Chapter One Hundred-Eight
Point of View: Narrator
Officer Bryant's voice was solemn. "Nick was shot in the back," he said slowly, before Brian could ask him anything.
Kayla was shaking her head no.
Brian, who had not sat down when directed to, gripped the back of the chair he'd been told to sit in, his knuckles white. He closed his eyes. Behind his eyelids, he stared at Nick's face.
"Another inmate -"
"Leon," hissed Kayla.
"- took a gun from the holster of one of the armed security guards who were responding to a fight during the alotted recreation time. He shot three bullets --"
"Three?" whispered Brian. Behind his eyelids, Brian was being tortured by the vision of Nick's body, shuddering with the impact of the three shots, like people did on shows like 24. He pictured Nick's face - mouth a perfect O, eyes wide, as he dropped, the bullets sailing right through him...
Remorse had flooded Kayla. Stinging, aching, pain-filled remorse for the wrong she'd done. The kiss she couldn't take back. She touched her lips. She'd already erased the last kiss they'd had, already felt another's mouth on hers. She couldn't remember what Nick's mouth tasted like, couldn't remember the feeling she got when his mouth touched hers. She couldn't feel his embrace, couldn't imagine his touch... She was sick. Sicker than sick. She wanted to die from the agony of knowing what she'd done to him. Knowing she could never make it up... knowing she could live a lifetime and never replace what she'd had with Nick...
And she already had.
Brian opened his eyes, desperate to change the scene from the shuddering shapes of Nick's bullet-laden body, to see anything else at all, even the dingy walls of the prison would do...
Officer Bryant had dumped the opaque bag onto the table. Nick's gold wrist watch, a gold chain with a cross on it, an iPod, twenty dollars, and Krystal's bracelet were sitting on the desk in front of Officer Bryant. Brian's hand moved swiftly to the chain, clutching the cross in his hand.
He remembered going shopping with Nick to buy it. He'd never taken it off.
"The offending inmate was immediately moved to a higher security part of the prison, where he will remain detained until he can be brought to court for his offense again Nick," said Officer Bryant.
May Leon rot in fucking hell, thought Brian in the most bitter emotion he'd ever held within his heart. He felt no remorse, no need to forgive, no desire to pity. He killed Nick, Brian thought, anger boiling up inside his chest, a rage of fury that felt hotter than the whitest heat. There was no forgiving that.
"Nick, however, has been moved to a high security hospital," Officer Bryant continued.
Kayla looked up. She'd been sobbing into her hands. "A hospital?" she breathed.
Brian looked up from his intent gaze at the chain in his hand.
"Nick will be transported to a different, more capable prison upon release from the hospital," Bryant said.
Brian's eyes widened. "He's alive?" he asked, his hands shaking.
Officer Bryant looked taken aback. "Of course he is."
"Oh my good Lord," Brian gasped, dropping into the chair and covering his face with his hands. Nick's chain etched against his forehead, his eyes welled with tears. "He's okay?" he asked.
"Yes..." Bryant frowned, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize --"
"What'd you think we thought?" Kayla asked, her eyes widened. "That receptionist lady says he's gone, then you start by saying he got shot in the back three times, using all past tense verbs..." Kayla shook her head."
"Where is he? I need to see him," Brian begged.
Officer Bryant shook his head. "For Nick's safety, we're keeping the location completely undisclosed."
"Even to us?" Kayla looked panicked.
"Unfortunately; for Nick's safety. Yes."
"But he's alive," Brian said once again.
"Yes," Officer Bryant confirmed.
Not much else matters, Brian thought.
Chapter End Notes:
I want to thank Rose (aka, @ForeverRebel on Twitter) for the help with guiding the storyline toward moving Nick's location from one prison to another, we well as providing me with a couple links the helped out with the remainder of the storyline... Thanks Rose!
