"Detective McCord? You're talking about that?"
"What else do you think I'm talking about?" the woman raged. "You tortured him. Made lies about him."
Ava clenched her fists as the anger rose intensely at those false words. Completely delusional. Ava took a step toward her. "Jimmy McCord was a decorated detective of New York City. Detective McCord was a hundred times the man your disgusting boyfriend was. He killed that woman in cold blood and then attacked me, throwing me out of a window. He pointed a gun at me, just as you are. He took the coward's way out by pulling the trigger at an unarmed woman. Are you going to, too?"
Ava suddenly didn't care if this woman killed her. Perhaps she had been meant to die that day. This was the universe setting things straight. Jimmy should've never died for her. It all became so clear.
"Yes. I do think I'm going to kill you," the woman said calmly and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 14
The ringing wouldn’t stop. The heaviness on her chest seemed surreal. Ava's body ached from slamming into the pavement. She thought she heard her name being screamed along with someone else's, but everything just blurred together.
Ava walked up to the door. "See you soon, Jimmy."
Jimmy smiled. "See you soon, Ava."
Fuzzy, incoherent images kept flashing. The noises surrounding her, buzzing around were so loud. She struggled to open her eyes as the ringing in her ears decided to claim permanent residence.
"I couldn't have asked for a better friend, Ava. What would I do without you?" Jimmy asked sincerely as he held his hand out.
Ava smiled at his hand. "That is very true. You're the best friend I've ever had."
The pressure on her chest chained her down like an anchor to the bottom of the ocean floor. Moving her hand slowly, an icky wet substance got in her way. Her mind continued to swirl, images appearing she didn't understand. Was she dying? Where was Jimmy? What was happening? The ringing intensified.
Jimmy walked along the pathway, abruptly turning to Ava to make sure she was following him. "I know someone who would be perfect for you. Do you want to know who it is?" Jimmy asked, grinning wide as he held his arm out for her.
"I don't think I want to know, Jimmy." Ava frowned, shaking her head.
The pressure on her slightly decreased. The ringing in her head started to lessen. Was she having a nightmare and couldn't wake up? Zane. Where was Zane when she needed him to wrap her up in his arms?
"Did you hear me, Ava?" Jimmy asked with a reassuring smile. "He's always there for me—for you. He's perfect for you."
"What are you saying, Jimmy?" Ava asked confused.
A hand touched her face. Words filtered into her mind, names jumbled into pieces—unsure of what was real and what wasn't. Did someone call her name? Zane's? She thought she heard her name again, softly this time.
The hand on her cheek increased its pressure, jolting her.
Zane—only his touch did that to her.
She painstakingly opened her eyes. His rough hand cradled her face as he attempted to keep his eyes open. "Ava," he whispered softly. "Please tell me you're alright."
Ava blinked, zeroing in on Zane and the blood slowly seeping out of his chest. "Zane! You've been shot." She quickly sat up, almost falling back from the dizziness and slammed her hands down hard on his wound. He moaned in pain.
"Are you an idiot? Why would you do this? Don't you dare die on me, Zane. Do you hear me?" Ava cried as she tried to press harder. The blood seeped through her fingers.
Zane moaned again, placing his hand on hers and closed his eyes.
"No. Open your eyes, Zane. Stay with me. Please, don't die," Ava cried as she leaned closer, kissing his lips gently.
Zane cracked his eyes open and tried to smile. "Ava, I love—"
Zane cried out in pain as Austin appeared by their side and pressed his hands over Ava's. "Stay with us, Zane. Listen to Ava."
The pain was too much. Zane didn't listen and closed his eyes again.
"No, no, no. Open your eyes, Zane," Ava screamed, slightly shaking him as she did. His body moved with her, but his eyes remained closed.
Austin looked down. He waited with Ava for Zane to open his eyes, but nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"Zane," Ava screamed as the tears started to pour out.
"Ava, he's going to be alright," Austin said with a slight hesitation. Sirens wailed in the distance. "The ambulance is almost here. He's just passed out from the pain. That's all. He'll be fine, just keep the pressure on his wound."
Ava shook her head in response, glancing at the blood that still trickled out thru her fingers. She briefly looked behind Austin. Two men she didn't know were holding down the woman who pulled the trigger as she screamed profanities, including continued threats to kill Ava. Deep painful tremors ran through her body until they settled heavily onto her soul.
Ava leaned down to Zane's face again, kissing him on the cheek. "Stay with me, please. I can't lose you, too. Please, Zane."
Before Austin could respond to Ava's tortured words, the ambulance came to a screeching halt in front of them. They shoved Ava and Austin out of the way and lifted Zane onto the stretcher spouting medical jargon. They rushed him into the back of the ambulance, shut the doors with quick precision, and drove off.
Austin pulled Ava into his arms. She slightly stumbled. "Hey, are you okay?" He held her a little tighter. "You have blood everywhere on you. Were you hit, too?"
Ava straightened up with his help. "No. None of it is mine. I think I hit my head hard on the pavement. I thought Jimmy was there. I felt him with me. I thought I was the one dying, not Zane."
"Zane's not going to die, Ava. He won't," Austin said with conviction that didn't ring true to anyone's ears.
Suddenly, two officers appeared next to them. The woman had been pulled away from the citizens holding her down and into a patrol car blocking traffic.
"Ava? Are you alright?" Officer Cooper asked.
"Ava, what happened? Are you alright?" Officer Salvator demanded, standing next to Cooper.
Was she alright? No. Nothing would be alright until Zane opened his eyes again. He couldn't die on her. She would never survive if he died.
"I think she needs to go to the hospital. She may have a concussion. Can you please take us? And call the Commissioner as well," Austin said softly.
Officer Cooper nodded. "Of course. Come on."
Austin led a wobbly Ava to the patrol car and got in with her, trying to keep her calm on the way to the hospital. It was difficult as the calmness swept away when Zane left their eyesight.
***
Austin sat next to Ava's hospital bed, holding her hand, waiting for the doctor's assessment.
"You have a mild concussion. It doesn't require hospitalization, but you should have someone stay with you to help monitor your symptoms. If the dizziness increases, you start vomiting, confusion taking over, sudden unconsciousness, you need to come back immediately," the doctor said as he held her chart.
"I'll be with her, Doctor. We won't be leaving the hospital until we hear news about my brother…Zane McCord…gunshot victim," Austin said, trembling the last words.
"I understand. She can rest here for a while and I'll let the front desk nurse know that you're waiting on the news of your brother in here," the doctor said sympathetically.
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Austin waited for the doctor to leave and then looked at Ava. "How are you? Are you alright?"
Ava turned her head slowly. "No, Austin, I'm not alright. I wish everyone would quit asking me that. How can I be? I just had another McCord man take a bullet for me and could die. I'll never survive another death of that magnitude. Do you understand me? Do you?" Ava said with anguish. Her tears teetered in the corner of her eyes. Earlier traces of her cries sat marred on her cheeks.
Austin squeezed her hand hard. "I understand you perfectly. He won't die. He won't."
"How can you say that? Most of his blood was
on my hands," Ava whispered as she looked at her hands in disgust.
"He will because I can't think the alternative. I can't lose him either." Austin sucked in a deep breath to remain calm for her.
"What happened? What are you two doing here?" Ava asked troubled. "You shouldn't be here. I should've just been killed. Jimmy never should've—"
"Stop it, Ava," Austin yelled. He glanced at the people walking by, who stared at him with alarm. He tried smiling politely and lowered his voice. "Jimmy did what he did because he loved you like a sister. Just as I do. I would have done it if Zane hadn't, but he was closer than I was. He ran faster than I did. When we saw you on the corner and that woman holding that gun on you… I never want to see that again. We didn't stop to think about what we were doing. I couldn't have stopped Zane from taking that bullet for you even if I had wanted to try. Instinct drove him, just as it did me. I ran into the woman with the gun just before she fired another shot and held her down until two other guys helped take over holding her down for me."
Austin glanced down at their hands. "Don't ever think you were meant to die. If it's up to us—the McCord boys—we will never let that happen. You're too important to us. You're family. Do you hear me?"
The tears finally broke the barrier again. "No, I don't. I don't want you guys taking bullets for me anymore. Just stop it. I can't handle it. He can't die. You shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be here. He hates it here."
Austin sighed. "He's here for you. I made him come, not that he didn't want to, because he did. It was hard for him, though. I'll wait for him to recover to tell you why."
Austin pulled her hand closer to his chest. "If he dies, it's because he was meant to save you and that's that. I can't think of it any other way. If he—" Austin choked a little. "If he dies, we'll survive together because that's all we have…just us. You'll be the only one left to me. Don't give up, please."
Austin cleared his throat and tried to hold his tears back as best as he could. Someone had to be the strong one. Ava stared at him as the dam of tears continued to fall. Austin grabbed her in his arms, holding her as she cried uncontrollably. He sensed movement, glancing at the doorway. Peter walked in quietly and sat down on the other side of the bed, placing his hand on her back, rubbing lightly. She made no move to leave Austin's arms.
"Is he—" Peter started to say, choking back the rest of the words as he looked at Ava weeping uncontrollably.
Austin shook his head. "I haven't heard any news yet. He was alive when they put him in the ambulance. She has a mild concussion from…from hitting the pavement when Zane…when he shoved her out of the way."
"Not how I expected this day to go," Peter murmured as he rubbed Ava's back. "I am so sor—"
"Please, Commissioner—Peter. He'll be fine. He will be. He did what Jimmy did. What I would've done because we all love her. Simple as that," Austin whispered.
A tear rolled down Peter's cheek. "She couldn't have found a better family to love her like you all do." Peter looked at Ava wrapped in Austin's arms, shaking with pain. "No better love than he has for her."
***
"Tell me you're alright, Jimmy?" Zane demanded as his hand shook, holding the phone to his ear.
"I'm fine, Zane. I promise. It was a little car accident, fender bender really." Jimmy sighed.
"Fender bender? Austin told me he talked to that Ava woman and it didn't sound like a damn fender bender to me. Some jerk rammed his vehicle into your patrol car as you tried chasing him down. An armed robber or something? Did he have a gun?" Zane yelled as he opened the front door, slammed it shut, and slumped down on the swing.
"It wasn't as bad as that. Yes, I was pursuing a suspect after we received a call for a robbery—robbery not armed. So no, he didn't have a gun. We cornered him pretty well and he tried slamming into my patrol vehicle to get around us. It didn't work and we swarmed his car and took him into custody. I'm fine. It's no big deal really," Jimmy replied. The wrapping on his arm where he cut himself told a different story. His window had broken from the impact. He caught his arm on a fragment as he rushed out of his vehicle.
Zane groaned in irritation. "Don't lie to me, Jimmy. Never lie to me."
Jimmy paused. "A little cut on my arm. Nothing more, I promise. Ava hollered at me for getting hurt. No need to do it, too. I did nothing wrong, played it all by the book, but was a little clumsy getting out of my vehicle. That's it."
"Good. You need to be yelled at. Maybe I should meet this Ava woman. Or better yet, just come home before you seriously get hurt," Zane demanded.
"I'm not coming home like a scared child, Zane. I already told you Ava was perfect for you. You should come out here to New York and sweep her off her feet. She needs a man to do that for her. She's always trying to take care of others—or let's say me. She needs someone to take care of her. I swear it'd be love at first sight."
Zane sighed. "How did we get off topic here? Forget I mentioned her. I'm not sweeping anyone off their feet. I'm not sure love exists. Remember when you were little and I told you what love was. I still haven't been knocked down."
"Maybe you haven't met the right woman to knock you down. I've never experienced it for myself, but I've seen Ava spar with some of the other guys in the gym. She has a mean right hook." Jimmy laughed. "She could knock you down."
Zane grinned despite his previous mood. "She could, huh? Sock me a good one, suck the life right out of me, refill it with love, and make me the happiest man on earth? Is that what you're saying?"
"Yep. That's what I'm saying. She's one of a kind. I'd take a bullet for her. I'm betting you would, too," Jimmy replied with complete certainty.
***
Zane opened his eyes gradually. They landed on his hand linked with another. He turned his head to the side. Ava rested in a chair uncomfortably, her hand stretched out holding his. A smile touched his lips at the beautiful sight in front of him. She actually looked really horrible. A messy ponytail, her face looked tired, worn out from crying. Her clothes didn't match and had little wrinkles sprinkled about. He didn’t think it mattered what her appearance was at any given time. She would always be beautiful.
Flowers and balloons lined the windowsill with get well soon written all over them. Who would send all that? He didn't know anybody in New York.
A deep breath filtered out as it all came rushing back. Seeing a gun centered on Ava's chest, the crazed woman screaming at her, threatening her. The impossible way time slowed to a stop as he ran as fast as he could to reach her in time. There had been one brief moment where Jimmy flickered in his mind, wondering if this is how he felt when he ran toward Ava.
Thinking about it now, he didn't think so. Jimmy did it because Ava was his best friend, his fellow co-worker who was fighting a suspect.
Zane did it because the amount of love he felt for her overshadowed anything else. Her well-being, her safety, her happiness was more important to him than life itself. He knew Jimmy loved her, but he imagined it couldn’t compare to the love he had for her.
He squeezed her hand softly and tried to sit up. The pain near his shoulder was too much. He moaned.
Ava opened her eyes at the sound and pressure in her hand, smiling instantly when she saw his eyes shine back.
"Are you alright, Ava?" Zane croaked. He coughed a little and tried to clear his voice.
"I'm fine now that I know you're okay." She reached over to his bed tray and grabbed the cup of water. She handed him the cup. He maintained his grip on her hand as he held the cup in his other hand. He downed the whole cup in a gulp, handing the empty cup back to her.
She set it back on the tray and focused her eyes on him as she frowned. "You're an idiot, you know that."
Zane grinned. "I guess I must be if you and Austin always insist on calling me that. Why am I an idiot?"
Ava bit her lip as a tear fell down. "You shouldn't have done this to yourself. You know I was mad at Jimmy for it. What makes you think I'm not mad at you?"
"A
re you mad at me?" he asked with a grin.
"Yes, I am." Another tear escaped. "You hate New York. You shouldn't be here or lying in this bed."
Zane scowled. "So I should be getting a phone call that you died and then flying to New York anyway to attend your funeral. Is that what you're saying?"
"Maybe if I died the first time instead of Jimmy, things would be better. You would've never had to travel here two more times as you did. Once for Jimmy's funeral and once for…well, whatever you came for this time. You would still have Jimmy and you wouldn't have almost died yourself. You lost so much blood. You almost didn't make it," Ava whispered, as two more tears filtered down.
"Come here, Ava," Zane demanded softly as he pulled her hand to his chest making her stand up. She gently sat on the bed. "Lay down with me, please. Let me hold you like I used to when we talked about Jimmy."
"I could hurt—"
"Please, Ava."
Ava let go of his hand and wiped her cheeks quickly. Zane raised his arm, waiting for her to lay down with him. She gently stretched out next to him, laying her head barely on his chest as he lowered his arm around her, then pulled her closer.
Zane sighed in contentment. "This is much better. Don't worry about hurting my chest. The bandage is on the other side, so rest your head firmly." He kissed the top of her head, breathing in her wondrous flowery scent. "Now tell me again the asinine thinking going through your head that you should be dead."
She moved her head to look into his eyes. "Are you calling me dumb now?"
"Yes." Zane grabbed her hand. "Ava, I can't begin to explain how I feel. Where to even start. How Jimmy felt, what went through his mind. Some events are out of our control. He made his choice just as I made mine. I can't fault him for that anymore. My brother died and I would wish for anything to have him back. But the one thing I wouldn't wish is for you to die instead. That makes it so much harder to deal with. Without losing him, I would've never gained you."
Zane inhaled softly. "Or maybe I would have. He told me a few times I should meet you. That we'd make a perfect couple. If I had listened…come to New York that first time to sweep you off your feet as he put it, instead of fighting with you, things would've all turned out differently. But I didn't, and now I have to live with those decisions."
Protecting You (A McCord Family Novel Book 1) Page 21