AFTER YOU SAVED ME // ZESSA

Chapter 36: Is that...

Tessa's POV

"Hardin," I whisper, moving closer to look into Hardin's unmoving eyes. "Hardin." I shake his arm a bit, but he does not stir.

"Hardin!" I scream, tears flooding down my face, as I feel hands on my shoulders, trying to pull me back.

"Get off me," I yell, refusing to let go of Hardin's lifeless body.

"Ma'am," a soft female voice says behind me. "You need to let us help him."

Looking behind me, I see a dark-skinned woman and a tall man in matching uniforms staring down at me. It only takes a second for me to realize they are paramedics.

I nod, but otherwise do not move.

"Ma'am, let go," the tall paramedic says to me, wrapping his hands softly around mine.

"Sorry," I spit out, finally releasing Hardin's arm as I hear my name being called behind me.

"Tessa!"

Looking up, I see a bloodied Zed running over from behind the paramedics.

I can barely react before I begin to break. Sobs rack my chest as I bring my hands up to my head, clutching at my hair as I completely fall apart.

Zed is around me in seconds, scooping me up as he wipes the blood from my face, cradling me to his chest. "Tessa, baby, are you hurt? What's all this –" Then he notices.

The paramedics are performing CPR on Hardin's lifeless body as his blood drips from my dangling legs onto the ground.

"He's dead," I sob into Zed's chest, squeezing my eyes shut and blocking out the rest of the world. "He died."

Zed swallows hard, adjusting me in his arms before moving away from the horrendous scene while I cry out in uneven sobs. "You don't know that... they're working on him." He whispers in my ear, but I can barely hear him as I sob in pure agony.

"Zed, Tessa needs to get out of here."

It is Tristan I hear, only a few feet in front of me, and I feel the rage building when my eyes land on his.

"Get away from me!" I yell, clutching tighter to Zed as Tristan takes a shocked step back, giving me my space.

"I'm sorry Tessa, I wish I could have done more," Tristan says cautiously.

"Get AWAY," I yell in a scathing tone, tensing with rage. The movement sends a sear of pain down my arm, and I cannot help but grab at my gunshot wound.

Zed notices. "What is that?"

He quickly moves my hand from over my wounded arm, and nearly drops me when he sees.

"Tessa, you've been hit!" he shudders, his voice laced with worry as he reaches for my arm.

"I'm fine," I weep, covering it again, my eyes glancing back towards Hardin, who is now being loaded on a stretcher, the paramedics continuing CPR all the while.

"You need to take her to an ambulance, another one should be here any minute" Tristan says sternly, before walking away and speaking with a group of police officers.

"Let's go," Zed says, walking up and out the door into the cold night air. The sensation is jarring as my skin ripples with goose bumps. I'm only in a long t-shirt and no pants and haven't felt fresh air in practically a month.

"I don't want to leave him," I cry, my teeth beginning to chatter as we head toward a group of police cars.

"He's better with them, baby. I don't want to leave him either," Zed admits, trying to wipe a tear from his eye without me seeing. "But we need to get checked out too and see our babies again."

"The babies!" I gasp, forcing Zed to drop me down to my feet, but still holding onto him for support.

"They're fine, they're okay." Zed lightly grabs my shoulders as I look around the parking lot frantically, the red and blue lights distorting my vision as more and more cars pull into the once barren lot. "They both left in an ambulance. We'll be on the next one – then we can see them."

"They're okay?" I ask, still looking around as if they will suddenly appear.

"They were both stable when they left. Come here," he says, pulling me tight to him as I try to catch my breath. He smells just as good as I remember – better actually, and for the first time in months, I feel safe.

"I missed you so much," Zed says, his lips next to my ear in my matted hair. "So much."

"I missed you, too," I breathe, catching a glimpse of them loading Hardin into the back of the only remaining ambulance, the woman pumping away at his chest as his lifeless hand falls to the side of the gurney.

My chest aches as the door slams and drives off, revealing Tristan behind it, walking towards us.

"Hey, Tessa!" he yells, picking up the pace towards us.

"Not him," I say aloud, grabbing Zed's hand and turning to walk away.

Zed follows willingly, though I can tell he is looking back at Tristan, maybe even mouthing something to him.

But I do not get very far.

A familiar face is running at me from across the lot.

Squinting, I see perfectly styled hair and clunky black heels making their way towards me.

Mom?