The gunshot ripped me from existence, it silenced my thoughts and shredded every fiber of my heart. It wasn't simply loud, it cracked into the air and echoed through the fields, magnifying the feeling of vulnerability and betrayal. Daxson had shoved me to the ground a few feet away from him and a scream escaped my lungs when he grabbed his chest, stumbling backward in an awkward motion before crumbling to the ground.
The dirt dug into the palms of my hands as I rushed to his side without hesitation.
"Dax, please. Dax, no, no." All I could do was tremble as I tried to shake him, holding back my tears.
My hands were met by a warm, sticky substance that continued to flood his black shirt until it was completely soaked. Daxson cringed in pain and pushed his hands against his chest where the bullet had entered.
My hands fumbled to gather a piece of his shirt to help curve the bleeding.
"Ally." Daxson breathed out, grabbing my wrist.
When he removed his hand, I could see where the bullet entered. If the entry wound was small, the exit had to be a gaping mess. I kept my face passive to try and give him hope, but I was panicking on the side. There wasn't enough oxygen in the air for my constricted lungs.
"I'm right here, Dax. You're going to be okay. I promise." I stared down into his eyes.
He groaned and gasped for air like it was becoming hard for him to breathe too. "I love you," he breathed out.
Why did it feel like he was telling me because he didn't think he'd get to again?
Streaming tears cleansed my red cheeks. When I wiped my face against my shoulder, a few tears remained, forgetting their way as the path was swept from beneath them, consequently blurring my vision with waves of sadness only the broken encounter.
My free fingers rubbed against his cheek while my other hand pressed his shirt against the wound in an attempt to stop the blood flow. "I love you too, Dax. More than I think you'll know."
My mother yelled at my father. "John, what the hell have you done?"
Footsteps behind me forced me to look over my shoulder.
"Allyson, Honey, this was all an accident." His shaky voice replaced the fear in my body with anger.
My teeth snapped together as I glared at my father through the darkness. I could only make out his form and the glistening metal of the gun barrel still in his hands beneath the moonlight.
"Get the hell away from me." I snarled.
"Ally." Daxson's muscular body squirmed beneath me when I added an extra amount of pressure to his wound. He seemed so weak and only growing weaker with each second he bled. "I need you to..."
I turned my attention back to him. "Dax. You need me to what?" I pleaded for him to talk again. Anything to let me know he was still here.
"What can I do?" My father's hand touched my shoulder.
I jerked my shoulder from beneath his hand and shoved him away from me with my blood covered hands. "You can get the hell away from me, you monster. You deserve to rot in prison."
My mother rushed over and grabbed my father, pulling him away from me. There was regret in his voice as he tried to explain away what he had done, but it was too late. This was unforgivable. I returned my attention to Daxson and pushed my hands against the wound again.
Daxson sucked in a sharp breath, but it was becoming more labored.
"Please stay with me, baby. I'm so sorry." I hunched my body over his as my emotions entrenched me in place.
"Tell my family I love them," he whispered so low that only I could hear him.
I shook my head. "You're going to tell them."
His eyelids fluttered. "Promise me."
I didn't want to promise him that. The thought of telling his family his last words tore me apart.
"Promise me," he whispered again through gritted teeth.
"I promise." I leaned down to place my forehead against his. The color seemed to drain from his face. "You can't leave me though, Dax. I need you."
Daxson lifted his hand to run it through my hair and hold my face close to his. His heart still beat in the silence. It was quiet, but I took comfort in the fact I could still hear it.
Caleb appeared on the other side of Daxson's body with towels in hand, breaking us from our moment. Caleb's normally happy eyes were filled with fear and lips trembled like he wanted to speak, but he couldn't find the words to say. He tapped his index finger to his thumb in a frantic rhythm and tilted his head toward the sky. I knew it must be hard for him to see someone he admired in so much pain. I was surprised he even came this close.
"Allyson, I w-want to... I'm here to help." Caleb kept one of his hands firmly on the towels.
I nodded, and together, we pushed the towels into the wound on Daxson's chest.
My parents argued in the background, but the only noise I could focus on was sirens blaring in the near distance. Daxson's body became eerily still beneath our hands. My mind refused to think of anything other than every moment I got to spend with him. Every word, every laugh, and every kiss... everything he did to save me.
The dark starry night flashed blue and red with what I hoped would be our savior.
***
The constant beep, beep, beep of the monitor above Daxson's head eased my fears. I slumped back against the side of the ambulance and focused on his face. I was scared if I looked away he would disappear.
The paramedics talked to each other as they worked to insert an IV into his arm and stop the profound bleeding of his wound. I pulled my phone out to send a message to Daxson's mother. Never in my life did I imagine I'd have to tell his mother this kind of news. Her son had been hurt because of me.
Daxson is being transported to the Baptist Memorial hospital in Mississippi. He's in critical condition. Please get there as soon as you can. He needs his family.
I hit send and exhaled a quiet breath, leaning my head back against the wall of the ambulance. My mind raced with the events of tonight. All I could see when I closed my eyes was the police officers forcing my father into the back of their car in handcuffs. Â How could my father be so angry? In the end, was the hatred even worth it?
Without warning, the beeping on the monitor increased. My eyes flashed to the screen.
"What's happening?" I asked, my voice laced with panic.
Suddenly, he flatlined. The constant shrill noise of the monitor filled the entire cab and brought stinging tears back to my eyes.
"We're going to lose him." The blonde paramedic moved to straddle his waist and immediately started chest compressions.
The longer the flatline lasted, the longer I saw my whole world lifeless in front of me.
The other paramedic leaned to give breaths between compressions. I was helpless, left to watch him fight for his life alone.
We must have arrived at the hospital because the ambulance came to a halt, jolting everyone forward. The paramedics continued chest compressions as the doors swung open. The male paramedic gave me a solemn look. The curious side of me wanted to know why he gave me that look before I came to the decision it was probably best if I didn't know. I reached out to squeeze Daxson's hand one last time before moving out of the way, forcing myself into a corner of the ambulance against a box full of medical supplies.
The team of healthcare professionals unloaded the stretcher and hurried through the sliding double doors. I hopped from the ambulance and followed after them, determined to remain with him as long as I could. The doctors and nurses rambled back and forth to each other as they tried to make a quick assessment of the situation. The wheels of the stretcher and shrill beep of the monitor were the only things I could hear.
"Miss, you cannot follow them." The receptionist stopped me with a manicured hand.
My heart sunk into my chest as the stretcher disappeared from view.
"Why?" was all I could choke out, my mind filled with a succession of horrible outcomes, each worse than the last.
"You must sit in the waiting room like everybody else," she said in educated but clipped tone, gesturing to the area she was talking about. She watched through perfect mascara as I sat dejectedly in one of the hard plastic chairs. My emotions swarmed me, threatening to send me down my dark but familiar road. I rose to my feet and started my search for the bathroom.
The next few hours would be the longest of my life.
***
The plastic chair creaked as I unfolded my legs and placed my feet on the floor. I hadn't left Daxson's bed in the critical care unit since they allowed me to come back. He'd been in surgery for four hours after they'd managed to resuscitate him, but the doctors told me he was stable. They planned to move him to an upstairs floor after the anesthesia wore off. I hadn't heard from either of our families yet because my phone had died not long after our arrival to the hospital. I knew I should go check in the waiting room, but I couldn't make myself leave his side.
Nurses bustling outside the room and beeping monitors had become a comforting sound to me. The ICU was cold, chilling me to the bone, and the air had an undertone of bleach. The walls were magnolia and barren of any pictures or happiness.
No wonder people always brought flowers.
A sudden stirring in the bed caught my attention, jarring me to my feet and drawing me to his bed. I reached down to grab his warm hand that rested against his side. His eyelids fluttered as he adjusted to the dim lighting in the room.
My heart filled with relief at the sight of his warm eyes. "Dax."
His head turned toward me and he shifted in the bed which earned a protest from his body. His jaw locked as the pain in his chest registered. "Ow."
I laughed to fight the tears of happiness threatening to spill over. I'd turned into such a crybaby. My fingers brought his hand to my lips where I placed a small kiss on the back of his hand.
"Let's not take it too fast, Tiger. You aren't Superman." I smiled.
Daxson leaned his head back against the pillow, but his eyes were locked on my face. "I saved you. That makes me feel like Superman."
I shook my head and tucked my hair behind my ears. "You shouldn't have saved me. How dare you put your life on the line for me, Daxson. My father deserved to live with his stupid decision."
Daxson's fingers dug into the white hospital sheets. "I wasn't going to watch another person I love die. You have my heart, Ally. If I lost you, I wouldn't have been able to take that pain." The tears trickled down my cheeks and despite the pain, he lifted his hand to wipe them away. "Shh. No crying, baby girl. You're too beautiful for tears."
I glanced down at my hand in his. "They're happy tears. I thought I was going to lose you."
"You didn't."
I rolled my eyes. "Easy to say in this moment. I watched you lose massive amounts of blood, flatline..."
He raised his hand to cut me off. "How about we enjoy this moment? Right here, right now, together."
I nodded. "I couldn't ask for more."
He shifted his body in the bed to sit up more. His muscles flexed beneath the bandages and he groaned in pain. "I never want to be shot again in my life," he whined, eyeing the bandages wrapped around his right side.
"I hope you aren't ever shot again. I don't think I could make it through this again." I laughed nervously.
Daxson smiled in response. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."
"Coming from the one with a gunshot wound."
He chuckled. "It'll just be another scar."
My eyes fell to our hands again. I exhaled a deep breath.
He lifted his hand to touch my chin and bring my eyes to meet his. "What's wrong?"
I stared into his warm, honey-colored eyes. "They arrested my father for attempted first-degree murder last night."
Daxson's eyebrows pushed together. "Ally."
"He deserves to spend the rest of his life in a cell for what he's done. He's hurt so many people because he refused to change," I whispered.
"Did you talk to him before they arrested him?"
I shook my head. "No, I refused too. He doesn't deserve my words. It's wasted breath."
"He's still your father." Daxson squeezed my hand.
"He shot you, Dax."
Daxson sighed and his fingers played with mine. "Do you remember back when we sat in the clearing and I first told you about Jacie?"
I nodded.
"What was the first thing you asked after I told you what happened to her?" His tone was soft.
Since he'd been shot, I'd had time to replay every moment we'd ever spent together, so I already knew the exact words he wanted to hear. "How could a father do that to his own daughter?"
Daxson nodded. "Ally, I couldn't see where your father was aiming in the dark, but I do know that if I hadn't pushed you..."
"He would have hit me."
It took a minute for the full effect of my words to sink in. Was he aiming for me? He wanted me dead because of a problem so small.
"Jacie didn't have the opportunity to get the answers to her questions." His eyes remained focused on me. "But you do. I'm not saying you have to forgive him for what he's done, but don't run away from the closure you deserve."
Despite the fact he'd been shot by father, Daxson was still a decent enough human being to keep his head on straight. He didn't give in to the anger like I had.
"How are you still such a good person with everything you've been through?"
Daxson chuckled and tried to shrug his shoulders, but he could only manage to lift the uninjured one. "I've held on to enough anger during my lifetime. All it does it rot your heart and ruin your life. I just don't want to see you make the same mistake I did."
I lifted my hand to run my fingertips along his coarse beard. "I do have to be honest, I had a slip up when they wouldn't let me go back with you."
"It's okay, Ally. One moment of weakness won't break you. Use it to make you stronger." He turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand, his breath was warm as it washed across my skin.
I leaned across the bar of his hospital bed to press my lips to his in a gentle kiss. His lips were hungry for mine and even though I craved him, I also remembered what the nurse had said about keeping physical contact to a minimum while he was in the ICU to prevent possible infections from spreading.
I pulled away from him and smiled. "Get better and you'll get more kisses."
He accepted the challenge with his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"
I nodded. "Of course."
Before he could speak, a nurse in dark blue scrubs stepped into the small room. She folded her hands in front of her and smiled warmly at us. "Do you mind if I interrupt?"
I stepped away from the bed and released Daxson's hand. His eyes left mine to focus on the nurse.
She moved over to check some of his bags that were connected to his IV. "It's good to see you awake, Mr. Winters. I couldn't imagine football without you."
Daxson laughed softly to avoid moving his chest too much. "Well, I owe you guys my life."
The nurse smiled as she worked to replace his bandages. "Just remember us little people when you're under those bright lights on Sunday nights."
He nodded, but remained silent to help with the pain of her cleaning his wound.
Once she finished, she took a step back. "I'll let Dr. Deets know you're awake, and we'll get you moved to a floor where you can have more visitors."
"Thank you," Daxson responded.
She offered one last warm smile before disappearing from the room. As soon as she left, more nurses entered the room to prepare him for his floor transfer. It didn't take longer than ten minutes before we were situated in a his new room.
Daxson repositioned himself to get comfortable in the bed. "Ally, can we finish where we left off earlier?"
I nodded and walked over to stand beside him again. "Yeah, you were about to ask me something, I think."
He took my hand and interlaced my fingers. "When I was leaving the combine yesterday, I found out that the Patriots are interested in me, and plan to aggressively pursue me in the upcoming draft."
"Oh my God. Dax, that's great news! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked, trying to contain the excitement.
Daxson's features were littered with amusement. "Well, we had a lot going on yesterday. I wanted to wait until it was all over."
I wrapped my arms around his neck gently and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you."
He chuckled. "Thanks, but I still have something to ask you." He tilted his head away from me so that he could see my face.
"What is it?"
"Will yoâ" He was cut off.
"Daxson! Oh, my baby," his mother's voice filled the entire room as she hurried over to his bed from the door. "Allyson, how dare you send me a text like that and not answer my calls."
Daxson tore his eyes from me to greet her. "Hey Momma."
"My phone died," I added.
Jasmine's eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she still didn't look old enough to be Daxson's mother. She threw her arms around him and Daxson grimaced in pain.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, moving her arms from around him. "You had me so worried. What happened?"
"It's a long story. Let's save it for another time." He reached his hand out to squeeze hers. But I'm glad you're here."
"I love you, baby." She released his hand and moved around the bed to hug me. "Thank you for watching over him."
I nodded and tightened my arms around her. "You're welcome."
"Dax!" Alexis' little voice carried across the room from her spot by the door.
"Hey, little one," Daxson replied with a big smile. "Come here."
Alexis' long legs carried her across the room. In her arms, she carried one of her favorite robots and she placed it on the end of Daxson's bed before climbing onto it. She sat beside him and wrapped her small arms around him.
"Are you okay?" She questioned.
Daxson nodded and lifted his arm to show her the IVs. "Yeah, I just look like one of your robots now with all these wires."
Alexis giggled. "My robot looks much better than you."
"Still the same little punk, I see." He tickled her with his hand on his injured arm.
Jasmine turned her attention on them and smiled. The relief radiating from her to see Daxson safe stirred something inside me.
"Congratulations on your acceptance to the MIT camp by the way," I added with a smile.
"Thanks, Ally. Did Caleb hear anything?" Her brown eyes looked up at me.
I nodded. "Yes, he did. I've never seen him happier."
Alexis clapped her hands. "I told you he could do it."
I smiled. "Yes, you did."
Jasmine reached out to smooth Alexis' braids down on her head. "Why don't you let Allyson borrow your charger?"
"Here you go," Alexis said, sticking out a cord she had wrapped around her robot.
"Thank you." I took it from her before glancing to the door to see Malik and Demarcus arguing about something right outside.
Malik must've noticed me looking because he glanced away shyly.
Demarcus' attention shifted to me, and he gave me a cocky grin. "Malik's got the hots for one of the nurses," he mouthed.
"Shut up, D," Malik barked, punching his brother in the stomach before crossing the room to stand by Daxson's bed.
"How's my state champion doing?" Daxson asked as he approached.
Malik shrugged his shoulders. "I'd be better if you weren't in the hospital."
"I'll be out soon." He patted his arm. "Then, we can work on your route running. Momma told me it could use some work."
Malik looked to their mother. "Wow. Thanks, Mom."
"Everyday is a chance to get better. Who better to learn from then your brother?" Jasmine folded her arms across her chest.
"That nasty wound didn't mess up your ink, did it bro?" Demarcus asked, finally joining his family. He extended his hand out to Daxson and pulled him into a gentle hug.
Daxson laughed and glanced at the bandages wrapped around his shoulder again. "I guess we'll have to see when it heals."
"It'll still be a good scar. You think you'll be healed up in time for the draft?" Demarcus stood beside his brother's bed and poked at Alexis.
Alexis stuck her tongue out at Demarcus as she clung to Daxson's side.
"Two months? Definitely." Daxson's warm smile filled his face.
"You know this is going to be all over the news," Demarcus added.
I exhaled a deep breath as I stepped back to take a seat in one of the chairs in the corner of the room, plugging my phone into the wall. My body relaxed into the chair for the first time since I'd been in the hospital. It was nice to have the room so filled with love when just hours ago, Daxson was making me promise to tell his family he loved them. My eyes flickered back to all of them surrounding his bed. I was amazed at how much each of them had grown and overcome their past.
My eyes moved to the door to catch sight of Caleb with his always clammy fingers wrapped around a vase of beautiful blue flowers. My mother stood behind him with a worried expression on her face. My heart wanted to leap from my chest as I got to my feet and ran to them. My mother wrapped her arms around me in the tightest hug she's ever given me.
"Ally, you have no idea how sorry I am..." she whispered in my ear.
I nodded and dug my face deeper into her hair. "It's okay. I'm just happy you're here."
She exhaled a deep breath and held me for a few seconds longer. "I'm only here for a few minutes." She released me. "I have to go down to the police station and fill out some paperwork."
"Are you bailing him out?" I asked, trying to hide the disappointment on my face.
After everything, she was just going to allow him to continue to control her.
She shook her head. "No, no. Just police report stuff, but I do want you to know I'm filing for a divorce. I'm taking the paperwork to the lawyer on Monday."
My eyebrows lifted. "Really?"
"Yes, this was the last straw, Ally. I love your father, I always have, but my love for my children is greater. I will never allow him to hurt either of you again." She glanced down at Caleb.
I squeezed her hand. "I'm proud of you."
She nodded with a soft smile, but I could see the fear in her eyes.
Caleb held out the vase to me. "These are f-for Daxson. I picked... we picked them out."
I smiled and took the glass vase from him, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers. "They're beautiful. I think he's going to love them." I held them back out to him. "Why don't you go give them to him?"
Caleb took the vase back from me with wide eyes. "B-but I don't think I c-ca.. should give them to him."
I motioned toward the bed. "You've got this. He'd love to see you."
Caleb looked from me to Daxson's bed where his whole family had turned around to watch us. I watched Caleb swallow the lump in his throat before forcing his feet forward, grasping the vase in his hands.
Daxson met my eyes from the bed before looking at Caleb with a wide smile spread across his face. "Hey, buddy. What're those?"
Caleb's head turned to take in the unfamiliar faces of Daxson's family. "I t-thought you might like these. I know hospitals c-can... are boring." He set the vase on the edge of Daxson's bed.
Daxson laughed and lifted his arm to tell Alexis to grab them. She crawled to the edge of the bed and took them from Caleb before sticking her hand out.
"I'm Alexis. I've heard a lot about you, Caleb."
Caleb looked at her hand and his fingers started to tap together slowly. "It's nice to m-m... to see you, Alexis."
Alexis lowered her hand and smiled. "We'll be spending a lot of time together at MIT this summer."
My mother sniffled beside me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and rested my head against hers. We didn't exchange words, and we didn't need to. I'd learned from Daxson that sometimes silence is enough to get the point across.
Apparently, we had missed something funny because laughter spread throughout everyone surrounding Daxson's bed. Jasmine left the bed to make her way over to my mother and I. She placed her hands behind her back as she stopped in front of us.
"I hate that we had to meet under these circumstances, but thank you for being here for my son," Jasmine said, holding her hand out to my mother.
My mother was hesitant at first. I didn't blame her because Jasmine had an intimidating air around her until after you get to know her.
"I'm so sorry," my mother whispered.
"He's okay. That's all I could ask for," Jasmine said before glancing over her shoulder to look back at her family and Caleb. "Sometimes." She turned back to us. "Sometimes, things happen for a reason. I think this time, this unfortunate situation was meant to bring us together."
My mother managed a weak smile. "I think you're right."
"How about we all go grab something to eat in the cafeteria and give Daxson a little time to rest?" Jasmine asked loud enough for everyone to hear.
Malik sat the vase of flowers on the small table beside Daxson's bed before picking up Alexis from the bed and sitting her on the ground. Her and Caleb walked beside each other deep in conversation about something. Demarcus gave Daxson a high-five before following his family out the door.
"I'll see you guys soon," I called out in the hallway as they made their way to the elevator.
I turned to face Daxson with my hands on my hips.
"You look tired," he said with a big grin on his face.
I sighed and shook my head, causing my dark hair to fall into my face. "You have no idea. I'm honestly just emotionally drained." I looked back up.
"Why don't you come here?" He asked, lifting his uninjured arm and creating a spot for me on the bed.
I started toward him, but stopped when my phone buzzed in the corner of the room.
"Go ahead."
I couldn't help but laugh at him as I made my way over to my phone. Madison had sent me a voicemail.
After pushing play, Madison's voice filled my ear. "Hey, are you guys okay? Daxson is all over the news, something about a gunshot. Camilla and I are worried about you. Please give me a call when you can."
I hit the dial button and waited for the phone to ring.
"Allyson! Thank god," Madison whispered.
"I just wanted to let you know everything's okay."
It sounded like Madison was moving around on the other end of the line. "That's all I was asking for. How is he?"
I glanced at Daxson over my shoulder who was watching the numbers on his monitor. "He's fine. Just needs a little time to recover."
"Okay, well I won't keep you long. I just had to know you guys were okay," she replied.
"Thanks, Madison. Is everything okay there?" I asked.
"I mean, other than everyone freaking out because of the news about Daxson, yeah, its all good. Keith just got here with some food, so we're going to sit down for dinner."
"I guess you worked things out?" I asked, noticing she had mentioned Keith for the first time since she'd went to speak to her brother.
"It's a process, girl. I'll tell you more about it when you guys make it home, okay?" There was a lot of background noise, but I could clearly make out Camilla's spanish accent.
"Sounds good. Bye, girl." I hit the end call button and tossed my phone onto the seat.
"Everything okay?" Daxson asked as I approached his bed.
I leaned on the bar and studied his face. "Everything's great."
He tilted his head.
"Everyone back at the school is worried about you, but they seem to be doing okay. It seems like Madison might have finally worked things out with Kieth." I rocked on my heels. "Our families seem to have found some kind of common ground, which makes me incredibly happy."
Daxson opened his arm for me again. "Do you want to know what would make me incredibly happy?"
Pushing the button to lower the bar, I climbed into the bed and curled into his good side. I looked up at him. "Yeah."
He exhaled and played with the ends of my hair for a few seconds.
I couldn't stand the silence. "Are you going to tell me?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, damn. Can you give me a second to figure out how to tell you?" He ran his hand down my shoulder and arm until he interlaced our fingers. "Ally, I want you to move to Massachusetts with me."
My breath caught in my throat. I know months ago, we had come to a disagreement about this same situation. The path his life was on was taking him to a different state, and my whole life was rooted here. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't put words together.
"There's plenty of schools that'll take transfer credits from Alabama and the medical schools are the best in the country. I know you have so much going for you here, but I just can't imagine being witâ"
I pressed my lips against his to silence him. He was talking too much. My fingers drug through his thick curls and our tongues moved together in an exotic dance that I never wanted to end. I broke the kiss to catch my breath.
"Is that a yes or a goodbye kiss?" He asked with a teasing smile.
A breathless laugh escaped my lips as I looked up at him. Happiness flared in his eyes and it flared in mine too. "Dax, after everything we've been through I'd follow you to the ends of the Earth."
He brushed his nose against mine. "Are you sure?"
"Are you sure you want to take a southern girl like me so far up north?" I raised an eyebrow.
Daxson chuckled. "It'll definitely be interesting, but for real, are you sure?"
I pushed his chest and giggled. I'd never been more sure about anything in my life.
"Nothing in this world would make me happier, Dax."