“Channing!” I cried out in horror as he went down. The tears sprung to my eyes as I sobbed and tried desperately to pull my arms away.
Channing’s father and brother were still there. His father dropped the gun and stared at the lifeless form in front of him. “Son,” he said in almost a whisper.
Damon started to look frantic as the sirens drew closer. “Dad, we have to get out of here.”
“You’re not going to get away with this,” I said, staring them down.
“Shut up!” Damon ordered. He reached down and grabbed the gun, and I wondered if maybe I spoke too quickly. I feared that maybe I would get shot before the cops could come in to rescue me. The sirens were right outside the door and they knew it. “Let’s get out of here,” Damon said. They ran towards the door and I let out a breath that I didn’t know I was holding.
“Channing…wake up baby…please…” I mumbled, sobbing as the tears were now raining down my cheeks. I heard rustling outside the room and hope flourished inside of me. “We’re in here! Help!” I called out.
Two cops, followed by a stretcher and paramedics, came running into the room. We were saved. One cop came over to me and helped to get my wrists undone. I was at a loss for words, but needed them to know that both men were on the loose. “They left…someone needs to find them,” I said, barely able to catch my breath.
“It’s alright, ma’am. We have two officers with them now. They tried to escape, but it’s over.” I fell into his arms, relieved to hear him say that. I started sobbing as I looked past him and saw Channing being loaded up on the stretcher. He looked so helpless. He looked like he was already gone.
But the words, we’ve got a pulse, echoed through my mind and I was hit with relief. They pulled the stretcher, with Channing on it, out of the room and I had to go with him. “I have to go to the hospital,” I said.
“Of course! We’ll meet you at the hospital, so we can get an official statement. Can we call someone for you?” the officer asked.
“I’ll do it!” I said. “I just need to go.” With that, I hurried out of the room and made it outside, just as they were about to load him into the back of the EMS. “Wait!” I called out. “Can I come with him?” I asked.
The paramedic nodded. “You’ll need to get checked out too.”
“No, I’m fine. I just want you to make sure he’s okay,” I argued.
They put him in the back and I got up after them. I sat down on the bench beside him and grabbed his hand. “I’m here, baby. Just stay strong.” I felt the faint thread of his pulse as the EMS turned on their sirens and pulled away from the building. He was going to be fine. He just had to be.
***
By the time I got to the hospital, I agreed to be looked at, but not until Channing was in the room and being worked on. A doctor checked me out and came back with me being fine, but I could have told him that anyway, other than the fact that nerves were working hard on my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my life would be if Channing wasn’t alright.
When I got to the waiting room, my parents were already there. I ran over to them, throwing my arms around their neck and started sobbing. “He looked so lifeless,” I said. “I was so scared.” I had moved past me being scared for my own life. The truth was that Channing came in to save me. I was here, because he had stepped in the way of the bullet and I would never be able to forgive myself if he didn’t make it.
“What happened?” My mom’s soft and soothing voice asked.
We went over to a group of chairs and I sat down. My legs were wobbly and I needed to have a rest. I started to tell them the story, saying just that Channing’s father and brother didn’t like me, and I was caught in the middle. “So, in other words, Channing put you in this situation?” My dad asked. He looked upset and I had to quickly diffuse the situation. I couldn’t have him upset by this, when Channing was fighting for his life.
“Dad…this isn’t Channing’s fault. He loves me and it’s because of him that I’m sitting here right now. He jumped in the line of fire, and he can’t help who his father does and doesn’t like. I should have been more careful, so this was partly my fault too,” I said.
“This is not your fault, sweetheart.” My dad’s face softened. “But I’m just so grateful that he was there for you,” he said. He hugged me and I fell into his strong hold.
“I’m scared, Dad,” I admitted.
“I know honey, but we have to have faith that he will be fine.”
My mom reached out and touched my knee. I looked up at her and she was looking away from us. I looked to where she was staring and standing at the open of the waiting room was Channing’s mom. She was looking at us. Her face was red and for obvious reasons, she’d been crying. I got up and hurried towards her. I wrapped my arms around her and we hugged.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Holloway,” I said.
“Dear…” she said, her breath brushing against my ear. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m sorry about the way my husband reacted to you.” She pulled back and tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I’m just glad that my son got to you in time.”
I had questioned how he had found me so quickly and I thought about it. “Was it you? Did you tell him I was in trouble?” I asked.
She smiled through the light tears. “Let’s not think about that now,” she said. “We need to be a strong and united group, so that we can get through this together.”
I smiled at her. “Thank you,” I whispered. She nodded and we headed over to where my parents were seated. “Mom…Dad…I want you to meet Channing’s mother.”
They both looked at her with ambivalence. I knew that, once everything came out about the Holloways, my family would understand that his mother didn’t hold the same beliefs. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said as she reached out to shake my parents’ hand. Then slowly they both accepted her hand and she took a seat next to them.