“Abbi, baby, God you’re so fucking…” there is sudden bang, bang, bang, the noise too familiar to both Leighton and I, for us not to know what it is coming from. It echoes through the large expanse of our home, the hairs on every inch of my body come to stand on end.
“Oh fuck, no, please.” Leighton drops me from his embrace by the countertop, and is back at the front door within seconds. He forcefully opens it causing it to slam into the wall and crack the plaster.
“Antonio, God baby, no. please. Help him, someone help. Please baby, open your eyes.” I can hear the shrill cries and screams erupting out of Debbie, coming from the driveway. I feel my heart drop in my chest, a sick feeling rising from my stomach.
I am still stood dead in the kitchen, unable to move. I can hear everything happening outside.
“Debbie, get the fuck inside, call an ambulance now. Do not let Abigail out here. Do you hear me?” I can hear the aggression in Leighton’s tone, this is breaking him, and he is going to snap.
I hear the loud sounds of Debbie’s high heels pounding on the marble floor tiles of the kitchen. I can see her dialing into her phone and then bringing her phone to her ear.
“Ambulance please,” I can hear the muffles of someone on the other end, just wishing for once they would just send someone instead of faffing around asking questions. “Please just send someone now, my boyfriend, he’s been shot, he’s bleeding, God there’s so much blood. He’s not opening his eyes. Please just send someone quickly.” The tears are pouring profusely out of Debbie’s eyes; her hands are holding the phone really tightly and are shaking so badly I think she might just snap the thing in two.
This isn’t the same women I had seen earlier. The confident, dominant, take what I want woman; this is the broken, scared and please help save my boyfriend, woman.
When the sounds on the other end of the phone stop, confirming the services are on their way, Debbie throws her phone across the room smashing it into the wall.
I can see her talking to me, but can’t snap out of my daze, I can’t hear a word she is saying. She stalks towards me grabbing ahold of my arms to shake me.
“Abigail, God damn it, concentrate.” I snap out of my funk, the weird trance my body has learnt to do, to deal with any hurt or pain.
Her arms encompass me, her warm tears soaking through my top. “Abigail, he’s going to be okay, he’s going to be okay sweetheart.” the conviction in her voice doesn’t sound at all believable. “Oh God, please, hurry.” She is in a state, panicking, and finding it hard to breath. Her chest is fighting to inhale and exhale properly.
I have to wake up, take control and stop this woman from passing out on me.
I stand to my full height, which isn’t very tall, “Debbie,” she doesn’t listen so I raise my voice, “DEBBIE! ENOUGH!” I say sternly causing her to halt in her crying and panicking. “We need to calm down; we aren’t any help to Antonio like this. We need to call the boys, they’ll know what to do okay?” she nods, taking calculated breaths in and out.
I can hear the wail of a multitude of sirens in the near distance. “The paramedics are close, they will save Antonio. I promise you. Now we need to do our bit and call Leighton’s men. I’ll call Maria; she’ll be with the twins. You call Thomas and Scott. Nate is probably with Thomas.” I know Thomas and Nate will be together, they live with each other, whether anyone else knows or not is another question.
I look to Debbie’s sad face again, I can’t promise Antonio will survive, but I want him to, in my mind I imagine he is safe that he is here and he will still be tomorrow.
I pick my phone off of the island in the kitchen and press number two on my keys, speed dialing Maria. This is the worst thing I will ever have to do; I will have to tell my best friend, my sister, that her brother is potentially going to die, that he has been shot.
“Hey you sexy mamma, how are you?” I can’t answer, I am frozen.
“Abigail, you okay sweetheart?” she knows from my lack of talking that I’m not, she knows me too bloody well.
“I’m sorry, Maria, I’m so sorry.” I can’t tell her outright, it is too God damn hard.
“Abbi, what are you talking about, what’s happened?” I can hear the panic in her tone already setting in, she knows something was wrong.
I hear some scuffling through the speaker, and then Luke’s voice comes through the phone “Abigail, what is wrong?” his firm tone calms me instantly. I can tell him, he isn’t Maria; he isn’t going to cry down the phone to me.
“It’s Antonio. He’s, he’s been shot Luke. He and Debbie were leaving and someone shot him, oh God, please, God don’t let him die.” I am starting to cry.
“FUCK!” I hear Luke curse out. “Brad, we need to get to Leighton’s now.” He shouts out to his twin. “Abbi, do you and Debbie want to come here, it will be safer?”
“No I need to go to the hospital, there taking him there. I need to be there. And Debbie and Maria, we all need to go there. We need to be there when he wakes up he’ll want to see us. He’ll need us Luke.” I am rambling, my anxiety is getting bad, and my blood pressure is probably through the poxy roof.
Sometime along the way, Debbie has picked herself up and become the controlling women I already know her to be. She takes the phone from my clutch and begins to talk to Luke.
“Hi Luke, it’s Debbie, Yeah, I’m going to take her to the hospital. No, it’s okay I’ll drive Ant’s Rover. I’ll see you there.” She hangs up and then crouches down to get eye level with me.
“Abigail, sweetheart, calm down, breathe, in out in out.” I follow her instructions and drag air into my lungs to calm myself. After a few moments, when I am feeling better, Debbie places her hand on my cheek.
“Good girl, now, get your shoes on darling, were going to the hospital okay?” she asks me, the mascara slightly smudged under her eyes is the only indication that she has been in a state; she is so calm and together at this moment in time.
I nod and manage to make my feet walk. I slip my feet into a pair of Uggs I find in the cupboard.
“Good, now, get your phone and let’s go.” I collect a few bits I will need. My phone, my purse and my jacket as it is pretty much nearly Christmas and freezing.
When we go to the front door, there are flashing lights everywhere. Antonio is nowhere to be seen so they have obviously already carted him off; Leighton is pacing the driveway angrily, his hands throwing themselves around and there is steam clearly blowing off of him.
“Get back in that house now Abigail.” He orders me.
“Leighton, calm down. I’m taking her to the hospital. She needs to be there when Antonio wakes up. The boys are all on their way round. Maria is going to meet us at the hospital okay.” Debbie begins to drag me away from Leighton.
I place my hand on her arm, turn to Leighton, who is following close behind, and throw myself into his arms. “God baby, I’m so sorry, please be safe. Take one of the security guys with you. They’re here now.” I cry into his chest. My eyes are spilling over with tears as he pulls me tightly into his strong arms.
“Leighton, it’s not your fault, and to be safe we’ll take two of the men okay.” Debbie said reassuring him. I can feel him physically relax a little.
“Thank you Debbie. Please keep my girl safe. I trust that you will.” Debbie is becoming one bad arse bitch in my eyes. How can someone who has just witnessed someone they clearly love, be shot and nearly killed, remain this cool and collected is beyond me. That is the strongest thing I have ever seen from anyone.
Leighton kisses me once more, strokes my stomach quickly and then addresses me “I’ll be there as soon as I sort the shit out here. Please call me when you get there, and if you find anything out. I love you Abigail, stay safe please.”
“I will Leighton, I love you too, God so much.” I kiss his cheek then turn and leave. I climb into the passenger seat of the Range Rover and Debbie starts the engine pulling away from the chaos that is engulfing our driveway. Two giant men sit in the back, two men I trust with my life.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Maria meets us at the hospital; she is in the worst state out of us all. This is her brother, the man she has depended on her entire life. She is sat with Brad on one of the cold seats. He doesn’t want to leave her and has sent Luke to deal with things at the mansion.
We have been waiting for two hours for some news. Antonio has been in surgery for that amount of time. I sit and watch the clock on the wall ticking so fucking slowly I’m sure I could walk the length of the corridors in one of those dreary seconds.
“For fuck sake, will someone please just tell me what is going on.” I can hear Maria shouting at no-one in particular. Her patience is wearing thin.
“Baby, calm down, he’s going to be okay. Shhh, come on, it’s going to be okay.” Brad’s soothing rich voice nurtures her. I turn to look at the couple seated next to me. His arms are wrapped tightly around her; her little body sat on his lap, curled up like a scared foetus.
I sit there for another two hours, just staring at the white walls. Occasionally I will glance over at Maria, still sniffling or trying to sleep on Brad. Then I will look across to Debbie sat opposite me. She will sporadically lift her hand to her cheek to wipe away the tears trailing there. The odd little sob will break free and she will turn her head to me and give me a sad look that breaks my heart.
I am trying my very hardest to keep it together, to not cry, scream and kick out like I want to.
The door of the waiting area creaks open and a man in green scrubs walks in. “Family of Antonio Little?” he asks looking to all of us. Maria jumps awake and from her seat faster that a bolt of lightning.
“I’m Maria, he is my brother.” She says hastily, I can see the tension pouring from her at wanting to know how her sibling is doing.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Zaidi; I performed the surgery on your brother Antonio. Now we have had some complications. The bullet skimmed his liver, so there was an extensive amount of bleeding during surgery. We have managed to repair all the damage but he will be very weak for a long time.” Maria’s tired and shaky form falls to the floor instantly.
She begins to sob loudly, her entire body shaking violently. I crouch down with her and pull her into me, her head on my rounded stomach. “Shhh, Maria, he’s fine, he’s going to be fine.” I sit rocking her for a good twenty minutes, waiting for the tremors to subside.
She eventually looks up to me, and smiles weakly. The beautiful girl I had come to love so fiercely is peering back at me for the first time since yesterday evening. “There you are.” I say stroking her cheek tenderly.
I assist her to stand and then sit back with Brad while I turn my attention to Debbie, who is awkwardly looking out of the window, not quite sure what to do with herself. I tap her shoulder causing her to jump and then turn her head to me.
“Come here,” I gesture for her to hug me. Her lip trembles and shakes and then she begins to cry. No one has paid any attention to her, to everyone else she is new and she is the outsider. I have seen the love Antonio and her share, he loves her something fierce and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had jumped in front of that bullet for her.
She falls into my chest and holds onto me tightly, squeezing at the clothes on my back as she soaks my top with her salty tears. “He’s alive, Debbie, he’s still here. It’s going to be all okay.” I reassure her, showing her the attention she needs now. She has been so strong for me, now it is her turn to rely on someone.
“I was so scared Abbi, I thought I had lost him. I can’t lose him, God I love that man with everything I am. Why did he have to do that, why does he always have to be the fucking hero?” I knew it, I knew he would have seen it coming; he is trained to be one step ahead.
In my head, that bullet was meant for Debbie, another message no doubt.
“That’s our Antonio; he has to always be the hero. We aint ever gonna change him.” I cuddle her tightly once more and then pull away to look at her face. I wipe away another bunch of tears from under her eyes and then ask her “You going to be okay babe?” she nods her answer and then walks over to Maria to introduce herself.
Antonio has kept her from us for weeks, so no doubt he hasn’t introduced his sister and the woman he loves.
I hear the door open and look to see who is there. My beautiful Leighton walks through the opening along with Luke. His hair is disheveled and his face sports a light dusting of scruff. His aqua green eyes warm me instantly.
“Angel,” he practically runs to me, picking me up and placing a hard kiss on my head.
“God, Leighton, you’re here. He’s going to be okay.” I smile into his chest as a little thankful laugh breaks through.
“I know baby, I know. He’s my boy, I can’t lose him.” he sits himself down on one of the chairs in the waiting room and pulls my hippo self onto him.
His hands automatically surround my bump and rub it lovingly. He places gentle kisses on my head, neck and cheeks.
“I love you Abigail. So God damn much.”
“And I you Leighton, forever and always.” My eyes feel so heavy I am wondering how they are even still open.
Chapter Thirty-Five
We are all sent home after seeing Antonio alive and well-ish. He looks so frail and really pale. His usual Italian complexion he shares alongside his sister has deteriorated to a white hue.
Maria and Debbie really didn’t want to leave him, but they were assured by the Doctors and nurses he is safe and well, and that if anything did happen they would be first to be called.
Debbie drives the range rover home to hers; her children are due home from her sisters any moment. Leighton drove down with Luke, so we got a lift back to the mansion from the twins and Maria before the boys took their woman home to shower her in affection and distract her from the heartbreak she must be feeling.
I barely get two hours sleep when I arrive home, before I am awake again. The baby has started engaging and is making me feel so uncomfortable I can’t do anything, can’t sleep or relax in the slightest.