Screams erupted as he heard more loud popping noises from outside the building. He shrank, he remembered quite vividly, his and his brothers' birthday party and the gunshots. He knew Selena's family often were targets of assassinations. However, nobody should know that this indiscreet building is where she worked.
"Oh god," Liam groaned emotionally as he rushed outside, his heart racing with fear. The scene before him was chaotic and devastating. A black luxury vehicle was speeding away, its tires screeching as it disappeared into the distance. This was a drive-by; had she been caught up in it?
"Someone call 911!" someone shrieked.
Liam's eyes scanned the area, taking in the carnage. Four people lay on the ground, all of them bleeding profusely. His worst fears about the scenario were unfolding before him. Selena was one of the victims, and Liam's heart sank as he saw her lying there, a bullet wound in her upper torso. Selena's eyes were closed, and her face was pale and clammy. Her chest weakly rising and falling.
The other three victims were scattered around her. One of them, a young woman, had been shot in the leg. She was screaming in agony, her hands clutching at her wound. Another victim, a middle-aged man, had been shot in the arm. He was sitting up, his face contorted in pain, as he tried to apply pressure to his wound.
The fourth victim, an older man, had been shot in the shoulder. He was lying on his back, his eyes wide with shock and fear. He was gasping for breath, his chest heaving as he tried to speak.
"Selena, no, no, no. Why?" he said, full of sorrow and regret, rushing to her side.
"Oh my God, Selena!" Liam fell to his knees beside her as good Samaritans worked on the other victims. He parted her clothes looking for the entry room. He sucked in a deep breath when he found it. This was not good.
It could not be more fortunate that this happened on a medical campus in which most of the occupants were medical students and had relevant training. They just did not have the equipment on hand to save her; they had the experience. People peered out the windows. He wished someone would bring something out, some gauze, absorbent pads. Anything.
"You know her?" The Medical Student said, there were many injured and not many people on the scene. He needed to quickly assess and offer aid. The man nodded at her.
"Y-yes," Liam answered, his voice shaking; he knew her very well. Guilt weighed on his heart like a boulder.
"Good, can you apply pressure? Let's see if it went through, or if it is still in there," he said in relief. He needed all the hands he could use. More people had flooded into the street to assist the others. Who would do this? A pro-lifer who was against the work going on in the lab?
Liam stripped off his over-shirt and lab coat. He pressed it against her chest, and the Med student rolled her into the recovery position briefly. Selena grunted.
"It did not go through. Let's roll her back gently. There could be shrapnel in her." The Medical Student frowned. If the ambulance did not get here soon, then her outcome would not be good. He was in his second year here, and he knew that this woman had a challenge ahead of her.
Liam's hands trembled as he applied pressure to Selena's gunshot wound, using his shirt to try and stem the bleeding. "Stay with me, Selena. Please," he whispered, his voice shaking with desperation and fear.
He felt like he was going to lose her, like he was watching the life drain out of her right before his eyes. The thought sent a wave of panic crashing over him, and he struggled to keep his hands steady.
The med student, who had been watching in shock, sprang into action. "We need to apply pressure and monitor her, keep that tightly pressed. I will monitor her blood pressure. You watch her breathing," he said.
Liam nodded, his eyes never leaving Selena's face. "Got it," he said, his voice shaking. Tears pooled in his eyes. He had the training, but he just felt so paralyzed, like his brain had gone haywire.
The med student then quickly removed his jacket and used it to cover Selena, trying to keep her warm. "We need to keep her warm and comfortable until the EMTs arrive," he explained.
Liam nodded, his hands still applying pressure to the wound. He checked Selena's airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs), making sure she was stable. The bullet had entered her right side, and he worried about various things that could have been hit and nicked.
As they waited for the EMTs to arrive, Liam's anxiety grew. He felt like he was going to throw up, like his heart was going to pound out of his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but it didn't work.
Selena groaned in pain, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up at Liam, her gaze filled with a deep love. She tried to speak, her lips moving slowly. "I...I..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Liam's heart skipped a beat as he realized what she was trying to say. "I love you too, Selena," he whispered back, his voice cracking with emotion. "I love you, too."
"I am so sorry that I was so stupid. I am sorry I hurt you." Liam said, tears spilling.
Selena's eyes locked onto Liam's, and she smiled weakly. She tried to speak again, but this time, no words came out. She simply looked at Liam, her eyes filled with fear and pain. She struggled to breathe. It felt like his heart was ripping in half.
The sound of sirens grew louder, and Liam's eyes darted towards the road, willing the EMTs to arrive quickly. He knew every second counted, and he was desperate to get Selena the medical attention she needed. It had felt like time was moving slowly; in fact, it was only a minute or two at most.
"Please hurry," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the road. "Please."
Liam nodded, feeling a wave of panic wash over him. He helplessly watched the EMTs and ambulances arrive at the scene along with the police.
The EMTs burst into the scene, their equipment and stretchers at the ready. "What's the situation?" one of them asked, quickly assessing the scene. They started with Selena first, as she was the most critically injured.
Liam stood up, his hands still covered in Selena's blood. "Gunshot wound," he said, his voice shaking. "I applied pressure, but...But I don't know if it's enough."
The EMTs quickly moved in, taking over care from Liam. One of them, a woman with a kind face, gently examined Selena's wound. "We're going to take good care of her," she said to Liam.
"You did a great job keeping her stable," a reassuring voice rang out. It sounded far away.
Liam nodded, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety as he stepped back and let the EMTs work. He handed a card to the medical student. "Leave your name and number on the voicemail. Someone will reach out and award you for your kindness." Liam said as he handed the student a card. Jonathan would likely pay for this man's schooling.
The EMT worker turned to Selena, who was still conscious but clearly in pain. "Hey, sweetheart, can you hear me?" she asked. The EMT's hands moved and placed pressure on the wound.
Selena nodded weakly, her eyes fixed on Liam. Tears of relief washed down her face. Liam knew that moment she must have looked ahead through the emergency worker.
"We're going to get you to the hospital, okay?" the EMT said. "You're going to be just fine."
Selena's eyes flickered to the EMT, and she tried to speak. But all that came out was a faint whisper. "Liam, I -."
Liam's heart broke as he watched Selena struggle to communicate. He reached out and took her hand, holding it tightly. "I'm here, Selena," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."
The EMTs quickly loaded Selena onto the stretcher, and Liam walked alongside them as they rushed her to the ambulance.
As the EMTs loaded Selena into the ambulance, Liam's voice was a distant echo, pleading with the paramedics to let him ride with her. "Please, I need to be with her...I have to make sure she's okay..."
Selena's eyes fluttered open, and she saw Liam's frantic face, his eyes wild with worry. She tried to reach out to him, but her body felt heavy and unresponsive.
The EMTs were talking to her, their voices a gentle hum, but Selena's mind was foggy, her thoughts disjointed. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, and her vision began to blur. One of the EMTs injected something into her IV, and Selena felt a wave of numbness wash over her. Her pain began to recede, replaced by a dull haze.
As the ambulance sirens wailed around her, Selena's vision went white, and she felt herself drifting away. She was vaguely aware of Liam's voice, still pleading to be with her, but it was growing fainter, farther away.
The ride was a chaotic blur of noise and color, but Selena's sedated mind barely registered it. She was lost in a sea of pain and confusion; her only anchor was the sound of Liam's voice, calling out to her, reassuring her that he was there.
The doors to the Ambulance opened, and she could see him desperately peering at him, covered in blood, his hands were drenched. His eyes were watery with worry. Each movement was agonizing as the stretcher was elevated and lifted out of the vehicle and quickly rolled inside through the emergency vehicles.
Selena's mind was still foggy, but she could faintly recognize the features of Haven Hospital. She had been here before, visiting friends or attending medical conferences. The familiarity of the surroundings brought a sense of comfort, but it was short-lived.
Liam's feet pounded the hospital floor as he chased after the team of paramedics and doctors rushing Selena to the operating room. His heart racing with every step, he felt a growing sense of uncertainty and panic creeping over him.
As he followed the team, Liam's eyes darted back and forth, taking in the chaotic scene around him. The hospital corridors were a blur of rushing medical staff, beeping machines, and the antiseptic smell of disinfectant.
Liam's breath came in short gasps, his lungs burning with exertion. He felt like he was running through quicksand, his legs pumping furiously but getting nowhere.
His hands and arms were covered in Selena's blood, the sticky liquid drying on his skin as he clenched his fists in frustration. His shirt was open, revealing a splattering of blood on his chest, a stark reminder of the chaos that had erupted just hours before. Selena had been shot, and the memory of the sounds still echoing of the gunshots still echoed in his mind. He had held her in his arms, feeling her life slipping away as he begged her to stay with him.
The paramedics and doctors met mid-way and rushed ahead, their faces set in determined lines. Liam struggled to keep up, his fear and anxiety threatening to overwhelm him. "What if Selena didn't make it? What if he lost her?" The thoughts sent a cold dread coursing through his veins, making his heart feel like it was going to stop.
As the sedation began to wear off, Selena's gaze drifted upwards, and she saw the familiar ceiling tiles of Haven Hospital flying by above her. Her head tilted weakly, taking in the cheesy murals of doctors and nurses with patients, with fake plastered smiles on their faces.
The fluorescent lights cast an eerie glow, and oxygen pushed its way into her nose. It was like an alien world for her to be a patient here. The worst was seeing a coworker on her residency team look at her as she rolled past with pity. She knew that look because she knew him well. She was not doing well.
A wave of pain washed over her, and Selena's breath caught in her throat. She tried to move, but a sharp stinging sensation in her chest made her gasp. "Liam, Liam, call my parents," she begged.
Liam heard her pleas; he looked at her and gave her an acknowledging nod. Of course, he would be calling them; the guard probably already had. They were in the back halls of the hospital, and she had been skipped through the triage department. Paperwork was quickly being shuffled and prepared for her.
"She has a platinum card from the Whitehaven Family herself. It is card 125. Please bill all her care to it." Liam said. The health care system was brutal. Administration still looked for money in the face of life and death. It was a reality of billions of people who died because poverty was their comorbidity.
Panic built inside her. Selena heard the sound of other stretchers being wheeled in behind her, the murmur of voices, and the beeping of machines filling the air. The doors opened and closed in a flurry of activity. She realized that she wasn't the only victim, that others had been hurt as well. It was most likely an assassination attempt; these people were caught in the crossfire because of her presence.
As they burst through the operating room doors, Liam was forced to stop, his eyes scanning the room frantically for any sign of Selena. The medical team swarmed around her, their hands moving with precision and speed.
"Selena, please be alright, I am sorry. I am so stupid, I should have said something," he thought. Liam's eyes locked onto Selena's face, his heart skipping a beat as he saw the oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth. He felt a wave of panic wash over him, threatening to engulf him. "Please." He took a step forward, desperate not to let her leave his sight, but a firm hand on his arm stopped him.
"Sir, you need to wait outside," a calm voice said.
He had screwed up and let her hurt for years. He could not believe this was happening, just as they finally broke the walls they both built for everyone else, and she was shot. She could die, and he wasted time that they could have had together stewing because of everyone else's feelings for her. Liam's eyes flashed with desperation, but he knew he had to let the medical team do their job. With a Herculean effort, he turned and walked out of the operating room, leaving Selena in the hands of the medical team.
The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh, and Selena was rushed into the operating room, the bright lights and antiseptic smell enveloping her. She caught a glimpse of the Operating Room team, scrubbed and masked, waiting for her arrival.
Selena felt herself being lifted by the Operating Room Technicians and Nurses. As she was transferred to the operating table, a pair of scissors slid as she was cut from her clothes. The Operating Room team quickly got to work, prepping her for surgery and hooking her up to monitors and IVs. Selena's gaze drifted to Liam, who was standing off to the side, his eyes fixed on her with a mixture of worry and determination.