I watched her laying on the floor, she groaned as she rolled onto her back and I saw blood starting to pool at her abdomen, her white dress quickly being dyed red. She groaned again and looked at me with annoyance.
“Why didn’t you listen to me,” she muttered, “god I hate guns.” I felt a wave of panic in me that I hadn’t felt since my first time shooting a man and I rushed over to her.
“Hey, hey,” I said grabbing her head, “i didn’t know there was a third man.” I whispered, brushing the hair from her face. She grimaced as she covered the bullet wound with her hands. I turned towards the couch that was now blocking our view from the window and wondered if I should see if I could find our attacker.
“He’s gone,” Arabel hissed through clenched teeth as if reading my mind.
“We need to get you to a hospital,” I said urgently. She shook her head,
“We need to get Kristy and get out of her.” She rolled onto her side and with one hand pushed herself off the ground, I helped her up although medically I was pretty sure that was not a good idea.
“Do you have a car?”
“An SUV,” I said and she nodded, looking relieved.
“We’re leaving.” She grunted again and doubled over to cough and I saw blood splatter from the effect, she groaned again.
“You need a doctor.” I tried again and she shook her head. So I went to the door and looked into the hallways. It was three in the morning and thankfully the hall was deserted of people. I motioned for her to follow and we were able to make our way to the parking garage undetected. I opened the trunk and lowered the backseats to make the trunk space even larger for her to fit in. She slid in gingerly, both her broken wing and her gunshot wound obviously paining her. She laid back with a hard thump and I made sure to tuck her wings in completely before shutting the door.
I rushed to the drivers seat and the car sputtered to life. Thankfully I had a full tank of gas.
“Remind me again why we aren’t taking you to a doctor?” I grumbled as I peeled out of the parking garage towards the hospital that Kristy was taken to, “we are going to the hospital anyways, I’m sure we can swear someone to secrecy.”
“It’s not up for discussion, OW!” she cried out and groaned again as we ran over a pothole. I cursed under my breath as I sped down the streets. I pulled into the hospital and ran inside, flashing my badge I asked where they had Kristy and then ran in that direction. I burst in the room and saw Kristy sitting on her hospital cot with a laptop, thankfully she was dressed and not in a hospital gown.
“Detective,” she said and I shook my head.
“We need to leave,” I said urgently, “you’re not safe here.” She jumped out of bed understanding.
“I need my things,” she said and I shook my head.
“No time,” I said and she started to look panicked. But I saw a tote bag on the floor and had an idea. Grabbing it and dumping the contents I went to the cabinets in the room and swiped as much gauze, medical tape, and bandages that I could find. Then, grabbing Kristy’s hand, I began to pull her back down the hallways. We had a few people yell after us but we made it unhindered through the doors and back to the car. I told Kristy to take the passenger side. When I got in myself Kristy was staring at me,
“What is going on!” she yelled and I realized she was in full on panic-mode. I looked in the rear and saw that Arabel had moved in a position that allowed her to see us now. I reached back there and gave her the tote bag.
“At least stop the bleeding, or slow it down, until we can get that bullet out,” I snapped at her and she glared back at me. This caused Kristy to look back there and she let out a sharp gasp.
“You’re the- you’re her!” she amended her words when she saw Arabels mouth open to yell at her.
“Ok time for that later, where are we going now?” I asked, knowing that Arabel had a plan. She winced and her breath seemed shallower but she gave me an address.
“That’s my grandparents place,” Kristy exclaimed, and Arabel nodded. I punched it into the dashboard GPS and gunned it.
“Why are we going there?” Kristy asked.
“To drop you off,” Arabel hissed as we rolled over the hospital speed bump. I looked at her through my review mirror and she met my apologetic gaze with her own understanding one.
“So you mean you knew who she was the whole time?” Kristy then turned to me and I could see the conspiracy cogs turning.
“I wouldn’t have known who she was if you hadn’t stopped me outside of the precinct.” I said, remembering her surprise when I caught her and I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my lips. I felt Kristy watching me with curiosity and wiped the smile away, but I saw the look of shock and recognition on her face and felt my neck burn. Then she turned back to Arabel, to ask more questions no doubt but I felt her panicked hand patting my arm and I glanced in the back to see Arabel;s head hanging limply and her hand had fallen from her wound. I felt a growl escape my chest as I slammed on the accelerator. Once we pulled into the driveway I immediately understood why Arabel wanted to leave Kristy here. It was complete secluded and private, acres upon acres of land with no neighbors in sight. Kristy jumped out and ran to the door and started to pound on it. I watched as lights turned on and the door was wrenched open. An elderly man, looking to be in his seventies opened the door and stared at Kristy in shock the sleep fleeing from his eyes.
“What on earth,” he said and Kristy grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the car. I stood to the side as he registered who was in the car.
“Open the trunk,” he said with a commanding tone. I obliged and he climbed in, for a man in of his age he was as limber as someone much younger. He kneeled next to her limp body and cupped her cheeks tenderly and for a moment I saw pain and moisture in his gaze.
“Arabel?” he said in a tender voice and she stirred, lifting her head up to look at him with glazed over eyes. I heard a soft chuckle escape her chest,
“Henry… you got old.” She said and the man laughed.
“And you haven’t aged a day.” She nodded and then her body went limp again. He laid her back down gently and then came out of the car.
“Who did she take the bullet for?” he asked looking between me and Kristy.
“Me.” I said begrudgingly and he nodded and looked to Kristy.
“Which means, she broke her wing for you.” Kristy blanched and looked over to me, her grandfather had noticed the wing but she had not. I nodded my head at her to confirm it.
“I didn’t know.” She said slowly. Henry shook his head.
“You were studying into those stories again.” He chided it felt half-hearted but still she shrunk back at his tone.
“I had to know,” she said. Her grandfather shook his head,
“How many children of mine does he have to take,” he said to himself and looked torn.
“It sounds like you know who’s threatening us.” I stated and the man nodded. Then he looked at me,
“You need to take her to the orphanage,” he said, motioning towards Arabel. When he saw my blank expression he sighed and then proceed to give me directions to a place hidden in the mountains of Ontario, including directions on a road that would get past border police.
“That’s gotta be eight hours,” I said, “she wont make it.”
“She will,” he said but I shook my head in disbelief.
“You haven’t known her long have you,” he asked me.
“I only met her a week ago,” I said softly and he blinked in surprise.
“You must be something, if she’s shown you this form in only a week. I knew her for five years before I knew who she really was.” He said, and seemed almost jealous. I frowned in confusion but then looked at Kristy.
“She wanted Kristy to stay here to be safe.”
“We’ll watch her.” He said, “you get her where she needs to go.” He said and I nodded both at him and at Kristy as I got in the car. I began driving, following the map that I had painted in my mind by the man.
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