The cold air of the hospital hallway seemed to press in on every side as Lisa sat in the waiting room, her hands trembling as they gripped her phone. Time felt irrelevant here, a mixture of frantic seconds and torturous minutes all blending into one long stretch of dread. She had never felt so powerless in her life.
The sterile, fluorescent lights hummed above her, but the only thing she could focus on was the image of Chiska collapsing in the street, blood staining her clothes, her eyes dimming with every breath. Lisa wiped at the tears that refused to stop, barely noticing as the door to the waiting room swung open.
A nurse appeared, her face blank and professional, but the very sight of her made Lisa’s heart pound in her chest.
“Are you here for Chiska Sanders?” the nurse asked, her tone calm.
Lisa sprang to her feet, her voice cracking. “Yes, that’s me! Is she... is she going to be okay?”
The nurse gave a small, tight-lipped nod. “The doctors were able to stabilize her, but she’s still unconscious. The next 24 hours are critical, but for now, she’s alive.”
Lisa let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, her knees almost buckling beneath her. Relief flooded her, but it was tinged with a deep, gnawing worry. Chiska was alive… but how close had they come to losing her?
“Can I see her?” Lisa asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The nurse hesitated for a moment before nodding. “You can, but only for a few minutes. She needs rest.”
Lisa followed the nurse down the long, sterile hallway, her heart racing as they approached the room. Her hand shook as she turned the door handle and stepped inside.
The sight of Chiska lying in the hospital bed, pale and hooked up to machines, hit Lisa like a punch to the gut. Her usually vibrant friend looked fragile, her face marred by the faintest bruise on her temple, and her breathing was shallow but steady.
“Chiska...” Lisa whispered, walking up to the side of the bed and taking her friend’s hand in hers. It was cold to the touch, and Lisa could feel the tears building up again, but she forced herself to stay calm.
“I’m so sorry,” Lisa choked out, gripping her friend’s hand tighter. “I should’ve done something. I should’ve stopped him.”
The room was silent, save for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. Lisa squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of Ethan’s twisted face, his hand shaking as he pulled the trigger. She had been so helpless in that moment, unable to protect the person who mattered most to her.
“Please,” Lisa whispered, her voice breaking. “Please wake up. I need you. I can’t do this without you.”
Tears fell freely down her face as she pressed her forehead against Chiska’s hand, her body trembling with the weight of everything that had happened. The guilt, the fear, the overwhelming sorrow—it all threatened to swallow her whole.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Lisa flinched, quickly wiping at her face as she turned around. She was met with a familiar face, though one she hadn’t expected to see.
Jake.
He stood in the doorway, his face pale and drawn, his eyes dark with exhaustion and something else—something far more painful. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there, his gaze locked on Chiska’s still form in the bed.
Lisa’s breath hitched. She hadn’t seen him since the incident, and now, in the cold light of the hospital, all of the complicated emotions she had been trying to suppress surged to the surface.
“Jake...” she began, her voice weak, uncertain.
He didn’t respond right away. His jaw was tight, and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stepped forward, his voice low and rough.
“This is my fault.”
Lisa blinked, her heart sinking at the raw pain in his voice. “No... no, Jake, it’s not—”
“It is!” he interrupted, his voice rising for the first time. “If it wasn’t for me, Ethan never would have done this. If it wasn’t for my money, my business, Chiska wouldn’t be lying here... because of me.”
Lisa shook her head, standing up and facing him fully. “You can’t blame yourself for what Ethan did. He made his own choices, Jake. This isn’t on you.”
Jake’s eyes flashed with anger and grief, and he took another step closer, his fists trembling. “How can you say that? Everything that’s happened—it all started with me. I brought Ethan into this world, and now Chiska... she’s paying for my mistakes.”
Lisa stared at him, her own emotions swirling in a chaotic mess. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him he was wrong, but there was a part of her—just a small part—that couldn’t deny what he was saying. Ethan’s obsession, his jealousy, had been born out of the business he and Jake had built together. In some twisted way, Jake was at the heart of it all.
But that didn’t mean he was to blame. Not for this.
“She’ll make it,” Lisa whispered, her voice shaky but determined. “Chiska’s strong. She’ll pull through, Jake.”
He shook his head, his eyes fixed on the floor. “What if she doesn’t?”
The weight of that question hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Lisa didn’t have an answer. The fear that Chiska might not survive was something she couldn’t bear to think about.
“She has to,” Lisa finally said, her voice cracking. “Because if she doesn’t... I don’t know what I’ll do.”
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The room was filled with the sound of Chiska’s steady breathing, the beep of the machines, and the suffocating tension between Lisa and Jake.
Finally, Jake turned to look at Lisa, his expression raw and vulnerable in a way she had never seen before. “If she wakes up... if she survives... I’m leaving.”
Lisa’s heart stuttered in her chest. “What?”
“I can’t stay here,” Jake continued, his voice thick with emotion. “I can’t keep doing this. I thought I could handle it, but I can’t. Every time I look at her, I’ll be reminded of how close I came to losing her because of the life I dragged her into.”
Lisa’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She had never expected this. She had always thought Jake would stay by Chiska’s side, no matter what. But now, hearing him say he was leaving...
“You can’t just leave her,” Lisa finally managed, her voice rising with panic. “She needs you, Jake! She—”
“She needs to be safe!” Jake shouted, his voice filled with desperation. “And as long as I’m here, she’s not. Ethan wasn’t the first person who wanted to take something from me, and he won’t be the last. I can’t put her through that again. I won’t.”
Lisa stared at him, her heart breaking as she realized he had already made up his mind. There was nothing she could say to change it.
“If you leave...” Lisa began, her voice barely a whisper. “You’ll break her heart.”
Jake’s eyes filled with pain, and he looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “I know,” he said quietly. “But it’s the only way I can protect her.”
And with that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Lisa standing there, her heart shattered into a million pieces.
The door clicked shut behind him, and the room fell into a suffocating silence once more.
Lisa sank back into the chair beside Chiska’s bed, her tears falling freely now. She had tried so hard to hold everything together, to keep everyone safe. But now, it felt like everything was slipping through her fingers.
Chiska was lying on the edge of life and death, and Jake was walking away.
And Lisa had never felt more helpless in her life.
The next few days passed in a haze. Lisa’s world had narrowed down to the sterile walls of the hospital room, the rhythmic beeping of the machines, and the overwhelming uncertainty of what would happen next. She hadn’t left Chiska’s side, not even for a moment. Every hour that passed felt like a lifetime.
It was early morning when Chiska finally stirred. The first sign was a soft flutter of her eyelids, followed by a faint groan. Lisa, who had been dozing in the chair beside her bed, immediately jolted awake.
“Chiska?” Lisa whispered, leaning closer, her heart racing. “Chiska, can you hear me?”
Chiska’s eyes opened, squinting against the harsh hospital lights. For a moment, she looked disoriented, her gaze shifting around the room as if trying to piece together where she was.
“Lisa?” she croaked, her voice weak and raspy.
Tears sprang to Lisa’s eyes as she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m here.”
Chiska tried to sit up, but winced as pain shot through her body. Lisa quickly placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, urging her to stay still.
“Don’t try to move too much,” Lisa said softly. “You’ve been through a lot.”
Chiska’s brow furrowed as she slowly looked down at the bandages wrapped around her midsection, then back up at Lisa. “What... what happened?”
The memories were fuzzy, like pieces of a dream she couldn’t quite grasp. The last thing she remembered clearly was walking down the street with Lisa, laughing about something trivial. Then there was the sharp sound of gunfire, the burning pain, and everything had gone black.
“You were shot,” Lisa said quietly, her voice trembling. “Ethan... he lost control. He—” Her voice broke, and she quickly wiped at her eyes. “He tried to kill you.”
Chiska’s eyes widened as the full weight of Lisa’s words sank in. “Ethan...?” she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. “But why? Why would he do something like that?”
Lisa looked away, her heart heavy. She didn’t know how to explain the madness that had consumed Ethan, the jealousy that had driven him to violence. How could she put into words the storm of emotions that had led them all to this moment?
“I don’t know,” Lisa finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wish I could tell you, but I don’t understand it either. He just... snapped.”
Chiska’s eyes filled with tears, her hand shaking as she reached up to touch the bandage on her side. “I could’ve died, couldn’t I?”
Lisa swallowed hard, nodding. “Yeah. You were really close. The doctors said you were lucky.”
There was a long, heavy silence between them. Chiska closed her eyes, taking in deep, shaky breaths as she processed everything. The fear, the pain, the sheer shock of knowing she had almost lost her life—it was all too much.
After what felt like an eternity, Chiska opened her eyes again, looking up at Lisa with a mixture of gratitude and sorrow. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice raw with emotion. “For being here. For not leaving me.”
Lisa gave her a small, watery smile, squeezing her hand gently. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”
But even as she said the words, Lisa couldn’t shake the heavy feeling that hung over them—Jake’s absence. Chiska hadn’t asked about him yet, but Lisa knew it was only a matter of time before she did. And when that moment came, Lisa wasn’t sure how she was going to explain what Jake had decided.
As if on cue, Chiska’s brow furrowed again, her gaze searching the room. “Where’s Jake?” she asked, her voice tinged with confusion. “Is he okay? Did something happen to him?”
Lisa’s heart sank. She had been dreading this moment, but there was no avoiding it now.
Taking a deep breath, Lisa looked down at her lap, trying to find the right words. “Jake... he’s okay. Physically, I mean. But...”
“But what?” Chiska asked, her voice growing more insistent. “Lisa, where is he?”
Lisa bit her lip, the guilt gnawing at her. “He’s gone, Chiska,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “He... he couldn’t handle what happened. He blames himself for what Ethan did. He thinks that if he stays, you’ll never be safe.”
Chiska’s eyes widened in shock, her breath hitching in her throat. “He... left?” she repeated, as if the words didn’t quite make sense to her. “Why would he leave me now? After everything?”
Tears welled up in Lisa’s eyes again as she looked at her friend, the pain in Chiska’s voice breaking her heart. “He thought it was the only way to protect you,” Lisa said, her voice trembling. “He didn’t want to put you in any more danger.”
Chiska shook her head, her tears falling freely now. “But I need him,” she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. “Why would he leave me when I need him the most?”
Lisa reached out, pulling Chiska into a gentle embrace as her friend’s sobs shook her frail body. “I don’t know,” she whispered, her own voice thick with tears. “I don’t know, Chiska. I’m so sorry.”
For a long time, they sat there, the only sound in the room the soft hum of the machines and the quiet sobs that filled the air. Lisa held Chiska tightly, trying to offer some small comfort in the face of such a profound loss.
Eventually, Chiska pulled away, wiping at her tear-streaked face. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” she whispered, her voice hollow. “I thought... I thought we were stronger than this.”
Lisa’s heart ached for her friend. She knew how much Chiska had loved Jake, how much faith she had placed in their relationship. But now, it felt like everything had crumbled around them.
“He still loves you,” Lisa said softly, trying to offer some reassurance. “That’s why he left. He thought it was the only way to protect you.”
Chiska shook her head, her expression filled with pain and anger. “If he loved me, he wouldn’t have left,” she said bitterly. “He would’ve stayed and fought for us. But instead, he ran away.”
Lisa didn’t know how to respond to that. She understood Chiska’s anger, but she also understood Jake’s fear. Both of them were hurting in ways that couldn’t easily be healed.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Lisa said quietly. “But I’m here for you, Chiska. No matter what.”
Chiska nodded, her gaze distant as she stared at the wall, her thoughts clearly far away. “I just... I need time,” she whispered. “To figure all of this out.”
Lisa squeezed her hand one last time before standing up. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
As Lisa left the room, closing the door softly behind her, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on her. The future was uncertain, and the fractures in their relationships felt deeper than ever.
But one thing was clear—nothing would ever be the same again.