Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (books to get back into reading TXT) 📕

ragdoll where he was standing. I ran to help Josh but he was already falling. I tried my best to help him fall with a little more control so he didn’t hit his head. I gingerly moved his hand and saw that he was shot in his ribcage area; he was bleeding uncontrollably and starting to lose consciousness. Oh my God! Josh can’t die! This can’t be happening! This isn’t supposed to happen! This was just supposed to be a babysitting assignment.

“Josh! Don’t close your eyes. Look at me. Stay awake for me.” I called the ER downstairs. “This is Dr. Langley, I need to speak with Dr. Summers STAT!” David got on the phone. “David, there’s been gunshots up here and Josh and another person have been shot. Please help.” I hung up and noticed Josh pointing at something. He was trying to speak but the only word he could get out was, “Isabel!” I looked behind me and saw a badly wounded Asian man pointing his gun at me. He fired and missed. I took Josh’s pistol and put three bullets in the man’s chest. He fell to the floor. Conny came out alone, with no Pam in sight, also holding his side. Had Pam also been shot? Oh, my Heavens! Not Pam! I put the gun down and turned to Josh who already had his eyes closed.

“Joshua, stay with me. Don’t close your eyes. Please, baby, open them for me,” I begged. He didn’t respond. I was beside myself with fear that I might lose him. I started applying pressure to his wound. “Josh, if you don’t open your eyes and look at me I’m just going to have to spend the night with David.”

“Fucking cocksucker,” he muttered, opening his eyes.

“So, you can hear me.” I smiled with relief. “I thought that might get you. Don’t close your eyes. Keep looking at me.”

“Isabel.” He could barely say my name.

Davis came out of nowhere and startled me. “Whoa! Where did you come from?” He didn’t answer. I could see Stems cautiously going into Pam’s office. Conny was on his phone.

“That was very smart of you calling your house the way you did, Dr. Langley.”

“I told you to call me Isabel, Davis. My mother is Dr. Langley…got it?” I didn’t mean to snap at him the way I did but I was getting a little afraid for Josh.

“Yes, you did, sorry about that, Isabel.”

“No, I’m sorry for being so short with you. I’m just nervous and scared for Josh. And where the hell is David?”

“Isabel, please,” Josh’s voice was feeble. “It’s not what you think. Please don’t leave me,” Josh was reaching up to touch my cheek. I looked around for any sign of David and noticed Davis had left Josh and I to go help Conny and Stems.

“Hush now, Joshua, be still and don’t go to sleep. Do you hear me?” I was still applying pressure but it was all for nothing since his wound kept gushing. David finally showed up with four male trauma nurses.

“It’s about time you got here, David!”

“Sorry, I had to find male nurses that could help me and get some stretchers. I got him Isabel, you can let go.”

“No!” Josh’s voice was a whisper. The nurse was already starting the IV. They placed him on a gurney and one of the nurses took him away. David stayed to attend to the rest of the injured people. He was looking at Conny’s side, it didn’t seem to be that bad, from what I could hear, but he told him to go to the ER; there was a room waiting for him. I walked into Pam’s office and saw Pam on the floor, unconscious, face up. She was dressed as if nothing happened between her and Conny. Maybe Stems did that. David was taking her vitals and the nurse had already started an IV on her. I hurried to be by her side but Davis stopped me.

“Let Dr. Summers do his job, Isabel. You can go to her when he gives you the all clear.”

I just nodded my head, unable to speak. I looked around the room and saw another large man bleeding on the floor. Was he dead? Allison Stems was doing nothing to help him, she just checked his pulse. I turned around and left Pam’s office. The hallway was full of blood. There was blood everywhere, especially in Pam’s office and some of it was Josh’s blood. The Asian man I had shot was still in the same spot, blood pouring out of him, running everywhere. I couldn’t believe I had shot another human. Why was I not more upset over this fact? Why was I not in shock? I walked over to him and just looked at him, not sure what feelings I should be feeling right then. He was someone’s son. He was someone’s baby. I squatted down to try and remove his jacket so as to expose his right arm. I wasn’t sure if the Triads wore their tattoo on that arm but I had a hunch. I managed to get it out; I rolled up his sleeve and saw the infamous tattoo. My head was starting to throb. Were they here to kill Pam or Conny? How did the Triads know they were here? Davis was at my side, helping me up.

“Doctor Summers thinks it’s just a bad bump on the head. Pam isn’t bleeding from anywhere but they are going to take her straight to do a CAT scan and some x-rays.” Davis turned me toward him so he could look at me and asked, “Are you all right?”

“Davis, this place is a mess. It’s going to ruin group therapy night. Luckily it isn’t for another two weeks.”

He chuckled, “Don’t worry Doc…uh…Isabel, we’ll have it cleaned up by then.” I saw the nurse passing us, taking Pam