Rosie's Thorns 🥀|18+|🥀

27 | The Aftermath

(⚠️ Blood and Gore⚠️)

I love you ~ Billie Eilish

《¤Rosie¤》

He rolled off of me with a groan, hissing as his left shoulder collided with the floor. His eyes pinched shut as he grit his teeth and forced himself to flop onto his back with a sharp intake of air.

I sit up and steadied myself as the room spins. Across from us I watched as Hana dug a blade into the gunman's back with a shriek of rage. I almost slipped on the pool of blood as I scrambled into my hands and knees. It oozed slowly out of his side and left bicep, plastering his blazor to his body and turning his white dress shirt a sick shade of red.

"You fucking, dumbass!" I rasp as I unsheathe my knife and cut off the long train of my dress. "You'll bleed out at this rate!"

I wanted to be angry at him. I wanted to smack him for getting hurt in the process of protecting me. And I wanted to smack myself because I cared. He risked his life for mine. My insides felt as if they were shaking as fear wrapped around me. What if he bleeds out? I quickly wrapped his bicep and used another to compress his side. He groaned and held his breath as his body trembled in pain.

"You could have fucking died, Dom!"

He didn't respond, instead his chest heaved as he breathed through the pain. His eyes fluttered open and his dark gaze locked on me as I desperately cut more pieces of my dress to press against his wounds in a poor attempt to patch him up.

"I don't want you to die." I rasp as blood oozed past my fingers.

"Rosie!" My head snapped up as he rushed towards us. "Are you okay? Let me check-"

"Get the fuck out of here, Luca!" I snap, then scream. "Someone get him out!"

"Rosie, the blood-"

Two guards grabbed him and dragged him away thrashing and screaming to be released. My eyes fall back to my hands as my throat tightens and my eyes sting. Too much blood.

"Hana!" I scream. "Help me!"

Her head snapped up as she finished cuffing the gunman. Our eyes locked, then suddenly she's on her feet sprinting to the platform. She fell to her knees next to me and replaced my hands.

"Get towels, water, and get someone to call the Doc."

"I need to stay-"

"Rosie, I love you. But fucking listen to me." Her eyes silence me as she pants breathlessly. "You are in shock and you possibly have a concussion. I know you want to help, but you can't do anything right now. Do what I ask first."

I nod. My legs trembled as I scramble to stand and stumble off the stage. I don't remember how I got the towels and the two bottles of water. Nor do I remember who I asked to call our Doc. All I remember is hurrying back with the items in hand and falling to me knees beside Hana once again. She took the towels from me and used them instead of my makeshift compresses. I watched her clean the wounds and then apply the towels. His gaze was on me, but I couldn't meet his intense stare.

It could have been hours or possibly only a few minutes by the time the Doc came. I'd never met him before. He was a tall slender man, with rich dark skin and bright hazel eyes. He immediately waved us away when he arrived and opened a large metal briefcase. My face paled as my eyes fell upon all the items inside. Saws, pliers, surgical knives... it was like looking into a mad doctors basement.

Hana wrapped her arms around me as we both sat there helplessly, watching as the man they called Doc began digging in Dominic's side for the bullet. His face scrunched up as his hands balled into fists, yet he barely made a sound. I'd caught a few words Doc muttered to himself. His side was a graze. His shoulder on the other hand was proving to be much more difficult. Doc was able to stitch up Dominic's side and layer on bandages. But his shoulder he spent a good amount of time scraping and prodding until I couldn't look anymore.