blues. My hands trembled in my lap until Luke grabbed
one, his firm grip groundingjust enough to
keepfrom spiraling completely.
"She's going to be okay," he said, his voice calm and steady despite the storm swirling around us.
| turned to him, my throat tight, my heart in pieces. "You don't know that."
Luke's jaw clenched, but he didn't respond, his thumb brushing over the back of my hand in quiet reassurance.
Laura had been shot. She had been shot-because of me. Because she tried to saveand the baby. The
thought turned my stomach
And Sarah... God, Sarah had been a lunatic. A gun-wielding, delusional lunatic. She'd been in our house, in our
lives. How had we missed it? How had | not seen how dangerous she was?
My breath hitched as the tears finally broke free. "When does it end, Luke?" | whispered, my voice cracking.
"When do we get our happy ending?"
He didn't answer.
The ambulance turned into the hospital, and Luke followed close behind, pulling into a parking space just as the
EMTS wheeled Laura through the emergency entrance.
We rushed inside, my heart pounding as | scanned the waiting area. Josh was at the reception desk, his hands
gripping the counter so tightly his knuckles had turned white. He turned as we approached, his face pale and
haunted. "They're with her now," he said, his voice hollow. "They said she needs a scan, but they wouldn't let me
in. 1 don't know what's happening."
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Before any of us could respond, a doctor in scrubs appeared, his expression grim. "Laura's husband?"
Josh stepped forward, his body rigid. "That's me."
The doctor nodded. "We performed an ultrasound, and there's free fluid in her abdomen."
Josh blinked, shaking his head. "What the fuck does that even mean?"
"It means she's bleeding internally," the doctor said, his voice tight. "We need to take her to the operating room
immediately to stop the bleeding. There's no tto waste."
The words hit like a punch to the gut. Laura was bleeding inside. They needed to operate. Laura could die.
| stumbled back, the edges of my vision blurring. Laura could die because she helped me.
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"No," | whispered, my voice cracking under the weight of the realization. "No, no, no, no."
Josh dropped to his knees with a strangled cry, his hands clutching at his hair as though trying to physically keep
himself together. | stared at him, my own legs threatening to give out, my mind spiraling into chaos.
Luke's hand was on my arm, steadying me. "Jess, are you okay?" His voice was soft, but there was an urgency
behind it that made my stomach churn.
| shook my head, tears streaming freely down my cheeks. The ache in my stomach that | had been ignoring was
now sharp. and insistent, demanding my attention.
"Babe, you look pale," Luke said, his voice rising with alarm. "Sit down. Now."
| didn't respond. Something warm
dripped down my leg, and | froze, a
sickening dread spreading through
me. Slowly, | lookedydownglifting the
hero Myardss. The sight of blood
streaking my thigh stole whatever air
| had left. "Jess, what's wrong?"
Luke's voice cracked as he followed
my gaze. His face went ashen, his
eyes wide with panic. "Jess, babe!
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Josh snapped out of his daze at
Luke's shout, his head jerking up gs
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he took in the seenel We feed help!"
HE y&lled! Ai voice echoing through
the waiting room like a desperate
plea to the universe. The content is
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The world tilted on its axis, the
fluorescent ry Aoi
ARR hazetMy’legs buckled, and
Luke's arms were The content is on
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chapter there!
there, catchingbefore | hit the ground.
"Stay with me, Jess," he said, his voice frantic as he cradledagainst his chest. "Just hold on."
Josh was shouting for someone, anyone, but his words were lost in the roar of blood rushing in my ears.
The world dimmed, the voices aroundfading to a dull hum, and then there was nothing but darkness..
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