I Hope You Dance

Chapter 51

It was like time slowed down as Rooster fell to the floor. His face was pale, the white shirt beneath his favorite Hawaiian shirt which was one that belonged to his dad, was quickly turning red. His gaze held mine as he fell and I lunged forward, my fingers gripping the soft cotton fabric in my attempts to stop him. He crashed to the floor with a thud, a cry of pain escaping him as he did. I practically threw myself to the floor, hands shaking as I reached for his chest stopping short. "Oh my god. Bradley." The blood spread across his shirt and I stared at it until his voice broke my trance. "Caila." I looked at him. He was gasping as tears filled his eyes. "Okay." I whispered, grabbing his hand and squeezing. "You're gonna be okay." I turned back to the stunned crowd. "SOMEONE GETS ME SCISSORS, TOWELS AND CALL AN AMBULANCE!" I yelled and immediately people jumped into action. Someone tossed me a whole bunch of towels, and Phoenix handed me a pair of scissors. "I already have 911 on the phone." A girl said as she rushed over, holding her phone up as she put it on speaker. "This is Lieutenant Motley. My fiance, Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw, has been shot." The words alone brought tears to my eyes as I cut his shirt open. "Okay. We already have the address and police are on their way. Can you tell if any major organs have been hit?" I shook my head, grabbing a towel and pressing it to his chest. "No, I can't but he's been hit in the chest, a little to the left." I heard clicking on the other end as she typed. Rooster yelling as I applied pressure. "I know honey. I'm sorry." I said as tears fell from his eyes. "Okay, I have an ambulance en route and should be there within three minutes." I hope she was right and they arrived in that time, it can only take five to bleed out. "Just keep pressure on his chest, keep him alert and talking. Medics will take it from there." I nodded and the girl pulled her phone away. "I'll keep her on the line just in case." She said before standing.

"B-bradley?" A broken voice said from behind me. I turned to see Mav with tears in his eyes. "Bradley?" He fell to his knees beside me as I took the now blood red towel off his chest and grabbed a fresh one. "AH!" He yelled and tears flooded my eyes as he cried out in pain. "I"m so sorry, Bradley." This was my fault and now I was putting him in more pain. Mav grabbed his hand, squeezing as he leaned over him. "I don't..." He gasped as I applied more pressure. "Wanna die." I shook my head, one hand reaching up, cradling his cheek. "You won't. I promise. I'm doing everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen." I said. Hangman and Coyote rushed over, breathing heavy. "We scoured the beach and nothing. No person, no footprints, no signs of anyone shooting in through the glass." I glanced up, seeing the broken glass that separated the pool tables from the back deck. "Caila." I looked down at Bradley, his hand coming up to brush my hair from my face. "Save your energy, honey. You're gonna need it." I said, grabbing the hand he lifted and pulling it close to his chest. "I love you." He whispered. "I love you too, Bradley. More than anything, honey." My tears dripped onto his neck as I leaned over him. His eyes started rolling back and a sob escaped me. "No, Roo. Honey c'mon." I said, replacing the blood stained towel again. "Bradley." Mav said, dropping his hand and grabbing his face, patting it to wake him up. "Rooster, come on. Stay with us." He said. I let Mav focus on keeping him awake and I focused on his wound, keeping as much blood inside his body as possible. "I feel cold." He muttered and more tears soaked my face. "Okay. We'll get you warm again." Mav looked up, pointing at Payback to grab his jacket. Payback handed it to him and he covered what he could of Bradley with it.

Sirens filled the silence and everyone rushed for the door. "Help is here, Roo. We're gonna get you help." I said and Mav and I tried to keep him awake but it was becoming harder and harder. "MOVE! OUT OF THE WAY!" Jake yelled and the team helped to split the crowd as the medics rushed over. I grabbed another towel, pressing down as a medic came over. "Ma'am." I heard him, but I couldn't bring myself to let go. "Caila." Mav said, laying a hand on my shoulder. I reluctantly let go of the towel and the medics jumped in and I was pushed back. I lost sight of him and everything started to set in. I was losing him. At this very minute, he was bleeding out in front of me and the thought settled in that this could've been our last night together. "Caila." Phoenix rested her hands on my arms and my eyes met hers. "Deep breaths. You have to breathe." I didn't even realize I wasn't breathing till she said anything and I gasped for breath. The action set off my tears, body shaking as Phoenix pulled me into her. I watched over her shoulder as the medics worked on Rooster before placing him on a gurney. I rushed over as they moved to wheel him out. "Can I ride with him?" I asked, my voice shaky. "Normally, we would allow it, but we need all the room we can get to work on him." I sobbed, my legs working overtime to keep me standing. "What hospital is he going to?" I choked out. "Naval Medical Center." I nodded and he rushed out the doors and to the ambulance.