Chapter 46: Chapter 46

HEAVEN

There's so much blood on his hands. He has already caused so much suffering to other people. So much evil flows in his blood. It's abominable. He is hideous. And he did it again. Not only did he kill my mother, but now Kian's mom, too. He'll never be able to stop it... He's a monster!

"Heaven..." My fingers pull the trigger. I don't look away as the bullet pierces his chest, straight into his cold heart. He puts his hand on his chest. His eyes are on me. Pain and disappointment lies in his facial expressions. He sinks to his knees and slowly croaks...

I shot my own father and I feel... nothing.

Painful gasps, tearing me away from my father's now dead body. When I see all the blood on Kian, I rush to his aid. "Shit... Kian!" I shake his shoulder. So much blood is spurting out of one spot on his stomach that it's even more surprising that he's still conscious. The bullet hit him and it looks like it's still in there. "Hey! You have to stay with me. Listen! Stay with me, Kian," I call desperately as his eyes want to close. "Fuck!" I turn my head to the door. "We have to get out of here!" I tell him, patting his cheeks to keep him awake. Shit! He just nods dazedly. I grab him under the shoulders and try to hoist him up. Of course it's not that easy with such a muscle man. But Kian meets me a little and brings out his last strength. We go back to the bathroom and I lock it behind us. Then I push Kian's shoulders down onto the edge of the bathtub. Then I go to a closet and get a white towel out of there, I press it against Kian's gunshot wound and put his hand over it. "Keep pushing, okay? Don't let go!" I order him. He nods to me. Crap! This ball has to go! I need to get him to a doctor before he bleeds to death. "Hey, Kian? We have to get back to the car. Can you do it?" I know that seems almost impossible with his injury, but he just has to hold on a little longer. Then I push Kian's shoulders down onto the edge of the bathtub. Then I go to a closet and get a white towel out of there, I press it against Kian's gunshot wound and put his hand over it. "Keep pushing, okay? Don't let go!" I order him. He nods to me. Crap! This ball has to go! I need to get him to a doctor before he bleeds to death. "Hey, Kian? We have to get back to the car. Can you do it?" I know that seems almost impossible with his injury, but he just has to hold on a little longer. Then I push Kian's shoulders down onto the edge of the bathtub. Then I go to a closet and get a white towel out of there, I press it against Kian's gunshot wound and put his hand over it. "Keep pushing, okay? Don't let go!" I order him. He nods to me. Crap! This ball has to go! I need to get him to a doctor before he bleeds to death. "Hey, Kian? We have to get back to the car. Can you do it?" I know that seems almost impossible with his injury, but he just has to hold on a little longer. I command him. He nods to me. Crap! This ball has to go! I need to get him to a doctor before he bleeds to death. "Hey, Kian? We have to get back to the car. Can you do it?" I know that seems almost impossible with his injury, but he just has to hold on a little longer. I command him. He nods to me. Crap! This ball has to go! I need to get him to a doctor before he bleeds to death. "Hey, Kian? We have to get back to the car. Can you do it?" I know that seems almost impossible with his injury, but he just has to hold on a little longer.

"Yes," he only groans and heaves himself up alone. He grimaces and I put his arm back over my shoulder.

"Okay good!" With difficulty we go to the window of the room. "Can you do it?" I ask him. He nods and climbs over the windowsill. I try to help him as much as possible. Luckily it's not very high. I control the estate. It won't be long before Costello's men look for us out here and find us. "We are in a hurry!" We run across the lawn to the wall as fast as we can in Kian's condition. Crap! He never comes over there. Kian leans against the wall and breathes heavily. Overwhelmed, I look in all directions. We only have the main entrance left. Where we can become an easy target. "Come quickly!" I grab his arm again and hurry to get to the entrance with him. I keep looking behind me. Just as we arrive at the main entrance, his men storm out of the mansion. Before they spot us, we turn around the corner. Since the car is of course behind the wall, we still have to walk a few meters. I can feel Kian's strength giving way and he's getting heavier and heavier in my arms. "We're almost there! Don't just die on me, Hermano!", I choke out. I am very aware that a gunshot wound to the abdomen is life-threatening. It's close to a miracle that Kian is still conscious. The fact that he's still alive means that the bullet didn't hit a vital organ. But the more blood he loses, things will get tighter around him. we still have to walk a few meters. I can feel Kian's strength giving way and he's getting heavier and heavier in my arms.

My Audi is already in sight – just a few meters. Shots can be heard right behind us. I look behind me, startled. They almost caught up with us and are charging straight at us.

Crap! I try to duck with Kian. The shots ricochet off the car. Suddenly, the sound of squealing tires can be heard behind us. Two large, black SUVs pull up behind us. The doors open and gunmen get out and start shooting at Costello's people. I breathe a sigh of relief as Callahan gets out and covers us with his men.

When Gabriel sees us, I think I see a relieved expression on his face. But he quickly disappears again when he sees Kian's serious injury. "Fuck!" I hear him hiss. "Get him to the hospital right away, Heaven!" he yells at me and just manages to save himself from a bullet. "Come on!" I startle and rush Kian to my car, which is still being shot at. I sit behind the wheel and step on the gas.

"Kian! You have to press it. Got it!" I put my hand over his and press on the wound with him. Crap! That's a lot of blood he's losing. The white towel is already completely dipped in red. My gaze wanders to the rearview mirror. There where Gabriel fights with his people against the others.

I quickly focus on Kian, who groans in pain. When I look at him his eyes are closed. No! "Hey! Kian, stay with me! Do you hear!" I increase the speed. He needs to go to the hospital immediately!

***

GABRIEL

"That's all, boss!" Viktor informs me. My men are checking each of Costello's men, who are now dead on the floor.

"Good. Let's go in and secure everything there." I also want to make sure that a certain person is really dead.

"Yes, Boss!" My men ahead of time start checking the basement and a few others upstairs.

"Boss! We found him!" calls one of my men and I immediately follow the voice. I enter a study. As my men step aside, I have a direct view of the dead body of Domenico Costello. I crouch down to take a closer look at him. A clean shot, straight into his chest.

"There's someone else you should see." I get up and turn questioningly to Viktor. He points to another dead body in the room.

"Fuck..." I hiss softly, recognizing the woman's face. It's Kian's mother. Her throat was slashed as I take a closer look at the carnage.

"Take her with you and be careful. This is Warren's mother," I inform my men. I sigh and run my hands through my hair. I watch them carry out the lifeless body of this woman. Then I turn to the rest of my people. "Good. You know what to do, men. Clean up the place and dispose of the bodies!" They all nod at me and immediately get to work. When my cell phone starts beeping, I pull it out quickly.

HEAVEN: ARE AT THE VALLEY HOSPITAL. KIAN WILL NEED EMERGENCY OPERATIONS.

"Viktor! We have to go to Valley Hospital. Kian is there with a gunshot wound. It won't be long before the police show up when they find out what the injury is. Take care of it!"

"Will do, Boss!" I nod to him and we immediately make our way to the car. During the drive I text Julien, who is in the DP with Ela. He should come with her to the hospital. I leave out why. It's better if I tell Ela personally in the hospital how Kian is doing.

***

"Gabriel!" Heaven comes towards me with hasty steps, while Viktor goes to the front desk and settles things with the police.

"How does it look like?" I ask her, examining her more closely. Her face is covered in blood spatter and her hands are smeared with blood - probably from Kian's wound.

"You can't tell me anything more specific. Just that you're doing your best..." she informs me. I sigh deeply and then nod. "Shit... He's lost so much blood, Gabriel. I have a bad feeling about whether he..."

"Kian can handle it!", I interrupt her immediately and put my hand on her shoulder. She jerks back slightly.

"Better tell his girlfriend that." She averts her eyes and settles into one of the plastic chairs. I do the same and look at her profile thoughtfully.

"What happened?" I ask her. I rest my arms on my elbows and rub my hands together while looking at her.

"I didn't catch everything. When I stormed into the room, all I could see was how he shot Kian and then the dead body of a woman. It was Kian's mother. I actually only know her from pictures. It was immediately clear to me that he shot her. Only he is capable of such a thing..." She closes her eyes. "II then pointed my gun at him and ex-" She takes a deep breath. "Pushed the trigger." She looks up. Her grey-blue eyes don't even shimmer, they're just cold. "I killed my own father," she whispers. I stare at her.

"You did the right thing," I say firmly. She looks me in the eyes. I can feel that she's upset and confused, but she doesn't show it much.

Damn, this woman is... "I have to get out of here!" she suddenly says, preparing to walk away, but I quickly stop her by grabbing her wrist.

"Wait, Heaven..." Confused, she looks at me, then at my hand, still gripping her wrist.

"Let go of me right now!" she hisses.

"Heaven. You're not yourself right now," I say sternly.

"Excuse me?" she laughs. "I'm very much myself! ... But don't worry, I'm not about to break down and cry because I shot my own father," she spits out sarcastically.

I frown. "And what are you planning to do now?"

"That's none of your shit, Callahan!" It travels on her arm. But my grip is strong enough to keep holding her. "I'll kill you if you don't let go of me right away," she hisses at me hatefully. I get up and stand close to her.

Ignoring her words, I say resolutely, "Go to the DP with Viktor. When I know more about Kian's condition, I'll follow." Her brow furrows deeply as I move closer to her. "That's an order, Heaven!"

"Fuck you!" I wave Viktor over to me, who doesn't hesitate for a second and comes over to us.

"Is that done with the police?" I ask him. In reply, he gives me a curt nod. "Okay. Then take this lady here to the DP." I nod to Heaven.

"Come!" commands Viktor.

"Don't touch me!" she hisses at him as he moves to touch her. If the circumstances weren't so crappy, I'd laugh at her stubbornness. Heaven sends deathly stares my way as she then follows Viktor. I hope for her she doesn't do anything stupid on her way into my DP. If she messes with Viktor, she's in trouble.

Ten minutes later Julien appears with Estrela. I approach the two. Panic and fear can be read in Ela's face. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out how best to be smart about it now. "Gabriel," Estrela gasps when she arrives with Julien. "W-where's Kian?" she stutters.

I think I'll make it short and, well, painful. "Kian was shot and is undergoing emergency surgery. I know very little about his condition." Ela's face turns white and the first tears run down her cheeks.

"Aa-shot?" she stutters in panic.

"I'm sure the doctors are doing their best," I try to reassure her, but her face is getting paler and paler.

"He mustn't die!" she sobs. I quickly pull her into my arms and stroke her auburn hair. My eyes focus on Julien, who gives me a wry smile and then looks down.

"He won't either, sweetheart."

ESTRELA

An eternity describes waiting to know more about Kian's condition quite well. All I know is that Kian needs emergency surgery for a gunshot wound and is fighting for his life right now. None of the nurses or those at the information desk can tell us more about his condition. But Kian has been in the operating room for hours and this is incredibly scary. I mean, he's got a bullet in his stomach. Just the thought of it really pisses me off. The fact that he even made it to the hospital shows how strong Kian is once again - that he doesn't give up and hopefully will continue to fight in the surgery as well. He must survive. He just has to!

A hand that rests on my back pulls me out of the gloomy thoughts. Julien, who hasn't left my side in the Dark Palace until now, gives me a sensitive look. He manages a small smile. Not only is Julien a loving person, there's also something very calming about him. "I was in that situation once..." he begins. He looks away as if reminiscing. "A colleague of mine who was very important to me was shot during an operation. It was really bad for him. It was the worst moment of my entire life. He was - and if I admit it to myself, still very important... He's a fighter. That's what saved him back then. It might sound silly, but I knew he wasn't about to give up. He fought the pain." Tears glisten in his eyes. "I loved him very much. And I regret to this day that I never confessed to him." He smiles sadly at me.

"Are you still in touch?" I ask softly.

"No. He quit immediately after the accident. We were friends for a while after that. Until he confessed to me that he was going to get married. I couldn't do it anymore. The way he loves another, building a future with someone. That was It was very painful for me at the time, which is why I broke off contact..."

"Did he know you had feelings for him?" Julien laughs softly and looks down at his hands, which he is kneading nervously.

"We had something together during the training period. It kind of worked out. We had fun for a while. But I knew from the start that he would only be a short-lived man."

"I'm sorry Julien." I put my hand on his and squeeze it. He smiles softly at me.

"Thanks. But I'm over it. The most important thing is that he's happy now. I'm sure he already has children." Despite his words, I can tell that he's still getting a little carried away. “Kian is a fighter. You love him more than anything and he knows it. If he survives, it'll be because of you, sweetheart."

"Yes, I really love him. I never thought I could love someone so much, even though Kian and I are so different. But he's the reason I feel so strong again after my previous relationship and feel safe. But now he must be strong...u-and I don't know..." I sobbed out. This terrible fear of losing Kian overwhelms me.

"Shh... sweetie!" Julien quickly takes me in his arms. "Not only Kian has to be strong now, you too, Estrela!" I nod slowly and then wipe my tears away. Julien is right. I must be strong too!

"Kian is a hard core. It takes a little more than a bullet in the stomach to put this guy down," Gabriel's voice sounds in front of us. With his hands in his pockets, he tilts his head and looks down at Julien and me. While I was talking to Julien, Gabriel was trying to find out more information about Kian's condition. Gabriel interprets my questioning look correctly and explains: “He lost a lot of blood to the hospital, which made him very weak. They have the bullet out. They say the worst is behind him. He is damn lucky that no organ was badly damaged." I exhale shakily and Julien squeezes my hand.

"When can we see him?" I ask immediately.

"The doctor will inform us about it later."

***

I have no idea how many hours have passed before a doctor finally approaches us. "Hi, I'm Dr. Winston and I was one of the doctors in charge of Kian Warren's surgery." I get up and the doctor shakes my hand. "Are you his wife?" he then asks me.

"I'm Estrela Clark. Just... Kian Warren's girlfriend." The doctor nods to me and shakes hands with Gabriel, with whom he exchanges a quick look. They both appear to know each other. Which doesn't really surprise me. After all, Gabe isn't particularly unknown here in Nevada.

"Mr. Warren had a bullet in his lower abdomen. We were able to remove it. But he lost quite a bit of blood, which left him weak. We had to resuscitate him once. It was close. We had to do almost thirty minutes of CPR." I widen my eyes. His heart stopped for almost thirty minutes? Oh my God! "He really struggled and was damn lucky. He's still in intensive care for observation. A nurse will then let you know when you can see him." dr Winston smiles softly at me. The information that Kian's heart stood still for a long time still resonates with me, so I can only manage a nod. The doctor nods to Gabriel and then takes brisk steps away from us.

"Incredible. Not even a stopped heart can kill this guy," says Gabriel.

***

As I enter the room where Kian is lying, I can already hear the monitor beeping. Just knowing that this is monitoring his heartbeat is a relief. His heart is beating! Even and calm. I approach the bed. Kian's face is pale and he's getting a transfusion - sure for the pain. With slow steps I approach the bed and put my hand over his cool one. I look at him silently. "I love you," I whisper. A small emotion forms in his exhausted and at the same time beautiful face. When the familiar gray appears, it takes my breath away.

"Estrela?" His voice is quiet and still slightly scratchy. I smile weakly and brush his dark hair back from his forehead.

"I'm here babe." Kian appears confused for a few seconds until he lifts the white blanket and reveals the bandage wrapped around his stomach. Suddenly his tired eyes become cold as ice. So far I haven't asked Gabriel or Julien what exactly happened at Costello. All I know is that Kian's gunshot wound was the result of Costello's actions. Costello wanted to kill Kian. The thought that Costello might still be alive makes me regret not asking what happened in the first place. But my thoughts were only with Kian.

Kian's facial expression seems petrified. His eyes are emotionless and don't tell me what's going on inside him. "Kian?" Timidly, I want to put my hand back on his. He flinches. "Are you in pain? Shall I call someone?" He shakes his head weakly. I look at him but he doesn't look at me, his eyes fixed directly on me. It seems like he can see right through me. Of course it could be from the OP and his current condition. But my inner voice tells me that there is more to it than that...

The door is suddenly flung open and Gabriel appears with Julien in tow. "Welcome back to the living," Gabriel grins as he steps further into the room. "Man, you look like shit," he adds. Kian just doesn't say anything and looks at him motionless.

I look questioningly at Gabriel, who is examining Kian. "What happened at Costello?" I blurt out.

Gabriel looks from Kian to me, then he gently takes my arm and leads me away from the hospital bed. I reluctantly allow it. We leave the room and Gabriel stays in front of the door. A serious expression covers his features. And then he drops the bombshell: "Costello has Kian's mother with him and he killed her in front of his eyes..." He clears his throat loudly as a hospital staff walks past us. "Your throat was slashed," he continues, more quietly.

"What?" I breathe, stunned. Kian's mother is dead? Costello killed her?! For God's sake! My mouth opens and closes again in shock. I'm lost for words. I can't even begin to imagine what's going on inside Kian right now. I mean, she's - was his mother, no matter how they felt about each other. And I know that Kian cared about her, otherwise he wouldn't have come to see her every week...

"My god, I..." It's just too awful to think about. "A-and what about... Costello? II mean is he...?" I stutter.

"He's dead. Don't worry," he says quickly. I can't exactly describe the feeling that comes over me. Anyway, there is relief. I have never wished death on anyone in my life. But Costello was the first and hopefully the last person I'm glad he's no longer with us. Because he hurt the person I love more than anything. He deserves death! "Listen, Ella. Kian may be tough and strong, but he needs time to process what happened. And everyone deals with it differently..." says Gabriel seriously.

"I'm there for him. No matter what." Gabriel pats my shoulder. We then return to the room together. Just in time to keep Kian from getting out of bed. Julien tries to push him back into bed by his shoulders. "Kian, what is this supposed to be?" I approach him to calm him down, while Julien steps away again.

"In your condition, I would let him get up first," says Gabriel and looks at him resolutely. Kian gives him an angry look. He suddenly looks agitated and angry.

"I want out of this fucking hospital!" he growls.

"But that's not possible, Kian!" I say sternly. In no case can he move at all in this condition or even leave the hospital.

"I'm fine!" he says loudly. "I hate hospitals," he then murmured.

"You just need some rest. Okay, Kian," I say softly. The coldness that hits me from his eyes now brings tears to my eyes. But I swallow them down quickly. I have to be strong. As Gabriel pointed out, Kian now needs a lot of time to process everything. After all, he experienced hell. But no matter what may come, I will stay by his side because I love him more than anything.