Chapter 6 The Man In The Alley II
Vivienne's POV
"I…I don't need a doctor," he winced in pain, his voice barely above a whisper. "Ju…Just take me home, someone is there to take care of it."
That was it. Every other word I said after that was left unanswered. He slumped immediately against me, and I had no idea what to do. My mind went completely blank. I was confused and scared out of my mind.
My heart was racing so fast I could hear it pounding in my ears. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to handle this? I'd never been in a situation like this before. I'd never seen someone get shot right in front of me. I'd never had someone bleeding in my arms, their life literally slipping away with each passing second.
"Ple…Please don't die on me," I said, my voice shaking as I clasped my hands together in prayer, looking up at the sky like whoever was up there could hear me.
"Please, please don't let him die. I don't know what to do. Please help me."
I felt tears streaming down my face. My hands were trembling so badly I could barely keep them steady. The blood kept coming, soaking through his shirt, warm and sticky on my fingers. It was everywhere. On him, on me, on the ground beneath us.
I had to do something. I had to do something fast before it was too late. But what? What could I possibly do? I didn't know anything about gunshot wounds. I didn't know how to stop the bleeding or how to keep him alive. All I knew was that he was hurt badly and time was running out.
My mind was racing with a million thoughts all at once. Should I try to stop the bleeding somehow? Should I try to keep him awake? Should I run for help? But I couldn't leave him here alone. What if something happened while I was gone? What if he died while I was trying to find help?
So I searched his clothes instead, my hands fumbling through his pockets desperately. I needed to find something, anything that could help. My fingers were slippery with blood, making it hard to grip anything properly. I went through one pocket, then another, pushing aside keys and what felt like some coins.
And there, finally, I found it.
His phone.
I pulled it out quickly, nearly dropping it because my hands were shaking so much. The screen was smudged with blood from my fingers, but it still worked. Thank God it still worked.
But even as I held his phone, more questions flooded my mind. Why was he left alone in the first place? It didn't make any sense.
I thought Lucien was always with him, always right there as his bodyguard. That's what bodyguards do, right? They stay with the person they're supposed to protect. So why was he alone tonight? Where was Lucien when this happened? Where was everyone?
And another thing, he was supposed to be at my house right now for the wedding. Even though I'm not interested. So what was he doing out here by himself? Why did he leave? Why didn't he tell anyone where he was going?
The thoughts just kept coming, one after another, each one making me more anxious than the last. I allowed them to fill my head even though I knew I should be focusing on getting help instead. But I couldn't help it. Nothing about this situation made sense. Nothing about tonight had gone the way it was supposed to.
Just then, before I could even figure out how to unlock his phone or who to call, it started ringing in my hand. The sudden noise made me jump, nearly dropping the phone again. My heart leaped into my throat as I looked at the screen.
The name "Lucien" flashed across it.
Thank God. Thank God, thank God, thank God.
I quickly took the call with trembling fingers, almost hitting the wrong button in my panic. I pressed the phone to my ear, not even waiting to hear what Lucien had to say.
"Hello, he's been shot," I blurted out immediately the moment I answered the call.
The words tumbled out of my mouth in a rush, tripping over each other. "He's been shot. There's so much blood. I don't know what to do. You need to come right now. Please, you have to come now."
I didn't even wait for him to say anything back to me. I didn't give him a chance to ask questions or to process what I'd just told him. There wasn't time for that. Every second counted. Every moment we wasted could be the difference between life and death.
I hastily started describing where we were, my words coming out fast and jumbled.
"We're on the street near... near the corner by the old building near the old Alley. You know the one? There's a streetlight that's broken nearby.
It's dark here. Really dark. I can barely see anything. But we're right here, Please hurry. Please, please hurry."
My voice was getting higher and more frantic with each word. I was hoping and silently praying for them to come early enough, before something bad happened. Before it was too late. Before I lost him completely.
"He's losing so much blood," I continued, unable to stop talking. "I don't know how to make it stop. I tried pressing on it but it just keeps coming.
He's barely conscious. He told me not to call a doctor, said to take him home, but I don't even know where he lives. I don't know what to do. You have to get here fast. Please."
I could hear Lucien saying something on the other end, but I wasn't really listening. My attention was divided between the phone and Raphael that's slumped against me, his breathing getting shallower with each passing moment.
His face had gone so pale. Too pale. The kind of pale that scared me even more than the blood.
“Just hurry,” I said one more time, my voice breaking. "Please just hurry."