For two weeks I haven't been able to sleep thanks to the nightmares. I haven't talked to Garrett either, but that's partially because I don't want to wake him up. Mushu tries to comfort me as much as he can at night but he isn't big enough to give me the kind of comfort I know I need.
Last weekend Mr. Ryder had a group go into Brimstone territory and they managed to kill twenty members without losing anyone. Tonight at the warehouse they're throwing a big party to celebrate and I decided to just stay home. Emily was going to be coming over later and we were just going to binge watch Bones on Netflix.
I sat on my couch wearing a black cropped tank top and light cut off jean shorts. Mushu was rolling around on his cat tree in the catnip I put up there. When I heard the microwave go off I got up to grab the yummy bag of popcorn I put in it.
I heard my front door open. "Hey Emily." I called out. When I didn't hear a response I slowly reached a hand towards the butcher knife that was laying on the counter. I held it tightly and quietly made my way to the living room. The door was wide open and Emily wasn't anywhere in sight. I went to reach for my phone on the coffee table when someone grabbed me around my waist and tossed me into the wall. When my vision cleared I saw scuffed work boots in front of my face. My eyes trailed up to see an unfamiliar face. He picked me up by my hair and smiled a yellow smile at me. I slashed out with the kitchen knife towards his wrist making hin let me go. I dropped and rolled on the floor. I tried to make a break for the door but he grabbed me by the waist again. I stabbed the top of his hand with the knife and he cried out. When he dropped me I rolled to my feet and faced him.
"Your making my job a lot harder." He hissed. "And what is your job?" I asked cockily. "To make you think twice about joining us. Tonight is just a warning." He smirked then lunged.
Emily's POV
When I got to Nicole's I was shocked when I saw her door was cracked open. I quietly opened the door, "Nicole?" I called from the threshold. When I only heard Mushu meow in return I went inside further. I gasped in horror when I saw Nicole laying on the floor with a heavy bookcase laying on top of her. "Nicole!" I cried out and went to her. Her hands were bloodied, her face badly bruised and swollen, gashes decorated her upper arms, and I couldn't tell if she was breathing. With a shakey hand I checked her pulse and relaxed a little when i felt it. I found her phone on the floor and began trying to call Jason. When he didn't answer I tried Cassidy, then I tried Matthew, last I called Garrett.
"Yea Nicole?" He asked boredly. Loud music was blarring in the background. "Garrett it's Emily. I just got to Nicole's apartment and she's hurt. She's got a bookcase on her and its to heavy for me to lift." I told him quickly. "On my way." He said then hung up. I only waited ten minutes before Garrett, Matthew, and a few others rushed in. Garrett and Matthew quickly pushed the bookcase off of her and thats when we saw a small puddle of blood by her stomach. Garrett slowly rolled her over and her side between her left hip and ribs was where she was stabbed. One of the other guys went and got a bowl of water and a rag. Garrett looked to me, "Has she taught you anything?" I shook my head, "Nothing about blood loss. She's going to need a hospital." I said.
Garrett looked at her wound once a lot of the blood was washed off but it was still flowing profusely. "She's right." Matthew said and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Then it was a blur of police and EMTs.
At the hospital they took her to the operating room. Unfortunately for us the police wanted to talk to us. "How did you find her?" An officer named Jones asked me. "I noticed her door was cracked open and I went in to make sure she was ok. I found her on the floor with a book case on her. That's when I called Garrett because I didn't know how bad her injuries were. That's when we saw the blood. We tried to see how deep the cut was but we couldn't get it to stop bleeding thats when we decided she needed a hospital." I told him. "Why wouldn't you call the police immediately?" He asked. "I wanted to make sure she was alive first." I told him. "Did you know that her and her companions are in a gang?" He asked me. I then told him the story Garrett and I came up with, "She was in a gang when she was young. She grew up in a bad orphanage, but she got out when she figured out what she wanted to be then graduated high school early."
We knew if the hospital found out she was in a gang right now she could possibly lose her job.
"Our records don't show that she was." He countered. "She joined to have a kind of family, you know? She only had me and my parents but to her it wasn't enough. She was hoping that if she joined she could figure out who killed her parents it would help, but she never did." I told him. "Any reason anyone would attack her?" He asked next. "Shes a doctor. Maybe someone blames her for not being able to save someone's life that night Pulse exploded." Satisfied with my answers he left and I went to the nurse, "Any word on Nicole Greene's condition?" "Name please?" She asked me. "Emily Rodriguez." I replied. She looked on her computer then nodded, "So far she is still in surgery. She had lost a lot of blood. Do I need to contact her other emergency contacts?" She asked. Puzzled I asked, "Who are her other contacts?" "Garrett Anderson and Matthew Turner." She read. I shook my head, "They're already here but thank you."
I then went to go join Garrett and Matthew. The other two guys had left before the ambulance showed up to go talk to Jason's dad. "So why didn't anyone else answer when I called?" I asked. "Jason and Cassidy are to drunk and dumbass over here was in the middle of getting laid." Garrett answered while pointing his thumb at Matthew. "What did the nurse say?" Matthew asked. "That she's still in surgery and that she had lost a lot of blood. Nicole had added you both to her emergency contact list." I informed them. "Why would she do that?" Matthew asked. "Because she trusts you." I answered.
I noticed Garrett didn't say anything, just looked at the operating light above the doors. I put a hand on his shoulder, "She's going to be fine." "The fucker who did that too her is going to pay." He muttered before standing up to pace. "Go outside for a smoke." Matthew told him. Garrett shook his head, "I want to be here when she gets out."
Matthew sighed and stood from his chair, "I'm gonna go to the food court. Do you want anything Emily?" I shook my head and he shrugged before walking away.
"How much do you care about her?" I asked Garrett. He sighed, "I honestly don't know." After that we didn't say anything else. When Matthew came back with a bag of chips and a couple of candy bars.
When a doctor came out of the operating room we instantly stood up. "Are you her family?" He asked. "Yes." I answered. "She is just fine. She will have to stay here for a couple of days then she can go home. Tonight we are keeping her drugged so she can sleep. She was badly sleep deprived, other than that she has no other serious wounds. Her back is badly bruised and she won't be able to get around very easily and I advise she not drive until she is done taking her meds." He informed us. "Can we see her?" I asked. He nodded, "She was moved to room three forty nine."
We rushed to her room and I wanted to cry when I saw her hooked to an IV and a heart monitor. Garrett sat in the chair by the bed while Matthew and I went and sat on the couch by the window. "When she leaves she won't be able to live by herself. I'd let her stay at my place but I work twelve hour days." I said. "She can stay at my place." Garrett declared. I nodded, "When the police give me the ok I'll get her a few things. I'll take Mushu to my house." Garrett shook his head, "She'll want him with her." I sighed knowing he was right, "Ok then I'll get what you'll need for him."
After a while Matthew and I left the hospital, but Garrett stayed to make sure no one came back to finish what they started.
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