38

"Don't die on me," Rue begged Tony, who lay on the ground fighting to breathe.

"Call for help," Rue shouted at Xana, who was conflicted on whether to help or run after her father and disappear with him.

With a clear sense, she finally picked up her phone and called. Rue wanted to run after Mr. Fox, but she couldn't risk leaving Tony.

He coughed as Rue put more pressure on his gunshot wound.

"Help is on the way, please watch the twins," Xana said, following the direction her father took, while the twins seemed confused and scared of what was happening.

"Stay with me," she begged Tony again. She didn't know what to do or say. This was his expertise, finding just the right thing to say. "You must, or I will be very mad at you. I've already picked out a dress for that date you promised," Rue tried.

Tony coughed again. She caught Sasha rushing inside the house out of the corner of her eye.

"Sasha," Rue called.

Sarah came closer. "I'm sorry, Rue," she said.

Then Sasha came back with a piece of cloth. "Use this," she said. Rue had been using her bare hands.

Did Zoey not tell the police? They should have been here by now. An idea popped into her head. She searched for Tony's phone and was relieved when she found it. It had a face lock which she used and scrolled to find his uncle Jim's name.

He picked up immediately. "Where are you?" Jim asked.

Rue had to calm herself first to at least communicate correctly. She told him where they were and what had happened.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes. Don't let him fall into unconsciousness," he hung up, and all Rue had to do was wait.

"Is my father a bad man?" Sarah asked.

It was a difficult question that she had no easy answer to, especially for a child.

"He's a man who has done bad things," she answered.

"I don't want him to go to prison or leave us," Sasha joined in.

"Prison is just like detention, a place to correct the bad we do, and you will see him," Rue said the words, conflicting with how she felt. She hoped he'd rot in a hole alone, never to be near people again.

When she looked at Tony again, he was fighting to stay awake. "The sky must be looking exquisite from your position," she tried to sound like him, easing the matter. How did he do it, turning every situation into a positive?

"I...It...does," she was surprised when he managed to utter the words.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a helicopter. They were two, one a rescue helicopter. The only problem was that there was nowhere to land. The only option left was to hoist him on an emergency rescue basket stretcher. One person descends with it.

He assessed his wound, and then with Rue's help, they put him carefully on the stretcher. She watched with both relief and fear as Tony was winched up to the helicopter.

The other helicopter proceeded to search in the woods for Mr. Fox. They were left with one police officer who asked for their statements while Tony was taken to the hospital.

Thirty minutes later, the police arrived, led by Jim. "Someone get these kids to the station," he instructed the police.

He seemed to hold some power, based on how the police behaved around him. Anything he ordered in a snap would be done.

"It must have been your idea to come here," he accused Rue.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to endanger his life,"

"Proving me right again why you aren't good for Tony," Jim spat.

He was right, Rue thought.

"Which hospital has he been taken to?" she asked.

"Only close family are entitled to that information," he said, turning to his team.

"Let's divide and find that son of a bastard," Jim ordered as the police with the dogs started to head into the woods.

"You should also head to the station for follow-up questions," he dismissed Rue.

"My friend is out there too,"

"She is an accomplice now," he answered.

A police officer accompanied her to one of the patrol cars. The twins had already left.

"Have they seen him?" she asked the policewoman who was on the radio.

"They are still looking, it's a thick forest," she answered, starting the engine.

Rue's eyes remained glued to the television. The hunt for Mr. Fox had been ongoing for a while. She didn't know where to find Tony as no one told her where he was taken.

She worried for Xana. Where was she? What was going through her mind?

Her phone had been ringing non-stop, people she knew, unknown numbers, media. She was about to ignore it until she saw a message pop up. It was Tony's sister.

She immediately answered. She first heard muffled cries from the other end, and fear took over, expecting the worst news. "Tony," she paused, "This is so hard... He's awake. I was so worried. I can hardly do anything," she carried on, as a sense of relief washed over Rue, "He asks to see you," she finally finished speaking.

Rue explained that she was still at the police station and she would be at the hospital once she was done.

In the midst of a hard day, Tony's recovery news excited her and also made her desire vengeance on Mr. Fox for what he had done.

Then suddenly there was breaking news, and in red caps, it stated that Mr. Fox had finally been captured. Rue almost jumped in joy. She waited to hear about Xana, but nothing was reported about her. Where was Xana?