“Please help her, she’s been shot. She’s pregnant,” I cried out. The paramedics moved quickly, getting a stretcher out of the back. My heart was beating so fast. Vicky closed her eyes and I wanted to fall to my knees. “Please help her,” I said, as tears fell relentlessly from my eyes.
“Yes, sir, we have called a helicopter, the victims will be airlifted shortly,” the paramedic replied.
“Sir, you’ve been shot, you need to lie on the stretcher,” I heard another medic say, but everything sounded muffled. I’m dying …I’m dying and Vicky…I needed to get to Vicky…
I felt dizzy but I saw police walking by, there were flashing red lights everywhere and deep down I was praying. I was praying that she would be okay. I lifted up to get off the stretcher. I succumbed to dizziness.
“Is she okay? I need to get to her…” I mumbled.
“We are assisting her, sir, she is receiving an IV, please lie back down,” the paramedic urged me back down on the stretcher. I had no strength to fight him.
“She’s pregnant, she’s pregnant…” I felt like I was yelling.
“It’s okay, sir, thank you for telling us,” the paramedic responded. I grasped my shoulder tight. I needed pain relief.
A helicopter arrived hovering in the sky. It created a brisk wind as it landed on the other side of the parking lot.
“We will take you and the girl on the first copter, the other men will be airlifted shortly,” one of the paramedics explained.
“Okay her brother…Joe….Joe…” I continued to scream.
“Calm down, sir, we will be getting the other people on helicopters as soon as possible,” the same medic continued. Then he poked my good hand and inserted an IV.
“Her pulse is weak,” one medic shouted out. I pulled to get up but they had strapped me down. Oh no…oh no… then everything went blank.
Chapter 31
Luc
I’m running fast. I need to get to Vicky. It’s nighttime; we are in a forest. My father has her. He’s running away with her. I need to get to her. I need to save her.
“Why isn’t he waking up?” I heard a voice ask. I shook my head back and forth.
“Luc, it’s Bryce…Luc,” he was calling out to me. It’s Bryce; he was here. Where am I? I opened my eyes. Bryce was standing above me.
“Hi.” He smiled. I felt disoriented, but I thought it was only a dream. I was covered in sweat. I pulled to sit up and pain radiated through my arm.
“Ahhh,” I screamed out and fell back down.
“Luc, relax, everything is okay. Vicky is okay.” Bryce urged me to lie down. I took a long breath. Vicky is okay! “Luc, Vicky was shot in the thigh, she lost some blood, but she’s okay. She woke up from surgery already. She was asking for you…you are okay too. The bullet was three inches away from your heart. You are one lucky bastard,” Bryce chuckled. He looked worn and tired. “Doctors said you carried her out of there and held on to her until you knew she was safe. Thank you, Luc.” Bryce’s eyes squinted and they looked a little red.
“I need to go to Vicky,” I mumbled. I still felt woozy but I was not asleep anymore. I remember what really happened.
“Let me call the nurse and tell them you’re awake. You will have to be in that arm sling for at least six weeks while you heal. The doctors told me,” Bryce explained and then he turned around to leave my room. I needed to get to Vicky, I needed to see her to see if she was okay and the baby.
“Mr. Lebaum.” An older nurse walked into the room. “I understand you want to see your wife.” She smiled kindly and I looked over to Bryce. He must have told her we were married. “We usually don’t allow patients to see each other, especially straight out of surgery, but I will wheel you over to her. Just lie in the bed and try not to move,” she said as she pulled my bed out of the room. Bryce followed us, holding on to the IV rod.
“Luc?” she breathed out with a faint smile.
Hearing her voice completely undid me. She was my everything, the only good in my life. She was the one that pulled me out from the darkness. My father had been wrong. I was destined to live my life with an angel, while he was destined to hell.
“Vicky,” I exhaled. “Are you okay? Please, tell me you are okay…”
“Yes, Luc, we are okay. I was lucky the bullet hit my leg, it skimmed the bone, it didn’t penetrate.,” she explained. I held my hand up to my chest and took a breath. Wait a minute!
“We?” I asked with excitement in my tone.
“Yes, Luc, the baby and I are good. This is not the way I wanted you to find out, but…” she trailed off. I wanted to hop out of my bed and kiss her feverishly, but I was in too much pain to move and she looked the same. I reached out my hand and she took it. Holding her hand in mine, I never wanted to let her go. I already knew about the baby, but hearing it from her lips made me delirious. She laughed and it made my heart feel warm.
A man in a white coat entered the room. “She has still lost blood and she may feel weak for a while. We will be keeping her for observation for the next forty-eight hours. She needs fluids, she was dehydrated, and we also want to keep an eye on her leg make sure there is no infection,” he explained.
“Thank you, doctor.” I smiled. I’d been worried sick about Joe too. He really saved us out there. “Do you know how her brother is doing? Joe Molino.”
“Let me check with the nurses.” The doctor smiled and exited the room. Vicky lay in the bed with a frown on her face. I didn’t know how much she remembered or if she could recall which way the bullets were flying.
The doctor walked back in the room. “He’s in surgery, bullet wound to the abdomen. He’s lost a lot of blood, but it looks like the bullet didn’t hit any major organs, so he should be fine. I think they are sewing him up now, but he may have to be in the hospital for about a week.”
I also wanted to ask about Justin but I hated saying my family name. “And my brother, Justin Blanchard. Is he okay?”
The doctor turned back to the nurse’s station and a few moments later he returned. “Yes, he is out of surgery, bullet wound to the shoulder like you. He will be in a sling for a while.” I didn’t ask about my father. I already knew he was dead.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“Okay, Mr. Lebaum, I should be getting you back to your room,” the nurse added.
“Can’t I stay here with my wife?” I asked and Vicky’s eyes went round. Bryce stood off to the corner of the room, chuckling.
“No, sir, that won’t be allowed.” She frowned and then I had to release Vicky’s hand.
“I will stay with her, Luc, don’t worry,” Bryce cut in.
The nurse rolled me back to my room. At least with my father dead, I would have real freedom. I would be able to raise my child without looking over my shoulder. I kept on repeating that idea in my head. After living in a chamber of hell for most of my life, it would take time for me to truly believe I was free and that Vicky was safe.
Chapter 32
Two weeks later
Vicky
As we stood around my papa’s grave at the cemetery, the priest gave a long speech. I had Luc standing on one side of me and Bryce on the other, both of them were holding my hand. Joe was standing beside Luc, in a black suit and black sunglasses. As the priest delivered his sermon about heaven and returning to dust, my mind felt hazy. These past few years had been like a whirlwind and attending my father’s funeral made my heart feel heavy. The only difference today was that I knew if I fell apart, I would have my loved ones to stand by me and help me by holding all my broken pieces together. Joe and Luc seem to have bonded over my kidnapping disaster and you would think they were brothers from birth. Luc had molded effortlessly into our family and into my heart so quickly.