A Brand New Twist, Chapter 19 (Evian, Rebecca)
by Luvin_Evian

Chapter 19

God, please, let this be a bad dream. Please.

No matter how she hoped, Eve knew her fervent plea would not be confirmed.    This hellish moment was all too real.  Shallow, labored breathing and an endless stream of blood oozing from a chest wound and the corners of slightly parted lips added unwanted audiovisuals to the chilling scene being played out before her tear-filled eyes.  

“Julian!”

Rebecca grabbed her arm, thwarting the mad dash she made to reach Julian as he lay bleeding on the floor.   “This is all your fault!” the woman railed, tightening the grip she had on Eve’s captured limb.

“My fault?” Eve snatched her arm away.  Hot tears of anger and fear burned her cheeks.  “You’re the crazy bitch with the gun!”

Julian moaned.  

Eve moved around the crazed woman.  “I have to go help him.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened.  She waved the gun at the phone. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“I’m calling 9-1-1,” Eve answered punching in the three digits as she continued toward Julian’s fallen body.   

“You put that phone down and stay the hell away from Julian! I swear, Eve, I will blow your brains out if you take another step.   It’s only because Julian came to your rescue that he’s struggling for life instead of you.  I assure you, this time I won’t miss my desired target.”

The wild look in Rebecca’s eyes and the menacing weapon the woman clutched in her shaky hands held Eve’s attention and momentarily stopped her in her tracks.  How could this wonderful morning take such a hellacious turn? Not ten minutes ago she and Julian were laughing and exchanging light banter about their unborn baby’s food preferences.   Now, Julian lay bleeding on the floor, fighting for his very life, while his psycho ex-fiancée held her at gunpoint. Eve shook her head. She couldn’t do this.  She couldn’t let Julian die, not without doing whatever she could to save him.

She squared her shoulders and released a breath.  “Well, Rebecca, you’ll have to blow my brains out because I’m not going to watch Julian bleed to death.  If you want to kill me because Julian loves me, then I’ll take your bullet.  I’d rather you shoot me right here and now than stand by and watch the man I love die before my eyes.”  Eve turned and continued toward Julian as she spoke to the 9-1-1 dispatcher.  “There’s been a shooting.  I…” 

“Damn you!” Rebecca shrieked.

A stray bullet whizzed past Eve’s ear just as the bedroom door slammed open. 

“Rebecca, stop!”

Luis rushed the woman, scrambling with her for possession of the gun.  Eve dropped to the floor, covering Julian’s body while bullets continued to fly. 

“Damn it, Rebecca, don’t make this harder on yourself.  Let go of the gun!” Luis demanded, smashing her hand against the wall.   Finally, the gun fell to the floor.  Luis wasted no time reading Rebecca her rights and slapping the cuffs on the still aggressive woman, before settling her into the corner chair.

“Eve, are you alright?” he asked.

She pulled up from Julian’s chest.  The blood from his wound covered the front of her shirt. 

Luis’ eyes widened.  He walked toward her.  “Oh, my God, you’re bleeding.”

“No, it’s not me, it’s Julian.”  Eve picked up the phone.   “Are you still there?” she asked the dispatcher.

“Yes, ma’am,” the dispatcher answered.  “I overheard everything and an ambulance and more police officers are on the way.”

Eve heard the sirens approaching in the distance.  “I can hear them now.” 

“Is there anything else you—”

Before the dispatcher could continue, Eve ended the call.  She brushed her hand against Julian’s forehead, ridding it of the beads of sweat that glistened like early morning dew, before pressing on a soft kiss.

“I…” Julian began, the rich timbre of his velvety voice now replaced with a low barely audible whisper.    

“Shh.  Don’t try to talk or move, Julian.   Save your strength.  Help is on the way.”

Eve always thought it nervy how the Cranes demanded all emergency and law enforcement agencies report to the estate within five minutes of a distress call being sent, now she was eternally grateful for that particular perk.   Color drained from Julian’s face as fast as the blood from the hole in his chest.  His thready pulse grew weaker with every passing second.   Eve stared into his glossy eyes, noting his fight to keep them open.  She failed in her attempt to keep her tears at bay.  Taking his hand, she pressed it to her lips.  “Don’t leave me, Julian. Please, don’t leave me.”

Julian managed a wee smile as his cool fingers caressed her cheek. 

Luis touched her shoulder.  Eve turned to him to find confusion and concern coloring his dark eyes.   She wiped away her tears.  “What’s going on here?  What happened?”

“Eve Russell is what happened!” Rebecca railed, still squirming in the chair Luis dumped her.  “Look at her.  She’s in a cottage on the Crane estate, hovered at Julian’s side, and half-dressed! What do you think is happening?”

A vibrant shade of pink dusted Luis’ cheeks as he cleared his throat and retrieved the pajama bottoms from the floor and handed them to Eve.  “You might want these,” he said, turning his back. 

Only Luis’ obvious discomfort reminded Eve of the fact her dress consisted of a pajama top and underwear, as all her attention centered on Julian and his well-being.   He struggled for every breath he took.  There was already internal bleeding, and since she didn’t detect an exit wound, there was no telling how much more damage the bullet could cause if it were to shift.  Eve glanced at the door.  Was that ambulance being driving in reverse?  She gently placed his hand on the floor to slip into the bottoms.  Fully clothed, she reclaimed Julian’s hand and told Luis he could turn around.

“Keep on talking, Rebecca, everything you say will be used against you in the court of law,” Eve reminded her.   “That is, if you’ll need a courtroom.  I swear, if anything happens to Julian, I will be your judge, jury, and executioner.   Count on it!”

Rebecca gasped.  “Did you hear that, Luis?  She just threatened me!  She threatened me in front of a police officer.”

Eve met the woman’s gaze head on. “That was not a threat,” she said, somehow speaking through the knot constricting her throat.   “That was a solemn promise.”

“Look, uh, Eve,” Luis interjected,  “I know you’re upset, but you can’t go around...”

Eve held up her hand, effectively halting the words she had no desire to hear.  “I know what I said, Luis, and I meant every word.”   She turned her attention back to Julian.  Her teardrops mixed with the blood that stained his shirt.  Never in her life had she felt so scared and so helpless. Even with all her training and years of medical expertise, without her medical bag or tools she could do nothing more than pray Julian would make it out of this house alive.  The sound of the sirens grew closer.  She squeezed his hand.  “Help is almost here. Keep fighting, Julian.”  

A muted mocking laugh bubbled inside her.   It was because Julian fought Rebecca that he was bleeding and near death on the floor.    How did he get back here so fast?  He was barely gone long enough to get halfway to the main house.  What made him come back?

She brushed her fingers against the graying locks at his temple.  “Julian, why did you come back so soon?”

His body trembled.  A smile turned the bloody corners of his lip as his glazed eyes met hers.  “Forgot—forgot to say I love you,” Julian answered as his eyes fluttered closed.