The Wild Ones

CHAPTER 17:

In the next couple weeks things seemed to have calmed down. There was no retaliation from Zeke yet. Sophia and Drew did everything they could to see each other without Dennis's knowledge, and Danny and Shelby helped them the best they could. The two of them hoped that Dennis would not figure out that they were sneaking around once again. Faith and Noah had spent the last couple of weeks getting ready for their big move. Dennis still wasn't happy about it, but he trusted that Noah would keep his daughter and granddaughter safe. Jackson was doing well. He was finally awake from the medically induced coma that they put him in and he was recovering well. He had many visitors from friends to family. Life finally seemed to be coming back together and everyone was as happy as they could be. Life felt as normal as it was before Sarah's death that ensued the war between the two families.

Sophia and Drew walked through the carnival hand in hand with smiles on their faces as they were enjoying the time they were getting alone. The two of them didn't get much of that at home. Sophia laughed as Drew spun her around and kissed her freely. He allowed her to pick all the rides they went on and all the games they played as he won her prizes. The two of them could not be happier as they were truly enjoying themselves on their first real date. That is until Drew happened to notice someone that he had never seen before following them. Drew pulled Sophia closer to him. "Babe, I'm not trying to scare you but there is someone following us. Act normal until i tell you to run" he whispered into her ear as they walked quickly through the crowd of people. 

"What about you" she asked. "I'm going to take the prick out. I'm not allowing anyone who puts your life in danger to live" Drew replied. They continued to pick up their pace, but it seemed that the faster they walked, so did this unknown man. Drew knew that they weren't going to get away. He looked over at Sophia who looked terrified as they continued walking as fast as they could weaving through crowds of people. Suddenly Drew stopped, causing Sophia to stop with him. She stayed as close to him as she could. Drew knew the man was right behind them. He pulled out his gun and turned around. "Run" he tried to tell Sophia as he pushed her out of the way. 

Drew and the unknown man fired their guns at the same time. People all around them ran screaming away from the gun fire. Drew's bullet  had hit the unknown man in the chest knocking him down. "Soph" Drew said frantically. His heart was racing but as far as he could tell he wasn't hit. In that moment he didn't care, all he cared about was Sophia. "Drew" he heard her cry. He looked down to see her on the ground holding onto her leg as blood gushed from it. His heart sank into his stomach as he scooped her up into his arms. "It's okay baby girl I've got you" he told her as he hurried to the car. 

No matter how fast he moved he felt like it wasn't fast enough. Sophia was quickly losing blood and he needed to get her help as fast as possible. Finally he reached the car. He laid her in the backseat and took an old t-shirt he had, ripping it he tied the cloth around her leg to help to stop the bleeding until he made it to the hospital. He raced through traffic as fast as he could, calling  Dennis along the way.  Dennis was furious when he heard the news. "I'm already here, I'll talk to you when you get here" he spat angrily. Drew arrived at the emergency room a few moments later. Dennis met him at the entrance. They took her back and when the police arrived Dennis explained to Sam what Drew had told him. 

The wound was minor, so Sophia was going to be okay, but Drew did not leave her side. Dennis came into the room after talking to the doctors. "Sophia is going to be okay, they want to keep her over night, but she will be okay. Now, how in the hell did this happen? The two of you aren't supposed to be near each other" Dennis said. "Grandpa that's not fair, what about Faith and Noah? Your fine with them" Sophia said. "I wasn't fine with it. They have a child. I can't change that" Dennis said. "You know what, beat my ass, or kill me if you want, but you can't stop us. If you don't agree with it we will just keep sneaking around. We love each other and nothing is going to change that, not even your permission" Drew said. He looked over at Sophia, who gave him a look as though she agreed with what Drew was saying. "Well since the two of you feel so strongly about each other I guess I can't stop you. Take care of my granddaughter Dunham, or I will kill you" Dennis said. This brought joy to the two of them. Finally they didn't have to hide anymore. Dennis sat there with  Sophia and Drew a little while longer, and they talked about what had happened.  She told him that she did not know who shot her. "He's dead now" Drew told Dennis. Dennis nodded in reply. He went to see Jackson and sat with him, Max and Faith for as long as he could. They talked and laughed, which was something they had not done together in years. The only thing that could have made Dennis's heart more full was if his wife and oldest daughter Savannah were there to share this moment with them. Dennis left the hospital later that night. He stopped by the bistro for a meal and then went to Euphoria to do some last minute work. 

He turned the lights in his office off and left for the night. He walked through the dark parking lot to his car thinking about the time he shared with his children and how he wished his wife could have shared these memories with them. He knew life with her would have been so different if she had still been here. He didn't notice the man approaching him until he was only a few feet from him. Dennis turned around realizing who it was immediately. He tried to reach for his gun, but before he could Zeke fired three shots into his chest. He walked over to where Dennis's body lay on the ground. "I told you this wasn't over" he said.