Mayhem by Jade Wilde

Prologue

Blade

The stretcher is positioned in the middle of the blood-splattered triage bay. I could do nothing but watch from a distance as medical professionals rushed to my wife’s aid in an effort to save her.

The ride to the hospital was a complete blur. I know I broke every law on the way but for someone like me I didn’t give two flying fucks. Especially when my entire world was in the back of an ambulance.

I had received a frantic call from my wife, one that I knew I could get someday due to my lifestyle, but no matter how prepared you think you are nothing can prepare you for the moment you hear the words... "I've been shot." She was hysterical and I tried my best to keep her calm. I told her that I loved her, and help would be on the way before hanging up.

I called 911 giving them as much detail as possible, then immediately jumped on my bike and flew from the club over to my condo.

By the time I got there the EMT’s were slamming the ambulance door shut and pulling away from the curb. There were cops everywhere. Not sticking around to ask questions, I fired my bike back up and followed the ambulance to the hospital. The minute they parked in a bay, I ditched my bike and rushed to the large metal doors.

When I saw my wife lying on the gurney covered in blood I remember the air getting sucked straight out of my chest. I stammered over my words as I tried to find my voice. The EMT’s barely gave me a second glance as they rushed Chloe through the internal sliding glass doors into the emergency triage area. I finally found my voice and yelled to the EMT’s that she was my wife and was granted permission to be beside her.

I choked on a sob as I took her hand in mine and ran beside the medics. They were asking me questions, but my brain was in a fog, and the ringing in my ears was so loud that I could barely make out what they were asking.

I remember mumbling between my constricted voice that she was seven months pregnant, after that I just pleaded with her to stay with me. Even though I’ve never been a praying man, I prayed… begged… and pleaded with God, to please save my wife. I know I’m a no-good piece of shit—but Chloe, she’s the kindest, most awe-inspiring human being on the planet. I knew deep down in my gut that this was my fault. She was too good to be with someone like me. Which resulted in her lying there fighting for her and our baby’s life all because of being my wife.

They immediately wheeled her into a trauma bay. There was a lot of shouting and chaos that unfolded as they began to work on her. I heard someone that I assumed was the ER doctor yelling to prepare the OR now!

I was left standing there with my heart pounding in my chest, feeling helpless. My phone was blowing up, but I left it in my back pocket. I couldn’t talk to anyone in that moment.

I wiped the tears from my face as I stood back and watched the nurse stick an IV into Chloe’s arm and got her hooked up to monitors. There was a faint heartbeat moving across the screen as they began to strap a monitor to her belly.

Someone yelled out. “The baby is in distress. We can’t wait. We need to get it out, now!”

A voice spoke to me pulling me from the haze I was in while I watched my wife lay lifeless on the gurney, doing nothing but watching the tiny lines on the screen move up and down. “Sir. I was told you’re Mrs. Hixon’s husband. We need to get her into the operating room immediately. I need you to sign these papers giving us permission to administer anesthesia.” The young man said, holding out a piece of paper and pen to me.

I grabbed the pen from his hand, and quickly scratched my name across the paper. I didn’t care what they have to do, I just needed my wife and our baby to be okay.

“Are they going to be, okay?” I asked, looking between him and my wife whose cold hand I was holding in my own. Her face pale. The clothes that they were cutting off her body were soaked in blood. There was a nurse applying pressure to her chest as they were trying to get the bleeding under control.

I remember the nurse flashed me a sympathetic smile as she shrugged her shoulders slightly as she said. “She’s lost a lot of blood. It looks like the bullet went straight through, but we won’t know for certain until we get her into the operating room. I’m so sorry.”

Within seconds I was being ushered out of the bay, leaving me standing in the hallway watching as they wheeled Chloe away for surgery, the doctor turned to me and said. “You can head upstairs to the fourth floor. There’s a waiting room outside the labor and delivery room doors. We’re going to do everything we can, but I have to be honest with you, sir. It doesn’t look good. Someone will be out to let you know when she’s out of surgery.”

“Thank you.” Was all I could muster to say before the doctor turned and disappeared around the corner. I  raked my hands through my hair and closed my eyes as I tried to regain control over my emotions. After a moment, I felt my heart start to calm slightly, as I glanced at the signs hanging above my head trying to make sense of where I needed to go and made my way up to labor and delivery.

I passed by the nursery on my way, seeing two nurses taking care of babies through the glass. Another sob escaped me, causing my shoulders to shake violently as the reality of everything that was happening hit me.

Will I get the chance to hold my baby? Will I ever hold my wife again?

I barely made it into the waiting room before I spot one of the surgeons approaching me. The look on their face told me it wasn’t good.

He held his surgeon hat in his hands, as he stood before me, eyebrows furrowed and sadness darkening his gaze. “Mr. Hixson, I’m so sorry—we tried everything to save her. She just lost too much blood.”

I felt my legs giving out beneath me; and the doctor reached out to catch me before I fell, and said. “I can bring you to your wife so you can be with her until it’s time to take her to the morgue.”

I couldn’t speak. I tried, but nothing came out besides gasps of air as I tried to stop myself from hyperventilating. I wanted to know how the baby was, but I just couldn’t form the words.

It’s as if he could read my mind because immediately, he said, “The baby was delivered by emergency C-section a few moments ago. Sadly, he also didn’t make it. I’m so sorry. He is with your wife so that you can have some time with the both of them.

Everything faded around me as I made my way toward the room Chloe and our baby were in. The only sound I could hear was that of my boots slamming against the linoleum floor. My feet faltered as the doctor pushed the door open, ushering me to enter. My feet suddenly felt as if I was trying to walk through thick, knee-deep mud. It took all of my strength to walk myself over to Chloe’s bedside. She was laying so peacefully, covered with a blanket—my breath hitched as I noticed our sweet baby lying on her chest. I sucked in a sharp intake of air as another sob escaped me.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” I said in between sobs as I finally mustered up the strength to speak.

She looked as if she was just sleeping. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that she was truly gone. Our sweet baby, he was so tiny, his body barely filled up her chest. He was swaddled in a tiny blue knitted blanket and was wearing a tiny, knitted hat on his head.

I sat on the bed beside her, and took her cold, lifeless hand into mine. “Chloe,” I whispered as I stroked her hair with my other hand. A tear slid down my cheek as I stuttered. My gaze fell onto our baby boy, I reached down to pick him up, he too looked as though he was just sleeping. My body shook violently, causing the muscles in my chest and my back to burn as I began to cry uncontrollably. Cradling his tiny little body in my arms, I took in his features. He looked just like Chloe; with dark black fuzzy hair peeking out of his hat. He had her lips and nose. She would’ve been an amazing mother. She deserved to be a mother—she was so excited, even though it was unexpected she loved him from the moment she saw those two pink lines on the pregnancy test.

She was gone. The love of my life is gone.

Our baby was gone. Our innocent baby... gone.

I vowed that when I found out who did this—they were going to wish they were dead. I was going to make them suffer the same way my wife, my baby and I suffered. That when I was through with them they’d beg me to kill them.

After a short time, I finally set him back down onto Chloe’s chest. Leant down and pressed a kiss to her lips as tears slid down my face and dripped onto hers. It took everything inside of me to force my legs to stand.

I said goodbye one more time, before forcing my feet to move towards the door. I remember there was a nurse waiting for me as I walked out. “Mr. Hixson, I’m sorry to bother you after everything you just went through, but we will need to have you to fill out some paperwork once you’re ready and reach out to the coroner tomorrow to make arrangements for your wife and baby—does he have a name?” She asked gently.

I swallowed back the lump in my throat and forced the words out, “River.”

“That’s a beautiful name. You’ll have the choice to take River’s blanket and hat home with you tomorrow after you complete the paperwork needed. If you choose not to that’s okay too. We can store it here with his file until you feel you’re ready to collect his things. Here’s the number for the coroner. Call him when you have a chance.” She said, holding the card out to me.

I didn’t speak. I nodded my head to her, grabbed the card and shoved it into the pocket of my cut. I made it to the nursery window before the reality of what had happened came crashing down over me. The sound of a baby crying sent me into a full-on panic attack.

Suddenly I got tunnel vision as the room began to spin, and I felt as if the room was closing in on me. My head was spinning as everything around me became a blur—nothing but bright lights swirled around me in a blurry haze. I could hear my heartbeat roaring in my ears as an anxiety attack tore through my body.

I stumbled towards the wall holding my hand out trying to steady myself, and slammed my palm against the wall just in time to regain my balance for a moment. Spinning, I pressed my back against the wall in an attempt to steady myself. I rested my hands on my knees as I leant over sobbing and attempted to force myself to gain control of my breathing but failed. I felt gentle hands on my arm as I let my body slide down the wall. I was gasping for air, feeling as if my lungs were failing, unable to keep up with my hysterical sobbing.

The sound of voices faded into the background as my body collapsed onto the floor. The realization of losing my wife and my baby boy… it was too much to bear. I buried my face in my hands as my shoulders shook violently with every sob that tore through me.

"Mr. Hixon," a voice said from beside me, with a compassionate tone.

Through my blurry vision, I remember vaguely making out the nurse who was leaving my wife’s room as the doctor had led me in earlier. “Mr. Hixson, I'm so sorry. Just know we did everything we could to try and save your wife and baby tonight.”

Anger began to boil deep inside of my chest, taking over the grief that had consumed me moments before. I pushed to my feet, wiped the tears away from my face with my palms. I couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact with the nurse, so I grunted out a thank you before taking long strides, getting myself out of the hospital as fast as my legs could fucking carry me.

Climbing onto my bike, I fired it up, and twisted the throttle, dumping the clutch, and span my tires as I sped out of the hospital parking lot.