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  It finally got through. Kason backed up. The EMTs swarmed around her.

  “There’s a faint pulse, but she’s lost a lot of blood. The bullet entered her left shoulder, just below the clavicle. No point of exit is found,” the EMT said, his voice mechanical and calm.

  “She’s alive then? She’s alive!” Kason shouted. “Darling, if you can hear me, stay with us. Please don’t go, I can’t lose you.”

  After they laid her on the gurney, they took her to the ambulance and slid her in. They didn’t say a word as the sirens started and the ambulance tore out of there, kicking up the dust from the dirt road beneath the wheels. All Kason could do was jump in his truck and follow.

  As soon as they reached the hospital, they rushed Briella away into one of the operating rooms to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding.

  Kason sat in the waiting room and cried. Mila sat curled up in Dexter’s arms as they cried for their friend too. The cop who had brought them out to the warehouse to find Briella was waiting with them to hear Briella’s status before heading back to the police station. The other cops had taken Parker into custody, and found the gun she had used on the back seat of her car, with her fingerprints all over it.

  A few hours later, a doctor in blood stained scrubs came out to the waiting room. “Friends and family of Briella Fox?”

  “Yes?” Kason said, rising from the chair.

  “Briella was lucky that the bullet didn’t hit any of her major organs, but she did lose a lot of blood. We got the bullet out, but we needed to give her a transfusion. She is in a coma right now, so she isn’t out of the woods yet. Once she is assigned a room, we will let you know so that you can see her.” The doctor paused. “Are any of you family?”

  “I’m Kason Harris, her fiance. We are all the family she has anymore. Her mom just died a few months ago.”

  “Well, we can only let family see her while she is in her current condition. Since she has no living relatives and you are her fiance, you are the only one who will be allowed to see her for the time being. I’ll give your name to the nurses, and they will let you know as soon as she’s settled,” the doctor said and turned away.

  The cop took Kason aside and told him that as of now, Parker would be charged with attempted murder. If Briella’s condition took a turn for the worse, he told Kason to call and let him know. He gave Kason his card and asked to be updated on her condition as Kason found out. Kason thanked him, and the cop excused himself.

  A few minutes later, Kason was called to the nurse’s station and then to the fourth floor to see Briella.

  Kason entered the room slowly. She looked so pale lying in the bed, almost as white as the sheets. He leaned over her still form and kissed her cheek. A stray tear fell from his face onto hers, and she didn’t even flinch. Seeing this, Kason’s tears fell harder.

  He took her hand in his, and rested his forehead on the back of her hand. “God, Briella, what would I do without you. We all need you so much, you can’t leave. Just think, in a few months, you’ll be walking down the aisle, and I’ll be standing there waiting for you. I know I haven’t seen your dress, but I can just picture how lovely you’re going to look. You’ve brought out feelings and emotions in me that I never thought I’d have. If you leave me now, half of me will be gone. I’m not whole without you…you’re my soul mate, and I need you here with me. Please, fight to come back to me.”

  Kason sat by Briella’s bedside crying off and on, with no change in her condition. The nurses came in every few hours to check her vitals and record them, but each time they were the same as the time before. After dinnertime, one of the nurses came in and told Kason that his mother was in the waiting room, and wanted to speak to him.

  Kason looked at her with sorrowful eyes. “I know that Briella isn’t supposed to have visitors besides family, but will you please let my mom come in here with me? She has been like a mother to Briella since her mom died a few months ago. I know you’d be bending the rules, but it would really mean a lot to all of us,” Kason pleaded.

  The nurse was about to say no, but something about the plea changed her mind. “I’ll go get her, but remember, this wasn’t my idea.”

  She smiled at him as she left the room.

  Not long after she left, Raelynn peeked in the door. Kason turned to look at her and his tears returned full force. Raelynn rushed over to him and engulfed him in a tight embrace. She rubbed his back as she whispered soothing words. Sobs wracked through Kason’s body as his mother held him.

  “I can’t lose her, Mom. I love her so much and it kills me to see her lying there in that bed. I feel so helpless, and I feel like it should be me lying there instead of her. How could Parker do this?”

  “Sweetheart, I don’t know how anyone could do this. Briella is a strong woman and she will pull through, I promise you. There is no way she would leave you…she loves you too much to let go of you,” Raelynn said, drying Kason’s eyes.

  Then she took a deep breath. “Now, when was the last time you ate?”

  “I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. I need to stay here with her in case she wakes up. I don’t want her to be alone, Mom.”

  “I know sweetie, but you need to eat. You need to stay strong for Briella. Why don’t you pop down to the cafeteria and get something?”

  Kason shook his head. “I just told you, I’m not leaving her. I don’t care if I eat today, tomorrow, or the day after. All I care about is Briella waking up,” Kason said, as he sat back down and held Briella’s hand again.

  “I understand. I’m not trying to make you leave her. Maybe I can sneak something in here for you,” Raelynn said. She took her son’s face in her hand and turned it so that he was looking at her and not Briella’s limp body. “She will recover, son. You have to believe that!”

  “I’m trying. That’s all I want,” Kason said, and turned his head back to Briella. “Thanks for coming here, Mom.”

  Raelynn left the room, and went to the cafeteria to get a sandwich and drink for Kason. On her way to the cafe, she stopped in the chapel to light a candle and pray for Briella. As she sat there praying, she let the tears fall for the first time since she heard about the shooting.

  Three days later, there had been no change in Briella’s condition. Kason had refused to leave her side the whole time, only eating when his mom brought him food. Raelynn had brought him a bag with clean clothes, and every morning, after waking up from sleeping in the chair next to Briella’s bed, he would go into the bathroom, wash up with a washcloth, then change his clothes and head back to the bedside chair.

  Every minute he spent there, he was either talking to Briella or he was silently praying for her, even in his fitful sleep.

  Meanwhile, Briella was having wonderful dreams. She felt like she was floating down a hallway. She had on a beautiful white silk gown, with a halo of flowers on her head. She heard the melodic tune of harps all around her, playing beautiful music. At the end of the hall, she saw her mother standing there, with the same gown and halo of flowers.

  “Mom! I can’t believe it’s you! I miss you so much! What are you doing here? I thought you died,” Briella called to her from down the hall.

  “I did die, honey, and I’ve missed you too, but you need to go back. You need to return to Kason and live the life that you were meant to live. You are doing wonderfully with the business, and your wedding plans are coming along great. I absolutely love your wedding dress… Now go back and marry that handsome man and start your family!”

  “But I don’t want to leave you again…”

  “I know honey, but you will see me again when it’s your time. I love you!” Charlee said as she faded away.

  “Mom, wait!” Briella called.

  Slowly, Briella’s eyes fluttered open. The light was so bright in the room that it hurt her head. She moaned quietly.

  “Oh my God! You’re awake!” Kason whispered urgently as he fumbled with the call switch to summon the nurse. “Don’t talk,
you have a tube down your throat. Oh Briella, I was so worried about you!”

  Kason started crying. He leaned over and placed kisses all over Briella’s face, which made her smile even though she was in a lot of pain.

  The nurse rushed in and was surprised to see Briella awake. Another nurse joined her and together than ran vital signs, took important notes and consulted each other on how things looked. The nurse had the doctor paged as she extracted the tube from Briella’s throat and brought her a drink of water.

  “Welcome back!” she said to Briella.

  Briella turned to Kason as soon as she swallowed her water and whispered, “I love you.”

  “Oh darling! I thought I lost you. I love you so much,” Kason said, breathing a sigh of relief.

  The doctor asked Kason to leave while he examined Briella. Kason stood impatiently just outside the door. He called his mother and told her Briella had woken up, and asked her to notify Dexter and Mila. When the doctor walked out, he had a smile on his face. “Well, she’s making a great recovery. Her gunshot wound is healing nicely, and she woke from the coma on her own, which is a good sign. She’ll need to stay here to rest for a little while, but as long as she promises to take it easy when she gets home, she can go home in a few days.”

  Kason smiled broadly and hugged the doctor. “Thank you so much! Thank you for saving her!” The doctor laughed and walked away.

  As Kason turned to go into Briella’s room, he saw a bunch of balloons coming around the corner, followed by his mom, sister, father, Dexter, and Mila. Everyone was holding either flowers or balloons, and they were practically running. Kason laughed at the sight as everyone made their way to Briella’s room.

  Kason went into her room and said that there was someone who wanted to see her. She turned her head toward the door and watched as everyone piled into her room with balloons and flowers. Her face lit up when she saw everyone. They all took their turn hugging Briella, and telling her how happy they were that she was okay.

  “You gave us quite a scare, dear,” Raelynn told her, once everyone had settled down. “Don’t ever do that again!” she laughed.

  “I’ll try to remember that the next time some psycho lures me to an abandoned warehouse and shoots me,” Briella joked. “How did you find me anyway? When I was driving there, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to find my way back.”

  “The wonders of GPS,” Kason said, and Briella slowly nodded.

  “Parker had GPS on her car? Well, there’s the only thing she did right!”

  Kason smiled. Even her sense of humor was back.

  “How long have I been out?” Briella asked.

  “You were in a coma for four days, and Kason never left your side,” Raelynn said proudly. “He stayed here the whole time. I had to bring him food and force him to eat.”

  “Briella, now that you’re awake, I’d like to clean up a bit. I’ll go take a quick shower in your bathroom,” Kason said, as he grabbed his bag of clean clothes and walked into the bathroom of Briella’s hospital room.

  When they heard the water running, Mila turned to Briella. “Now that he isn’t in hearing distance, how are you really?”

  Briella took a painful deep breath and sighed. “Well, I’m a little shaken up, but I’m going to be fine. I should be home in a few days, and once that happens, I’ll be a lot better…just as long as Parker’s in jail.”

  Shortly after, everyone left the room to let Briella rest. Kason insisted on staying at the hospital with Briella until she was able to go home. “Well, you’re not going to sleep in that chair again tonight. At least share my bed with me,” Briella said.

  “No, Briella, you need your rest. I’ll be fine in this chair. Just get to sleep, alright?”

  “I won’t sleep until you get in this bed with me, you hear me, Country Boy?” Briella said sternly.

  “Yes, ma’am!” Kason laughed. Briella moved over to make room for Kason to lie down.

  “It feels nice to be in your arms again,” Briella told him honestly. “I almost died, and that’s a really scary thought.”

  Kason took a deep breath. “We can talk about all that soon. Right now, get some sleep, please. We need to get your strength back up so I can take you home with me.” Kason kissed Briella’s forehead before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  Two days later, Briella was released from the hospital with orders to take it easy for the next week. She spent most of that time in bed, or on the couch watching movies. Kason waited on her hand and foot, and the few hours that he went into work during that week, he had Stella helping Briella.

  After the week was up, Briella went back to the doctor and was given a clean bill of health. It would take time for the wound to completely heal and there might always be a little ache there, but it would be something she could overcome. She and Kason celebrated by going out for a nice dinner, and when they got home that night, slow and gentle lovemaking was on the menu.

  Two weeks later, Mila told Briella that they needed a girls’ night out. She kidnapped her after dinner one Saturday night, as Dexter kidnapped Kason. They took them both blindfolded in separate vehicles, and drove in opposite directions. Half an hour later, Mila stopped her car and led Briella to the front of a building. She spun Briella around, just for the fun of it, then took off her blindfold. They were standing in front of Briella’s favorite club in the city, surrounded by Aubrie, Raelynn, Briella’s friends from work, and even some friends from New York.

  “Surprise!” they all yelled.

  Briella looked confused and Mila said, “Welcome to your bachelorette party.”

  “But the wedding is still a few months away. Aren’t we supposed to do this closer to the wedding?” Briella asked, still a little confused.

  “Well, technically. But there is no set time to have the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Besides, you and Kason have been under so much stress lately, it’s time for you to both let loose and enjoy the night!”

  “Oh no! Kason’s party is tonight too? I didn’t even get a chance to tell him to behave!” Briella groaned.

  “Yes, but that also means he didn’t get a chance to tell you to behave either,” Aubrie laughed wickedly.

  “I’m in trouble already, aren’t I?” Briella laughed. She made her way around, hugging everyone and thanking them for coming. It was good to see her friends from New York.

  Mila put a white t-shirt over Briella’s head that said, “Naughty Bride-to-Be”. Once she got the shirt on, Mila put a veil on Briella’s head. “Perfect! Now you’re ready for the night to begin!”

  Briella walked toward the entrance of the bar, and Mila grabbed her arm, wagging her finger at her. “Not so fast, my friend. We were just meeting up here. The party is moving somewhere else!” Mila dragged Briella down the street and everyone else followed behind.

  Meanwhile, Dexter had driven Kason to the city too. He parked in the parking lot of a strip club, and told Kason to take his blindfold off. “Happy Bachelor Party, man! Everyone else is inside waiting for you. Oh, but you have to put this on before you go in!” He tossed Kason a white t-shirt that said “Naughty Groom-to-Be”. Kason looked at it and laughed, thinking how dumb it was, but put it on anyway. He followed Dexter into the strip club, a little uncomfortable because he didn’t normally go to places like this.

  Inside the club, he was greeted by his friends, who were sitting at a table near the stage, with a seat right up front saved for Kason. He shook his head and laughed, knowing his friends would be merciless all night. As soon as he sat down, a line of shots were placed in front of him, along with a pitcher of beer. Dexter handed him a stack of twenty-five five-dollar bills.

  “We’re not leaving until all of that is gone,” Dexter said, pointing to the shots, the pitcher, and the stack of money. “I know how much you hate strip clubs, so the faster you go through all of that, the quicker we get you out of here and onto the next place.”

  Kason slammed all five shots that were sitting in front of h
im, and poured some of the beer into a glass. The rest of the guys cheered him on as they watched him drink. Kason drank the glass of beer, knowing that he’d have to have a pretty good buzz to be able to use any of the money.

  He finally started loosening up, and when the others called a girl over to put some money in her costume, Kason would slip a bill in her thong as well.

  Finally, all the beer, shots, and titty tips were gone. Kason was feeling pretty good at this point. Dexter helped him up, and they all left the strip club, headed to their next destination.

  Mila finally stopped in front of a male strip club, and pulled Briella in. “Oh no, Mila, tell me we aren’t staying here,” Briella whined.

  “Well, there are a few tasks that you have to complete before we leave. So, do them fast, and we get out of here fast!” Mila said. She dragged her to a table up front, where there were gift bags all over the table. They sat Briella closest to the stage, and handed her a pitcher of beer and five shots, just like Kason had. She only had to spend ten five-dollar bills, but she had a list of missions to complete, and a table full of presents to open.

  Briella also took the opportunity to slam all five shots first. After that, she began opening the presents. Each present was something kinky, like fur-lined handcuffs, vibrators, and crotchless panties. Briella couldn’t even look at Raelynn’s face as she opened her presents.

  Briella was halfway through her pitcher of beer, when she finished opening the presents. She spent her fifty dollars, then started on her missions. Her first mission was to head backstage and snag a G-string from one of the strippers, which she easily accomplished. The next task was to enjoy a Blow Job body shot off a dancer’s stomach. This one was a little embarrassing, but Briella licked it up like a pro. The final mission was to learn some lap dance moves from one of the dancers.

  Trigger, one of the strippers, took Briella into one of the private rooms to teach her the art of lap dances. She picked it up in no time, and left the private room to finish her beer. As she chugged the last part directly from the pitcher, everyone cheered her on.