There was total bedlam after the shot rang out. Security tackled Vivica and wrestled her to the ground. She kept screaming that Lance was hers and would never belong to anyone else because he only wanted her love making. He missed her, she knew it.
As Vivica was ranting and raving, the guys ran to Lance and Elaine, who were lying in each other's arms on the floor. Elaine had her arms around Lance, but they weren't moving. Chris and Joey went to each one and rolled them over. Suddenly, Chris screamed, "Call 911!! NOW!! Somebody get some towels, they're both bleeding."
Lance's parents and Gwen rushed to their children's side. Chris checked Elaine and she was having difficulty breathing. He lifted under her neck to open her airway more. When he did, blood gushed from the wound in her chest.
"Would someone hurry with some towels or napkins, SOMETHING." He was totally frustrated.
Joey was working on Lance and he was starting to come around. He winced in pain as he rolled toward his shoulder. "Be still man, you're bleeding."
"Bleeding," gasped Lance. Then reality set in. "Where is Elaine?"
Everyone had put up a human wall between the two bodies and he had not seen her lying on the floor a few feet from him. "Where is she?!" he screamed, fear ripping through his body. Then he heard Chris yelling for someone to get towels. He struggled up, holding his left shoulder and stumbled through the line of people there. The sight, that greeted him on the other side of the line, hit him like a ton of bricks.
"NNOOOOO, ELAINE, NNNOOOOO!" Lance screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran to her and fell by her side. He reached out and touched her face. There was no movement. Lance felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. There was a gurgling sound coming from her throat. Chris lifted under her neck and opened the airway, again. They could hear the ambulance coming in the distance.
Tears were running down Lance's face. "Oh God, please don't let anything happen to her. Please, I need her, I can't lose her now that I have found her. God, you could NOT be that cruel."
About that time the paramedics came crashing through the door. The police had arrived and were taking Vivica out of the area. She saw Lance as they walked by and she shouted, "You're mine forever, Lance. No one will ever have you but me."
Lance looked up at her, and, if looks could have killed, she would have been dead and six feet under. "Get that WHORE out of my sight. I never want to see her again."
"But baby, when she's out of the way..."
"DON'T call me baby, YOU don't have that right." Lance struggled to stand and walk over to Vivica. There had been so much build up inside of him over the years, he figured now was as good a time as any to let it all out.
"You better pray, if you even know how to, that my Elaine is okay. Because if she is not, I will personally kill you myself, because if she is gone, I have nothing to live for. You have done nothing in my life but destroy. When we were together, you destroyed my self confidence, you destroyed my innocence and now, you try to destroy the only woman that I love. Do you have any concept of the destruction you caused? Of the pain and sorrow you bred? You are the lowest of human beings. I don't even know how you could be human. You have hurt me more than you could know."
Vivica looked at Lance with this crazy spaced out look and all she could do was say, "But Lance, I can make you feel better."
Lance lost it. "I DON'T want YOU! Can't you get that through your head? Besides, you're the one who left me, remember, drowning in my tears. You were not and are not worth one tear that I shed over you. That woman lying over there fighting for her life is worth more than a million of you. You are not even worthy for her to wipe her feet on. She is more a woman than you ever thought about being.
Sex is NOT everything, Vivica! There are a LOT more important things in life than sexual pleasures. There is compassion, trust, love, being dependable for someone. So many other things are important. You are a sad individual, Vivica. I never want to see you again. I wish I had never met you. You tried to destroy me, but thanks to Elaine, I'm becoming whole again, at least as much as I can be. Good-bye, Vivica."
Lance turned back to Elaine and winced in pain with his shoulder. The paramedics grabbed him and put him on a gurney and wheeled him out to the ambulance with Elaine.
In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Lance reached out to take Elaine's hand. It felt cold to the touch and it scared him. He held tight to her hand willing his strength to her and praying the hardest he had ever prayed.
"Almighty God, I come before Your throne of grace and humbly, no, boldly beg for the life of this woman You have put into my life. I know I ventured away from You for a while, Lord, but she helped bring me back to the fold. And like the Prodigal Son, You welcomed me home with open arms. Father, she loves You so much, and she has trusted You with her life and she has followed Your ways. I cannot imagine my life without her in it. She is my heart and soul. She makes me feel complete. Oh God, I wish it had been me. Why couldn't it have been me? Why does she feel so cold? Please God, please Father, give her the strength to get through this. Please let her know that I love her and need her. Oh God please...don't take my...Sugar Bear," Lance broke into gut wrenching sobs. The pain in his shoulder was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. "Oh God, I can't lose her, I just can't lose her. My life is nothing without her in it."
Lance was so distraught, the paramedic gave him a sedative to calm him down. He was soon resting and the paramedic was working on the clean wound in his shoulder. When they arrived at the ER, Lance was ready for stitches and bandaging.
It was determined that when Elaine pushed Lance to the side, he turned and as she had her arms around him, he pulled her with him. The bullet entered the back side of his shoulder and went straight through and into Elaine's chest.
Elaine was wheeled right into Trauma One when they arrived. The portable x-ray machine was called in and the MRI machine. The bullet had gone into her right upper chest, through the top of her lung, hence the gurgling noise. The bullet then lodged against her spine at T4-T5. Her breathing and her heart were being affected by the nerves there that were being compressed by the swelling from the bullet still being there. It was determined that as soon as they could stabilize her vitals, they needed to do surgery.
Lance was stitched up fairly easily as the bullet went through the top part of his shoulder and hit no major muscles or bones. The doctors kept telling him how lucky he was. He didn't feel lucky. His life, his love was in the next room fighting for her life. As soon as they let him out, he was in the hallway outside Trauma One with Gwen. He asked her how Elaine was and she told him they were having trouble stabilizing Elaine's vitals so they could do surgery. They were also waiting on the full report of what they found.
They both went into the private waiting room they had set up for everyone to wait in.
Everyone was relieved to see Lance up and about, even though he was supposed to be taking it easy. Joey had gone to get some of the food from the party and have it brought to the waiting room so it would not go to waste and they wouldn't have to leave to get something to eat. When he saw Lance there, he went over to him. "Lance, man I am so glad you're okay. We need you here for Elaine. She needs your strength."
Lance wanted to know what was going on and Joey said that they had not said anything except she needed surgery ASAP.
About that time, the doctor came into the room. Lance went to be at Gwen's side while she talked to her.
When Gwen looked up, she recognized the doctor standing in front of her. She was the doctor that had operated on her older son, Lee, when he had his accident. They had become very close during that time and had kept in touch. She ran to her friend and gave her a big hug. "Susie, I am so glad you are here. What is going on with my baby?"
Dr. Susie Rent was one of the best Neurologist's in the country. She had been able to do for Lee what no other doctor was able to. The minute Gwen saw her, she knew Elaine was in the best hands possible. The doctor had Gwen and Lance sit down. Gwen introduced Lance to Susie as Elaine's fiance. Lance took her hand and held it as he spoke, "Please Dr. Rent, you have to make her okay. She is all I have, I can't lose her." Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Dr. Rent placed her hand over Lance's and assured him she would do everything possible for Elaine. "But, you have to have faith and pray. I can't do this alone. I need God's guidance, too."
"Elaine would be glad to know you are here for her," Lance commented.
Dr. Rent proceeded to convey what the tests had revealed. "Gwen, in some respects, we are very lucky." She looked at Lance and patted his arm, "Please don't take this wrong Lance, but you may very well have saved her life by being hit first."
Lance looked at her in confusion. "She shouldn't have been hit period, but what do you mean?"
She proceeded to show how the bullet going through Lance's shoulder first had slowed the bullet down and could very well have kept it from severing the spine. "From what I have been told, and looking at her tests and at yours Lance, if she had not done what she did, you would be dead now because that bullet would have blasted through the top chambers of your heart."
"It should be me in there fighting for my life, not her," cried Lance.
"Lance no, she did you both a favor. If that bullet had hit you, you would be dead. Then where would Elaine be? She would be dying of a broken heart."
"She would be alive, that's what is important," cried Lance. The tears were coming more and more.
Gwen put her arms around Lance and held him close and rocked him back and forth trying to calm him down. When she sensed that he was calmer, she pulled him up and spoke to him as calmly as she could. "Sweetie, you know that I already love you like a son, but I know how important you are to my daughter. If you had died, she would have died with you. She is a firm believer that God has a plan for everything and everyone. She would want you to pray and have faith. That is what will get you through this. And, it is what will get her through this. Lance, when I saw Susie walk in that door, I knew everything was going to be all right. You have to know that, too, honey."
With red, tear filled eyes, Lance looked at Gwen and then at Dr. Rent. Then he spoke with every emotion in his body brimming on the surface, raw from exposure. "Mama Gwen, Dr. Rent, that woman in that bed in there...she is my very life...she is my heart and soul...she is the very air that I breathe. I can't live without her. She is the only woman I want to spend the rest of my life with...she is the only woman I want to have children with...she's my whole world." With these last words, he broke into sobs again.
Susie's heart went out to this young man who so obviously loved Elaine. She knelt on the floor in front of him as he cried. She took his hands into hers and she bowed her head to pray. "Oh most Gracious Heavenly Father, Your humble servant comes before You now to ask Your blessing on this fine young man who is so distraught and full of pain. Father, give him a sense of peace, the peace that passes all understanding. The peace that can only be found in You. Father, I must go and prepare for surgery on this other servant of yours. Prepare her body for what we must do. Help prepare my mind and my hands for the task at hand. I ask these things in your Holy Name, amen."
Susie looked into Lance's eyes, "Have faith, that is what will get you both through this." Then she gave Lance and Gwen hugs and started to leave for the surgery ward. One of the nurses from Trauma One came in. "Dr. Rent, her vitals are finally stable." Susie stopped and bowed her head in a prayer of thanksgiving and then turned to Lance and Gwen and the rest of the room. "Faith, we have to have faith and pray."
Lance stood up and went to Dr. Rent. "Please, can I see her before she goes to surgery?"
She looked at him with understanding in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to see her now."
"Please, let me see her now, please," he pleaded with her.
She grinned, "Okay, but only for a few minutes."
"Thank you, thank you so much," smiled Lance and he gave her a big hug.
The room was full of machines and monitors and Lance was more taken aback than he thought he would be. He walked to Elaine's bedside. She looked as though she were sleeping peacefully. The nurse had told Lance that she was drifting in and out and that she was sure that Elaine could hear him if he spoke to her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead and took her hand in his. At least her hand did not feel as cold as it did in the ambulance. That really had scared him. He called her name softly and she did not stir. He pulled a chair over by the bed to sit in. He took her delicate hand and held it in both of his, placing kisses and encouraging her to be strong and to remember how much he loved her and needed her.
It was time for him to leave so they could take her to surgery. She had not opened her eyes and he so wanted to look into her eyes one more time. He stood up and touched her face and called her name, "Elaine...Sugar Bear...Honey, please wake up for me. I need to see your eyes and your smile." He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.
As he raised up, he saw her eyelids flutter. His heart started pounding in his chest as he called her name again and kissed her lips again. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked into his tear filled green eyes.
Her voice was weak because of the tube in her lung, so he had to lean in close to her mouth to hear her. "Lance...are...you...okay?"
"Baby, don't be worried about me, I'm fine. Oh Baby, I love you so much. Please don't leave me."
"It...hurts...what...happened?"
"Don't think about that now. They are about to take you to surgery. You need to save your strength. Baby, I love you more than anything in this world. I wish it were me in this bed instead of you. It should be me. Please promise me you will be strong and fight to get back to me. I love you."
"Lancelot...you're...my...hero...you're...my...life...I...love...you...baby," and she slipped back into unconsciousness.
Lance fell on his knees by the bed and cried out to God, "Please, oh Lord, please don't take her from me. I'm nothing without her. She has changed my life and I don't know what I would do without her. Father, strengthen her. Take my strength and give it to her. She's my Sugar Bear and I love her. Oh God, be with her in that operating room and be with Dr. Rent. Please don't let my baby...die."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Dr. Rent. "It's time to take her up to surgery. You're gonna have to leave."
"Do you have any idea how important she is to me?"
"I think I do. She is very lucky to have you. She's a remarkable young woman. She was so much help to her brother when he was hurt. I would attribute a lot of the success of his recovery to her. So yeah, I know how important she is."
"Please...please Dr. Rent, don't let her die."
"Lance, I will do the best I can. You just keep praying. I need all the help I can get."
"You got it," said Lance as he kissed Elaine and left the room.
