Page 66 of Kiwi

"How far away is the nearest hospital?" I ask.

"Ten minutes," Crow tells me.

"Shit. I'm going to need you to step on it, brother," Doc urges before pushing me away. I watch in horror as Doc begins to perform chest compressions. Bile rises in my throat, and my body begins to shake.

"No! Please, no!" My hand covers my mouth.

"Piper," Doc barks. "I need you to pull it together and help me. Can you do that?" he asks while continuing CPR. I nod.

"When I count out fifteen chest compressions, I want you to pinch Kiwi's nose and blow into his mouth. Do that two times".

"Okay," I tell him. You can do this, Piper.

Doc counts. When he stops at fifteen, I pinch Tai's nose and cover his mouth with mine, attempting to breathe life back into his body.

Doc and I work together, giving it our all. Tears run down my cheeks onto Tai's face as each one of my breaths delivers a silent prayer. Breathe, baby. Breathe.

Doc stops compressions and checks for a pulse. "It's weak, but it's there," he announces.

I choke on a sob and rest my forehead against Tai's. "Stay with me, baby." I run my fingers through his matted hair.

When the SUV stops, I lift my head. We've arrived at the hospital. Crow jumps out of the truck while a team of doctors and nurses rush out the emergency room doors toward us. Crow throws open the back, and Doc begins relaying information. "Gunshot wound to the abdomen. He lost pulse en-route. I performed CPR."

"Pulse rate now?" I hear a doctor ask.

"There, but weak," Doc replies.

"Let's move!" an older male doctor orders. Four nurses jump into action and swiftly transfer Tai from the back of the SUV to a gurney. I jump out of the truck and go to follow, but another nurse stops me. "I'm sorry, but you can't go with him. I can show you to a waiting room if you like," she says with a calm tone.

"Please, I need to be with him," I plead as I try to push past her.

She gives me a sympathetic look. "I know you're worried. I promise you the doctors and nurses are going to help your friend."

"He's not my friend," I cut her off. "He's my everything."

The nurse's face softens before walking away.

"Come on, sweetheart," Crow comes up behind me and places his hand on my shoulder.

I ignore the stares and hushed voices of the people staring as we walk into the waiting room. Blood covers my clothing, and I don't have it in me to care. Crow has his phone to his ear and talks in a hushed tone, but I can still hear the words he's saying. "Nova, it's Crow. You and your men need to haul ass up here. Your guy took a hit." Crow listens intently to my dad on the other line. His eyes cut to me. "Physically, she is okay. We had to bring Kiwi to the hospital." Crow listens some more, then turns his head away and steps away for a second. When he speaks again, I hear, "It's not good, man. Your brother is in a bad way."

I squeeze my eyes shut and lean back against the wall beside the vending machine. This can't be happening.

"Piper." I open my eyes to Crow standing in front of me, holding out his phone. I take it and place it to my ear.

"Hello," I croak.

"Bean." At the sound of my dads' voice, I break down again. "Daddy," my voice cracks as more sobs break free.

"I'm comin' baby girl. I'm comin'. Hold tight for me."

"I can't lose him, dad. I can't."

"Don't think like that. Kiwi needs you to be strong," he says over the sound of his motorcycle roaring to life.

"Someone needs to call Tai's family," I tell him.

"Your uncle is handlin' that baby girl. We'll get them here. You focus on stayin' strong, and I'll see you soon. Okay?"