Not So Cinderella

by Rebekah L. Thompson

  I growl, “Who are you?”

  “Vi-”

  “You! You did this to her!”

  He lowers his head, looking remorseful. “She- she took th-that bullet for me,” he stutters, looking back up.

  I look down at the girl in my arms. “Why?” I ask, resentment evident in my voice. Why would she sacrifice herself to keep him from harm? He’s done so much to hurt her in the past and present.

  He cringes when he tries to move closer so he can… I don’t know. He just stares at Athena again and mumbles, “I- no clue.”

  I’m about to speak again when Jason rushes in, pointing his gun at the man. “Victor Raymond, you are under arrest for the stalking and kidnapping of Athena Hale,” he announces. He lowers his weapon because Victor puts up no fight. Jason cuffs Victor’s hands behind his back and yanks him to his feet, which makes him cough and spit up some blood.

  “I’ll con… fess,” Victor coughs, glancing one last time at Athena. “I have... a lot to make... up… for.”

  “Stay with me, Athena,” I murmur, turning away from the two men. I keep my hands pressed on her wound, even though they’re shaking. Actually, my entire body is shaking with fear. She’s breathing, but it’s shallow and wheezy. I pick some pieces of hair, stuck by blood and sweat, off her face and smooth them back.

  As Jason disappears, a blur of movements overwhelms my senses. Someone kneels beside me. They set some kind of bag down beside Athena. One of the paramedics says something, but my focus stays on my bloody hands. The person next to me pulls at my hands then replaces mine with glove-covered, working hands. An oxygen mask is placed over her face, and she’s lifted.

  It all happens in a blur because, in my mind, I’m begging God to keep her alive. To keep her with us.

  When she’s secured on the stretcher, a paramedic stays by her side, keeping pressure on her wound as they rush to the ambulance. I follow them, our friends and Mason behind me. We make it to the ambulance quickly since it’s pulled to the front of the rundown building, and they load her in. A paramedic stops me from climbing in behind, saying, “Sir, unless you’re her family, you can’t come in.”

  “I’m her fiancé, please,” I beg, looking over her shoulder at Athena. The lady sighs, looks me over, but lets me climb in. I take the seat beside my girl. Like the last time she was hurt, she looks so vulnerable. I’m anxious and worried, yet proud of her for what she did.

  Taking her hand in mine, I pull the string off my neck, untie it, and slide the ring off. “He took this off when he kidnapped you,” I whisper, not caring that the paramedics are watching. “I’m putting it back where it belongs.” I carefully slide the ring back onto her finger and kiss her bruised and cracked knuckles. Her right hand has more damage than her left, which tells me she mostly used her dominant hand to fight.

  “Please don’t leave me,” I beg, holding her hand as tight as I dare without hurting her more. I don’t want to cause more pain.

  The sound of the siren pierces the air as we speed our way to the hospital. Athena stays perfectly still the whole ride to the hospital. Her eyelids don’t even flutter. It’s disturbing.

  When we reach the hospital, the ambulance rolls to a top at the Emergency Room entrance. The paramedics rush Athena out, and I run in after them. I try my best to stay out of their way and follow, but a nurse stops me. “Sir, you can’t go back there,” she tells me while I continue to push past her. “They have a better chance of saving her if you stay here,” she shouts. That breaks me out of my trance.

  She gives me a sympathetic smile, and my eyes find her name tag. “Thank you, Tera.” With that, I turn and start pacing. What can I say? It’s a nervous habit.

  A few minutes later, the glass doors to the Emergency Room open, and the guys run in. Kim went home when we left the house earlier, so it’s just the guys. They all run up to me, panting. “Is she- Is she okay?” Mason asks. My stomach churns. I should’ve grabbed him before we left so he could ride with me. God, I’m so selfish.

  I shake my head, rake my hands through my hair, and sigh when I remember the blood. “They wouldn’t let me back. They banged her up pretty bad, but she’s breathing. She had a… a…” I swallow the lump in my throat. “A gunshot wound to her chest, so I don’t…” My words fall off when tears threaten to spill over.

  Mason croaks, tears filling his eyes as he throws his head back. “Did they say anything?” He asks, his voice soft and hurt.

  “No, they just told me I couldn’t follow.” The guys let out groans and sighs of annoyance.

  “Excuse me, I’m going to have to ask you to make your way to the waiting room,” Tera tells us, and I nod. I grab Mason’s arm and motion for the guys to follow us. Mason trudges along after me, now and then looking over his shoulder. I force the fear aside and help Mason find a seat.

  “She’ll be fine,” I tell him, “They’re going to help her.” He peers up at me with tear-filled eyes, and I see him how Athena does. He’s younger, only by a year or two, but he’s still a kid. Athena sheltered him from their past and their- as Athena calls them- step-monsters as much as she could. I want to do the same. Now that Athena and I are together, he’s my brother.

  Everyone, except me, sits in a chair, and silence shrouds our group. I pace the room, catching the nurses' eyes, some sending sympathetic looks and some sending annoyed ones. The angry part of me wants to shout, ‘what the hell are you looking at?’ but the sensible part tells me I should keep my mouth shut. So, I ignore their stares and continue to pace. I can feel my friend’s eyes on me, but I ignore them too. I know they’re worried about me, and I’m concerned about Athena.

  What about college?

  Marriage?

  What if she doesn’t make it through?

  What am I going to do?

  I stop and look over at Mason, who’s staring straight ahead with tears rolling down his face. If she doesn’t make it, I’m going to take care of Mason. I have to. He’s not old enough to be on his own, and I can’t let him go back into the system. The system has failed so many. Also, I believe it’s what Athena would want. She’d want him to be with people who care about him.

  With another heavy sigh, I run my hands down my face, wiping away tears that had fallen. I don’t want to lose her. I should have tried to find her faster or figured out a way beforehand to keep her safer. I should’ve never let her go upstairs alone.

  “Excuse me,” Tera’s voice cuts through the silence. I lift my head to see she’s carrying a tray with several cups sitting on it. She’s been so kind that it makes this a bit better. Not much, but a bit. “I brought you some water,” she says. I take two cups and take one over to Mason.

  Ross, Alec, and Chase thank her for us and take their seats after getting their drinks. I glance at them, nod, then sit next to Mason again. They haven’t tried to say anything. I think they know we need silence to think and prepare ourselves for the outcome of this disaster.

  “Drink this. You need to stay hydrated,” I tell Mason. He looks up at me, then at the water before he takes the cup, drinking small sips. Focusing on Mason, I keep my eye on him, and I push my thoughts aside.

  Once he drinks some, I drink mine. I move back to where Tera is and give her a small smile. “Thank you. Have you heard anything about my fiancé?” I ask, hoping with everything in me that she has news for us.

  She looks down at a clipboard and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, but she’s still in surgery,” she answers. With a nod, I walk back to the sitting area and wait.

  ~*~

  Three hours and twelve minutes. That’s how long Athena has been in surgery or wherever she is. I’m getting more and more worried than I was when we got here. I stopped pacing a while ago, but I’m at it again. I swear there’ll be a hole in the floor soon.

  Tera sends me a sympathetic expression for the millionth time, which I choose to ignore now. Thankfully, Mason fell asleep an hour ago, along with Alec and Ross. I promised Mason I’d wake him as soon as I knew someth
ing. He didn’t fall asleep quickly, but he eventually did. Chase and I are the only ones still awake, but I can see his eyelids growing heavy and falling now and then.

  “Sleep,” I tell him, but he shakes his head. To keep himself awake, he shakes himself and sits up straighter. I won’t tell him, but I’m glad. It’s nice to have someone up, even if we don’t talk.

  “Nah, I’m good,” he replies, putting his hands behind his head and leaning it against the wall. I roll my eyes. Movement from beside me catches my attention. Mason, still asleep, is shivering, so I pull my jacket off and lay it over him.

  “Athena Hale,” someone calls, making my head snap up.

  Without thinking, I shake Mason and move toward the man in the scrubs who called out her name. I stop in front of him. “I’m her fiancé. Is she alright?”

  He sighs. “Miss Hale is a fortunate girl,” he starts, making me relax a bit. I feel a presence by my side and look to see that Mason and the guys are with me.

  “The bullet missed her heart and any vital organs, but she’ll have to stay here for monitoring,” he tells me, making me smile.

  Mason hugs me from the side, laughing. “She’s okay!” Silently sending up a prayer of thanks, I let out a breath and hug him back. One by one, we all embrace and relax.

  “Can we see her?”

  “Yes, but you’ll have to stay quiet. There are other patients on the floor in severe conditions who need to rest. Athena also needs rest, but I’m sure she’d like to see you,” he tells me. I nod and get the room information from him; third floor, room three hundred and fifty-three. Before I walk away, I thank the doctor.

  Every nerve in my body sparks with the idea of her being alright. We don’t have to give up on our dreams. We can have a life, go to college, get married, have kids, or do whatever we want. Nothing will stop us. Not this, not anything.

  With Mason and me in the lead, we run up the stairs because the elevator is full. We make it past the first floor and start going faster. Soon, we pass the second floor and reach the third floor. Not wanting to get kicked out for disturbance, we slow down through the hallway. I search the doors until they land on the number 353.

  Everything stops. Athena is right behind that door, and it terrifies me that I have no clue what I’ll see. Mason pushes past me and through the door, as do Alec and Ross. Chase hangs back with me for a second, giving me the moment of preparation I need.

  After a minute, I take a breath and push the door open. Athena is asleep in her bed. Her skin has more color and not just bruises. Her hands are wrapped, but I notice her ring is sticking through the bandages. Also, the blood and cuts have been cleaned, so her face doesn’t look as swollen, and now, she’s breathing evenly.

  Everyone stays quiet as we take the seats around the bed. If Athena needs rest, then we’ll let her rest. I don’t want her to wake up and hurt herself or anything.

  There are two chairs on the left of the bed and a couch on the right where guests can sit. I let the guys take the seats, and I stand at the end of the bed. “Right here, Flower,” I murmur, moving around to the side of the bed. I press a kiss to her temple and stand back up.

  Athena

  Something warm touches my forehead, but it moves away a second later. I don’t want it to move. It felt so lovely and warm and soft. So, I open my eyes. “Drake?” I croak, my voice low and scratchy. Gah, I sound terrible.

  Drake’s eyes widen, and he smiles. “Athena! God, you scared us,” he says, tears welling in his eyes. It’s a distinct feeling, seeing Drake on the verge of crying. I want it to stop. Right now. He shouldn’t cry, ever.

  “Hey, Flower,” he whispers, making me smile. When Damien pulled the trigger, I never thought I’d see my family again. I didn’t think that I’d survive to get married to the man I love.

  “Athena,” Mason’s voice reaches my ears. I turn my head, wincing as I do, and see my brother sitting beside my bed with puffy red eyes. I smile at him the best I can and reach my hand out.

  “Hey, Mase,” I mutter. In my peripheral vision, I notice Drake grab something and move back over to my side.

  “Drink this, but drink it slowly. You don’t want to choke or hurt yourself,” Drake says, holding a straw to my lips. I do as he says for two reasons; one, because I agree, and two because he’s so cute when he’s hovering and taking care of me.

  The door to my room opens a minute later, and a doctor walks in. He’s an older man with graying hair at the temples, but he looks very put together. He makes his way over to my bedside and smiles. “Athena, I’m thrilled to see you awake. I thought you’d sleep longer and wake once you’d had enough pain medication. You must have high pain tolerance,” he comments, and I nod.

  After fighting so much, I’ve built up a tolerance to pain most kids my age couldn’t handle. However, I won’t relay that information.

  He picks up the clipboard off the end of my bed and looks through it. “Okay, it looks like everything is on track. The bullet hit nothing major, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt you,” he tells me, and I nod. Of course, it hurt me. It felt like fire through my chest. Is this what it feels like every time someone gets shot?

  He flips to another page and continues talking. “You’re going to have to take it easy for the next ten weeks. No lifting anything over five pounds and no excessive moving,” he informs me. That pretty much puts me on my butt for the next ten weeks.

  I nod, then look up at Drake, who’s sending me an encouraging smile, so I return the smile. “So, when can I go home?” He looks up from the papers.

  “You can leave in a week; because of your wound, we need to monitor you more to make sure nothing gets infected and assure your healing is on track,” he answers, checking my IV, heart monitor, medicine, and does some tests before heading out of the room.

  “Okay, thank you, doctor.”

  “Athena, I saw what happened,” Drake tells me, making me look at him, “Why did you take a bullet for that scum? He killed your father and almost killed you.” I sigh at his question and look at all of them.

  It was something I hadn’t thought about as I moved in front of the gun. One second it was pointed at me, the next at Victor. All I could think about was disappointing my father by standing aside and letting someone get hurt, even if they are a terrible person.

  “Because I’m not God. I don’t get to choose who lives and dies by what they’ve done. He needs a fair trial, no matter how much he deserves to die,” I tell them.

  Mason steps forward and gently hugs me. “They’d be proud of you, Athena.”

  ~*~

  I stare down at the ring on my finger and smile. Drake should be here soon. When I asked about the ring, he told me he slipped it on while I was unconscious in the ambulance. I’m glad that he found it in his room.

  After he told me that the first day in the hospital, a paramedic came in to check on me, and while she was here, she said she was glad I’m okay. Then she proceeded to tell me that my fiancé was very sweet.

  I couldn’t help but smile. Drake is charming.

  A knock sounds at the door and a smile stretches my lips as Drake walks in. He’s been so great. His support and love mean everything to me. “Hey, how was work?” I ask. He shrugs and walks over while I scoot over on the bed, moving the stuffed elephant he gave me into my lap. He brought it so I’d have something to remember him by. He also said it would remind me to think about him while he’s at school and work.

  He climbs up onto the bed and tucks me under his arm. “It was fine. Mrs. G misses you,” he murmurs. For whatever reason, he keeps his voice quiet while in here. Maybe it’s because the hospital, when nothing is going wrong, is always quiet.

  I asked him what it was about. All he said was that he doesn’t want to bother anyone. It’s adorable. Also, he hasn’t been able to stay the night because he’s been helping Jason with ‘stuff,’ and he’s also been studying and working. As always, I miss him when he’s not here.

  I lay my head on his c
hest. “Well, at least I can come home today.”

  He hums and reaches into his pocket. “I got you something,” he says, making me open my eyes. He holds out a blue and white lily that has purple on the edges.

  “Thank you.” It’s beautiful. The way the colors mesh and fade from the center is lovely.

  “I have something else for you,” he tells me, pulling a little gift box out of his pocket. I turn so I’m facing him, a bit surprised too. I wasn’t expecting any gifts from him. Although, the longer we’re together, the more I think he enjoys surprising me with gifts. He’s sweet like that.

  “Drake, you didn’t have to,” I tell him. Secretly, I like it. I like that he thinks about me when I’m not with him. I like that he has the heart to buy or get sweet little gifts.

  He smiles, the smile getting my stomach to do somersaults, and nudges the box into my fingers. “I wanted to, babe.”

  Smiling, I pull off the wrapping paper and open the box. The lid falls to my lap with a quiet rustle against the blanket, one that Drake also provided. “An elephant,” I squeak and smile as I pick up the delicate, gold necklace. The thin gold chain sports a small elephant charm hanging from the middle. He smiles at me when I lean forward, placing a kiss on his lips.

  “I love it, thank you,” I whisper, turning around, “Will you put it on me?” He gently takes the necklace from my hand and carefully secures it around my neck. It’s a short necklace, not quite a choker, but short enough to hang a little way past my collar bones. Turning, I move slowly and straddle him. “I love you, Drake,” I breathe.

  He moves to protest, but I press a kiss to his lips, silencing him. In return, he leans kisses me back, deepening it by lacing his fingers into my hair to bring me closer.

  A minute later, he pulls back, rests his forehead against mine, and smiles. “I love you too, Flower.”

  Chapter 36

  Athena

  I straighten out the red dress Anissa gifted me, my nerves making me fidget. It’s been three weeks since the cage fighting, getting shot incident. One boring week in the hospital. Two long, monotonous weeks of sitting in the hospital, sitting on the bed, then the couch, then the floor, then just about anywhere else I could to change the scenery.