A Rescued Heart(23)
Author: Natalie Replogle

As he approached, Ray continued yelling at her, profanities interlaced with his words. Sweat trickled down his back as he advanced on the balls of his feet, his arms up, his gun locked between his hands, finger on the trigger.

Ava cried, begging Ray, and pleading with him not to hurt her. Matt needed to push his feelings for her aside. Push past the fear that would grip him if he allowed himself to look at the circumstances as anything but a routine hostage situation. He could no longer look at Ava as Ava … she had now become just another victim that needed his help. Neither of them had noticed him yet, both were too focused on the other to be aware of the settings around them. As he reached the vehicles he swung around to the left to give himself the ability to seek cover behind Ava’s car if he needed it. Backup would be here soon, but not soon enough. At this point, he had no good shot that he felt confident about that wouldn’t risk any harm to Ava. The time had come to make himself known.

“Rockford Police! Put down your weapon!” The words burned like fire out of his throat.

Matt stood on the other side of Ava’s car, gun raised and aimed, his eyes locked onto Ray’s, trying to anticipate his next move. Matt had startled the crazed man, but not enough. Ray jolted back and without warning took hold of Ava and swung her around, making her into a human shield. Ray lifted the gun again and shoved it against the side of Ava’s head.

Dread filled Matt’s gut. Ray was a loose cannon and this would not end well.

Ava felt every thumping beat of her heart against the cold barrel pressed firmly on her right temple. Despite her dangerous position, relief flooded through her. Matt was here. His voice, his presence, made her hopeless situation a little brighter.

“Back off or I swear I’ll shoot her!” Ray’s arm tightened around her neck while he shuffled them further away from Matt.

Matt approached in a slow pace with his gun still drawn, but with his other hand up in an attempt to calm Ray down. The shock of Matt being here slowly faded and her fear returned. He was here to save her, but now his safety thickened the destructive situation.

The tears burned her eyes and blurred her vision.

“Hey man, you don’t want to do this. I’m sure we can work something out.” Matt stopped ten yards away from them but didn’t waver from his stance. His eyes smoldered.

“Go away!” Ray’s grip tightened. “I’ll shoot her and it will be your fault.”

“No,” Ava pleaded. “Please no.” Ava’s upper body shook while she cried.

She was going to die.

She had so much she wanted to say to Matt, most importantly to tell him this wasn’t his fault. He would find a reason to blame himself if something happened to her. She couldn’t bear the thought of him walking away from her lifeless body and putting the blame on himself.Oh God, she prayed reverently.Help me, save me. Keep Matt safe.

Matt’s voice broke through her prayers. “I know you feel hopeless, but it doesn’t have to end this way. Just put the gun down and I’ll do all I can to help you.” He assured Ray.

“Help me?” Ray laughed as bitterness laced his words. “You don’t want to help me. Do you think I’m stupid?” He pushed the gun harder into Ava’s skull as she hollered from the mixture of pain and fear.

“I don’t think you’re stupid at all, quite the opposite, but I can’t help you unless you put that gun down.” Matt kept his eyes locked on Ray’s. “I know deep down you don’t want to hurt her. If you shoot her, both of your lives are over, but if you put the gun down I’ll do my best to help you. Just let her go and this can be just between the two of us.”

Ray tightened his grip on her even more, clearly agitated. The back of her shirt dampened as he pressed her into his sweaty chest. Ray’s hands shook as panic rose higher in Ava’s chest. Fear of the unknown gripped her.

Ray finally spoke. “Prove you want to help me. Put your gun down first!”

Ava locked eyes with Matt for only a moment, but long enough to see his determination. He would do anything to keep her safe. And that was exactly what she feared from the beginning.

Matt broke his stance. “Okay. If I put my gun down, you have to give me the lady in return.”

“You can have her. I just want to leave here alone.”

Matt took a step back, crouching down slowly as he placed his gun on the asphalt. Standing up as if he was in no hurry, he kept his palms placed out to show his cooperation. “See, I’m on your side.”

“Kick the gun away!” Ray shouted.

Ava’s body trembled as the scene played out before her, a nightmare that she just needed to wake up from.

Matt kicked his gun to the side. “Now release her.” Matt just became a sitting duck with no protection.

As Ray’s grip discharged ever so lightly, the sound of sirens became known and more distinct by the second. Trying to take a step from his hold he kept a firm hand upon her arm.

His hesitation was evident.

The thought crossed her mind just to run. The chance was slim that she would make it to safety before a bullet caught up with her, but being held as a hostage made her think irrationally. She glanced once more toward Matt but reluctantly stayed paralyzed in her spot.

The sirens became louder. The moment she realized those sirens were coming to them … so did Ray.

“You lied to me!” Ray shouted at Matt. His emotions must have caught up with him because he took a step away from her as the gun swept in all directions.

The shot was unexpected.

Ava saw the blast come from Ray’s gun while the force pushed them backwards. The sound echoed against the building along with her screams.

“No!” She screamed as their feet became wrapped up in each other’s and they tumbled to the ground. Ava landed first. As her head hit the ground, she saw Matt twist back and fall before Ray collapsed on top of her, blocking her view.

A domino effect of commotion overwhelmed her senses. Ray jumped up, swearing, cursing the God she served. Matt yelled, moaned and then went limp. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the police cars approaching.

Adrenaline surged through her. “Matt!” Ava called. She crawled over to where he sprawled out on his back on the asphalt. She half expected Ray to finish the job and put a bullet in the back of her head, but instead he jumped into his truck. She glanced back to see him take off across the yard at high speeds, bouncing over each mound and crevice.

Police cars whizzed by on a race to catch up with him. Tuning out everything else around her, she made her way to Matt’s side. She froze at the blood seeping out from underneath him. His eyes stayed closed, but his chest moved slightly to prove he was still breathing. “Oh God, please,” she begged. “Matt, can you hear me? Matt?”

She cried while leaning over him. Blood pooled under him and she couldn’t tell where the bullet had entered. Ava traced her hands over his chest looking for the area he had been shot to put pressure on the hole to help stop the bleeding. Where did the shot enter?

Matt winced in pain when he coughed. “Ava,”

His weak voice startled her. “Shhh, don’t talk.”

Arms took hold of her from behind, pulling her off Matt’s body. “No!” she protested. Ava pulled her arm free and placed her hand on the side of Matt’s face.

“Ava.” It was Derek who spoke calmly in her ear.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Leave me,” she begged.

“Ava,” he pulled her off with more force this time. “The EMTs are here. They need room to work on him and I need you to come with me.”

“Please don’t make me leave him!” She watched as people rushed over. They encircled him and began first aid, talking with vocabulary she couldn’t wrap her mind around.

Derek picked her up, ignoring the plea. She buried her head in his shoulder, crying while he carried her. He sat her in the back of the second ambulance and bent down, putting them at eye level.

“Ava,” he whispered, gently pushing a strand of matted hair back from her face. “Are you okay? Do you have any injuries?”

Ava took a moment to calm down and suck in a deep breath. “I’m fine. I have a bad headache,” she answered while rubbing the back of her head for the first time, noticing how painful the protruding bump was. “I was thrown hard against Ray’s truck and hit my head. I just need some Tylenol.”

Derek looked at her as if trying to discern the response she gave was indeed the truth. “Okay, but no matter what, we have to take you to the hospital to get checked out. Let me get you inside the ambulance and I’ll ride along with you.”

“What about Matt? Is he going to be okay?”

“I’m sure he’s going to be fine,” he paused, reading her face. “Would it make you feel better if I went and got an update before we left?” he offered.

She nodded her head, unable to speak.

“All right, stay here and I’ll be right back.” He turned and jogged over to the men working on Matt.

Ava tried to compose herself. She wiped the tears off her face and looked down to straighten her shirt. She gasped in horror at the sight of herself covered in Matt’s blood. With the combination of her head throbbing like she’d beat it against a wall and the sight of blood, her face began to drain. Everything began to spin and turn black. The last thing she saw was Derek sprinting back toward her.

Ava woke up confused and disoriented, trying to determine whether she had dreamed what happened or if it was reality. She looked over to see Derek watching her with a puckered brow.

She grimaced. It was reality.

Derek leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. The tight quarters of the ambulance didn’t give him much room to maneuver his tall frame. “Hey, are you trying to get me in trouble with Matt? He will never forgive me for letting you pass out on my watch.”

“How about we make this our little secret?”

“I like the way you think.”

“How is he?” she asked, her voice thick with concern. “Be honest,” she added while lifting her eyebrows so he understood the seriousness of her comment.

Derek didn’t look too upset, but his job description revolved around hiding emotion. “I don’t know much. He was shot in the shoulder area. He is on his way to the hospital now and will go straight into surgery.” He touched her arm to show support.

Ava forced herself not to cry. It would make her headache worse. “Is he in a lot of pain?”

“Probably not. I’m sure he’s gotten a huge dose of pain medication by now.”

Derek looked out the front window. “Okay, we’re here. Let’s get you checked out and then I’ll take you to the surgery waiting room. I’m sure you’ll want to be there when the doctor comes out of surgery. Oh, and I called your parents. They’ll meet you here with some new clothes. I thought you’d like to change into something different.”

Not once had he made her out to be a burden. His thoughtfulness didn’t go unnoticed and she appreciated the fact that she didn’t even need to ask for anything.

The bright light shining in Ava’s eyes made her headache more intense. It clicked off and she blinked a few times, trying to erase the white spots that danced across her vision.

The doctor stepped back and started typing in his computer. He looked up over the top of his glasses, “Well, Miss Williams, you have a mild concussion and a small hematoma, um, goose egg, on the back of your head. The examination just showed bumps and bruises, but nothing is broken.” The doctor went on to talk about the treatment for the concussion and said that he would send her home with medication for the pain. The headache would probably linger for a few days and could last up to a week. She also needed ice to help decrease the size of the goose egg.

He wrote out a prescription. “Do you have any questions?”

“No.”

“Okay, then you are free to go. I’m very sorry this happened to you. If you need someone to talk with, we have a wonderful counselor on staff and our chapel is always open.”

“Thank you.”

He turned and walked out the door, leaving her alone. Ava sat in her gown, not sure what to do but replay the day in her head. A knock on the door rescued her from the thoughts. A nurse peeked her head in. “You have a couple visitors. Can I send them in?”

“Yes, please.”

Her mom bolted into the room once she got the green light and her dad followed behind her. “Mom, Dad.” Ava stretched out her arms as her mom wrapped her in a hug while her dad enveloped both of them into his arms. Ava rested in their comfort, finally able to release the emotions she’d held in all day.

Unaware of how long they stayed huddled together, Ava pulled away tired and emotionally exhausted. As much as she needed to be with her parents, she became antsy and longed for an update on Matt. “Thanks for coming.”

“Oh Ava, we are so thankful you’re okay. What did the doctor say?”

“He said I have a mild concussion and a nice goose egg on the back of my head.” She touched the area and jumped from the tenderness. “I have a bad headache, but he gave me some pain medication and said it should improve soon.”

“Well, after the day you’ve had, we should be grateful that it wasn’t more serious.” Her dad put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head gently. “I’m so sorry you had to experience that, you must have been so scared.”

“It was horrible. The worst part was watching Matt get shot.” A few tears spilled onto her cheeks and she swiped them away.

“Derek explained everything to us while we waited to see you. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be okay. Just remember it will take some time to get the image out of your head. We will all be here if you need to talk about it.” Her dad always knew what to say to make her feel better.