top the bleeding, but it soaked through her shirt and his. He felt an icy cold terror grip his heart, like this was all a nightmare. Any minute he would wake up and she would be smiling at him again.
“Jessy, my baby.” He heard the deep anguish in Jared’s voice as he dropped to his knees next to Royce. Jared grabbed her limp hand. His face was pale and ashen in color. “How bad is it?”
“She’ll be okay, Jared.” He tried to sound confident, even though he was scared to death right now. She was shaking despite the heat the sun was pouring on them, and her lips were turning blue. The police and the ambulance arrived together.
The attendants scooted him over and began to work on her, applying an IV and loading her on a stretcher in a quick manner. Royce sat on the ground where a pool of her blood still lay. He couldn’t seem to make his legs move.
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He looked up into Tom’s concerned eyes. Tom handed him a T-shirt from the gym. Royce finally gathered the strength to stand up and pulled the clean shirt over his head. “Jared rode with the ambulance.”
Royce nodded, feeling like his chest wanted to explode. “This is all my fault, Tom. I shouldn’t have run out here to confront them. I should have just called the police and protected Jessy.”
Tom patted his shoulder with a shake of his head. His voice was hoarse with fear, but he was trying to hide it. “She was protected, Royce. I don’t know what made her run out here in the line of danger, but I know Jessy. She would have stayed inside. She must have saw that no good punk pull out the gun. This is not your fault, son. That girl is headstrong like her papa.”
Royce took a deep breath and saw Blake and Sam jumping into Blake’s truck. He assumed they were heading to the hospital. He started walking to his own jeep, still in a fog and feeling like everything was running in slow motion.
“Let me drive,” Tom suggested. Royce missed the concerned look Tom gave him and just nodded. Once in the car he closed his eyes and prayed harder than he had ever prayed before. He couldn’t imagine a world without Jessy in it. How ironic that when her life hung in the balance it hit him how important she was to him. His doubts and fears no longer mattered to him. Even if she hated him, he wanted her to live. He pushed her away all this time, telling himself and her he wanted nothing permanent. Now it might not be up to him.
* * * *
“Royce.” He heard his name being called from far away. He had just finished washing up in the men’s bathroom down the hall. As the blood mixed with the water and ran down the drain he let the tears fall. He couldn’t stand to think of her dying. Everyone loved her at the gym, but he loved her more than anyone, except Jared. How would he handle not seeing her again? He wouldn’t be able to handle going into the gym knowing he wasn’t going to get a brief glance of her working out or walking around and joking with the guys. He went and sat down in the hospital’s waiting room, but he hadn’t spoken to anyone yet. He wasn’t sure he could swallow past the lump in his throat. They had rushed Jessy straight into surgery and there was nothing to do but wait. He turned to see Blake and Sam looking at him with worry in their eyes. It had been over an hour and they had no news as to how the surgery was going. He wouldn’t be able to breathe easily until he saw those beautiful green eyes opened and looking at him, even if it was with grouchiness. Did he deserve a second chance with Jessy? He sure hoped so.
Sam sat next to Royce, running his hand through his blond hair. “She is strong and stubborn. I know she’ll make it, Royce. I can’t let myself think anything else.”
Blake sat down on Royce’s other side. His eyes were red and Royce guessed he must have cried before he got here. Blake was a tough guy when it came to using his fists and putting on an act around people, but Royce knew Jessy was the one person he let get close to him besides Sam. “Jessy has to pull through. She’s like a sister to me and I can’t let myself think anything negative. She’s my only family.”
Royce nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He knew Blake never spoke about his family. Jared had once mentioned Blake’s mom had been a drug addict and he had spent most of his life in and out of foster care. He saw Jared, Adam, and Tom standing by the window and talking. The atmosphere was gloomy and Royce decided right then and there he hated hospitals. The white walls, the gloomy mood, and smells of bleach wading through the air as a janitor mopped down the hall.
They heard the elevator ping and looked to see Officer Lopez accompanying Gabriel and an older Latina woman stepping out of the doors. She wore a blue waitress uniform that looked old and faded. Her black hair was pulled up in a hair clip.
Officer Lopez shook Jared’s hand. “This is Gabriel’s mother, Lucia Martinez.”
“I am so sorry, Señor Daniels. I pray for your daughter. Gabriel is my only child too and I worry for his safety always.” She spoke softly with only a slight Latina accent. Her skin was a golden brown like Gabe’s. “Gabriel told me how kindhearted your daughter is. I hate that this happened.”
“Thank you.” Royce could hear the unshed tears in his boss’s voice and knew the man was barely keeping it together. He had already lost his wife. Jessy was all he had left.
Royce stood up and joined the group. He patted Gabe on the back. “Hey, kid.”
Gabe looked over at him with sorrow in his eyes. His eyes were watery and Royce knew he was trying to keep it together. “I know Jessy will make it, Royce. Mom and I stopped at our church and said a prayer for her. She is a good person with a good heart.”
Royce nodded emotionally. “She is, Gabe.”
“Officer Lopez said they got Benny, the shooter,” Gabe announced with satisfaction. “I hope he rots in jail. To try and shoot a man in the back. That is cowardly. Everyone is saying that.”
Royce agreed with him and they all sat down to wait in silence. A heavy dark cloud loomed over them as they all sat, lost in their own thoughts and prayers.
Jared thanked Lucia for the prayer and led her to a chair. Royce could hear them speaking softly. Adam was on his cell phone talking to Jackson. Tom had gone to get coffee. He hated waiting. He wanted to walk right into the operating room and demand to know what was going on and to make sure they were doing everything they could to save her life. He couldn’t handle any other outcome. The tormenting thought raced through his brain.
The doctor came out still dressed in his green scrubs and cap over his hair. “Is this the family of Jessy Daniels?”
Jared stepped up looking pale and frightened. “Yes, we are. I am her father. Is she…”
The doctor looked a little too grim for Royce’s comfort. “She made it through the surgery. She is not out of the woods yet. She lost a lot of blood and the next twenty-four hours will tell if she will pull through. I’m hoping for the best but I can’t make you any promises.”
Jared nodded, his shoulders slumped, and Royce knew this was hard on him. After losing his wife to cancer, how would he handle losing his only daughter, too?
“She is a lucky young lady to make it this far, so don’t give up on her yet. With a family this big I’m sure she has a lot to live for. She’ll be in ICU for the night,” the doctor told the whole group.
“Can I see her?” Jared asked, still looking concerned, and Royce could understand. He wanted to stand over her bed and demand that she live. He wanted to see her breathe and looked at him.