N9ne: The Tale of Kevin Clearwater (King, #9)(76)

“Call a fucking ambulance!” I shout, but Preppy already has his phone to his ear, giving our location to the operator on the other end.

I place my hand behind her neck, tilting her chin up toward me. I open her mouth and press mine over hers, trying to force her to breathe, wishing I could breathe for her. After several attempts, nothing happens. I fold one hand over the other and use my wrists to pump on her chest. Her body jerks with my movement, giving me false hope with each pump that it’s her coming back to life and not me trying to beat the life back into her.

“Stayin’ alive. Stayin’ alive,” Preppy sings from behind me.

I glare at him while continuing to will her heart into submission.

“What?” he asks raising his arms in the air. He rolls his eyes. “Stayin’ Alive by the Bee-Gees. It’s the beat that you’re supposed to do CPR to. Believe it or not, I’m actually helping. I learned it from a ten-year-old on Youtube, and everyone knows the smartest creatures in the world are ten-year-old Youtubers. BTW, the ambulance is on the way.”

Preppy switches from singing to humming as I switch from pumping on her chest to breathing into her mouth again. After a few more tries, I check her pulse again, pressing two fingers against her neck, but I don’t feel anything but crippling loss.

I breathe into her mouth a few more times, then press my two fingers to her pulse once again. I count out loud, ready to resume CPR if I don’t feel anything by ten. “One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Come on Lenny. Six. Don’t die on me. Don’t you dare fucking die on me! Seven. Please, I fucking love you! Eight.”

“Nine,” the count continues on a strangled whisper, but it doesn’t come from me or Preppy.

Lenny’s eyes flutter open.





Chapter Twenty-Seven





NINE





“Why am I the one in this bed?” I ask, looking around the hospital room. “Poe,” I rasp as Lenny’s face comes into focus. She’s hovering over me, smiling with dried blood caked on the corner of her mouth.

“Maybe, I don’t know, because you were the one who was shot multiple times? Just a guess. Whereas I only took a small swan dive, swallowed some water, and broke my leg. Well, both my legs.” She points to the two casts that start at her toes and end all the way at the top of her thighs. They’re in a pointed position, resting on leg supports connected to her wheelchair. “Boys, such fucking pussies. Can’t take a couple of bullets and lose most of your blood without fainting all over the damn place,” she teases.

I laugh but stop abruptly when sharp pain stabs me in my chest. “Yeah, I’m a fuckin’ pussy. You got me.”

“Don’t move too much. One of the bullets went straight through but missed your heart by only centimeters,” Pike says. “It’s gonna hurt like a motherfucker. Trust me. I know.” He points to his arm, which is in a sling. He’s standing by the window, which is propped open with the help of a rolled-up magazine. He takes a drag on his cigarette and flicks it out before pulling the magazine and letting it fall closed. “I’ll give you two a minute alone,” he says, smacking me on the leg with the magazine on his way out the door. “And Lenny’s right. You’re kind of a fucking pussy.”

I raise my hand just enough to shoot him a middle finger.

He laughs and closes the door behind him.

“Lenny, I’m so sorry. I should have told you about Jared. I was so afraid of losing you, of hurting you more than you’ve already been hurt. It’s not an excuse, but it is my reason,” I say.

She places her hand on the side of my face. “I was waiting at the RV to tell you that it’s okay. That I’m okay. I trust that you did what you had to do. I hate that you kept it from me, but we’ve had a more than unique start to things, so I think a pass or two will be in order from time to time.” She smiles. “This being one of those times.”

“Fuck, Poe. I thought I lost you again when she pushed you…” I begin to say, “I saw it. I saw everything.” The terror I felt pierces through me at the memory, and I can’t bring myself to finish my sentence.

Lenny looks down to where her hand rests on mine. “She didn’t push me. I jumped. It was my only chance, and I took it.”

Despite the pain, I reach up to touch her face. “So fucking brave for someone who lives in a constant battle with fear. You’re incredible. You tempted fate twice. Do me a favor, and don’t fucking do it again.”

She quirks an eyebrow. “This coming from the guy who I’m told ran directly into the bullets being fired at him?”

“I was having a moment,” I mutter. “One where getting revenge on the bitch I thought killed you mattered more than surviving.”

“Don’t ever do that again,” she says, her eyes filling with tears.

I squeeze her hand. “Where you’re concerned, I can’t promise that. It’s not like I even decided to do it. It’s just what was happening.”

“Okay, well then, I can’t promise that I’ll never tempt fate again, but I will promise to never again jump from the causeway.” She places her hand over her heart. “Scout’s honor.”

“I’ll take that promise…for now.” I take her hand in mine.