Everything I Need

29

   "No, no, no, no! Please Kyler! Please baby!." I cry uncontrollably as I drop to my knees beside my wife. I place my hands on her shoulder where she was shot and try talking to her. I lean down and softly kiss her lips. "I love you. You have to be okay, you just have to. Please baby stay with me!" After telling Kyler that, her eyes close and I tune everything out around me as I keep pressure on her shoulder trying to stop the bleeding. I didn't quite register the two loud noises or anything happening around me until I feel a hand on my shoulder and someone squatting down beside me.
  
   "Come on Kyler please! Please baby! Open your eyes, please!" I keep screaming over and over. I feel a squeeze on my shoulder and I glance at the person beside me and see a female police officer looking at me. Suddenly she yells "damn it I said we need medics now!" as she looks down at Kyler. Two paramedics come rushing in towards us as another pushes a stretcher inside.
  
   The female officer places her hand on my arm and says, "I'm Officer Graves and I need you to let go and come with me." I instantly shake my head no because I can't leave Kyler. I just can't! Again she says "you have to let go and come with me."
  
   As tears continue to fall I whisper "I-I can't leave my wife." I look at Kyler's nonmoving body, her beautiful face and all I want is for her to open her eyes and tell me she loves me and that she is okay.
  
   A hand rubs my back as I hear "ma'am, I understand but the paramedics need to take a look at her so they can help." I know the officer is right but I just don't want to let go. Suddenly it dawns on me that Mike had a gun and shot her and I start to panic. I look at Officer Graves "m-my... umm... M-Mike... h-he shot her. H-He has a gun. H-He..." My words stop as I frantically look around looking for Mike.
  
   Officer Graves pulls me away from Kyler for the paramedics to work on her. "No, no, no...! I cry because I want to stay with my wife.
  
   Officer Graves says "ma'am, you're in shock but please try to calm down. He is no longer a threat and you're safe now. We have to ask you some questions while the paramedics stabilize your wife so they can transport her to the hospital." I nod in understanding but look around again and finally see a sheet covering a body on the floor and I know that it's Mike's body.
  
   Officer Graves continues talking to me but my attention is back on the paramedics working on Kyler. I swear my heart leaps in my throat and my knees get weak as I hear one of the paramedics say "we have a pulse!" They quickly get her on a stretcher and rush out of our house to the ambulance. Without another thought, I take off running after them.
  
   I run after the stretcher and see the paramedics loading it into the ambulance. I stop and reach for the handle so I can climb into the back of the ambulance as well. "Ma'am I need you to let go. You can't be here." I hear a deep voice of one of the paramedics say and I instantly shake my head and try again. "Ma'am, step away from the ambulance." He demands more sternly this time as he blocks me. I shake my head again and my vision blurs from my tears.
  
   "I'm her wife, damn it! I'm not leaving her, she needs me, now let me in!" I scream as more tears fall and run down my face.
  
   Suddenly, I feel two arms wrap around me and my mind and body goes into a panic. I start screaming and jerking to get away from the person holding me. I swing my elbows back and one connects with the person's stomach and the other with their face. They release their hold on me and I move away and look only to see that I elbowed Officer Graves. Quickly another officer steps in front of me pulling out handcuffs but Officer Graves steps between me and the other officer. "Leave her alone White. It was just an accident because I startled her." She turns back to me, "listen Mrs. James, your wife needs you to let the paramedics do their job. They can't take care of her properly if you're in their way."
  
   Officer Graves looks me in my eyes "I didn't mean to scare you a few seconds ago. That wasn't my intention but I had called your name a few times and you apparently never heard me. Come on, let's get you to the hospital too. You need to get checked out too." She leads me to the police car as the ambulance drives off with the sirens going. I don't even remember getting inside the car or buckling up. Next thing I know I hear "Mrs. James, we're at the hospital. Do you need help getting out?"
  
   I shake my head "no, I can do it." My voice didn't even sound like mine as the words leave my mouth and Office Graves watches as I open the car door and get out. She comes around to my side and loosely grips my elbow as she leads me inside the emergency room. She gets a nurse to take me to an exam room and check the cut on my lip and she asks for a scrub top for me to put on since my blouse will not stay closed and because of the blood all over it. Most of the blood is from Kyler's shoulder and a little from my lip. I honestly had not thought anything about my blouse because my focus was on Kyler.
  
   I'm given the scrub top and the nurse steps out but Officer Graves just turns around so I can change. Once I've got the scrub top on I let the officer know. She gets the nurse and when the nurse comes back in, I inform her that I'm pregnant which earns a shocked look from Officer Graves. After the nurse cleans and doctors my busted lip, she gets the doctor for them to check over me and my baby to make sure everything is okay. When they finish the exam and inform me that the baby is perfectly fine and healthy, they step out of the room and another female officer comes into the room and stands by Officer Graves. 
  
   "Mrs. James, I'm Officer Miller and we need to ask you those questions now." I start to shake my head but she quickly says "they are taking care of your wife at this time. There's nothing you can do right now so let's get this out of the way so you can be there for her."
  
   I sigh because I know she is right and finally agree. I answer all of their questions and give as much detail as I can about all the events of today. I also told them about the first time Mike showed up at the school and had grabbed my arm. I had to go in depth about mine and Mike's history and the fact that Kyler was his daughter. I made sure not to mention the exact time frame of when Kyler and I actually got together and luckily they only asked how long she and I had been married.
  
   Once the questions were finished, Officer Miller left, leaving Officer Graves and I alone. She explains to me that the police entered our house right after Mike had shot Kyler and that an Officer Davidson shot Mike since he was apparently aiming the gun at me when they entered the house. Apparently they told Mike to drop the gun but he wouldn't. I literally had no idea what was going on around me because I was only worried about Kyler.
  
   I break down crying because I would have never imagined in a million years that I would have ever been in this situation or that Mike would have ever done this. I loved that man. He was my first love and he turned into a monster. As I'm crying, Office Graves pulls me into a hug to comfort me but her comfort is not what I want and I quickly push her away. I want to be in my wife's arms. I need to be in my wife's arms. I want Kyler. I need Kyler. She is everything I need.