Chapter 221

Chapter 4 – Chelsea POV (Three days after the shooting) “Chelsea is my main concern right now…” “If she isn’t hopeful or doesn’t have the will to live she won’t survive a shift…” the voices tune out again. ‘beep’ ‘beep’ ‘beep’ Minus that annoying beep, I was in a quiet room or area, it smelt heavily of Gabriel, antiseptic and myself. My eyes still closed, my body felt stiff, weighed down and much too drowsy, even twitching a finger felt like a marathon, much less opening said eyes. I tired to listen instead and focused on heartbeats, and I could make out three distinct ones. “Momma waking up?” a tiny sweet voice chirped, Ava. Sensations were returning, which was how I knew they were missing in the first place. Hands were on me, two bigger ones and then one tiny. “Chelsea? Sweetheart, can you hear us? It’s me… you’re okay-” the worry in Gabriel’s voice… I didn’t like it so I tried to squeeze my hand around the one causing tingles to shoot up my arms. “Ohhhh,” the relief evident, “there’s my girl,” Gabriel said with a smile I’m sure, but I couldn’t see it. Why couldn’t I see it? I thought frustratingly. I rolled my eyes behind my lids, wanting to reach up to touch my face but I had no energy to do so either. I let out a whimpering sound, nothing understandable to my own ears, but the effort to do that wasn’t there at all, nor could I seem to control my lips. It was like I had no control over my body, “Hold on, there’s tape on your lids, Jack put them there so everything would heal correctly,” Gabriel said letting go of my hand but I felt his calloused hands run softly against my cheek, pulling my lids while removing the tape. The action making me move my head, but I instantly regretting doing that. The second Gabriel removed them, I was trying again to open my eyes but they felt heavy still, but I wanted to see him, so bad it was some sort of primal need, desperate and imperative. I couldn’t remember why though? Where was I specifically? And that desperation alone gave me strength to open them, but the image was blurry which was nothing like I was used too, too dull and doubled. The effort it was taking to do that – to see them wasn’t enough, but I had to close my eyes because it was making me nauseous. My stomach rolled, my mouth filled with saliva. Aria? Avena? I waited for a reply, it didn’t come but I wasn’t worried, I could feel them, just below the surface but I couldn’t hold onto the point keeping me up. “Shhh… just rest love,” I heard from a far, “Ava sleep with momma.” 0 *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 0 *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 0 (November 27th 2014 – Three days and seven hours after the shooting) Something, someone curled up against my right side, holding my stomach tightly. Listening, I heard five heartbeats, no other sounds around me but that and the beeping; inhaling, I caught different scents, chocolate, lavender, charcoal, sweet pea, cinnamon, mint and antiseptic. I know the owners of each scent – Jamie, Casey, Wolf, Ava and Gabriel – without opening my eyes. Trying once more, I blinked a few times, squinting so the images would focus and clear. “Hi,” Gabriel sighs heavily, relief on his face, he eyes me I realize, “are you awake now? Forreal?” his voice pained. What a strange question… I furrowed my brows. The bed I was on slowly folded to a sitting position, and I was able to see as well as scent each person in the room but I only wanted to see Gabriel. Ava second. “How do you feel?” he questions, his voice pleading almost, but he ignores the confused expression I have on my face. “Gooo-ud,” I fail to say ‘good,’ my mouth dry and my throat felt like it was burning uncomfortably. Wolf moved quickly, filling a cup and handing it to Gabriel when he growled at him, “Thirsty?” “Yash,” I sighed, my jaw felt odd, too tightly wound, the muscles behaving as though I’d never used them before now. Sipping on the straw Gabriel held for me, was trying, I felt winded and that first painful sip, I took two more before pushing the straw in the cup away from my mouth. “Better?” he asked his voice the same, waiting, desperate even for me to give him something to get for me, do for me to make him useful. He had wild eyes, searching mine. I searched my thoughts when I looked around and saw that besides Ava everyone else was wearing the same weary grimace as Gabriel. Back on Gabriel, he put the cup down to the side, taking my hand between his, “What – what do you remember last Chelsea?” his eyes were sad, why were the sad? We had just… I closed my eyes trying to sort my thoughts but the headache I was sporting was unbelievable since I didn’t get them…starting from my most recent clear memory. “Dance with Jamie… uhm… we came home and you prepared – you and I we…” I looked at him hoping I hadn’t just dreamt us being together intimately. “We were,” those two words made my heart race, in the moment, he alone existed, a throat cleared and so I continued after shooting the throat clearer a glare. “Kayla – Rainy’s little girl – she figured-” Gabriel stiffened for a reason but when I stopped he just shook his head, “she figured out what all the names meant?” Gabriel nodded.  “Then we – we went away, we found Nora?” Hmm okay, I woke up… “I went to class with Jamie – right?” I turned to Jamie too quickly and had to close my eyes and concentrate on breathing before I vomit. His face was paler than normal, “Yes,” no smiles or much of anything really on his face. Leaning my head back carefully, I concentrated, remembering the dance class, Madeline falling to the ground. Then I remembered and my body shivers, although I heating up as well. “We were at our pole fitness class… s – so – so many – glass everywhere – shots,” I lifted my hand shakily to my neck, I was shot there, it’s the last thing I remember. My vision blurs and I can’t see Gabriel any clearer. Blinking furiously, he’s already perched himself on the side of my bed, making me face him, “You’re safe sweetheart,” he repeated the words soft, calming me, his voice a balm for my anxious nerves. Nodding furiously, more details hit me more unexpectedly. “Angel?” I asked in a panic, “She seemed frozen, trapped, I tackled her right?” I looked to Jamie once again because my memories were rough, he nodded and tears of confusion leaked from my eyes without my permission. Images. Flashes. Bright lights in the ceiling of the studio. Music was calm but powerful; there weren’t lots of noise, silencer maybe? But the screaming was loud, so loud, glass – the mirrors breaking, bullets hitting the poles and ricocheting. “The ceiling fell on my body?” I say more to myself more than anything but Jamie shakes his head anyways. Not the ceiling, a body? My head was on Angel. I hadn’t closed my eyes. Nona. Nona was there. One the floor. Blood.