Page 2 of Protective Love

I slip my arms beneath his and shuffle our bodies backwards, groaning and grunting as I force myself to continue moving through the pain.

After what feels like forever, I'm pulling him out of the gaping hole in the side of the car and onto the grass beside the road.

I watch as his eyes shoot open and I stumble towards the car, offering Sophia my hand as she crawls out of the car. I lift her into myarms and shakily walk over to where Kaleb is lying, placing her beside him.

My hands fumble in my pockets as I frantically search for my phone and when I find it, I dial 999 as I stand beside Sophia while she cries, trying to keep Kaleb awake and alert.

My eyes drift away from her, and I scan the dark street, searching for Jericho or Alessandro, but I can't see either of them.

The operator picks up the phone, shooting questions at me that cause my head to buzz, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I tell her my name and our location, stating that we need an ambulance immediately before hanging up and hoping that her voice will stop crashing around inside my head.

My legs grow weak beneath me, and I frown as I stare down at them, searching for any blood, but I can't see anything.

I don't think I'm injured at all, despite the agony coursing through my body.

I can hear Sophia shouting, but I can't make out the words.

A chill sweeps over me, and I shiver as I try to focus my gaze on my cousin, but all I can see is a blurred outline of her figure, huddled over Kaleb's on the floor.

Maybe I have a concussion?

"Sophia."

I frown as I hear my own voice.

It's quiet and breathless, making me realise that my chest is tight and my breathing is laboured.

Panic spikes inside of me as I start to concentrate on the rest of my body. I feel the pounding in my head grow stronger, and the shooting pain in my chest starts up again, almost bringing me to my knees.

I stumble forward, trying to reach out for something, but there's nothing for me to grab on to.

"S-soph," I say, louder this time.

I try to move towards her, but my head spins, my vision turns dark and my legs tremble.

"I don't f-feel so good," I mutter, just as I feel my body fall forward.

I attempt to lift my arms up, wanting to break my fall when I inevitably hit the ground, but my body's frozen, and I'm unable to move.

All I can do is allow myself to drop towards the floor, internally pleading with myself to move, until finally, I hit the grass beneath me, and a blinding pain consumes me as I hear Sophia scream seconds before everything turns black.

Chapter One

Jaylen

Loud beeping.

Incessant squeaking.

Familiar voices.

Distorted conversations.

Those sounds have been on a constant, repetitive cycle for the past few weeks while I've been submerged in pain and agony, and it's starting to grate on me.

I know that everyone's been visiting me, so technically I'm surrounded by people, but every time someone comes to see me, all I can hear is their cries as they sit beside me, and there's nothing I can do to help soothe the pain that they're all going through.

I wish I could talk to them, tell them I'm okay, and provide them with the comfort that they need and deserve, but I can't. My body won't allow me to.