“No…no, baby, don’t talk. ” I cried and shook my head. “Just stay with me, Layton. ”
“I…promise…he…won’t…hurt…you. ”
I put my lips to his and started frantically kissing him over and over again.
“Stop talking. Please. Layton…please. ”
I looked up to see Reed dropping to his knees.
“Reed! Please do something!” I cried out.
I looked back down, and Layton was smiling up at me.
“I love you, Whitley. ” Then, he closed his eyes.
“No! No! No! Don’t do this to me!” I screamed out as I grabbed on to Layton’s shirt and cried. “You can’t leave me, Layton! Please…”
The next thing I knew, Courtney and Mitch were pulling me away from Layton as the EMS workers surrounded him. I couldn’t see him anymore.
Oh God…I can’t see him. What are they doing to him?
“Stop! Don’t take me away from him. He needs me, Courtney. Please let me go back to him. He needs me! I can’t leave him! I promised. ”
As I watched them performing CPR on Layton, I looked into Reed’s eyes that were filled with tears.
No. No…please don’t leave me. Mike…please don’t take him from me.
The room slowly started getting darker as I felt my legs giving out on me.
I heard someone say, “I got a pulse again, but it’s weak. ”
Then, Courtney yelled out my name as I drifted off into darkness and silence.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Whitley
I sat in the chair, staring out the window, watching the raindrops slide down the glass. My head was pounding, and I was beginning to feel weak.
Courtney walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Whit, please come with me to the hotel. You can take a hot shower, change your clothes, and maybe even get a few hours of sleep. ”
“You need to get something to eat, Whitley,” Reed said from across the room.
I turned and looked at them. I tried my best to give them a smile, but I barely had the energy to move.
“You know, when the nurse comes back in here, she’s gonna be pissed. Only two people are allowed in the ICU rooms,” I said as I winked at Reed.
Reed gave me a weak smile as he glanced up and looked at Courtney. Neither one of them had fought once in the last four days. I knew they were holding back for my sake.
“Courtney, you should go to the hotel. You look tired,” I said.
She shook her head and looked over toward Reed. “Um…Mitch is on his way into Austin now. I’ll probably head to the hotel when he gets here and sees Layton. ”
I glanced over to the man I was so desperately in love with. He was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a number of machines.
Wake up, Layton. Please wake up.
I felt tears rolling down my face. I turned and looked back out the window. Every time I looked at him, I started crying.
Courtney began running her hand down my hair. “Can we at least take you out to eat for your birthday?”