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His eyes flickered around him, making note of where everyone stood.
“… if this doesn’t work.”
Bringing his elbow up, he broke the nose of the man holding him. The others immediately turned their guns to him, but he spun and put the man between him and the shots fired.
Saundra screamed through her gag as she slammed her head into Boss’s face and then threw herself – the chair included – into the man closest to her.
Miles grabbed the gun out of the dead man’s hand, shot the man beside him, then fired at the two farthest away from Saundra, so that he didn’t risk a shot going wide and shooting her as well.
A white hot rod of metal punched through Miles’ gut, followed by another, then another. The pain was blinding. Dropping the gun, he fell to the ground. His entire world was awash in agony.
There were screams, more gunshots, and then black boots raced past him. A force not of his own rolled him over, sending electric pain through his whole body. His head rested in Saundra’s lap, and she looked down at him with blood sprayed across her face.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
“No, Miles, stay with me,” she said, stroking the side of his face.
“I loved you,” he said, blackness claiming the edges of his vision. “I’ll always love you.”
“I love you too,” she said before starting to sob. “Please don’t leave me.”
“I’m sorry,” was all he could think to say before the blackness claimed him entirely.
Saundra walked, bleary-eyed through the hospital hallway. The floor was almost entirely empty that late at night. The bag in her hand crinkled as she walked, the sound echoing against the neutral white walls. The smell of cleaning chemicals blocked out nearly all others.
She was so drained, she almost couldn’t feel anything at all anymore. As she walked by an open doorway, she glanced inside to see an older gentlemen with some family sitting around him. It didn’t look good. She quirked her mouth in a slight frown, but couldn’t muster more than that. She just didn’t have anything left.
When she reached the door, she pushed against it with her hip and backed into the room. Miles looked over from his bed.
“What’re you doing here?” he asked her, and smiled.
She climbed onto the bed with him, careful of his IVs and snuggled against him. “I missed you.”
He put an arm around her, groaning softly, and nuzzled his head against her. “I missed you too. It’s so late.”
“Be nice to me,” she said, and lifted the bag she’d been carrying. “I brought frozen yogurt.”
“Oh, yummy. You win.”
She gave him a kiss and sat up, pulling the tray around in front of him.
“Glad to see you’re putting the reward money to good use,” he said, and groaned as he sat up.
“Be careful, will you?” she scolded and hit him with a spoon. “You were shot three times, stop moving.” She handed him the white Styrofoam cup and a pink spork. “The results came back, by the way. Negative. The kid isn’t yours. They’re throwing out the whole child support case against you.”
Miles sighed and lolled his head to the side as though he died again. Watching him go limp sent a shock of terror through her again as she remembered when he’d done that in her arms. It took the paramedics working through the whole way to the hospital just to keep him alive. Through some miracles of modern medicine, they were able to pull out the bullets and keep him alive.
“That’s a relief like no other,” he said.
“Mhm,” she said, pushing aside the residual fear. “And I spoke with daddy, and the job offer still stands. I said you’d think about it.” Saundra fixed him with a very firm and pointed glare.
Miles smiled at her and licked his spork. “Tell him I accept, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
“Good answer,” she said cheerfully.
They grinned at one another and clacked the necks of their sporks together and continued eating in a peaceful silence.
“Saundra?” Miles asked, setting down the frozen yogurt.
