CHAPTER 2:

You could hear the sirens of the police, ambulance, and the fire rescue outside the building walls. They’re a little late don’t you think? Well my daughter was safe in my arms again, my boys were alive, and that’s all that mattered right now. It was me holding onto Nick and Kevin holding Gracie in his arms. We were finally going home, all of us together. *Click* Nick and I turned around to see John limping and bleeding all over the floor. *Bang*

“Ashley!” I heard Nick yell.
“Nick” I heard someone yell but I couldn’t quite tell who.

Then suddenly everything went dark and I was alone. I felt cold and I could feel my body trembling. I heard yelling and gunshots in the background and then I heard nothing. I felt my body being lifted off the ground and I felt even more cold and wet. I opened my eyes slightly to see a body lying on the ground covered in blood. “Nick” I tried to say but I couldn’t get my mouth to move. My hands were wet with blood and so was the ground I was lying on. I searched as best as I could for Nick but he was nowhere in sight. I felt weaker and colder by the second that passed then my eyes shut once again. I heard people speaking in the background and I heard the siren of ambulances. There was more than one. I felt my mouth being covered and I tried my best to move my arms to uncover it but the most I could do was open my eyes. I looked to see the rescue placing me on a stretcher while a nurse put a mask over my mouth to help me breathe better. My vision kept blurring and I could see the rescue’s hands covered in blood. I was covered in blood.

“She’s lost a lot of blood I don’t think she’ll make it through” I heard one of them say.
“But we’ve got to try” I heard another one reply.
“Come on let’s get her in the truck” one said as they all grabbed different ends of the stretcher.
“All right ready on 3. 1, 2, 3,” he said and with that, they lifted me into the ambulance.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. There were other rescues running back and forth with stretchers and then one caught my eye. A rescue was leaning on the ground zipping up a body bag. The only thing I was able to see was an arm that accidentally slipped out. The arm had a silver watch on its wrist. Then a memory appeared in my head. When we were in the airplane, I woke up and I had looked at Nick’s watch to see that it was 6:30am. Nick was wearing a silver watch and on the same hand too. Omg they were zipping up Nick’s body. Nick was dead. I scanned around for Kevin and Gracie but they were nowhere in sight. Then everything flooded back into my mind.
*Bang*

“Ashley!” I heard Nick yell. He was standing right beside me as we looked back at John pointing the gun at me. Nick shoved me out of the way causing me to crash into the cement wall.
“Nick!” I heard someone yell but I couldn’t quite tell who.

I looked around and noticed it was me. I was the one who yelled Nick. The bullet came out of John’s gun and flew into the center of Nick’s chest. That was the reason why I yelled Nick’s name. Blood poured from every whole in my body. I was already bleeding from the broken ribs, from my busted lip, and swollen eye. Nick in trying to save me caused me to bleed even more. My body crashed extremely hard against the cement wall with a loud thud as I screeched in pain. I felt the blood leaking from under me and I saw Nick lying on the floor bleeding as well. I couldn’t feel my body except the coldness and wetness. I tried to crawl over to Nick to help him but I couldn’t even help myself.

“Like I said you’re not leaving here so easily,” John said as he limped a little closer to Nick’s body.

Where was Kevin when we needed him? I looked around to see Kevin holding Gracie as she cried in his arms. Come on Kevin! Help your brother needs you. Nick get up. Please get up. John stood over Nick’s limp body as he pointed the gun down to him. He placed his finger on the trigger and I closed my eyes and then *BANG*. I heard a gun shot. Nick! I opened my eyes. I saw Nick still lying on the ground bleeding. John was standing over Nick but the gun had fallen out of his hand. Instead, he had his hand placed over his stomach. I looked away from him to a police officer with a gun in his hand. Behind him were five others. *Bang* they shot again and this time John fell down to the ground. The police rushed over to him and checked his pulse.

“He’s dead,” One of them said.
“He’s still breathing but he’s losing his pulse,” another one said as he placed his fingers on Nick’s neck.
“She’s still alive,” another one said as she checked my pulse.
“Mommy!” I heard Gracie scream.
“Get the child out of here please,” the woman instructed to Kevin.
“Gracie” I whispered but no one heard me.
“Come on we have to get them to the hospital quick before we lose them. They’ve both lost way too much blood to survive this,” she said to the other police officers.
“Nick” I whispered.
“Shh, don’t strain yourself” she warned me. “You’re in really bad condition,” she added.
“Nick” I repeated and my eyes closed.

So maybe Nick didn’t make it. Maybe that was Nick’s arm that I saw in the body bag. Nick was dead. I didn’t even get the chance to be with him. I never told him how much I loved him and now he’s gone. I was on the ambulance and they were getting ready to close the door.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on,” I heard Kevin’s voice.
“I want to go with my mom please” I heard Gracie beg.
“Okay fine” the nurse said.
“I’ll meet you there okay sweetie” I heard Kevin say to Gracie.
“Okay bye Uncle Kevin” she replied and then I heard the doors close.

They started up the engine and I felt a pair of small cold hands grab mines. All I could do was cry on the inside. My baby was being so brave and strong about this. If only her father were here to see this.

“Alright let’s go” a rescue said.
“Don’t worry mommy I’m here and nothings going to happen to you. I won’t let it. I promise.” She kissed my hand.

I know sweetie you’re brave and strong. I hope you do great things in life and I know you will. I tried my best to squeeze her hand to let her know I was listening but it was useless. The rescue placed an IV into my arm. Everything began to blur more and more until I was too weak to keep my eyes open any longer. I let my eyes fall shut and my whole body drifted.

I was walking in a field of daisies. My favorite flower. The sky was as blue as ever and the sun shined like a bright summer day. I looked all around me to see the field stretch beyond the horizon. In the far distance, there was a single tree and someone was standing under it. I looked down to see that I was wearing a beautiful white cotton dress and I was bare feet. My hair was loose and held up near my ear by a single yellow rose. I looked around to see no other yellow rose in sight. I was wearing the only one. I ran through the field towards the tree. I felt the nice summer grass under my toes with every step I took.

“Flowers are the sweetest things god ever made and forgot to put a soul into” I heard her say.
“Mom” I whispered unsure if it were her or not.
“Welcome Ashley” she said. “Welcome to the after life we’ve been waiting for you,” she said and I looked behind her to see many people I cared about and among the crowd in the very front stood Nick.