Until I Met You

My head slams against the dashboard again once the car falls into the water. Gray’s terribly bleeding and he’s already passing out.

My head hurts and my stomach too. I quickly push back Gray’s seat and touch his neck to feel any pulse. He’s struggling to keep his eyes open.

” Gray.” I weep and look around for my phone.

His right hand clutches his bleeding stomach as his eyes roll into his head.

” Please stay with me.” I whimper and help him with his stomach.

He gives me a faint smile and leans back against the chair as he fights to open his eyes. I look out the window and we’re already sinking.

” Oh God.” I scroll through my contact and click on Alexa’s contact.

I quickly dial her number and press the phone against my ear. She’s not picking up. I look back at Gray and he’s bleeding terribly. I can’t lose him, I don’t want to lose him. Not for anything.

I decide to call one number that I hope he picks up.

” Dad..”

” Ariel. What happened? You sound scared?”

I wipe my eyes and sniffle.

” We had an accident and I need help. The car is sinking and Gray’s dying. Please I don’t want to lose him.”

” Hold on , where are you?”

” We fell off the bridge.”

” Oh shit.” He mutters on the phone. I hear rattling noises and I think he’s looking around for something.

” Hold on, I’m coming. Just try to stay alive okay. And keep Gray from bleeding, okay?” He says and hangs up.

I wiped my tears and Gray already passed out.

” Gray.” I tap his cheek and start to sob.

” Please open your eyes.”

He gently opens his eyes and it rolls back into his head. I decide to call for backup since the car is already sinking.

” 911, what’s your emergency?” The female voice asks on the phone.

I explain to her and tell her our location. I look out the window and all I can see is water and it’s already entering the car. I turn back to look at Gray and he’s completely passed out. Despite bleeding terribly on my head , I didn’t care. I wanted him to be fine for me. I feel his pulse and it has turned cold.

~ALEXA~ Reid sits on the edge of the bed as he gives me dinner. He’s been terribly nice lately since I got shot. Still finding it hard to tell it to my face that he cares about me.

” You look cute.” I tell him as I shove a spoonful of chicken soup into my mouth.

He raises one pierced eyebrow and huffs.

” Will you eat?” He asks.

” I’m just saying you look good. You just gotta say, thank you Alexa. You’re just being grumpy and it doesn’t suit you.” I say.

” Hurry up. I need to check the bandage on your leg.”

” I’m still waiting for you to tell me you care about me and you want me.”

” Fuckin bitch.” He mutters and scoffs.

I giggle, because taunting him is pretty cute.

” Where’s your friend?”  I ask.

” Went out with your cousin and you know that. I’m gonna appreciate it if you shut up.” He says and that made me giggle.

” Can you please pass me my phone. It’s been silent for too long.”

He rolls his eyes and collects my phone from the dresser and gives it to me. I go through my phone and I’ve got a missed call from Ariel. I dial her number and press the phone against my ear. She isn’t picking up. She’s probably having fun with Gray. It stops ringing and I call again. She didn’t pick up. That’s kinda weird.

I drop my phone on the bed and begin eating. Reid turns on the TV as he tunes the channels.

” Reid, I need a massage.” I whine. I’ve been nagging like a pregnant girl since I got shot.

Cute part is, he never says no. He does everything I want, and most times I wish we had a thing. He was serious about whatever thing we had that night. Like he called it a mistake and he meant it. What a prick.

” I’m busy Alexa.” He scoffs and continues tuning the channels.

” Please…” I whine again.

He drops the remote and turns to look at me. Reid sits on the bed and places the leg that was shot on his lap. I smile at him as he starts to lose the bandage. My eyes snap to the TV and it’s a news channel.  Business news displays on TV and there’s an ambulance too.

” Popular business tycoon, Gray Carter, was involved in a fatal car accident with his girlfriend. It was reported he was shot in the stomach…”

” What the fuck!” Reid and I utter as he snaps his head to the TV.

The TV displays Paramedics with two people on two stretchers as they are rushed into a hospital.

” Is that Gray?” I ask as someone knocks on Reid’s door. Reid stands up and walks to the door.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

” Did you see the news? Gray’s been shot?” Manny asks.

” Fuckin hell.” Reid walks back to the room and I’m already on my feet.

” The fuckin Russians. It’s their stupid work.” He says and picks up his car key.

” I’m coming with you.” I state and search his room for my clothes.

I quickly put it on and Reid switched off the TV.

|•GRAY•|

I blink my eyes and I’m faced with white. What’s this? I slowly part my eyes to get used to the light affecting my vision. I look around this strange place and it’s occupants. I look at the left and Damon is standing, his back leaning against the white walls, with his arms crossed. I look at my right and Reid’s seated next to my bed. Wait! Bed. A hospital? What the fuck! Who brought me here? Why am I even here?

” Sup man.” Reid says. He smirks at me and I don’t really give a fuck about that right now.

Why the actual fuck am i in a hospital? The door to the room springs open and my mom walks in with a doctor. What’s happening?

” Oh my baby.” Mom sobs as she rushes to my form. Shit!

She touches my neck and my head and she wipes her eyes. Why am I here?

” You’re awake.” A voice says. I traced it to the doctor whose name tag says Hardy.

I blink my eyes and try to remember my last experience. I was in my car with Ariel. Damn, we were shot at and we had an accident, fell off the bridge and that’s the last i can think of.

” Where’s Ariel?” I ask. ” She’s still unconscious.” Mom says.

” Unconscious?” I ask. How can she be unconscious?

” You need to calm down Gray. I need to check your health status and how you’re feeling. You suffered internal bleeding and…” He trails as he tries to hold my shoulder.

” Fuck man.” I slap his hands away.” Don’t touch me, man.”

” Gray, you’re not fourteen. You need to calm down. I thought I lost you.” Mom says.

” Where the fuck is Ariel? How can I be sure she’s fine?”

” She’s fine Gray. Nothing happened to her. She was only unconscious and she’s not awake.” Reid says.  ” Alexa is with her. She will be fine.”

I sigh and take deep breaths. I caused this. I know I was involved with it but I was selfish. I dragged her into my dark world and she has gotten hurt a lot of times.

Doctor Hardy holds my wrist and drops it. He writes something on his clipboard.

” Do you feel any pain?” The doctor asks.

” No.”

” Stomach?” He asks again.

” Fuck no.” I reply.

Damon scoffs and makes an annoying sound. I just can’t remember when I was last admitted. Aside from an accident that almost cost my life, that’s like four years ago. Now this.

A nurse walks in with a tray and an injection on it. The doctor takes the syringe and taps the needle. He pierces the needle into my arm and injects it.

” That’s gonna help you rest better.” The doctor says and turns to leave with the nurse.

Once the door is shut , I turn to look at Reid.

“Where the fuck is Moskov?” I ask Reid.

” Who the fuck is Moskov, Gray?” Damon asks.

” Not your fucking concern.”

” Gray, what is wrong with you? You almost lost your life and your girlfriend’s life , what does that even mean to you? Don’t you value your life?” Mom asks.

I can’t be calm unless I end Moskov’s life. He has done more than enough and I’m not fuckin resting, except he’s six feet underneath the earth.

” Where is Moskov, Reid?”

” Manny and Carl have been on the pursuit since the day you got shot.”

” How long have I been out?”

” Three days.” Reid answers.

” Was this some sorta Mafia fight that almost cost your life?” Damon asks?

” Yeah. What?”

” I thought I’d lost you again, Gray. I had to leave Canada and come to New York when I heard you were shot and in a fatal accident with your girlfriend. Why can’t you give up this life?” Mom sobs. Why’s she acting like she didn’t date a drug dealer.  Nobody leaves the Mafia , what’s their shit? Should I tutor them again?

” So when are you leaving the Mafia? Gray you’re gonna end up dead if you don’t give up the mob. You’ve made a lot of money from the mafia, why not stop this bullshit and focus more on your girl.” Damon says. They are pissing me off.

” What the fuck is wrong with you , man? What are you, fourteen? Should I start giving you rules about the Mafia? Blood in, blood out. Nobody leaves the Mafia and you know it. The only way out is with a coffin. Dead Damon.” I yell at him.

Reid places his hand on my arm to calm me down. They keep on acting like six years old with their persistent shitty attitudes. Who leaves the Mafia?

Mom begins to cry and I’m hurt again.” Why not leave the country? Move out and don’t come back.”

” And why should I do that?”

” Because, I don’t want to lose you Gray.” She says. Damon walks to her little form and begins to pat her.

” Nothing is gonna happen to me. I knew what I was getting into. I made this decision and I’m gonna live with it. With time , I’m gonna retire.”

” And Ariel ? What’s gonna happen to her?”

” She will be fine. I’m gonna look after her.” I say.

” Look after her? She’s unconscious Gray. What type of looking after her was that? You shouldn’t indulge her with your sick business even when you know the risks .” Damon says.

” Sinclair was here. Why was he here?” Mom asks.

I sigh and turn to look at Reid. He gives me a sympathetic look and shrugs.

” I don’t know.”

” You don’t know? He was one of the reasons we lost our father. He was part of father’s death and he was here. He was with Ariel , stuck in her room.” Damon says.

” Sinclair had nothing to do with dad’s death, okay.”

” What makes you think so? They went out together that day, before he was shot dead.” Damon says.

I shut my eyes and breathe out. I need to tell them.

” I killed him.” I say and open my eyes.

The room falls silent as everyone looks at me.

” Excuse me?” Mom asks.

” What the fuck Gray? What are you saying?” Damon asks.

” I killed our father, okay. I fuckin killed him.” I say.

Mom looks at me as a tear slips from her eyes.

” How could you?” She backhands me as I touch my cheek. What the fuck?

” You stupid son, how dare you?” She slaps the opposite cheek.

Fuck.

” How could you do this to me? You turned me to a widow? I thought maybe it was Sinclair. How could you kill your own father?” Mom yells as Damon and Reid stare at me in awe.

” Why did you do it, Gray? Why did you shoot him?”

” He fuckin snitched on me alright?” I protest and mom slaps me again.

” You will pay for this. I regretted ever coming here to make sure you’re okay. You don’t even deserve love. You killed my husband.” She cries and starts to thrash at me.

Damon and Reid hold her back to prevent her from pulling off the drip stand.

” Don’t ever call me again. I’m deleting your number and you’re not my son.” She says as she storms out of the hospital room.

Goddamnit.

” Fuck , Gray. I knew you were insane but I never thought you’d be crazy enough to shoot your own father. I’m getting the hell outta here.” Damon says and leaves too.

Now it’s just Reid. He doesn’t say a word. He stares at me and runs both hands down his tousled hair.

” I hated what I did though.” I say with a sigh.

” But you didn’t regret it though, right?” Reid asks.

” I don’t know.”

” You shouldn’t have Gray.”

” He fucked me up and I got angry..”

” And you shot him, because you were angry? My dad’s a dick, a fuckin pussy but I never ever thought about pulling a trigger through his fucked up head. The fuck Gray.” Reid sighs.

” Is Ariel aware?” He asks.

” Yeah. One of the reasons she wanted to leave me. I’m fucked up , she made me see reasons what I did was wrong. What did the doctor say about her health?”

” She will be fine. When you passed out , I think she fell unconscious out of shock. She’s got a little injury on her head and she bled profusely. She will be fine.” Reid says.

I nod and take in a deep breath.

” Damn, Gray.” He mutters and paces around his room.

” Your mom is never gonna forgive you , you know that right?”

” Yeah. But that won’t stop me from apologizing properly. I’ve done a lot of terrible shit. It sucks.”

” Yeah.” |•ARIEL•|

I move my fingers and slowly part my eyes. The brightness of the room made me squint my eyes as I raise my hand to hold my head. My head hurts terribly. I’m having a terrible headache.

” Oh my God. Ariel.” I hear a familiar voice as I try to open my eyes.

” Go get the doctor.” A male voice says.

I slowly open my eyes and it lands on Sinclair. He’s sitting right next to me. Where am I? What’s this place? I look up at the white ceiling and white walls. A hospital? What happened?

I shut my eyes and try to recall what happened. An accident right on the bridge and Gray was shot. Gray , where’s Gray?

” Where’s Gray?” I ask Sinclair.

” Calm down Ariel. Gray’s fine. Nothing happened to him and it’s your turn to get better too.” He says.

I can’t taste anything. My mouth is dry and I’m thirsty.

” How long have I been out?”

” Four days.”

I nod and try to sit up. Dad holds me gently and helps me up.

” Water, I need water.” I lament. Just then Alexa walks in with a female doctor.

She rushes to me and hugs me at once.

” Aww , birdie. Thought I lost you again.” She says.

” Can she get water?” Dad asks the doctor. She nods and walks out.

” What happened? The car fell off the bridge Ariel.” Alexa says.

” The Russians.” I say. My voice cracks and I badly need water.

” Russians? The Mafia?” Dad asks. I nod and touch the bandage on my head.

” Yes.” I voice out.

” Why?”

” Same old feud with Gray and Vladimir. Gray killed Vladimir and his brother Moskov isn’t happy. He wants Gray dead.”

” Fuck. Not again.” Dad mutters.

” Was mom here?”

” The day it happened , yes. She was here with her husband and her daughter. How are you?”

” Not fine at all. My head aches , terribly.” I answer.

The doctor returns with a bottle water as she gives me.

” Thank you.” I say and uncap it and I chug down the water. I feel better.

” Thank you.”

” How are you feeling? Any pain at all?” The doctor asks as Alexa takes the bottle water from my hand.

” I’m fine. Just a headache.”

” Yeah. You bled a lot. Can I have alone time with her?” The doctor asks.

Alexa and dad look at me as they look at the doctor.

” Why?”

” I need to carry out a series of tests on her. To make sure she’s better.” Okay that’s quite strange.

” Ariel?” Dad asks me.

” Sure. I’ll be fine. I’ll scream if she tries to strangle me.” I say as they laugh.

Alexa leaves first and dad follows. The doctor smiles at me and sits next to me. She touches my neck and sighs.

” Do you feel pain?”

” Just the head. Am I gonna be fine?” I ask her.

” You’ll be fine.” She smiles widely.” You’re a strong woman. It wasn’t really easy at all. You were supposed to miscarry because of this accident.”

What’s she talking about? Miscarry what?

” The baby’s fine too.” She says.

Wait, I don’t get it. What baby? What is she talking about?

” I’m not pregnant.” I defend.

” Yes you’re. You’re three weeks pregnant…”