Chapter 15
I watch as Schuyler jumps over and pulls Chris down. Everything goes in slow motion and I scramble over to make sure she’s okay. People are yelling, Chris is yelling at Schuyler, wanting her to get off of him, but she has a vise-like grip, making him stay down, and protected.
I never thought I’d find a woman who would accept me and my life, but not only did I find her, I also found a woman who risks her life for this brotherhood.
“Schuyler, you can let go now. They are gone,” I tell her.
She turns her head to me, and a cry leaves her lips. She jumps up and rushes to her left. When I turn my face to see what is wrong, the blood in my veins turns to ice.
“Alex!” I yell. “Someone get Doc from Carl’s room! Alex needs him!”
I rush to Schuler’s side and her hands are soaked with his blood as she applies pressure to the wound in his left chest.
“Someone needs to take their shirt off and put pressure here. I can’t put enough!” she cries.
I rip my shirt off and place it on his wound and Schuyler moves to his other side and starts to apply CPR compressions.
“Where is everyone?!” she cries as she pumps his chest up and down.
“They went after them. You’re doing so good, sweetheart. Keep going. You got this,” I tell her.
Chris and Doc come in the room and Doc releases Schuyler from doing CPR and takes over.
He has his phone in between his ear and shoulder and he’s barking orders into his phone. He lets his phone drop and then nods to Schuyler.
“You okay, Schuy? That’s a lot of blood. Are you hurt?” he asks, still pumping Alex’s chest.
“No, it’s his,” she says quietly as tears roll down her face. I just want to embrace her in my arms, but I can’t. I have to keep pressure on him.
“I got help on the way. We will get him to the hospital, but why don’t you run into that supply closet and get some towels to help Vice clot that wound, maybe?” he nods.
“Okay,” she says as she stands up and grabs three white towels, leaving her bloody handprints on them and the door.
She rushes back to my side and balls one of the towels up for me.
“Okay, I’m going to lift my hands and you put that on his wound fast, okay?”
She nods and when I lift my hands, the blood starts to flow and she rushes the towel back in place and my hands apply more pressure.
We hear sirens of the ambulance and with Chris’ help, they lift Alex onto the stretcher and one of the EMTs takes over applying pressure for me.
“I’m going with them, Prez,” Doc says.
“I wouldn’t expect any less,” Chris says with sorrowful tone.
I look over and blow out a breath, grabbing Schuyler into my arms. I pick her up and carry her over to the couches.
As I sit down, she picks up her head and looks around. Her eyes make contact with Chris’ and something flashes in them. Chris smiles a sad smile and shakes his head at her.
“This ain’t your fault,” he tells her before she says a word.
She jumps from my lap and puts her bloody hands on her hips.
“The hell it’s not, Prez!” she yells full of passion. “That,” she points with her finger to the shattered windows, “was my dad! My father!” She pounds her chest with her fist.
“We have had an ongoing problem with him for years. It’s just the first time someone has gotten hurt, or possibly killed. This was bound to happen at some time, Schuyler.” Chris’ voice booms. He’s not yelling at her, just trying to get through to her. His own grief was on his face at the thought of Alex not pulling through.
"For that, I will put my blades between his eyes myself," she says in a deadly voice as I watch the fire in her eyes burn a dangerous flame. "My father will die, and soon."
“Let us deal with this, Schuy. I don’t want you too close to him,” I plead with her.
“It’s my fight to finish,” she says softly. “Let me choose my vice once and for all. Let me choose you, and show you how much I love you.”
“I won’t let you do this alone, Schuyler. This is me and you now. Without you, there is no me. It’s us and our brotherhood,” I tell her as I pull her back to my chest.
Before she can reply, the guys are back and walking through the door.
“We lost ‘em. They were about two blocks ahead of us, and then a school bus passed in front of us. When the bus was gone, so were they,” T says as he rips off his riding gloves.
I feel Schuyler pull away as I start to talk to T.
“How’s Alex?” he asks at the same time Chris’ phone rings.
“Hey, Doc, what’s the word?” he answers.
He lifts his head, and his face is blank. We all stand there waiting, holding our breath as we wait for the news.
“The doctors said it’s out of their hands. It’s up to his body right now, to see if it can heal enough to have surgery. They said ninety-five percent of patients who have this wound won’t make it past six hours.” He lowers his head as we all do. “The clock starts now.”