Was her sister already dead?
“Jonathon, I can't …” she started, she was so scared, she couldn’t even form a sentence. What would she do without Naomi? She couldn’t imagine life without her sister.
“Clara, just try to calm down.” Jonathon put his arms around her and drew her to his chest, wrapping her up in a warm embrace. An embrace that usually made her feel safe and secure and loved, but right now it did nothing. It wasn't going to save her sister’s life. There was nothing Jonathon or anyone else could do if Naomi was already dead. And Jonathon had no right being so calm and controlled. Aggie had been in tears since they got the call, and she was a jittery fearful mess, but she hadn’t cried yet. Couldn’t. It felt like crying was admitting she was going to lose Naomi.
“I just spoke to Nick.” Aggie came up beside them.
Shrugging out of Jonathon’s arms, she all but pounced on her other sister. “What did he say?”
“He said Naomi is in surgery. He and Sam are up in the surgical waiting room.”
“She’s still alive?” Clara could hear the wobble in her voice, maybe she could relax a smidgen once she had confirmation that her sister wasn't dead, that there was still hope.
“Yes.”
Catching the slight hesitation in Aggie’s voice. “But?”
“But she’s not doing so well, they're not sure that she’s going to make it.”
Clara thought she was frozen in place, paralyzed by fear, but in reality, she must have swayed and started to fall because Jonathon snapped an arm around her waist and yanked her hard up against his body.
“Maybe I should take you home,” her fiancé suggested.
Home? She wasn't leaving the hospital until she knew her sister was out of the woods. “No,” she said firmly.
“You have to take care of yourself,” Jonathon reprimanded. “You're pregnant.”
Which was so unfair. How could she be experiencing the best times of her life, engaged, days away from her wedding, pregnant with her first child, and yet be possibly going to lose her sister. That wasn't fair. Naomi should be here for all of those things. She wanted her sister standing up for her as her maid of honor at her wedding. She wanted her sister there when she gave birth to her baby. She couldn’t imagine Naomi not being there.
“Clara …”
“No. Whatever you’re going to say, just no. Where’s the surgical waiting room?” she asked Aggie.
“This way.”
In silence they followed Aggie. Clara could feel Jonathon’s concerns for her, but she wasn't worried about herself, only her sister.
The first thing she saw when they entered the waiting room was the blood on Sam and Nick’s clothes.
Naomi’s blood.
There was so much of it. How could Naomi have lost so much blood and still be alive?
Was everyone lying to her?
Trying to pacify her with lies about her sister?
“Sam.”
As she said his name, he lifted his head to look at her, and Clara felt her heart drop. Sam’s eyes were a turbulent mess of fear and pain. He loved Naomi as much as she did, and she wasn't sure either of them could recover from her death if she didn’t make it. She ran to him, threw her arms around his waist, oblivious to the blood smearing her own clothes now.
“What happened?” she asked.
“He shot her,” Sam’s voice was rough with emotion.
“Shot her?” she echoed.
“In the chest. She was having trouble breathing, and bleeding all over the place.”