My Guardian Angel

30: I'm sorry

Third person's POV

Darkness crossed the fainting girl's eyes and it wasn't long before she went completely limp. She stopped hyperventilating at once and her hands slumped down from the side of her bloody stomach, where the knife had slashed a rather large wound. Jasper gasped and shook her, trying to wake her but to no avail. He knew. He knew that she wouldn't be able to wake up anytime soon. But even then he tried, keeping his hands near her nose to check for any signs of breathing and then on her chest to see if she had normal or slow heartbeats. Fortunately, her heartbeat still seemed normal though her breathing rate had slowed down.

"I'm sorry," Jasper whispered before he took her in his arms and stood up. Most of their attackers had either run off or become too exhausted to fight back, but some of them were still there, some of them who had regained their strength to rush upto them again. This time, he decided not to fight back. Instead, he used all his strength and forced his tired legs to run as fast as he could. They followed, but they couldn't keep up at his pace and they were too late when he opened his car and got in, dropping June on the seat beside him. He took off, ignoring those goons who had reached the car by then and was trying to stop them.

Should I go to the hospital? Jasper thought, intensely worried for June, who was bleeding profusely. He wanted her alive and safe at all costs, but he knew that this time, he had failed at keeping her unharmed. Visiting any hospital would be dangerous during this time; now that those people had actually dared to attack Mr.Jacobs' daughter and almost assault her when he hadn't been watching, they wouldn't hesitate to follow them somehow. Besides, he did know that the person who is behind these attackers is one influential man who might have his pawns even at the most guaranteed hospital.

We're too far from Mrs.Smith now, and her condition would worsen by the time we go there, Jasper thought, debating with his own mind at the possibilities of danger at each place he knew, Maybe the only place we can go to right now, is her house.

As far as he knew, none of their business rivals or any possible personal enemies knew their house and even if they did, wouldn't come over there since that is a more crowded area and people would hear if something like this happened. Besides, June's house is entirely secure; no one can even invade it with all the cameras and locks fitted there.

A while after driving, they had somehow reached home. Jasper carried June inside, careful not to hold her in such a way that she might bleed more or that she'll feel even more pain. He placed her on her bed carefully, glad that they'd reached the safest place now, a place that would never let in any attackers and where she would be free from any harm. As he sat on a seat beside her limp body and rubbed his temples in frustration, he stole a glance at her red, tired face and a wave of guilt rushed inside his mind immediately.

She risked her life for me... If not for her, I wouldn't even be here now, he thought.

He reminisced more and his wrists folded into a tight fist as he remembered how those guys had dragged her behind when he wasn't aware and how one of them had tried to touch her inappropriately. Well, at least he got his payback, Jasper thought, remembering how he'd kicked the guy on his neck at the right spot. Even if he lives, he'd never be able to live normally ever again, and that'd be enough to make him realise that this is what he gets for playing with someone's dignity.

He regretted fighting them back instead of running off with June at the right time too, but that was all he could do. There was no right time to escape; they never gave them a chance to. If they'd done that, they would've still caught up somehow, especially with the number of armed men outnumbering them both. But why did she save me when she could've just left me there and escaped, having found the right chance to run off? He thought again, unable to find an answer. He did know that she and her dad weren't like most other people he had worked for before, he knew that as much as she fought with him and became kind of moody at times, she was a person who was so very different from most other wealthy people her age who would be flaunting their riches. But even then, saving someone's life by sacrificing her own was just something that he couldn't decipher at all. Being in this profession, he obviously had to risk his life many a times, sometimes for people he genuinely liked and admired - like June Jacobs and her father - and sometimes for people he didn't really have an attachment to - like his adoptive father who sent him to years of rough training since a young age and treated him like no less than an animal, abusing him at every single mistake and comparing him to his own 'perfect' son. But no one ever cared about him or his well being, much less risk their own life to save him. Since the beginning, he knew that this young lady was one mature and kind person who thinks otherwise of herself. However, she added a whole new meaning to that with what she did today. He couldn't help but feel even more admiration and like towards her. He knew that she was unique, special and precious - maybe not to herself, maybe not to others, but to him. Obviously, he already had it planned that he would protect her life at all cost since she was his most respected person's daughter. But now, he had developed the same sort of attachment that he had with her father to her and he wanted her safe as much as her loved ones did.

He sighed slowly and moved the chair nearer to the bed, leaning down towards June and brushed his hand on her hair comfortingly. Careful not to wake her up, he moved her hair from her face before glancing down at her bloody shirt. That's when he remembered that he had to treat her wounds and change her shirt before it became completely drenched. He raised the shirt just enough for him to see the gash, which wasn't too deep or long but had striked enough shock and pain through the young girl to make her fall unconscious.

Jasper took a first aid kit from the kitchen and cleaned the wound, bandaging it and wrapping it around her stomach gently but firmly. She did flinch a little, even though she was still unconscious and unaware. Before taking off her white-turned-red shirt, he wiped off all the blood that had spilt on her skin and covered her with another tunic of hers. Then he took the shirt off and kept it in the laundry before returning back to June's side. She looked much better now, and he knew that she would gain consciousness and be fine soon. He was waiting for that, waiting to express his gratitude to her and to tell her not to ever do that again too. He knew that she wanted to know about him and his life as much as he knew about her, and though he did want to tell her before, he couldn't find the right situation to and he always thought of talking about his own life as a sort of guilt-tripping others and bringing back old, nightmarish memories. It wasn't a matter of less trust towards her, but rather, unsurety about his choices. After so many days of staying with June at both her house and at her dad's hotel, he knew that he could trust her as much as he trusted her dad - in fact, these two were the only people he trusted with his whole heart, in his entire life. Except a few teenage problems caused by the thoughts about her mother haunting her, June was a perfect copy of her dad by personality. If she tried hard, she would've a career as good as Mr.Jacobs' and she could keep her dad's fame and admiration going through her too. For all he knew, selfless people had the most success by the end and not the undeserving people.

"I'm sorry...," Jasper whispered, glancing at her pitifully, "I'm sorry, June. I shouldn't have stayed there - "

He paused suddenly, listening carefully as there was a little noise outside. Immediately alarmed, he stood up straight and looked out of the window from afar, careful not to make any sound or be visible to whoever was outside. Just as he expected, there were shadows outside the house. Footsteps of one or two people. They seemed to be creeping up slowly and carefully. Sighing, Jasper looked at June and nodded to himself, determined to not let them get to her again - even if that means he has to confront them alone and risk his life again.

He knew that none of them really knew where Mr.Jacobs and his daughter lived, and that they found them now only by following them here. If he somehow manages to not let these few goons get back to their boss, he might succeed in not letting them know where June lives.

Jasper, without any more second thoughts about this, rushed out of the house, locking the door from outside to keep the attackers away from June. He felt more confident now, confident that he could protect June if he did as he planned.