Page 72 of Stolen Dreams

The paramedics come in first with a gurney.“What do we have?”One of them looks at me.

“She’s been stabbed at least once,” Brady says of the wound.“I applied pressure.”The paramedic nods at him as he moves away so he can step in there.

“Sir,” the other paramedic says, “I’m going to need to get in there.”I move to the side but not far from her.

“BP is one seventy over one ten,” he says, looking over at the other paramedic.“We better get her out of here before she codes.”

“She codes,” I repeat the words as I watch them lift her onto the gurney.“I’m coming with you,”

I state, running with them as they rush to the front door.

The lights from the police cars now fill the front.I see a couple of the police officers running toward the house while we run away from them.Pops is running down the street when he sees me.

“How is she?”He looks at me and then at the gurney as we stop at the ambulance.

“Alive.”That’s the only thing that really matters.

“Where is Sammy?”he asks when he sees blood on me.

“Also alive.”I motion to the house.

“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” he says.“Her parents are there now.They got here, and I sent them straight to the hospital.”

“Are you coming or staying?”one of the paramedics asks when they get her in while the other one runs to the front to drive.

“I’m coming,” I reply, putting one foot on the back of the ambulance and getting in.I sit on the side of the gurney as he closes the door.“Can I hold her hand?”I ask, and he nods.

I take her hand in mine, bringing it to my lips.I will never not kiss her, never.I look at her lying on the gurney.“I came as soon as I could.”I lean forward to the side of her head.When I kicked in the door, we were met by silence.Both of us looked around the living room, which led into a kitchen and a long, dark hallway to the back of the house.I took two steps in, listening to the silence of the house.The only thing I could hear was the heavy breathing that was coming out of me when I heard her cry for help, and the only thing I could do was follow the sound of her voice to the back of the house.When I first walked into the bedroom, it looked normal, but then I heard her yell from behind the wall.It felt like forever until we pressed on it, and the door opened, then I saw her.Her hair was dyed black, and her face was paler than I’d ever seen her before, with one eye swollen.She also had a cut on her right cheek and a busted lip.

The ambulance stops, and the back door flies open, and I see two nurses and a doctor waiting for us.“We have a female,” the paramedic who was with me says to them as they pull the gurney out of the back and then walks quickly inside the hospital.“Multiple stab wounds.”I hear the words, but the only thing I can do is run to meet her.

They take her behind two doors that shut by the time I get there, and a nurse steps in front of me.“You need to wait here.”

“I need to be with her,” I say.

“You are going to get in the way,” she replies sternly.“Now, I promise you I will come out and let you know what is going on.”She turns.“You have my word.”

I watch her walk into the doors, and they close behind her, and all I can do is stay here waiting.Charlie comes in with something white in his hand.“I think you should change.”He motions to my shirt, and I look down, and it has blood on it.“Her parents are on their way, and so is everyone else, including Lucy.”I grab the shirt from him.“Maybe go wash your hands and shit.”He motions toward the hallway where the bathroom is.I walk to the bathroom, pull open the door, and step inside.

The light is already on, but flickers every couple of seconds.I walk to the sink, putting the shirt on top of the paper towel dispenser before turning the water on and washing my hands.My eyes watch the water turn pink from his blood.I feel the rage come up in me again.“Push it down,” I tell myself, quickly washing my hands and then drying them before replacing my bloody T-shirt with the new one, tossing the bloody one in the trash.I walk out, heading straight to Charlie, and then stopping when two people run into the hospital, looking around to see Lilah’s parents.

They’ve visited a couple of times over the years, but I’ve never met them.“Hi,” I say when I get close to them.

“Hi,” her father says.“Who are you?”

“I’m the man who is going to marry your daughter.”I hold out my hand, a shocked gasp coming from the woman who has tears running down her face.“I’m Emmett.”

“I’m Patrick,” her father says, shaking my hand, “and this is my wife, Carole.”

“How is she?”her mother asks, not bothering to shake my hand.

“They just took her in,” I share, and I’m about to say something else when the door opens, and I look to see Lucy running in with Brock behind her.

Her face is streaked with tears as she looks around, her eyes finding mine.“Daddy,” she cries, and my knees give out as she crashes into me, almost knocking me back.She wraps her arms around my neck.“Where is Lilah?”

“I’m sorry,” Brock says, “she wanted to come.”I just nod at him.

“She’s going to be fine,” I assure Lucy.I'm not even sure, but I'm not willing to think of the other option.

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