Selena's eyes fluttered as she was rolled into the operating room. She was met with a blur of bright lights and the antiseptic smell of the hospital. She tried to lift her head, but a wave of pain washed over her, forcing her back onto the gurney.
Her chest felt like it was on fire, and she could feel the warmth of her blood seeping through her clothes. She glanced down, wincing at the sight of her bloody blouse and the dark stain spreading across her chest as the nurse removed the absorbent pad with a reassuring look of pity.
Fear and panic began to set in as she realized the gravity of her situation. She was going to die. She was going to leave Liam behind, and he would never know how much she loved him.
The operating room was a flurry of activity, with nurses and doctors moving swiftly and efficiently around her. The anesthesiologist, a kind-faced Greek man with a thick beard and a warm smile, leaned over her.
The anesthesiologist leaned in, his voice calm and soothing. "Hello, I am Doctor Vilos. Selena, can you hear me? We're going to take good care of you. Just relax and breathe deeply."
Selena nodded weakly, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. Dr. Vilos's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, and Selena felt a sense of trust wash over her.
The operating room was equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including a ventilator, a heart monitor, and a crash cart. The walls were lined with stainless steel cabinets, and the floor was covered in sterile, white linoleum.
As Dr. Vilos began to administer the anesthesia, Selena felt a sense of calm wash over her. She closed her eyes, letting the medication take effect, and let herself drift away into the darkness.
As Gunn, now a surgeon, rushed into the operating room, his heart sank seeing the gunshot victim on his operating table. His friend and crush, Selena, was lying on the table, her life hanging in the balance.
"Selena?" Gunn asked. His colleague, Dr. Vilos was the best in the business; he gave a nod.
"Our patient is an -0, with a history of epilepsy and a penicillin allergy," Gunn said.
"Dr. Whitehaven, do you know her?"Dr. Vilos asked his colleague, Everyone was busy operating, and although it would be a conflict of interest, it could be bad if she died and they were emotionally involved. He inserted a line into the patient's wrist to monitor her closely during the operation as Gunn intubated her.
Gunn paused shortly to answer his colleagues and the staff, "We are close friends, I grew up with her." Gunn frowned as the nurse cut off her clothing. This was bad. Very bad.
The team quickly prepped Selena for surgery, and Gunn began to operate. His hands moved swiftly and precisely, but his mind was racing with thoughts of Selena.
Gunn's hands moved swiftly and precisely as he operated on Selena. He was a seasoned surgeon at this point, as a surgeon in the city, he operated on victims of gun violence more than he went to the bathroom. But the fact that it was his friend and crush on the table made his heart race with anxiety.
The operating room lights blazed down on Selena, casting an eerie glow on the tense scene unfolding before them. Gunn's hands moved with precision, his eyes locked onto Selena's chest as he carefully made the incision.
"Scalpel," he requested, his voice firm and calm, but his eyes betrayed a hint of worry.
Nurse Thompson, a seasoned veteran of the OR, handed him the instrument with a steady hand. "Here you are, Doctor."
Gunn's gaze flicked to the anesthesiologist, Dr. Vilos, who stood at the head of the table, monitoring Selena's vitals. "How's she doing, Dr. Vilos?" Gunn asked, his voice low and even, but his concern for his best friend was palpable.
Dr. Vilos's eyes darted to the monitors before responding, "Stable, Doctor. But we need to move quickly."
Gunn nodded, his focus returning to Selena's chest. "Forceps," he requested, his hands moving swiftly to retract the tissue.
Surgical technician Mariah Rodriguez handed him the instrument, her eyes fixed intently on the procedure.
As Gunn delicately dissected the tissue, the tension in the room grew thicker. Selena's life hung in the balance, and every second counted.
"Clamp," Gunn requested, his voice firm. Nurse Thompson handed him the instrument, her hand brushing against his as she did so. Everything but his hands flinched.
With the clamp in place, Gunn's hands moved with precision, carefully extracting the bullet from Selena's chest. But just as he was about to remove it, Selena's vitals began to drop.
"Desatting!" Dr. Vilos called out, his voice urgent. "We're losing oxygenation!"
Gunn's eyes snapped to the monitors, his mind racing. Selena's lung was probably collapsing; had he knocked a shard of the casing? They were running out of time. Her oxygen levels were dropping.
"Needle decompression, stat!" Gunn ordered, more focused.
Mariah quickly handed him the needle, and Gunn swiftly inserted it into Selena's chest, releasing the trapped air. Selena's vitals began to stabilize, and Gunn let out a sigh of relief.
The room erupted into a flurry of activity as the staff worked to stabilize Selena and close the incision. Gunn's eyes met Dr. Vilos', a nod of gratitude passing between them.
But as he looked at Selena's pale face, he couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. He had always had feelings for her, and now, as he looked at her lying in the hospital bed, he realized just how much he cared for her.
"Selena," he thought, his brow dripping with sweat and his gloves covered with her blood. "I'm so glad you're going to be okay. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." The team worked quickly and efficiently, but Selena's condition was critical. She had also lost a lot of blood, and her right lower rib had shattered.
In the waiting room, Liam paced back and forth in the waiting room, his heart filled with worry and fear.
"What if she doesn't make it?" he thought to himself. "What if I never get to tell her how sorry I am? I thought when she postponed answering, the engagement that it was me, that I fucked up?."
The time ticked by, and Liam's anxiety grew. He couldn't lose Selena now, not when he had just cleared the air about his feelings for her.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Gunn came out of the operating room, a look of exhaustion on his face.
"Liam, that was a surprise to see on my fucking table," he said. "She's stable. She's in the ICU. She'll spend a few days there." Gunn raked a palm over his face. Liam was covered in her blood.
Liam's eyes filled with tears as he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he whispered.
But Gunn's expression was serious." She's not out of the woods yet," he said. "We need to monitor her closely for the next 24 hours. Shit like clots, infections, missed bone fragments or bleeds are a problem. I was very thorough."
Liam nodded, feeling a wave of gratitude towards Gunn and the medical team."Thank you," he said. "Thank you for saving her life."
Selena's family pulled in. Vahalla was a long drive from The Hills, in the city. He could see them rushing in. He looked down at his shaking, bloody hands and thought back to his 17th birthday, when she had put pressure on his wound and wished the pain away.
The sliding doors all opened with a whir as Selena's parents, Jonathan and Eun Ho, walked into the waiting room, looking frantic with worry. Three bodyguards filed into the waiting room.
"Liam, what happened?" Jonathan asked, his voice firm but worried. The man had aged when Jonah had fallen into a coma. Were the Lowrie's cursed?
Liam took a deep breath and explained what he had witnessed."I was in the lab with Selena," he said. "We were arguing, and she ran out of the lab. I ran out after her to apologize. I didn't see what happened next, but I heard the gunfire and rushed outside to find her lying on the ground."
Eun Ho's eyes widened in horror. Her daughter was shot?"Damn it, who is after us?" she whispered. "Who could have done this?"
Just then, a detective walked up to the group. "Hello, I'm Detective Ian Paisley. Are you family?" he said. "I'm investigating the shooting. Did you see anything?" The detective looked over. He was a studious-looking man, dressed in a dress shirt with a tie that was loose.
Jonathan and Eun exchanged a worried glance.
"What do you know about the shooter?" Jonathan asked.
Detective Paisley hesitated before speaking. "We believe it was a cartel hit," he said. "The shooter was caught on CCTV in front of the Lab, they waited 8 hours for her. The FBI and DEA know her as McKenna MacDonald."
Eun Ho's eyes widened in shock. She was thankful that Jonathan was diligent in erasing the connections to McKenna from their lives.
"McKenna?" she repeated. "But that's... that's a friend, a daughter of an old acquaintance." Eun Ho's face was kept straight, but a deep heartache filled her. McKenna Lowrie, was digitally, politically, and bureaucratically scrubbed from existence. However, she did raise her. Eun Ho felt betrayed.
Jonathan's face turned pale. "Oh my God," he whispered. "It can't be. She's supposed to be in California; she has money, why?"
Detective Paisley's expression was grim."I'm afraid it's not that simple," he said. "McKenna MacDonald, she's a very dangerous woman. Her father was a cartel captain, and her uncle Peter Gonzales picked up after a rival gang massacred the whole Los Locos gang. She's been running quite the show with him in Los Angeles."
Jonathan was shocked; they had created the power vacuum for this to happen after Selena's kidnapping years ago. They should have watched them. He went back to his mother's words about the calamities or challenges they would face. Hadn't it been three yet? Had his family made it through them? Or was there more? Was this just a challenge for her?
As the group continued to talk, Jonah was rolled downstairs in his wheelchair, overhearing the conversation. Claire, who was pushing his chair, leaned down and whispered in his ear.
"Don't worry, Jonah. I'll take care of McKenna. She'll pay for what she did to Selena."
Jonah's eyes widened in surprise, but Claire just smiled and patted his hand."I'll be back," she said, before turning and walking away.
As Claire disappeared into the crowd, Jonah couldn't help but wonder what she had planned. But one thing was for sure - McKenna was at her mercy, and Claire wasn't merciful.
Jonah rolled over to his parents, who were still talking to Detective Paisley. They were all worried about Selena, but Jonah's mind was on Claire and what she might do to McKenna.