~ Zoie's POV ~
Everything went by like flashes to Zoie's eyes. She remembered being scooped up by Landon and put into a car. She remembered seeing Asher being brought down to the ground by Giulio. She remembered crying out for him, begging Landon not to leave. But she also remembered Landon putting the car in gear and they took off.
"No! What are you doing?! We have to go back!" she yelled.
"We can't go back!" Landon yelled back. "You need help!"
Me?
Zoie looked down and that was when she noticed that blood was streaming down her legs. She didn't even know how to react. She touched the blood on her thigh and her fingers were covered in red.
"Shit, shit, shit," Landon cursed as he floored the gas pedal.
"Here, use this to apply some pressure," said one of the guys from the backseat. He gave Zoie his suit, gesturing for her to put that on her stomach. Zoie complied and took the suit, wrapping it over herself.
"Hang in there, Zee... You're gonna be alright," Landon said, but he was saying this mostly to himself.
Landon looked extremely worried and stressed. But Zoie, on the other hand, held no expression on her face. She didn't even know what pain was anymore. All she knew was that she was losing a lot of blood. And then her eyes became blurry and she couldn't see much.
In those flashes, she remembered seeing the car pulling up somewhere. She was taken out and put on a stretcher. She saw the faces of people in masks and uniforms. Then she saw white fluorescent lights down a long hallway. And that was it. As if her body was floating, she felt like she was transported somewhere else. Someplace new where there wasn't any pain at all...
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When Zoie opened her eyes next, she saw the bright sunlight shining up above her. She squinted her eyes and looked to her side as the sun was too bright. When she looked to her side, she realized that she was lying on a bed of green grass on a hill. On the other side of the hill was a building that resembled an old church.
Am I... dead?
That was the first thing that came to her mind. She looked down and there wasn't any blood on her. In fact, she was wearing a clean white dress. Zoie stood up and she noted that her feet felt light. She could jump or even run. She decided to test it out. She started jogging at first, and now she was running. She ran in the direction of the old church. Once she got there, she pushed the door open and paused to catch her breath. Panting breathlessly, Zoie walked into the old church. She remembered as a kid, her mom always took her to church on Sundays. She never understood much about God or whatever his deal was. But her mom would always say, "It's simple, honey. God is love,"
Zoie stood in front of the altar and looked up at the cross in front of her. She probably heard the story about Jesus a million times already. He was a God who came to save the world by giving His life to the people He loves. She never understood this story much until right now. She just saw someone do that for her in real life.
It was Asher. He came for her. Despite everything and whatever that was said, he came. And not only that, he lay down his life for her. He gave up himself so she could escape. And why would he do that if it wasn't for love?
"God..." Zoie started to speak. "If you're really there... please... don't let Asher die... I love him... Always have and always will... Please, give me a chance to tell him that..."
Zoie repeated her prayer again and again. If there was anything she regretted not having done in her life was this. Being honest with Asher when she had the chance. Doubting that Asher ever loved her. If she could have one more chance, she'd tell him just that. No matter what the outcome, she just wants him to know.
"Hey, sweet girl..."
Suddenly and without warning, she heard a voice. She turned around and there he was. Asher standing right in front of her. Zoie's breath was caught in her throat. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"I'm here..." he said again as if he could read her mind.
Zoie paused for a beat, waiting to see if he would disappear or something like that, but he didn't. He was still there. It was him and his smile and his hair and his eyes. It was him!
"Asher!" Zoie raced with all her might. She didn't stop even when she got near him. She just leaped and he caught her.
"Is it really you?" she said in between breaths. She was hugging him with everything she got, feeling every inch of his body, making sure that he was real.
"Who else would I be?" he laughed, hugging her back.
Zoie's body melted into his hug. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. She felt like she was home.
"I thought you'd never come for me..." she whispered.
Asher tilted her chin up so she was looking at him.
"I promise you, sweet girl, I've never even left," he said. "I'm always there. Watching and waiting for you. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner... I wish that I could..."
Zoie shook her head and buried her face deeper into his chest.
"It's okay, as long as you're here now, it doesn't matter..."
Asher wrapped his arms tighter over her body. "I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over again as he kissed the top of her head.
"No, I'm sorry too..." Zoie croaked, looking down at her feet.
"Why are you sorry?"
"They did things to me," she swallowed hard. "Some very bad things. And now I have to live with... this..."
Zoie was looking at her stomach. She felt a wave of emotion as she did that. There was guilt and shame and everything in between.
"This isn't your fault," Ash interjected quickly. He leaned his face down so she could see his eyes. His eyes were warm and tender. It held no judgment, only understanding.
"And whatever happens from here on out, I'm always here for you. No matter what you decide to do, I'm behind you one hundred percent,"
"Ash..."
"If you wanna end it, we can end it. If you wanna keep it, we can keep it. But no matter what, I'll be with you every step of the way. I'll never leave you,"
Asher was staring deep into her soul with those bright hazel eyes. At that moment, all her fears and worries faltered on the ground. Zoie never felt more strong and more secure. Yes, life hits her hard. Yes, there will be difficult times ahead. But no matter what, she has Asher. And that was enough. More than enough.
Zoie leaped forward and pressed her lips onto his. He kissed her back with the same amount of fervor and passion. Her heart was swelling in size and it was bigger than ever before. She felt like exploding. So, she just held onto him, holding on for dear life.
I guess it's true what mom always says, "Honey, it's simple. Love wins. Always,"
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~ Asher's POV ~
Asher opened his eyes to the white fluorescent light on the ceiling. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. And then he started seeing a shadow. It was a person's face and it was staring right at him.
"Honey...?"
It was a familiar voice. That was his mom.
"Ma?" he croaked.
His throat was dry. His body felt weak. But slowly, his eyes adjusted to the light. He could see it was his mother staring right at him. They were in a room with white furniture and a machine was beeping next to him. He was in the hospital.
"Oh, dear God, thank you!" his mother cried and hugged him. She looked so worried. She was shaking as she was hugging him.
"Where's... Zoie...?"
His mother pulled away and wiped a tear from her eye.
"Honey, you got shot. You were in surgery for eight hours. You almost died and that's the first thing you think about?" she laughed, but Asher wasn't amused. He kept staring at her, waiting for an answer.
"She's in the room down the hall,"
"Is she okay...?"
"For now, yes. But we're still waiting for her to wake up,"
"I need to see her,"
"But-"
"Now," Asher cut her off firmly. It didn't matter that he was feeling so weak, he wouldn't be able to rest before he sees that she was alright.
His mother let out a sigh and nodded his head.
"As stubborn as your dad, like always," she smiled bitterly as she went on to help him. There was a wheelchair next to him and she helped him get on it.
His mom then rolled the wheelchair down the hall. Asher saw the row of guards guarding the hallway. Everyone turned their heads to him and bowed in respect.
"Excuse me," Suddenly, someone stopped in front of the wheelchair. It was one of the nurses. "I'm sorry, it's family only beyond this point,"
"He's family," A voice was heard coming from behind them. Asher looked back and saw that it was Damon.
The nurse nodded her head and quickly scurried away.
"I can take him," Damon said to Talia. He took over pushing the wheelchair for her and she was walking next to him.
Asher didn't know what to do or say, so he just kept quiet. The nurse used a password on a pin pad the electronic door opened for them. Talia decided to stay back and it was just Damon and Asher now. Damon continued pushing the wheelchair until they got to the last room in the hallway. He typed in a password on the pin pad and the electronic door opened again. Inside the room, there was only one bed and Zoie was lying on it. Her mother was standing next to the bed. Zoie looked so pale and frail. It broke Asher's heart to see her like this.
"Oh, Asher..." Violet said when he noticed them coming in. She walked over to him and her eyes were full of tears. She went ahead and hugged him, and Asher just froze in his spot.
"Thank you for saving my daughter's life..." she said in between sobs.
"Of course..." he replied, patting her back. "How's she doing?"
Violet pulled back and glanced at Zoie on the bed.
"They say she's gonna be alright, though she sustained a lot of injuries," Violet paused for a beat before continuing. "Mostly to her... womb,"
Asher swallowed hard and followed her gaze, staring at Zoie.
"Is she... pregnant?" he asked cautiously.
"No," Damon answered. His eyes were also glistening. It was the first time in his life that Asher saw tears in Damon Van Zandt's eyes.
"The doctor told us that... when those people took out her IUD, they were being so rough that they injured her uterus..." Violet explained. "She was never pregnant. And she might never be..."
Violet couldn't hold it together. She started crying uncontrollably. Damon went over to hug his wife.
"Ssh, it's okay, she's gonna be okay..." he cooed.
"She's never gonna be a mother, Damon..." Violet cried breathlessly. "Our daughter..."
Violet was crying harder and harder. Damon hugged his wife tighter. Though he was trying to stay strong, there was an unexplainable pain in his eyes.
"Come on, let's get some air," he said to his wife. "Asher can stay with her for a while,"
Violet couldn't even answer him. She just kept crying as he led her out of the room. Damon took one last look before he exited the door. He was looking at Asher as if to say, "take care of my little girl for me,"
Asher nodded his head. When the door was closed, he turned back to Zoie. He rolled the wheelchair closer to her bed and reached for her hand. Her hand was cold. Asher laced her fingers with his and his hand started shaking. Tears were rolling down his cheek.
"Hey, sweet girl... It's me..."
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- - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - - -