"Can't Stand the Rain"

Two gun shots...
Two gun shots and time stood still.
I held the gun in my hands despite my throbbing wrist. Owen laid on the floor, motionless. The beefy blonde guy had stabbed him in the back with two syringes he took from Marco's pocket. I wasn't sure what was in them, but I was smart enough to know that whatever it was, Owen had too much in his system. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would die from an overdose.  I had to act fast. I put the gun on the table, pulled Owen's knife from the black guy on the floor, wiped the blood on his shirt, and put it in the pocket of my dress. I knew there was no way to wipe away all of the evidence that we were here, so I decided on a plan of action. I took the keys from Owen's pocket and ran outside. I pulled the car right up to the door, and opened the back seat door. At this point my wrist hurt so bad, but I couldn't let that stop me. I had to get Owen into the car, so with both of my arms under his I attempted to lift his dead weight. I was bent over completely, and his shoulders were barely off the floor. I just started to drag him as fast as I could outside. My wrist popped and cracked causing so much pain I wanted to throw up. Yet, I still kept on.
Stepping backwards into the backseat, I pulled him up using the car as leverage. Finally, he was completely in the car. I crawled over him, trying not to hurt him anymore than I already had, and out of the car, closing the door behind me. I entered the motel room once more, and approached the mini bar, taking every bottle out and threw them at random places in the room. Letting the alcohol sink in, and cover our sins, I looked down and found a lighter on the floor. I picked it up, flicked it open, and just stared at the flame. The reality of the situation sunk in. I killed a man, tried to save the guy who attempted to rape me, and was now about to commit arson. My life had gone to hell in just a matter of a few hours, but I didn't have time to cry about it or feel guilty. Not yet. So I dropped it, and flames engulfed half of the room in a matter of seconds. I turned around, leaving the horrific scene behind me, and picked up the gun on my way out. I slid into the driver's seat, and closed the door. I peeled out as fast as I could. With nothing but a motel in flames in the rear view, I kept on with no place to go.

Several minutes later, I pulled the car into the ditch, causing it to come to a screeching halt. Tears flooded my eyes, and I couldn't breathe. It had been a while since I had an anxiety attack, but with the day's events piled on top of so much pain and disappointment; I broke down. Suddenly, I thought of one person I could call for help. I had no idea where my phone was, so I climbed in the backseat and pulled Owen's from his back pocket. But before I dialed a number, I had a sudden urge to punch him, so I did. I let him have it. I hit him as hard as I could with  my one good hand. Pounding his chest, and screaming at him.

"I HATE YOU!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! NOW YOU'RE GONNA GO AND DIE! STUPID, INSIGNIFICANT FOOL! WHY?!" I cried, continuously asking why until I felt better. By then, my good hand hurt just as much as my other one did.

I wanted to curse at him, but I was better than that. Ignoring all other urges to inflict pain upon Owen, I grabbed the phone, and called his best friend.

It kept ringing, I thought he was never going to answer, but when I heard his voice on the other end I was immediately overcome with a sense of relief that a new wave of tears came.

"Owen is that you?" He asked frantically.

"No, it's Audrey. Hunter, something awful has happened."

His voice became solemn, and the seriousness in his tone sent a chill through my body.
"What is it?"

I began to explain the whole situation, from beginning to end, "...And now I'm not sure where we are. I pulled the car into a ditch, and if I don't get him help soon he's gonna die."

"Is he breathing?" He asked.

I hadn't thought of that, so I checked.

"No! He has a pulse, but he isn't breathing! What do I do?" I yelled

"Give him mouth to mouth. I'm tracking your call right now, and Rhyan is on her way to get Dr. Winston. I can get them there in about 20 minutes. Can you last that long?"

"Yeah, but how will you get here that fast?"

"There's a reason, why I have a nice car. I won it in a street race. I'll be there soon. Hold tight, Audrey."

He hung up, and I started mouth to mouth. I did it until my broken wrist was numb. I almost passed out a few times as my vision had black spots in it. Then a car appeared on the horizon, coming over the hill toward us. It slowed drastically, and slammed on the brakes behind me. Almost immediately, Hunter, Kitty, Rhyan, and Dr. Winston jumped from the car rushing toward us. Hunter threw the door open, and pulled me out. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. He kissed my forehead, and sighed in relief. With his lips still pressed against my skin he asked, "What were you thinking, Little Bird?"

He called me Little Bird. I thought.

It had been so long since I had heard him call me that. He was, after all, the one who started it. He was the one who had been there when my dad left, and held my hand until I stopped crying. He was my first kiss. He was the one who beat every boy who ever bullied me to a bloody pulp, and would have Dawn beat up the girls. He was the one who put that soc kid in the hospital when he raped me, and kept my secret. Everytime I cried, he held me. He always told me that I was the most fragile person he knew, and he felt like he had to protect me. And he was the one who told me that I didn't really love Soda, but that I loved the idea of him. Suddenly, I realized just how much he cared for me. He had always been there for me, and this time was no different.

"Owen's gonna be okay! I need to get him to the closest hospital and get him stomach pumped and put him on fluids." Dr. Winston said, which was followed by some sort of cursing and insults under his breath. He was drunk again, but he was functioning. They called us over.

"I'm riding with you and Owen to the hospital. Rhyan and Kit, you go with Hunter. He is going to follow us."

Just as Dr. Winston finished his sentence, a police car with the lights and sirens on came barreling over the hill. They drifted to a stop behind Hunter, and jumped out with their guns pointed at us.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP! GET ON THE GROUND!" They yelled.

A strange man then emerged from the police vehicle and approached the officers. He pointed at me and said, "That's her! That's the girl. The boy must be in the back! That's where she put him."

The fatter cop moved over to me and put his knee in my back, putting me in hand cuffs. He was so rough, and the feeling in my wrist had come back. I started to scream.

Hunter jumped up in protest, and the other cop who was standing by Owen's car turned his gun on Hunter.
"Get back! Now! GET DOWN!"

"Get that guy off of her jerk-off! Her wrist is broken!" He screamed, but the cop punched him and did the same to him as he did to me.

They put us in the back of the squad car when an ambulance pulled up to retrieve Owen. Dr. Winston was able to get Rhyan and Kitty out of trouble and they followed the cops and the ambulance to the hospital. When we arrived, they took me to get x-rays with a police escort. Owen was off to get his stomach pumped, and when my cast was on they finally came in to question me. I was honest, about almost everything. I wasn't a snitch by any means, but I made sure they knew that they attacked us and Owen only did what he did to protect me. Eventually, they allowed Rhyan, Hunter and Kit to visit me. Rhyan was first and when I saw her face, I immediately felt so guilty.

"Rhye..." Was all I could manage to get out. She said nothing. She simply walked to the side of the bed that I was handcuffed to, and hugged me.

"Shhh... It's okay. I know. I know."

She just sat there and hugged me for a while. Then she pulled away slowly. "I got you a lawyer and he is already negotiating with the police. So far, you're off the hook. Owen, however, may not be so lucky. They are dropping the murder chargers, but are trying to connect with some drug runners in SoCal and some of the nasty stuff that that guy Marco was up to. My lawyer is trying to get them to drop it if Owen checks into court mandated rehab."

"Rhye, I feel like it's all my fault." I replied.

"No, it's not. Owen was bound to get caught eventually. He needs this though. Something has to happen. He has to change." She whispered as tears spilled from her eyes. "Anyway, I love you, and I just wanted to come tell you that. I have to go call my dad, because my lawyer had to contact him. I have some crap to get done. I'll come see you later, okay?"

I nodded my head, and she gave me a quick hug. Kitty's visit was pretty short. I got a lecture, and she asked me for all of the details. After that, there really wasn't much to talk about, so she went back out to keep Rhyan company.

I sat there alone for a while, trying to keep everything that had happened that day from entering my mind. I never wanted to think about it again, but I knew that I would have to eventually. Now was just not the time. That's when he walked through the door. His dark, messy, curls hanging ever so slightly in his face, but not hiding his brilliant blue eyes. I met his gaze and he smiled. He approached the bed looked at my cast, then at the other that was in handcuffs.

"You've got an incredible knack for getting yourself into trouble." He said somewhat sternly.

"Yeah... I know, and you always come to my rescue."

"Well, I always say, 'Don't go outside if you can't stand the rain.'"

"You and I have been through one heck of a storm if that's the case."

He didn't say anything, because we both knew it was the truth. The he smirked. "Damn, you look hot in those handcuffs."

I couldn't help but laugh, and just as quickly as it started, it stopped.

"Thank you, Hunter."

"Eh, it's not a big deal. Anyone in the gang would have done it." He replied sheepishly.

"No, Hunter. Thank you. Thank you for everything. EVERYTHING that you have ever done. You've always been there for me. Thank you..."

He looked at me, slightly confused. He touched my face, kissed me softly, and then whispered.
"You got it... My Little Bird."