Push

Chapter 20

Ashlyn Harris POV

Ali and I have just landed at the airport. The entire flight over, we were both just silent. Thoughts are going through my mind at million miles per hour. I'm so scared. I really hope Cameron survives. I can't afford to lose her. This loss will make me lose it. I shake the negative thoughts from my mind and try to be hopeful.

I get a text from Jake telling me he charged his phone and which hospital they took Cam to. He is currently waiting for news from the doctor. As soon as our ride pulls up, we load our things and make our way over. It was only a fifteen minute drive but with everything happening it took about 45 minutes. I start to get anxious as we get closer and closer. Before I know it, we are in front of the busy hospital. We grab our things and make our way in. There is a section for people brought in from the shooting and we make our way through to it. I start looking for Jake but I don't even know what he looks like. I call him not wanting to waste time.

"Hello?" He answers.

"Hi, Jake. We just walked in the hospital and are in the section of people waiting for news on people involved in the shooting." I say.

"Okay. Walk down until you reach the end wall." He says as we start walking. "I'm wearing gray sweats with a Stanford hoodie. I'm slightly over six foot."

"I think I see." I wave over thinking I see him.

"If that's you waving, I have found you." He says and I see the man waving back.

"Hi, I'm Jake." He walks up to Ali and I.

"Ali." Ali shakes his hand.

"Ash." I say and shake his hand.

"Are you hurt?" Ali asks looking him up and down. I see what she sees.

"I'm not. I'm okay. This isn't my blood." That when I realized all that blood staining him and his clothes is Cameron's.

"How was she?" Ali asks.

"Not so good. When I found her she was trying to control the bleeding but it was too much. Like I said before, she kept going on about how she wanted to talk to you guys when I went to help her. She said she wanted your voices to be the last thing she hears. She told me to tell you guys she loves you and to stay strong with or without her. But anyway I lied to the paramedics and told them I was her brother so I could go with her. She was pretty much unresponsive the entire time. Then I was told to stay here and someone would come and give me an update on her condition. It's been over two hours. I'm sorry I couldn't do more." Jake explains as tears fill his eyes.

"If you didn't come across her she probably wouldn't have made it this far." Ali tells him as she hugs him. "You may have saved her life. Don't apologize."

"Did you call your family? Tell them you're okay." He shifts uncomfortably to my question.

"I don't want to worry my grandmother. She has a bad heart. She doesn't know how to work the TV so I'm going to pretend this didn't happen." I see it in his eyes, he just wants to protect the hurt telling his grandmother would bring.

I nod and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't pretend like it didn't happen. It'll hurt more in the long run."

"Family of Cameron Santiago." A doctor calls out in a sea of people waiting to hear news on their loved one. Ali, Jake, and I make our way over.

"That's us." Ali says to the doctor.

"How are you related?" The doctor questions.

"I'm her brother. I want them to hear the news too" Jake says in a heartbeat pointing to me and Ali as we stay silent.

"Okay. Follow me." The doctor states, directing us to a small room. His face looks exhausted.

"My name is Dr. Sapo. I am in charge of Cameron right now. When she came in, she was in shock. From the amount of blood loss she had, a blood transfusion was done. We stabilized her enough so she could get an X-Ray and prep her for surgery. The bullet hit an artery in her shoulder. The way the bullet was lodged, it held the hole closed in the artery blocking a lot of blood from escaping. It was a miracle she made it. If it hadn't been lodged the way it was, she would have bled out and died within minutes. The surgery went smoothly. She is currently still sleeping from the anesthesia and will probably sleep for the next few hours. It looks like she'll make a full recovery after physical therapy. I also think she should see a counselor because of the events that took place. Any questions or concerns?" Dr. Sapo explains.

"May we see her?" Is my only question. I need to physically see her.

"Yes, she's in room 444. She'll be weak and in pain when she wakes up. Just a heads up."

"Thanks doc." As me and Ali make our way to the elevator, I see Jake separate from us.

"Where are you going?" I ask him.

"She has you guys. She's not alone anymore. My job is done. I'm going home to see my grandmother." He responds back with a weak smile. "Just let me know how she does."

"Thank you for saving her." I run up and hug him. "I will keep you updated." With that we watch him walk away and the elevator arrives.

When we reach the fourth floor we try to find Cam's room. It's only a few meters from the elevators. As we go in, I see a nurse checking over her vitals.

The nurse smiles, "Hi, I'm Hailey. I'll be Cameron's nurse today." Both Ali and I shake her hand and introduce ourselves. She then leaves the room and both our attentions go to Cam. She looks so small and fragile in the hospital bed. She has some oxygen on her face and lots of IVs. Her left arm is in a sling. Her curly hair out of its usually ponytail and hanging around her shoulder. I go and sit on a chair on her right side and Ali does the same on her left. I grab her hand and just rest my head on her bed.

She's alive. That's all I care about. The doctor said she'll make a full recovery. All that's left is for her to wake up. I really hope this didn't set us back in the progress we made with her. The last few days Cameron spent with Ali and I were so open and trusting. She let down her barriers. She let us take care of her.

"I texted the team to give them an update." Ali tells me.

"They are probably on the edge of their seats waiting for one of us to text them." I respond.

Ali nods, "I hope it calms them down."