Chapter 25: Lucky

Chapter 25: Lucky
Chyler groaned as consciousness returned in blurry fragments. Her head throbbed and the florescent lights above her eyes irritated her. It was the smell of antiseptic stinging her nose that brought her back fully and she realized that she was being moved. Metal rattled on the floor beneath her and rushed voices became louder around her.

"She is coming to," someone shouted above her. "Hey, Miss. What's your name?"

It only took her a second to realize that it was a paramedic speaking. Instead of replying, Chyler blinked hard and tried to sit up. The safety restraint straps and hands all over her however forced her to stay down.

"Where are you taking me?" she drawled. "I'm fine, let me go."

"Easy," the paramedic warned. "You might have a concussion and you are bleeding. You need to see a doctor first so stay still."

She sank back into the gurney cursing silently. Everything that had happened to lead up to that moment was clear in her head. The conversation with her captain, leaving the station, the message, then the crash. The person, whoever it was hadn't meant to kill her otherwise she wouldn't be alive. That much she knew.

But how the fuck were they monitoring her movements so accurately? How did they know when to attack her?

Around forty minutes later in the examination room, a doctor came back with the results of her scans.

"Alright Ms...Lee," he said looking at her file. "You are a really lucky person is what I will say. The scans all came back clean. No fractures, no concussion, nothing serious. We will just stitch up and dress the cuts that need to be dressed and you will be all set," he smiled.

"I told them I was fine. They wouldn't listen," she muttered.

"They were just doing their job, making sure you are fine. Frankly it's odd after a crash like that," he admitted. "You will be sore but nothing is broken."

As a nurse carefully stitched the cuts on her arm and face, Chyler stared blankly at the ceiling, her jaw pressed tight. She didn't feel lucky. She wasn't a target like the ten of her classmates but somehow she was at the center of it all. Was it just because she had chosen a career to protect people or was there something else that tied her to this killer?

The curtain flipped and Brye rushed in, Juneau right behind him. The look on her face was almost comical. It was the first time Chyler had seen her that concerned about her and she wasn't sure whether to laugh or be appreciative. She turned her attention to Brye.

"Oh my God!" Brye gasped, his eyes wide as he scanned her. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm fine. They shouldn't have called you," she said, forcing a crooked smile that didn't reach her eyes. "See," she added, expressing at her body. "Barely a scratch."

"That car was totaled. You are saying you came out without a broken bone?" Juneau asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Gee, June. You have a weird way of expressing your gratefulness. One would think you wanted me dead," Chyler said sarcastically and Juneau sighed. "Yes, I bounce well. I guess I'm lucky that way," she added.

The sound of heavy boots echoed on the floor, a moment before Captain Navarro walked in and stood apart for a second until all attention was on him. "Lee," he stated. "Can you go five minutes without getting into some kind of mess?"

Chyler cocked a brow. "What can I say? Trouble loves me." He exhaled hard like he had given up on trying to drag her onto a different path, but stepped closer to her bed. Brye and Juneau excused themselves, Brye pressing a light kiss on her cheek. The Captain stared after Brye then turned to her with a curious look. "What? I'm not strapping him if that's what you are thinking."

"Jesus, Lee!"

"Stop being so obvious about your thoughts then if you don't want me blurting them out loud." She said it so casually like she was speaking to a friend then dismissed it like it was nothing and reached for her phone. She scrolled through it and passed it to him. "I got this message a minute before the crash. Look at the timestamp."

The Captain read the message and his expression darkened. A hand went to his face, rubbing it wearily. Chyler sat up.

"How much longer are you going to wait until you take this seriously?" she asked. "Until you have a full body count? All ten of them plus other innocent bystanders?"

He opened his mouth to speak but before he could, the curtains flew open again.

"Chy!" Capri rushed in, her eyes wide with terror. She didn't hesitate or care that there was someone else in the room. She crossed the room and threw her arms around Chyler, clutching her tight. She was shaking.

"I'm okay," Chyler said softly, brushing back Capri's hair. It took over a minute before Capri eased her hold and leaned back, examining her all over. Chyler looked up and found the captain watching them. "See? Still breathing. Still a pain in the ass according to Captain."

Capri chuckled and briefly acknowledged him. "Hi Captain."

Navarro only nodded and shifted his position so that he was now not standing directly above them. Judgement flickered in his gaze but he didn't say a word about their closeness. He turned to Capri. "I have stationed officers around your... um..." he paused, looking between them like he wasn't sure how to proceed. "Mr Channing," he said eventually. "They will watch over him around the clock just in case this killer decides to finish his work. And I have another one to escort you wherever you go until further notice."

Capri nodded, her grip on Chyler tightening. "Thank you, Captain Navarro."

He nodded and turned to leave but hesitated, his gaze flicking between the two like he wanted yo say something more. He didn't. He just stepped out and pulled the curtain closed after him.

Immediately they were left alone, silence settled between them. Chyler turned her head towards Capri but neither of them spoke. Capri leaned in. Her lips met Chyler's soft ones, sure and full of everything they hadn't said out loud. The kiss lingered, unrushed, not frantic, but true. They breathed into each other, their foreheads touching when they parted.

The sound of the curtains opening again caught their attention and they both broke contact turning quickly only to find a frozen face staring at them.