Lexi
April 8th, 2017 | 1:00 am
Lexi didn't know where she was going. She just had to get away from Liam. She was angry and confused and upset. How could he go behind her back like that? It was so obvious that Austin still cared, she still cared, no one understood.
She found herself in front of the multi-faith space she had cried in front of when her father died. She contemplated going inside. It was a place to connect with God and right now, Lexi needed that. Finally, she walked in and sat down on one of the chairs.
"I don't know how to do this," Lexi admitted out loud. "But I'm going to try."
Lexi glanced back at the door to make sure it was closed and no one else was there. Then, she began to do something she couldn't really imagine herself doing ever before: she tried to talk to God.
"I don't know if this is praying or how this works, but I need your help. There's this boy in surgery right now, his name is Austin West, he is the best thing to ever happen to me. He was shot trying to save me, and he can't die. I can't lose him too."
Tears were pouring down her face. She could barely speak without her voice shaking now.
"I've already lost my mom and my dad, I can't lose another person I love, please I am begging you. Please don't let him die."
The door opened and Lexi looked up. Victor stood at the door.
"Lexi?"
She stood up and faced him.
"Monica just finished in the operating room," he said.
"Austin," she said immediately. "Is he okay?" she asked, walking with him to the room now. She was trying to go as fast as she could.
"Lexi," he said sadly. "I feel like I have to warn you, he hasn't woken up yet, and they don't know if he will."
Lexi looked past Dr. Summers and into the room where Austin was. He was lying in the bed, his eyes were closed, if it weren't for the giant gauze and stitching on the left side of his abdomen, it would have looked like he was sleeping. Tears pricked her eyes again.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He lost a lot of blood, he was already so weak, sometimes it is just too much on the body."
Lexi's face crumpled up in pain. She couldn't lose him. Not him too. Monica came into the hallway. She looked so tired, she had been operating for hours now. It was almost two in the morning. She saw Lexi and came over and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry, Lexi, we removed the bullet and stitched him up but nothing is for sure, there was a lot of damage," she said quietly.
Lexi held back her sobs as she buried her face in Monica's shoulder. This wasn't happening, she couldn't lose him too.
Eventually, Lexi let go of Monica and walked into Austin's room. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and watched him. She could see his chest move up and down with his breathing, but barely. The heartbeat monitor was the only thing reminding her that he was still alive. She reached forward and took his hand in her own. Lexi barely even realized she was praying, but she was. There was nothing else she could do.
"Lexi," Victor said quietly from the door. "The police would like to talk to you."
"I'm not leaving," she said firmly.
He nodded understandingly and left the room. The detective agreed to come talk with her in Austin's room in the morning. Lexi couldn't sleep the whole night, she just stared at Austin, hoping for the slightest change in his condition.
Rachel came by in the morning first. She didn't stay for long, she just convinced Lexi to change out of her clothes that were stained with her tears and Austin's blood. Rachel offered a few words of comfort and stayed with her until the detective came.
"Alexandra Cross?" he asked from the door.
Lexi nodded, not taking her eyes off of Austin. Rachel patted her arm comfortingly, before getting up and leaving. Lexi caught Liam looking into the room as Rachel left. She was too worried about Austin to care. The man closed the door behind him and introduced himself, showing Lexi his badge.
"I'm Detective Walters, is it okay if I ask you some questions?"
Lexi nodded her head.
"Okay," he said. He took a seat across from her against the window.
Lexi looked up at the man. He was old, his hair was graying and he had creases around his mouth and eyes. His expression was solemn almost as if he had seen too much horror to smile anymore.
"How is he?" Detective Walters asked.
Lexi swallowed the lump in her throat. "They finished operating and I think it went all right but he hasn't woken up yet," she answered. And they don't know if he ever will, she thought to herself.
"What were you two doing at your house?" he asked. "Your file says the house was locked up when you were placed under the care of Monica and Victor Summers."
Lexi frowned. "You read my file?"
"We've been working with Austin for quite some time to take down this drug dealer," he explained. "We educated ourselves on everything, including you."
"What do I have to do with it?" Lexi asked.
"Everything," the detective said. "Do you know the drug dealer, Uriah?"
Lexi shook her head.
"He makes special pills, of his own concoction, his buyers love them for their insane highs, but they are also extremely dangerous and illegal. Last year, when you overdosed, it was off his pills."
Lexi didn't know that. She hadn't even realized until she was clean just how dangerous it was to be taking random pills, especially laced ones.
"I still don't understand," Lexi said.
The man nodded as if he expected that. "Austin has spent the last year selling drugs with Rick for Uriah. Austin told us that Rick got in quite a lot of trouble for letting you overdose on Uriah's concoction, he knew a tox screen would lead back to him. To make it up to Uriah, Rick promised to sell twice as much. So, he twisted Austin's arm and got him to sell as well."
"How did Rick convince Austin to sell pills for a guy like Uriah?" Lexi asked.
Her voice was still shaky but she was so curious. She knew Austin used to sell some weed when they met and used to sell some light stuff but dangerous laced pills like this? She couldn't see him doing that.
"Now we come to you," Detective Walters said. "Rick blackmailed him, he told Austin that if he didn't sell pills with him for Uriah, then he would tell Uriah it was your tox screen that made him move underground."
Lexi shuddered at the thought of that man knowing it was Lexi's fault his drug business had taken a sharp turn.
"He did it for me?" she asked.
The detective nodded. "He hated every minute of it though, he came to us a few weeks ago and offered to help us, we had a plan, one that did not involve guns by the way."
Lexi grimaced. She squeezed Austin's hand. She knew he was good, of course he would go to these lengths to protect her. He would always be there for her.
"So, I ask again, what were you two doing at your old house?"
Lexi took a deep breath. "I missed my parents, I wanted to feel close to them, Austin was living there, he said he was hiding from Rick."
"But Rick found him anyway?"
Lexi nodded glumly. "He followed me there, I think he was planning on killing me, I don't think he even realized Austin would be there."
"Austin told us Rick was going mad, do you agree?"
Lexi nodded. "He looked deranged," she whispered. "He was ranting about how he and Austin were brothers and how they were family and I had been in the way. I was just trying to get the police on the phone, he had a gun."
"He was aiming for you then, wasn't he?" he said.
Lexi nodded again. "Austin was in front of me and Rick panicked, he fired the gun just as the police stormed in and shot Rick."
He wrote something down. Then checked his phone. "I'm so sorry, Alexandra, a lot of awful things have happened to you. I know things won't get better until Austin wakes up, but I just want you to know that as of a few minutes ago, all of the men involved in Uriah's business have been apprehended."
Lexi looked up, surprised. "What? How?" she asked.
"Mostly because of Austin, but we also got Rick's phone with all the information we needed," he said. "Austin doesn't have any family, and he is eighteen, so we're just going to brush all this away. Assuming Austin wakes up, things should look up for him. Especially with a girl like you caring for him."
"Thank you," she said quietly. Her voice was tight and her heart was still twisted in pain.
Detective Walters stood up to leave. "I think I understand everything I need to."
"What happened to Rick?" she asked before he left the room.
The detective turned back and looked at her. "He died before the paramedics could work on him."
It felt wrong to be as relieved as she was about that. Detective Walters left and her attention turned back to Austin.
"Please, Austin I am begging you, please wake up."