Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight (Devin's POV)
I felt so numb. I didn't know what to do. All I could do was sit there in the waiting room outside the emergency surgery. I couldn't move, I didn't want to move. I couldn't even get up to clean the blood off my clothes.
Rick's blood.
I felt my eyes welling up with tears, but I couldn't let myself cry. I just couldn't. Rick was going to be okay, right? It didn't hit him anywhere vital, right? He was going to be fine. He'd walk through those doors any minute and laugh at me for being such a baby, then make some joke about having sex in the hospital room.
"Devin! Oh my god, Devin!" I had to force myself to look up to see my mom come running into the room. What made me jump to my feet was the fact that my dad was behind her along with Danny, Blake, and Vic.
"M-Mom?" I managed. She ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me, her lips smacking into my cheek and forehead and lips and everywhere else. My dad caught me off guard by rushing over, grabbing me in a tight bear hug, his breathing labored as if the very thought of me being in the hospital was petrifying.
But it wasn't me that was hurt.
It was Rick. Rick was hurt. Rick was hurt because of me. If I hadn't of freaking shown up and distracted him, he'd be all right. I shouldn't have stuck my nose in his business. I sucked in a deep breath to keep from crying. It hurt. I didn't want Rick to die. I didn't want anything to happen to him.
I... I loved him.
"Baby, honey, are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?!" My mom cried, tears welling in her eyes as she held me by my face.
"The cops aren't telling us a thing." My dad agreed in disbelief.
"Wh-Who's blood is that?" Danny stammered, stepping up between my parents to stare at my shirt before Blake touched his shoulders to calm him down. Vic looked as white as a ghost, his expression petrified. His nephew was in there, in the emergency room with a gunshot wound while everyone was swarming me?
"It's not me," I cried before I could stop myself as my mouth seemed to move on its own, "Rick! I-I don't know what happened! I woke up and Rick was gone, so I went to find him and I knew he was going to be there! I didn't know the guy had a gun! He was supposed to shoot me, not Rick!" My mother gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. Blake went pale and let go of Danny to stare at me.
"Rick's been shot?" He asked.
"Oh my god." Vic fell into one of the chairs, a hand on his forehead and another hand over his mouth as he seemed to be trying not to cry. My chest ached at the sight of him looking so horrified and Blake went over to sit down beside him. Danny just gulped. For once, he had nothing to say.
"Wait," My dad said slowly, his eyes staring at me closely, "Who had a gun? Why?" I groaned and threw my hands up in the air.
"Alex! Alexander Tate! He was some douche bag that was out to get Rick and Rick went after him, even after I told him not to... I didn't want Rick to get hurt, so I went to find him and when I did, he'd already found Alex. Rick was going to do something stupid, I knew it, so I butted in and then the guy was going to shoot me for defending Rick... And Rick grabbed me and jerked me out of the way and he got shot instead.... It's all my fault..." I felt my voice lower to a whisper.
"Devin..." Danny's expression was pained and he hugged me next. I let him. I needed something, a hug, anything, but it was like nothing could erase all the pain that was building inside me.
Please, God, please let Rick be okay... I love him so much. I'd do anything for him. Please.
"He saved you," My dad breathed as Danny let go of me to look at him, "I didn't think..."
"You never think," I managed, my breath catching before I quickly composed myself, "You kept spewing shit about Rick and Blake and about who they liked. Fuck you, dad, because I love Rick and nothing you can say will make me change my mind." Danny stared at me. My dad too, his face pale. He looked like he was going to say something, but the sound of doors opening made everyone whirl around to see a doctor come out with a clipboard.
"Are you the family of Rick Patterson?" He asked sternly, his eyes sweeping over us. Vic and Blake shot to their feet.
"We are," Vic spoke, his voice so eerily calm that it was scary, "I'm his uncle and this is brother. The rest are family friends. Is Rick all right?" The doctor looked down at his clipboard for a moment, then backed up with a grim expression. I felt my eyes welling up again.
"I won't lie to you, Mr. Patterson. He arrived in critical condition with a gunshot wound that just barely missed a vital organ. He's lost a large amount of blood, but he seems to be responding to the treatment. At the way things are going, he'll be fine, but he'll need to rest for quite a while. No quick movements, nothing to rile him up. He needs to relax and get lots of rest. Feed him only liquids for the first week then move onto softer foods before weaning him back to normal foods." He explained.
Vic fell back in his seat and rubbed his hands over his face, dropping them into his lap to reveal tears streaming down his face.
"Thank God." He managed. Blake sighed with relief and closed his eyes to let the news settle in. I wanted to faint with relief, but I was still trying to stay calm. I wasn't about to break down now.
"Can we see him?" I asked shakily. The doctor paused, studying us for a moment.
"I'm not sure it's too wise. The excitement might wear him out, but maybe after another hour or so, once the transfusion is completed, you can visit him one at a time to avoid overcrowding the room. For now, you may wait here and we will keep you updated on his condition." He explained. I sighed with relief as the doctor nodded before departing for the room again.
"So," Danny murmured, glancing at me out the corner of his eye, "You slept with Rick, huh?" My face reddened and stared at him like he was the biggest idiot on the planet.
"Dude! Seriously?" I demanded. Danny scowled.
"What?"
"Yea, what, Devin?" Danny froze as he seemed to realize why this was a bad time. Our dad was glaring at him harshly, his arms folded over his chest as my mom cleared her throat awkwardly. Blake smacked his forehead before rubbing his temples.
"S'a funny story really..." I started, but my dad held up his hand.
"I don't wanna know, I don't need to know. If you need me, I'll be in the cafeteria grabbing something to eat. You coming, honey?" He asked. My mother paused, studying me before nodding slowly.
"Yea. I need to get Devin new clothes anyway. I think I'm gonna faint." She managed, scurrying off ahead of my dad before they were both out of sight. I sighed with relief and looked at Danny with a scowl as he grinned sheepishly.
"Dude, are you trying to get me in trouble?" I demanded. Danny shrugged carelessly, shoving his hands into his sweatshirt pockets.
"I'm feeling lonely in that department. So what the fuck happened? Seriously? And did you seriously fuck Rick? Cuz, if so, I want your head checked out. Like, now." He snorted. I frowned for a while. I couldn't quite blame Danny for not liking Rick, after everything that happened, but it still irked me that people were jumping on his case all the time.
"Actually, yea. So what? I like Rick. A lot. He literally took a bullet for me, Danny... And I was about to do the same for him." I answered. Danny blinked and stared at me for a while, then his expression softened.
"And he obviously likes you a lot too, which is why I don't hate him anymore. If he likes you enough to take a bullet for you, then he's okay." He replied. I relaxed.
"Good... Because I have this feeling that dad's ready to boot me out of the house too." I retorted and Danny huffed dramatically.
"He's a jerk, Dev. Even after all this happened, he's still a douche bag about the whole 'boo hoo, my son's gay' thing. He thinks all gay guys are stereotypical Chihuahua loving pink wearing Richard Simmons clones."
"Are you admitting that you're gay?" I asked with a smirk. Danny's face flared red as he stomped his foot.
"Hell no! I ain't gay! Do I look gay to you?! The only guy I like is Blake, thank you very much!"
"That's good to know." Blake said, appearing beside us. Danny almost jumped through the roof and settled for scowling at him. I rolled my eyes, then glanced toward the emergency doors uneasily.
"He'll be fine," Blake told me quietly when he saw my look, "He's stubborn as hell and he'll want to get back on his feet to go after Alex."
"Best of luck," I grunted, "When the cops came to pick us up, they hauled Alex off to jail. Rick better sue his ass and send him back to prison. If he ever gets out, I swear to god, he'll regret ever meeting me."
"You should probably learn some self-defense too." Blake replied, pointing to his cheek. I blinked and reached up, my fingers pressing gently against my swollen cheek. I had completely forgotten that I was also assaulted, but I'd trade the bruise for Rick's wound any day. I sighed, shrugging a little.
"I'm fine. It'll heal... Damn it, I wish the time would go faster." I grumbled, glaring at the clock before looking back at Danny, who yawned a little, shaking his head.
"Staring at it won't help. Just hang around this place until the time's up. Take a walk or something." He answered. Actually, that didn't sound half bad.
"Sounds good," I said quietly, "I'll just head to the front desk or something and be back in a bit. If mom comes back while I'm gone, tell her I'm fine."
"Sure thing." Danny nodded and I walked past him and Blake, heading down the hallway and nowhere in particular. I just needed to walk and walk. My legs were a little shaky from everything that had happened, but it didn't stop me. I just wanted the time to go faster.
I just wanted to see Rick.
I wanted to tell him I was sorry for butting in, for making him tell me something he didn't want to tell me, for getting him shot... Hell, an apology still wouldn't be enough.
So what do you want? Chocolate Syrup or whip cream? Ropes or scarves? I personally prefer scarves, more classy, ya know?
I felt my face grow warm when I thought about Rick's teasing. I wonder if this place had any whip cream? Probably not, but the mini grocery store next door might. I patted my pockets and found my keys. I'd probably look terrible walking in there with blood all over my shirt, though. I paused in the hallway, glanced around, and turned my shirt inside out, which only helped a little bit.
I shrugged and hoped I had left a jacket or something in the car as I headed out the doors and out to my mom's car. I opened the door and got in, starting up and heading next door, keeping an eye on the clock, which had barely changed. Ten minutes, seriously? It gave me a headache to think about.
I got out and headed inside. I walked down the aisle with all those damned cake and cookie mixes that only made my stomach rumble and I scowled at them before I reached the end near the freezer section.
"Devin?" I jumped and looked up to see Damien standing there with a basket of candies and other junk food. I frowned.
"What the hell do you want?" I snorted, whipping my head around to reach into the shelf to grab the whip cream. Damien frowned and came a little closer, lowering his basket.
"What's on your shirt?"
"Spaghetti sauce. What's on your face? Oh, wait. That's just what your face really looks like." I snapped and headed down the aisle. Damien was following me and I could tell by the way his shadow walked near mine. It sent chills through me.
"Are you still pissed about the thing with your parents?"
"Noo, Damien. I started my period today. Now buzz off." I stood in the check out line, but Damien was still on my ass, frowning at me.
"I'm sorry, Devin, but I seriously don't trust Rick at all. He's-"
"The best guy in the world. I know. He also knows how to have the greatest sex in the world. What the hell do you think this is for?" I demanded, waving the whip cream in his face and rolling my eyes in disgust before looking away to see several people in line staring at me.
"What the hell are you looking at?" I snapped, my face burning red. They whipped around and I snorted, folding my arms over my chest. Jeez, Rick was beginning to rub off on me. I couldn't tell if that was good or bad. Probably bad in Damien's opinion because he looked so obviously pissed.
"You're freaking kidding me. You didn't seriously let him touch you, did you?" He demanded.
"If you don't leave me alone, I'll pop you full of enough sarcasm to last you for decades. So shove off." I stepped up next in line, ignoring the blushing clerk as she rung up the whip cream. I could feel Damien's eyes on me, even after I had walked out of the store. I reached into my pocket, fishing for my keys as I stood in front of the car.
A hand smacked into the door and I jumped, dropping my keys and bag, whirling around to find myself face-to-face with Damien's angry dark eyes.
"Drop your witty banter, Dev. What the fuck happened all of a sudden? First you're all ranting about how stupid Rick is, how much you hate him. Now you're his little boy toy? What the hell is up with that?" He spat. I glared at him.
"I'm not anyone's damn boy toy. For your information, Rick's the guy who saved my life tonight. I was lying before. Rick's blood is what's on my shirt." I snapped. Damien paled for a second and he moved his hand off the door, reaching out to brush his hand by my sore cheek.
"What happened?" He asked, his voice laced with concern that I didn't want right now. I smacked his hand away, scowling as I turned away from him.
"It's none of your damn business, Damien. Just go home." I bent over to grab my things, but Damien grabbed me and tore me upwards so fast that I only had time to gasp as my back hit the door. He pinned my wrists down and pressed his body up against mine, making me wince.
"Fuck you," Damien sneered, his eyes smoldering, "Everything you do is my business. In case you haven't noticed, I love you way more than Rick does."
"Oh, yea, sure, whatever. Would you take a bullet for me?" I snarled, trying to jerk my wrists away from him, but found it nearly impossible. Damien's nose brushed mine, his breath hot on my lips.
"We would never be in that situation... I'd make sure you never even left my house. You'd be there every day when I came back from practice. Every day when I woke up, and every night when I went to sleep."
"You're crazy." I managed, feeling a tremor course through me. Damien's eyes glinted as he smirked a little, his lips touching mine so gently, it felt like butterfly wings.
"Love does crazy things." He whispered and his lips crushed against mine, immediately reopening the cut I'd gotten earlier so the metallic taste of blood mingled between us. I grunted, trying to shove him off me, but he was keeping me pinned between him and the car.
Panic started to rise in my chest, making me it tight and achy. Oh god. He wasn't going to move.
Someone help!
I shoved at him harder, trying to move him. He just wouldn't budge! Get this freak away from me!
I did the only thing I could do and bite down as hard as I could. Damien growled and tore back before he slammed his forehead into mine. Pain exploded into my skull, making my ears ring as I slumped to the ground at Damien's feet as he held his tongue, blood dripping down the sides of his mouth before he spat at me.
"Goddamn it, Dev. You're really stubborn." He seethed. I panted against the pain in my head, scrambling for my keys and shooting up, shoving the key into the lock, but Damien grabbed me and slammed me into the window
My body ached and trembled, adrenaline coursing through me as I scrambled and shoved to get away as Damien started to pull me away from my car again. I could easily see his intentions this time. He was going to take me away!
If he took me away, I wouldn't be able to see Rick!
The thought made me fume and I whirled around, slamming my fist as hard as I could into Damien's face. He howled in pain, stumbling back against another car. I swung my knee up and kneed him hard between the legs so he slumped to the ground. I whipped around, throwing my car door open and slamming it shut, starting the engine. Panic fueled me to hit the gas, squealing out of the parking lot before Damien could get to his feet again.
I easily whipped back into the hospital parking lot, practically sprinting inside and rushing back to the waiting room. My heart was pounding in my ears as my legs led me straight to the waiting room where Vic seemed to just appear from the emergency room, looking perplexed.
"Devin. We were looking all over for you. Are you all right?" He asked with a worried frown. I panted for a second, then shook my head, waving him off.
"I-I'm fine. Just a run in with the devil. Can we go in and see him?" I asked. Vic nodded and gestured to the doors.
"Yea, he's the third one down." He told me. I nodded and composed myself the best I could before I walked inside. The room was so white, so sterile. I could hear heart monitors beeping as nurses moved like bees from hospital bed to hospital bed. I finally came upon Rick's and my heart stopped.
He was lying on the hospital bed, cords and tubes running from his arms to a heart monitor that was beeping gently. My blood ran cold at the sight of the blood that was being fed to him through an IV. His hair was tousled around from being moved so much and he looked so exhausted, probably drowsy from medication with gauze pasted all over his torso and temple.
"Rick?" I managed. He blinked and looked up, then sighed with relief.
"Holy Jesus. I wanted to wake up to you, but I woke up to some bitch asking if I was hungry. Can you fucking believe this?" He grunted. I didn't quite know what to say to that and I have no idea why, but when it hit me that he was going to be all right... I lost it.
Tears stung my eyes, flowing down my cheeks and over my lips as I managed to stand by the bed, watching Rick blink in shock.
"Hey, are you all right?" He asked, confused. I wanted to smack him, but restrained myself.
"You jerk," I sobbed, "I thought you were going to fucking die and all you can think about is complaining about the dumbass nurses?" Rick relaxed on the bed, staring up at me with a sleepy smile.
"Don't be such a crybaby... I'm fine, see? Just a scratch."
"Just a scratch? Rick, I was the one who should've been shot, not you!" I cried. Rick frowned slowly, then sighed.
"Oh, so it's that. Damn, Dev. I didn't think you'd go all soap opera on me... Shut up and be happy. Now we can actually do it again. I was gonna grab whip cream for you on the way back home, except then this whole thing went sort of haywire, huh?"
"Whip cream? Seriously?" I managed.
"Or did you want chocolate syrup?" Rick asked. I laughed quietly and lowered myself into the nearest seat, scooting next to the bed and staring at him.
"Whip cream is fine," I said softly, "So long as you just... never, ever do something stupid like that agian." Rick snorted, waving me off.
"If I had to choose between saving me or you, who'd you think I'd choose?"
"You'd better choose yourself."
"Fuck you."
"Fuck you," I mimicked in irritation, then relaxed again and sniffled, "God, Rick... You have no idea how freaking scared I was. And your uncle Vic was freaking crying, you know that?"
"Ah, you guys don't give me enough credit. I ain't dying that easily. I'm like a cockroach. Nuke me and I'll still come back to torment you." He replied with a lazy smirk.
"Torment me all you want." I told him. Rick relaxed on the bed and reached out, brushing his fingers through my hair. It felt so good to feel him touching me again. I sighed and rested my head on the bed. I had only meant to just rest it there, but before I knew it, my eyelids were falling shut as Rick's fingers stroked my hair.
"I love you, Rick..." I murmured before I drifted into sleep from exhaustion.
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