Embracing Chaos [Sweet Pea]

Chapter 41

Sweet Pea and I managed to get pretty far into Fox Forest. I couldn't walk anymore, so I dropped to the ground. "Baby! Baby, you gotta get up!" Sweet Pea caught me in his arms as I looked at him. Half of his clothes were covered in my blood, Sweet Pea dropped to his knees to hold my hand and placed his other hand under my head to lift it. I had no more energy to keep walking.

"I-I can't." I breathed out, shaking my head and my eyes were growing heavy, I was starting to get sleepy. Sweet Pea kept trying to keep me awake. From what I could tell, he was on the phone with someone. "I need you to come to Fox Forest! NOW! It's Brooke! She's been shot by her ex!" Sweet Pea panics. He puts my head on his lap. "Baby, stay awake. Don't close your eyes!" Sweet Pea pleads as there's a lot of commotion on the other line.

He removed his jacket, placing it on my hip. I was holding my shoulder where I had also been shot. Black and red stars came to my vision, I was starting to pass out.

"Sweet Pea, what the hell is going on?!" I heard someone ask Sweet Pea over the phone. It sounded like AJ or Toni. "You're okay, baby girl, stay awake. Please, please, stay awake!" Sweet Pea continued to tell me. "BeeBee's ex showed up at the diner and opened fire, he shot BeeBee twice! She's losing lots of blood, AJ!" Sweet Pea continued to panic and it sounded like he's crying.

My heart dropped seeing Dakota come up from behind Sweet Pea and he knocked him out with his gun. Sweet Pea falling over next to me. He drops his phone and Dakota smashes it into pieces.

I turned to crawl away, but Dakota stopped me by putting his foot on my leg, putting pressure on it and I whimpered. He bent down and got on one knee, he grabbed my throat and tightened his grip on it. "You've been a lot of trouble, Violet." Dakota said coldly. I was trying to escape his grip, but it was no use.

"L-let me g-go!" I managed to say, struggling to escape his grip. He was too strong. It was like he was so much stronger than he already was. We made eye contact and his eyes were cold. There was nothing behind them. It was like there wasn't a human being behind them.

It was terrifying. "We're going to get rid of you." Dakota said to me. "For good."

Dakota tightened his grip more, and the last thing I saw was someone coming up from behind Dakota and dragging him away as everything went black.

~~~

*** Jughead's POV ***

Betty and I sat in our usual booth at Pop's, our conversation meandering from one topic to another, but our thoughts never straying too far from the recent turmoil in Riverdale. The atmosphere outside was heavy with unease, a constant reminder of the darkness that had infiltrated our lives.

As I took a sip of my milkshake, trying to find some semblance of normalcy, the bell above the entrance jingled, and Archie burst through the door. His face was etched with urgency, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear.

"Jughead, Betty!" he exclaimed, breathless and frantic. "You guys need to come with me. Something's happened to Brooke."

My heart skipped a beat, and I exchanged a worried glance with Betty. We both knew that the fragile peace in Riverdale was hanging by a thread, but the mention of Brooke's name sent a shiver down my spine.

"What happened, Archie?" I demanded, pushing aside my milkshake and rising from the booth, my thoughts racing.

Archie took a moment to catch his breath, then he explained in a hushed, urgent tone, "Brooke... she got shot. She got shot by that Dakota guy, and it's bad. They rushed her to the hospital, and we need to go there now."

Betty and I exchanged another glance, this one laden with fear and concern for our friend. Without saying another word, we followed Archie out of Pop's, the milkshake forgotten, and our minds filled with worry for Brooke. The darkness that had threatened Riverdale had just become very personal, and there was no turning back now.

As we rushed to the hospital, I couldn't help but wonder how this new twist of fate would affect our lives and whether we'd ever find the answers we so desperately needed.

We know for a fact Dakota is behind this as he threatened her ages ago. But the question is, why get rid of Brooke?

We raced through the dimly lit streets of Riverdale, the urgency of the situation weighing heavily on us. The silence in Archie's car was deafening, broken only by the occasional squeal of tires against the asphalt. The night had taken a dark turn, and none of us knew what to expect when we reached the hospital.

My mind raced, and I couldn't shake the image of Brooke lying on the ground, wounded and vulnerable. She had been a ray of sunshine in the shadows of our town, and the thought of losing her was almost too much to bear.

Betty's hand clutched mine tightly, a silent reassurance that we were in this together, that we would support each other through whatever awaited us at the hospital. She, too, was deeply worried about Brooke, and I could see the fear in her eyes.

As we arrived at the hospital, the scene was chaotic. Doctors and nurses rushed about, and the waiting area was filled with worried faces, some familiar and some strangers. Archie led us to a corner where the rest of our family and friends had gathered, their expressions a mix of shock and grief.

Veronica, tears in her eyes, rushed forward to hug Betty, and I watched as they held each other, finding solace in their shared worry. Cheryl stood nearby, her usual haughty demeanor replaced by a solemn concern. Kevin and Reggie were there too, their faces grim with worry. Our parents and AJ we're talking to the nurses at the front with Hermione.

Together, we formed a circle of support, a united front in the face of uncertainty. As we waited for news about Brooke, the questions weighed on us. Are we sure it was Dakota? Most importantly, would she make it through this ordeal?

In that moment, we were no longer just a group of friends; we were a family, bound together by our love for Brooke and our determination to see her through this darkness. The night was far from over, and as we clung to hope, we knew that the answers we sought lay within the walls of this hospital, waiting to be revealed.

Dr. Masters finally emerged from the operating room, his face a mask of weariness and gravity. Hermione approached him with a look of anxious anticipation, her eyes filled with tears and her hands trembling.

"Doctor, how is she? Is Brooke going to be okay?" Hermione's voice quivered as she spoke, the weight of her concern palpable.

Dr. Masters, a seasoned physician who had seen his fair share of trauma, looked at Hermione with a somber expression. "We did everything we could, but it was a complex surgery. Brooke is stable for now, but she's not out of the woods yet. She's in recovery, and it's going to be a while before she's moved to a room."

Hermione's shoulders slumped with a mixture of relief and anxiety. She turned to us, we had gathered around, waiting for any news about Brooke's condition. Her voice trembled as she relayed the doctor's update. "Brooke's going to be okay, but she's still in recovery. We'll have to wait to see her."

Veronica placed a comforting hand on her mother's shoulder, offering a reassuring smile. "We'll be here for her, Mom. Brooke's strong, and she's got all of us by her side."

Dr. Masters nodded in agreement. "Family and friends play a crucial role in a patient's recovery. The best thing you can do right now is to be there for her when she wakes up. The next few hours are critical, but we're doing everything we can to monitor her closely."

As the group absorbed the doctor's words, a sense of unity and determination filled the air. We knew we couldn't change what had happened, but we could support Brooke during her recovery. Together, we waited, prayed, and hoped for her to wake up and begin her journey back to health.

Time passed slowly in the waiting room, each minute feeling like an eternity as we clung to the possibility of Brooke's recovery. The night was far from over, and the challenges they faced were only beginning, but we were ready to face them together, for Brooke's sake.