CHAPTER FOUR

LEONA'S POV

A few hours after I spoke to Mr. Adams, I was cleared to see Maddy.

I walked into her ward and my heart dropped to my stomach. She was covered in bandages and sewn cuts, with an oxygen tube to her nose and one of her legs in a cast.

I took a seat by her side, fighting back my tears.

I stared at her for a minute, unable to say anything. What in the hell had I done? “Maddy…” I said slowly.

“I know you can hear me. I know you’re somewhere in there.” I said, tears already forming at the corner of my eyes.

“Please…I beg you please, don’t die on me.” I held her hand, resting my head on it and letting the tears roll down my face. “Please Maddison please. I don’t want to imagine life without you.”

“We haven’t come this far, just for you to give upon me now.” I continued. “I love you Maddison, and I don’t want to bear the pain of losing you.”

“So…Please, please I beg of you.” I broke into a stream of tears.

God please, please don't let her die on me. Please. Regardless of all the things I’ve done in my life, don’t take it out on her, please. I pleaded inwardly.

“Remember when you helped me with quitting drugs. How everyone around me saw me as nothing less than a drug addict, yet you thought differently. “ I sniffled. “You were the only one who saw the good in me. So please, stay. Stay alive for me Maddison.”

“Or the time that you helped me leave my sorry excuse of a father. I would still be going home to bruises and stomach punches if it weren’t for you Maddison. Remember that?”

I held her hand tightly. “I stopped sleeping in police cells because of you Maddison. I only started living when you came into my life, I became a real person when I met you.” I paused. “I just can’t lose you.’

I stayed seated by her side for some minutes, bawling my eyes out and praying constantly that she would live. After an hour I fell asleep by her side.

By the time I opened my eyes, it was already getting late. The sky had started going dark and some nurses stood at the door with trays of what seemed like medications and drips.

I sat up slowly, wiping my face to remove the residue of tears left. I turned to look at her again.

Then I leaned in and kissed her forehead. I held that position for at least a minute long. Before moving back a bit.

"I'm sorry Maddy." I whispered, still close to her head. "I know you'd not approve of what I'm about to do. But it needs to be done."

I pulled back and looked at her face for another minute before finally leaving.

I walked down to my place, since I didn't come with my car. On the way home my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and stared at the screen.

Dad.

I shoved my phone back in my pocket because I had nothing to say to him.

Once I got to my apartment, I went straight to my room, dropped to my knees by my bedside and pulled up the loose floorboard in the corner.

It was a spot I kept hidden for extreme situations. And this was one of them.

I pulled a gun out from underneath the floorboards, cocked the bullets in and tucked it into the waist band of my trousers.

I stood up and grabbed a bat from the back of my cupboard.

I looked at it for a second, then I grabbed my keys and went down.

Reynold lived 30 minutes away from here, but I made it in 20.

After parking, I sat in the car for a few minutes before stepping out.

I slammed the front door open, so much that it echoed across his entire house and stood at the entrance.

"Reynolds!" I called out to him.

No response.

"Reynolds!"

This time footsteps sounded from the staircase above. He walked down shirtless, with a glass of whiskey in his hand and a smug grin on his face.

"Well, well, well." He began. "Look who we have here."

"Did you do it?" I said. "Don't fuck around with me, I already know. I just need to hear it from you directly. Did you hit her with that truck."

He swirled his glass slowly in nonchalance. "You know what's actually sad?". He tilted his head. "You couldn't even protect her. Your oh so fragile little best friend and you just stood there."

"Answer the question Reynolds."

"You brought a bat." He laughed. "A bet Leona. What were you going to do with it, threaten me into confessing to your besties issue."

"Don't." I said quietly.

"Maddison was always too good for you anyway." He said, taking a sip of his drink. "Wasting her time on some washed up druggie with daddy issues. Honestly? She's better off in that coma than standing next to someone like—"

I swung the bat at his face without giving it a second thought, it connected with his chin and he stumbled sideways.

His glass shattered on the floor and he turned to look at me with a shocked expression.

"Why you little piece of shit!" He said, launching himself at me.

His fist reached my cheeks before I could dodge it, and for a minute my entire line of sight became blurry.

I quickly gained my stance back and grabbed him by the arm, throwing him into the wall.

Once he was down I went down town on him.

His face, body, chest. No body part was spared from getting a shit treatment.

By the time I stepped back, Reynolds was on the floor struggling to breathe with a busted face bleeding from all sides.

I reached behind me and pulled out the gun, cocked it and pressed it to his forehead.

He went very, very still.

"Listen to me very carefully." I said quietly, crouching down to his level so he could see my eyes.

“If you go anywhere near Maddison. If you so much as think about her. If I even hear your name in the same sentence as hers." I pressed the barrel a little harder. "You'll be begging me to pull this trigger. And I won't."

I held it there for one more second.

Then I stood up, tucked the gun back and walked out without looking at him again.