by Lane Hart
"Surrender or I will shoot!" I yelled at him. My shoulder was hurting like a son of a bitch, my body was still sore from Caleb's morning beating, and my lungs burned from running. Shit, I needed more cardio and to stay the fuck out of fights with my big ass friends.
Worrying when I couldn’t hear his footsteps in front of me anymore, I pulled up short, and that's when he fired from his spot behind a group of trees to my left. I felt fire spread up my leg as I hit the ground. He'd fucking shot me again. What the hell? Did he have a pair of night vision googles? And why did his shot always miss the freaking area of my heavy ass vest? Just my luck, but anywhere was better than a head shot.
I opened fire at his hiding spot with my Glock, and then waited for my hearing to come back, trying to figure out if I'd hit him. I saw flashlights coming toward me and called out to the other officers. I really didn't need to be shot a third time tonight, especially by friendly fire.
"I'm Officer Evans! The perp was in the trees on your left, firing," I yelled to them from my crouched position.
"Evans, it's Richardson and Baker."
"He’s got a pistol, I don’t know how much ammo. I’ve been hit twice, I don’t know if he’s wounded or not."
"Oh shit! How bad are you hit?"
"Shoulder and thigh…watch your asses!" I told them and then I pointed out the direction toward the trees.
"Sit tight, ambulances are on the way," Richardson said and then they were gone.
I shined the flashlight over my leg, and it didn't look good. It felt even worse. Damn, it was going to be a long night. Now, between both wounds, I was losing a lot of blood.
Chapter Sixteen
Lauren
I had just changed into my jeans and t-shirt, ready to head home after a late night at the club, when I finally pulled my phone from my purse. I had several missed calls from Tyler, a text message, and a voicemail from him. What really caught my attention was the voicemail and missed call from Caleb, just fifteen minutes earlier. Why would he be calling me this late at night? While I was holding the phone a new text message from him popped up: “Tyler was shot tonight. He's in stable condition at Moses Cone Hospital, but they had to take him to surgery. Thought you’d want to know."
Oh God. My body was paralyzed and my chest felt like it was being crushed. I finally fumbled with my phone and pulled up Caleb’s number to call him back.
“Lauren?”
“Is-is he going to be okay?"
"They think so. The surgeon had to go in and remove the bullet in his thigh and repair damage where a bullet went through his shoulder."
"Oh God." I realized I was sitting in the floor of the dressing room and didn't remember how I got there.
“Lauren, where are you? We’ve been worried to death about you and want you to come back home with us.”
I couldn't respond. My mind was still trying to make sense of Tyler being shot.
“Lauren?”
“I'm at work.”
“Do you want me to come get you and bring you over here to the hospital?”
“Yes. Please. I’m not sure if I can drive right now.” My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone to my ear.
“Okay, I’m on my way. Shouldn’t take but ten minutes to get there.”
“Thanks,” I told him, then sat still holding the phone after he ended the call.
“Hey girl, have you decided if you’re coming back to my place, or giving in and staying with the hotties tonight?” Jess asked.
I looked up at her and shook my head.
“What the hell are you doing on the floor? Are you okay?”
I shook my head again.
“Tyler was shot. Twice. He’s in the hospital having surgery.”
“Oh shit! Is he going to be okay?”
“I-I don’t know. Caleb’s on his way to pick me up and take me to the hospital.”
“Oh God Lauren. I’m so sorry.”
“I ignored his calls today and didn’t tell him bye before I left.”
“He was brawling with his roommate at the time. He’ll forgive you.”
“He could’ve been killed. What if he doesn’t make it?”
She sat down beside me and gave me a hug. “I bet he’s going to be okay sweetie.”
“I never told him I love him. I do. I love him and I’ve never told him.”
“You are going to get a chance to tell him. It’s going to be okay. Come on,” she said, pulling me up. “Let’s go wait outside for your ride. Do you have your purse and your phone?”
I grabbed both and let her lead the way to the parking lot, where Caleb pulled up a few minutes later. I was too worried to even feel guilty around him.
When I sat down in his passenger seat I realized my hands were still shaking. It felt like my whole body was trembling and my teeth were chattering, but it had to be at least seventy-five degrees outside.
I wiped the tears from my face, trying to get myself under control.
"What happened? How'd he …?" I finally asked. That was the first time I noticed Caleb was wearing sunglasses at night. Damn it, Tyler must have given him a black eye.
"From what the other officers have told me, Tyler pulled a speeder, called in the license plate, and the driver shot him when he approached. He was hit in the shoulder, then, I think. He went after him in his car, called for backup and at the road block the guy got out and ran on foot. Tyler went in the woods after him and got shot in the thigh."
I felt like I couldn't get any air in my lungs. I closed my eyes and tried to remember how to breathe. They said he was going to be okay. That he's in surgery. But what if he's not?
"Did they catch the guy?" I asked.
"Yeah. Tyler shot him, which slowed him down until two other officers caught up with him. Tyler was damn lucky he went to the passenger side and not the driver's side."
"Why, why did he shoot him?"
"Don't know for sure. Last I heard they were still trying to get an ID on the guy. Probably had a warrant out on him that he didn't want to go in on."
I nodded, then cringed when I saw Caleb's busted knuckles where his hand rested on the gear stick.
"I'm sorry about earlier…about everything," I told him.
"Tyler and I are fine. Seriously. He tried to call you and tell you to come back."
"I know." I'd listened to several of Tyler's messages, but I hadn't called him back all day. Now I felt like shit for avoiding him. "Do you hate me?" I asked.
"What? No, I don't hate you. I hate losing you, but I get it. I was gone a long time and we'd just started dating before I left. Some marriages don't even hold up to that sort of thing."
We finally pulled up in the hospital parking lot. There were several police cruisers parked along the entrance.
"Were any other officers hurt?" I asked as we walked through the automatic sliding doors. Caleb didn't stop at the front desk so I assumed he knew where to go.
"Yeah, two with minor injuries from crashing through the woods and taking the guy down. They've already been in and out of the ER."
"Good. So they've already taken Tyler to surgery?"
"Yeah. Everyone's down in the surgical waiting room. The doctor will let us know when they get finished. I think they said it'd take three or four hours."
The waiting room was packed, mostly with officers, some obvious in uniforms and some that were in regular clothes. They all looked up when we walked in, and I suddenly felt like I was intruding and didn't belong there.
"Guys this is Lauren. Lauren this is the GPD," Caleb announced, and I couldn't help my smile as I sank down into one of the waiting room chairs near Will and Dylan.
"Do you need anything to drink, or anything else?" Caleb asked, all the officers’ eyes still on us.
I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm okay."
An officer I'd never seen before handed me a box of tissues which I accepted. "Thanks. I'm a mess."
I grabbed a couple and dabbed at my eyes and nose. I kept my
head down, uncomfortable with the silence in the room and the weight of the glances on me.
"So Caleb, is there a reason you're wearing your sunglasses at night?" Officer Cooke, who I'd remembered from the night of the robbery, asked with a smirk.
Caleb looked over at me and grinned before crooning the lyrics to the song, "So I can, so I can, see the light that's right before my eyes."
"Right. Well, you need bigger ones, because those aren't hiding that shiner. Seems a strange coincidence that Tyler came to work tonight looking like someone beat the shit out of him, too. Did you come home from the Reserves to an unpleasant surprise?"
Oh God. I felt my cheeks redden even more.
"We're training for MMA," Caleb replied coolly, but he exhaled and finally took the glasses off.
"Oh my God Caleb," I exclaimed, reaching for the side of his blackened face.
"It looks worse than it feels," he said before grabbing my hand with both of his and pressing a sweet kiss on the center of my palm.
I pulled my hand away and my face flamed when I realized most of the officers noticed the intimate gesture.
A few minutes later a petite, middle-aged woman and a tall, grey haired man came in, the woman's face looking as red and splotchy as mine. They both nodded at all the officers then went straight to Caleb and gave him a hug. Will and Dylan quickly moved to give them their seats across from us.
“How is he? Have you heard anything else?” the woman asked him.
“No, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. No updates yet.”
Tyler’s parents. I knew that they lived a few hours away, and Tyler wanted me to meet them, but I hadn’t had a chance to yet.
"What the hell happened to your eye Caleb?" Tyler's dad asked with a frown.
"Ah, it's nothing. Training to be an MMA fighter."
They both accepted his answer, then his mom swiped her hand under her wet eyes.
I offered her the tissue box and she looked at me a second before taking it.
“Thank you. I could use a few. Are you here for Tyler too?”
I nodded. “Yes ma’am.”
Caleb jumped in to introduce us. “Mr. and Mrs. Evans this is Lauren, Tyler’s um, girlfriend. Lauren this is Tyler’s mom, Carol, and his dad, Robert.”
“Oh. I should have known. Tyler told us what a beautiful girl you were, and all those tears show just how much you care about him,” his mom said.
I smiled and nodded. “It’s nice to meet you both. Tyler has been planning for us to visit.”
“I know. He wanted to bring you home with him Labor Day weekend,” his dad said with a smile.
I nodded again, remembering him mentioning it, but wanting to wait until Caleb was home and everything was out in the open before making plans. I glanced over at Caleb and he turned his head away, avoiding my eyes.
Everyone went quiet after that, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with Tyler as we waited. How was he doing in surgery? What kind of pain must he be in? Was he ever going to be okay?
After two more agonizing hours we finally got a call from the operating room. His mom went to the phone to talk to the nurse. Her shoulders relaxed as she listened, which I took as a good sign. When she came back over to the group she told us the surgeon said Tyler was doing great. He was finishing up the procedures, so soon Tyler would be going to the recovery room. They'd have to keep him there for another hour or so before moving him to a room where we could finally see him.
Everyone had been pretty quiet until then, but after the update a sigh of relief seemed to ripple through the room, and more conversations started up.
"So how long have you known Tyler?" his mom asked.
"Um, a few months. We met when a car ran a red light and hit me. He was called out to the scene."
"Ah," she said with a smile.
Everyone continued to talk while I sat their quietly, watching the hands on the clock move painfully slow.
Finally, Tyler was moved from recovery to a room on the third floor where we could see him. His mom motioned for me and Caleb to go with her and his dad, which I was thankful for. I didn’t know if I could wait any longer to see him. I needed the assurance that he was really okay.
I'd never visited anyone sick or that had surgery, and didn't know what to expect. It definitely wasn’t how Tyler normally looked. He laid flat in the bed, cords and tubes coming from all parts of him, his usually tan skin pale. His mom went to his side and reached for his hand. Needing to touch him, I went to his other side. His hand was so cold and still. His eyes were closed and he looked so fragile, so unlike the tough guy I knew he was.
"Tyler?" his mom said. His eyes started fluttering like he was trying to wake up.
"Hey," he answered, his voice a hoarse whisper, but his hand squeezed mine.
“Hey.”
"How do you feel?" his dad asked him.
"Like shit."
I laughed, with a sob. "Well you were just shot and had surgery."
"Oh yeah."
"We were so worried about you," his mom told him, and more tears streamed down my face.
"I should have called you both."
I couldn't help another laugh/sob escaping. "Right. During all that you were supposed to pick up the phone and call us. Don't be ridiculous."
"I tried to. They wouldn't give me a phone."
"You are crazy, you know that."
"Come here," he said, lightly patting the right side of the bed.
I looked up at his parents before I answered him. "What? No, I might hurt your shoulder or leg."
"Left side hurts. Right side is fine. Come here."
I did as he asked and sat down on the side of his bed. His hand with the IV rested on my leg and rubbed lightly up and down while his eyes blinked up at me.
"I'm glad you're here," he said.
"We’re glad you're okay," I told him, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "Now get some rest."
"Are you going to stay?"
"Sure, if you want me to."
"Okay. Then I'll sleep a few minutes."
“Um, Caleb’s here too,” I told him, worried about the stress of everything on him while he was trying to recover.
“Hey man,” Tyler said, as Caleb came closer to the bed.
“Hey. So they think you’ll live?” he asked with a smile.
“Yeah, sorry to disappoint,” Tyler responded, with as much of a smile as he could manage.
“You know I’m glad you’re alright. You’ll probably even get a vacation out of all this.”
“Yeah, it’ll be nice to have a few weeks off. Maybe I should get shot more often.”
“Tyler!” his mother and I both exclaimed, equally appalled.
“I’m kidding. Damn women can’t take a joke.”
“How much pain medicine did they give you?” I joked.
“Enough to take out an elephant.”
“Well, I think I’ll head out so you can rest. Lauren, you’re staying?” Caleb asked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, just call me whenever you need a ride home.”
“Thanks.”
“You and Caleb came together?” Tyler asked, frowning as he looked between the two of us.
“She was at work when she got my message about you, and she sure as hell wasn’t in any shape to drive herself.”
“Oh, thanks. Well, I guess I’ll see you later then. Thanks for everything, man.”
“Sure. I’ll be back later,” Caleb said than he was out the door.
“Everything okay with you and Caleb?” his dad asked, picking up on the awkwardness.
“Yeah.”
“Are you training for that MMA, or whatever it was with him, or did these bumps and bruises happen tonight?” his mom asked, looking up at me with an inquisitive look.
“MMA? Oh yeah, right.”
“Uh-huh," she said, clearly not buying it. "Well honey, unless you want us to stay we're going to find a hotel and let you get some rest, then come back and see you in th
e morning,” she said, rubbing his arm.
“Sure. Thanks for coming. Sorry I worried you both. I love you.”
“Love you too. Take care of my boy Lauren,” his mom said with a smile before leaving.
“I missed you today,” he said, squeezing my hand. I felt terrible about walking out in the morning and ignoring his calls all day.
“I missed you too.” My eyes watered and I tried to blink the tears back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left this morning, and I should've called you back.”
“It’s okay baby. We were acting like idiots.”
“I know, and I just didn’t want to be the reason the two of you were fighting. You’ve been friends forever, and I just showed up and ruined your friendship in a matter of weeks.”
“You didn’t ruin our friendship. We talked after we hit each other for a while. We’re fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Now lay down with me so I can get some sleep," he ordered. Still authoritative in a hospital bed, after getting shot and having surgery.
“Okay. Goodnight Tyler,” I leaned down to give him a kiss.
“Goodnight Lauren. I love you, and I'm glad you're here,” he said, making my heart stop when I held my breath at those three words. Words I almost didn’t get the chance to hear or return.
“I love you too. I should have told you sooner.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tyler
I woke up and the sunshine was blaring through the window. Shit, I must have slept longer than I thought. Lauren was curled up and asleep in an uncomfortable position beside me, trying not to hurt me in her sleep. God she was beautiful. I hated being here, and making her have to deal with all this shit.
I was trying to sit up when a nurse walked through the door to my room.
"Good morning handsome. How are you feeling?"
I smiled at the small, white haired woman as she looked over the machines.
"Pretty good. So, can I go on home now?"
She laughed. "Not yet, but hopefully in a day or two."
