Nothing Ventured

by Kristen Luciani

  "She's not alone. And she's got the best trauma doctors in the state working on her now. You can't do her any good back there." She took him by the arm and guided him to an empty corner. "Sit down."

  "Thanks." He slumped in the chair, holding his head in his hands. The smell of chemical cleaners assaulted his stomach, a rush of nausea crashing over him.

  Someone had to get to Chloe. He pulled out his phone to call Rachel.

  "Hello?" The girls were laughing in the background, and a lump formed in his throat. How was he going to break the news?

  "It's me. I need…" Swallowing hard, he fought to keep his voice even. "…I need you to bring Chloe home with you. There's been an accident."

  "Oh my God, what happened? Are you okay? Where's Mia?"

  "She… she was shot. It was Alex, the guy she broke up with…"

  "Is she—?"

  "I don't know. They won't let me in, so I'm waiting for an update. Listen, keep Chloe with you and don't tell her what happened, okay? I'll call as soon as I hear something."

  "Alright, I'll take care of her. I love you."

  "I love you too."

  The horrific events were on permanent loop in his tortured mind. He should have been able to save her. Alex had been after him; it should be him lying in there, not Mia. "God, please let her come out of this. You can't take her away from her daughter. Chloe needs her. I need her. Please let her wake up. Please," he whispered.

  Jackie rushed through the emergency room doors. There was a lot of commotion back there, why so much activity? His heart thumped. What if—?

  Her cursory glance in his direction made his stomach plummet. She picked up the phone and turned her attention to a clipboard. With a quick nod, she hung up. Her expression was unreadable, but he was starved for something, anything they could tell him. His knees felt shaky as he made his way toward the registration desk.

  "Excuse me, but is there anything you can—"

  Jana ran toward him. "Chris! Oh my God, please tell me what's going on. I came as soon as I got the call. Her mom is on the way and so is Sean." She scanned the room in a panic. "Where's Chloe?"

  "She's with my sister. She goes to school with my niece. I didn't think my sister should bring her until we know more."

  "Yes, of course. What happened?"

  "Alex Gardner—"

  "Alex did this? Oh my God. I knew he'd been calling and texting her, but I never thought—"

  "He was on something, hell, a lot of something. He followed us when we left Mia's house and ran her off the road. He was after me, said if I was out of the picture, he'd get her back. I'm the reason she's lying back there. If she doesn't—"

  "No! Don't even think that."

  Chris spotted Jackie. "Can you tell us anything? This is Mia's sister-in-law."

  "I'm afraid it's not looking good, but I want the doctor to speak to you. Come with me."

  Jana covered her mouth and stifled a sob, and Chris put his arm around her, unable to breathe. No, please, no…

  A middle-aged man in a white coat appeared holding a chart. "Dr. Adams, these are Mia Bradshaw's relatives."

  Tears streamed down Jana's face. "Doctor, is she going to be alright?"

  The grim look on the doctor's face made his heart sink. "I'm afraid it's worse than we thought. She's being prepped for surgery right now. We're doing everything we can, but unfortunately, we won't know the extent of the damage until we open her up. She's awake if you want to see her. You only have a few minutes before the operating room is ready."

  Jana looked at Chris. "Nobody else is here. Will you please come with me?"

  "Are you sure?" Chris bit his lip. He wanted to see Mia and hug her and tell her everything was going to be fine. But the look on the doctor's face crushed every last shred of optimism he had. "Please."

  Chris froze in the doorway as Jana rushed over to Mia's bedside. Loud beeping machines monitored every breath. This might be the last time he saw her alive. He hated himself for acknowledging the thought, but the situation was grave. She'd taken a bullet to the chest. There were too many vital organs in the vicinity. Could the doctors repair any damage that had been done? Would they be in time?

  Mia turned her head to him and smiled weakly. "Chris."

  He bolted toward the bed and covered her hand. Her clammy fingers grasped his. "Mia, I—"

  "Shh. It's okay, you don't need to say anything. I'm just glad you're here." Her face twisted in pain. "I think I need some more morphine."

  Jana sniffled and smoothed Mia's hair back. "Sweetie, they're going to take really good care of you. I love you. I'm going to wait outside."

  "Don't leave me, okay?" Mia's eyes welled up as she squeezed his hand.

  She never should have been in that car alone. Why hadn't he driven with her? He could have saved them, could have protected her, just like he'd promised.

  "I'm so scared."

  "I know, baby. I am too. But I'll be here, I swear. I'm not leaving you." His voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I should've been able to stop him. I let you down and now—"

  "Don't. You couldn't have stopped this. You know that. Please make sure Chloe is okay. She has my family, but they won't be strong enough for her. You will be. You have to watch out for her."

  "I will. Mia, I love you so much. I need you. I can't—"

  Her eyes drifted closed. "I love you too."

  The orderlies came in with a gurney. "Sir, you'll have to leave now."

  Chris nodded and took a few shaky steps back as they lifted her limp form. It was time to call Rachel. Chloe should be there.

  "What's going on? How is she?" Rachel's voice was hushed. Chloe must have been nearby.

  "The doctor said it looked worse than they thought. She's in surgery now. Her family is here too."

  "Should I bring Chloe?"

  If Mia didn't make it, if Chloe received the dreaded news that she'd never see her mother again, the loss would cripple her forever. The void would always remain. It had for him. He hadn't known his mother, but he missed her every day. "Take care of Chloe." Mia's voice floated into his mind.

  "Yeah, especially if… things don't go well."

  "Okay. I'll get Dad to come and watch the girls. You have to stay positive."

  "I know. I love you."

  "I love you too."

  Chris wandered to the large picture windows lining the waiting area. Not a cloud in the clear blue sky. Everything outside looked so perfect — bright, colorful, full of life. Yet, the reality beyond the hospital doors was very different.

  His world had turned upside down when he'd met Mia. Feelings he'd never known he was capable of had overtaken him when he'd least expected it. She'd captured his heart — she was the first, and he wanted her to be the last. It couldn't be the end of the line, not now, not when they'd finally found each other.

  But that wasn't up to him.

  A black cloud settled over his future, and the sun wouldn't shine again until he saw the love of his life, awake and alive.

  "Hey, Chris." Sean clapped him on the back. "I just wanted to thank you for being here. Jana's a mess, and I'm glad she didn't have to wait alone."

  "I'm so sorry."

  "She said you were blaming yourself. Seriously, man, what else could you have done? The guy's a fucking lunatic. You're lucky he didn't shoot you first."

  "I still should have—"

  "I can't make you feel better about this, but I want you to know how much you mean to her. My sister doesn't get emotionally involved. She's been through a lot, and she's pretty closed off. But she really cares about you. Negative thoughts won't help. You need to remember everything between you that's special and let it carry you through."

  "I can't live without her. I'm crazy about her."

  "I know. You're a solid guy, and I'm glad my sister found someone like you." He looked back at Jana. "My mom just got here. Dad's away on business, trying to get on a flight home. I'll be back."

  "Chris!"

  He spun ar
ound, Rachel's voice yanking him back to reality. Chloe was next to her, squeezing her hand tightly.

  "Chloe…"

  Chloe burst into tears and ran to him. He gathered her into his arms, stroking her hair. Each sob brought him closer to the edge, but Mia's words kept him in control.

  "The doctors are working really hard to take care of your mom, but we can help too. Let's put all our happy thoughts together to create a whole lot of positive energy for your mom. She needs that to get better, okay? Do you think you can do that?"

  "Yes. I want to play basketball and get Jamba Juice again. Can we do that when my mom gets better?"

  "You bet. Whenever you want, I promise. We're going to have so much fun together. See? These are the things we need to focus on right now." He wiped a tear from her flushed cheek. "Come on, your family wants to see you. Rach, I'll call you as soon as I hear anything."

  "I'm going to leave now. I don't want to intrude." She gave Chloe a tight hug before rushing out of the hospital.

  "Your family is going to need your energy, Chloe. Okay?"

  "Yes, I know. I can be strong for my mom."

  The waiting room wasn't crowded, so Jana spotted them right away. "Chloe!'

  "Aunt Jana! I'm being positive for Mom, to give her energy while the doctors fix her up."

  Jana flashed a grateful look at Chris. "Thank you," she mouthed.

  Seconds crept by, stretching into hours. How much longer?

  Chris sighed and paced back to the window. He slumped against a wall a few feet away. An older woman walked over to Jana with her shoulders hunched. His heart dropped. Mia's mom? He didn't want to eavesdrop, but the dejection in her voice anchored him.

  "At least another hour." The woman collapsed into a chair. "I'm the reason this is happening. I was so intent on her giving Alex a chance, for Chloe's sake. She said there was something off, but instead of listening to her concerns, I accused her of being selfish and self-centered. Now my baby is lying on an operating table because she—"

  "Susan, she's not in there because of you. Enough. Nobody could have predicted this."

  "I shouldn't have made her feel guilty about Chloe. I know that's why she didn't break it off sooner. I've been so terrible, so judgmental."

  "There's someone here you should meet."

  "Who?"

  Jana waved him over. "Susan, this is Chris, Mia's…"

  "Boyfriend. Ma'am, I'm so sorry about all of this. We were together when it—"

  Susan's eyes narrowed to slits. "How could you let this happen? Why didn't you stop it?"

  "Susan! It wasn't his fault!"

  "No, she's right. I should have done something. I'm the one he was after. I didn't expect… but it doesn't matter, I—"

  Jana placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stop! He had you backed against her car with a gun pointed at your head. What the hell were you going to do?"

  A deep flush warmed his cheeks. "I could have knocked the gun out of his hand."

  "Great, and then maybe he might have shot her in the head instead. Both of you need to stop pointing fingers. It's not doing her any good."

  Chris straightened up. "I'm going to leave you alone. I don't want to be in the way, and you need to be together right now."

  Sean glared at Susan. "Mom, enough of this bullshit. This poor guy could have just as easily been shot. Do you get that? He was trying to save Mia!"

  Susan's body wracked with sobs. "Oh God! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have attacked you like that. I just — I can't make sense of this. My little baby…"

  Minute after excruciating minute passed, the silence broken only by the sound of Susan's muffled cries. Chloe sat next to him and laid her head on his arm. He hugged her. The wait continued.

  Dr. Adams finally emerged from the trauma center, still wearing his mask. Chris clenched the arms of the chair as he rose, his breaths emerging as sharp gasps.

  He pulled off the mask, revealing a relieved smile. "That girl is a trooper. She must have had a heck of a lot of guardian angels smiling down on her."

  Did that mean…?

  Susan's hand sprang to her mouth. "Is she going to be okay?"

  Dr. Adams smiled. "Yes, she certainly is. The damage wasn't as extensive as we'd feared. The bullet missed her heart by a centimeter, and, by some miracle, it avoided her major arteries, esophagus, and stomach. I've never seen anything like it. When a bullet enters the body, it doesn't just travel in a straight line, it ricochets all over the place. So, the fact that she escaped relatively unscathed is extremely rare."

  "Where's the bullet? Did you remove it? It didn't hit anything?" Sean asked.

  "Well, not exactly. It went through her right lung and her diaphragm. Somehow, her lung didn't collapse, and we were able to repair the damage done to her diaphragm. But we didn't remove the bullet. It's lodged in her back. We didn't want to chance anything by performing back surgery to boot. The bullet can stay there for the time being. We can always remove it later. Her body didn't need any more trauma today."

  Susan clutched her hands to her heart. "Thank God!" Sean and Jana hugged each other and then pulled Chloe in.

  Chris raked his hands through his hair, tension slowly vacating the tightened muscles in his neck. His heart drummed as relief set in. Chloe fell into his arms, squealing with delight.

  "You were right. I concentrated really hard on being positive. It worked!"

  "You did such a great job. All that energy brought her back to us."

  "Can we see her?" Jana demanded.

  "She's in recovery right now and still pretty groggy, but you can spend a few minutes with her."

  Susan's teary-eyed gaze met his. "Chris, I'm so sorry about my behavior. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I was just—"

  "You don't need to apologize. I'm just so happy she's okay." He held his hand out and grinned. "Truce?"

  She threw her arms around his neck. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Chris."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  NURSE JACKIE PULLED HIM ASIDE. "You're Chris, I presume?"

  "Yes."

  "You're the first one she asked for when she woke up. Made me promise to find you."

  The smile on his face couldn't have gotten any wider. "Thanks, Jackie."

  "Lucky girl."

  "Trust me, I'm the lucky one."

  Chris bee-lined to Mia's bed. He brushed the hair out of her eyes. All the bleeping monitors and excited voices around them faded away. Only Mia's smiling face remained, the face he wanted to gaze at for the rest of his life.

  "Guys, let's give them a little privacy." Jana shuttled everyone out of the room.

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Tired. Sore." A look of fear shadowed her pale skin. "Where's Alex?"

  "You're never going to have to worry about him again, baby. The police are handing it."

  "I was so scared when I saw him pull out that gun. I knew if I didn't do something, he'd have shot you. I had to stop him. Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"

  "Now that you are."

  "I could have had Chloe in the car with me. He could have killed us all."

  "Shhh. Don't think like that. Chloe is safe, and you're going to be fine."

  "I'm so tired, but I needed to see you. Please promise you'll stay."

  "I'd never leave you. It's taken me way too long to find you. I didn't know what I would do if—"

  "Ow." Mia's face contorted as she shifted on the bed. "It's over. I'm going to be fine. Don't know if I can say the same thing for my layup, though."

  "I'll train you back to your original level of greatness once you're recovered."

  "Um, yeah, I'm not so sure about that. I've seen your layup. By the way, I'm proud of you for not fainting today. You really held it together."

  "I had other things preoccupying me, you know?" His lips brushed the soft skin of her forehead. "I'm crazy about you, Mia Bradshaw."

  She closed her eyes and settled back against the pillow. "I kind of think you're okay."


  "I guess I've got my work cut out for me, but I can be pretty convincing. I'm sure I'll get you to come around."

  "Mmm. Alright. You know, I might be swayed with some Jamba Juice." Her eyes fluttered open. "Just saying."

  "Sweet dreams. I'll see you when you wake up."

  THE EVENING AIR CHILLED him. The sky was brightly lit with tiny white dots, the ground below illuminated by the light of the moon. It was late, so Sean drove Jana and Chloe home to rest. Susan refused to leave. Mia's dad was stuck in Chicago due to inclement weather and wouldn't be able to fly back until the next morning.

  He pulled out his phone and dialed Paul's number.

  "Emerson."

  "Hey, it's Chris. Something's happened. Mia's in the hospital."

  "Jesus Christ, is she okay?"

  "Yeah, she just got out of surgery. A guy she'd broken up with was stalking her and shot her this afternoon. He works for Major League, and he's a real fucking psychopath."

  "Are you serious? Who the hell was it?"

  "Alex Gardner. We went to school together. He's being charged with attempted murder."

  "Alex fucking Gardner? That slimy little bastard pulled a gun on her? What the hell did he want?"

  "I was the one he was after, and she got caught in the crossfire."

  "Fuck. What did the doctors say? How did the surgery go?"

  "She's in recovery. I'm staying here with her, but she asked me to call you."

  "Tell her not to worry about anything. I'll stop by tomorrow to see her. And believe me, conviction or not, Gardner's as good as finished. I'll crush that little bastard the first chance I get."

  It wasn't often Paul exhibited such a protective side. It went against his ruthless reputation, but it was a welcome change, at least at that moment. Chris always suspected there was a softer side lurking behind Paul's venomous tongue. Too bad he kept it hidden so well.

  "Call me if you guys need anything, okay? I mean it, anything."

  "Thanks."

  The sky deepened in color as minutes passed.

  "Excuse me, can I join you?"

  Chris jumped, and he turned his head to see Susan standing behind him. "Oh, uh, sure."