It was just another normal, plain day. Eddie had worked a little later tonight, having to get a bunch of models prepared and ready for a fashion show this weekend. It was frustrating, having a bunch come in to volunteer, and then get the ones who were selected to represent them for the show. But…Eddie did love his job so it’s not like he was complaining terribly. He tried to convince Aimee and Alex that they should both be in the show, but they declined. He couldn’t help that his girlfriend and his best friend were both very good looking. They would have fit in perfectly! Sigh. After having a drink with Alex, he headed over to Aimee’s, having told her of course where he was going to be. He didn’t want to ever lie to her or make her think that he was up to something. She knew his and Alex’s relationship but they hadn’t done anything together, not even kissed. They both understood and respected the other’s relationships, not wanting to get any other parties hurt. And they still managed to stay best friends. Once Eddie was at Aimee’s, deciding to stay here for the night rather than go to his place, he got into the elevator, normal routine. He couldn’t help the prickling sensation, however, that was creeping around him as he got closer. He didn’t know what it was though, trying to shake it off. It wasn’t until he was almost at her door, did the feeling escalate. Her door was open partially, the lock looking bust. ”Shit!” He cursed to himself as he burst through the door, horror laced on his features. Her apartment wasn’t completely disordered, but there was definitely a sign of something having happened. There was a lamp shade on the ground, broken glass in the kitchen. And well, the door. Eddie reached into his pocket, dialing her number, hoping she’d pick up. “Aimee!” He called throughout the apartment, storming quickly through it. Fucking hell.

Aimee had been exhausted when she got off work. Hooters had been insanely busy and she felt like she had been running back and forth non-stop for the entire eight hours she was there. She couldn't wait to just get home and relax, perhaps take a bath before Eddie got there. She was so glad she didn't have work the next day because that meant she could sleep in and be lazy and curl up into Eddie until he decided he was ready to get out of bed instead of having to deal with some awful alarm. After the bath, Aimee relocated to the couch and just flipped through channels in a poor attempt at finding something to keep her interested until Eddie got there. She heard a knock on the door and smiled, stretching her legs and standing up. One second she was opening the door, the next second she was on the floor with a split lip. Her cheek burned and her head throbbed. Tears had formed in the corners of her eyes as she was yanked up by her arm. "Let me go!" she screamed, doing her best to kick and swing her arms. But she was quickly quieted, blindfolded and dragged out of her apartment. Where was everyone? They must've heard the commotion. She had knocked a table over when she had flailed in an attempt to escape. She had screamed for that matter. But no one seemed to notice. She couldn't see anything or say anything. She had no idea where they were taking her but she knew exactly who they were. Aimee was abruptly pulled from the back of the car she was taken in and dragged into a building. She could taste the blood mixed with tears and she felt sick. "Please," she screamed through the gag. She felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her hoodie and she struggled to wrench her hands free but one of the men quickly snatched her phone from the pocket. "Knew kidnapping this bitch would get you where we want you. We have something to settle, Eddie. You better be at the old warehouse near the University in twenty minutes or we won't go so easy on her this time," the man spat in Spanish into the phone, laughing before hanging up.

Eddie still had a strong dislike for Aimee working at Hooters. He knew how men could be, obviously, and how they could get handsy. He had been at places like that and watched it happen and well, had, in the past, been those type of men. Except Eddie usually used his good looks to his advantage and so he looked more suave than creepish. He couldn’t wait for her to graduate and hopefully find a real job, so she wouldn’t have to dress scantily anymore. He wanted to see her dressed that way, because she was his girlfriend, not for other’s eyes. Right now, her being at work was what he wished. He just knew, that the doomed feeling he felt in his stomach was going to be bad. He just knew. Eddie began cursing as he went through her apartment once more, hoping she’d be there. He paused as he crossed her bedroom when a voice answered the phone before he could say anything. He felt the blood drain from his face as he heard that voice. He recognized it, barely. Juan, at least he was pretty sure. ”Hurt her and I will kill you.” Eddie threatened him as he heard the phone click. Most of the gang he had run with was okay with letting people leave. They had been together primarily as a neighborhood watch, sort of thing. Except as a gang that wasn’t to be messed with. But as some kids were able to move on and do more, they were allowed to leave. Like Eddie, and Alex had at the same time. Eddie cursed the entire drive to the warehouse, trying hard to keep his cool because he knew it could be bad if he lost it. He was half tempted to just jump out of the car while it was still going in his insistence to be there right away. He got out of his car, walking quickly towards the warehouse, just knowing which one it would be. As he opened the door, he felt someone come beside him, checking him for weapons instantly. He shook the man off before walking closer inside. ”Where is she?” He asked, his eyes looking quickly around the room, not seeing Aimee. He wasn’t doing anything until he saw that she was alive and well.

Aimee didn't understand what was going on. For one, she could hardly understand a word being exchanged between the men. Secondly, she had thought that everything had been settled and that there would be no more problems between Eddie, herself, and the gang. She hoped this wasn't related to Blake and if it was, well, it only made her angry thinking about it in that light. She let her head fall forward and silent tears welled up and spilled over her cheeks. She wanted to fight back, but what could she do? She half-dragged her feet as they carried her through the building to a back room, tossing her into the corner and slamming the door. It was pitch black and she felt her chest tightening up as she tried to fumble with the restraints on her wrists. No luck. She slumped into the corner and closed her eyes. She silently prayed that Eddie would be here soon. There was no way he'd just leave her here to deal with these men when he knew where she was. With that positive thought in mind, Aimee focused on keeping her breathing steady but the pain in her mouth and cheek was starting to become worse and her head ached. She heard the door open after awhile and the light filtering from the main part of the warehouse hurt her eyes. She groaned as she was yanked up, but was almost eager to get out of the small room to see if Eddie was there. Relief washed through her when she saw him and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "You want her, do as we say," she heard the man say, looking from him to Eddie before swaying slightly as she dropped to her knees. "Please just let me go," she mumbled.

Eddie didn’t know what was going on or why this was happening either. He had made a call during his drive, an acquaintance that he knew who still ran with the gang. He insisted that the gang Eddie had run with had nothing to do with it. That they had no knowledge of what was going on, and if Eddie wanted backup. Eddie said that he would let them know, that he needed to make sure that Aimee was okay first. She had to be or so help all of the men who took her. Eddie glared at the man who spoke, looking behind him, seeing another bring her out. Eddie quietly let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. She looked a little hurt but she was okay. “It is unnecessary to tie her hands.” Eddie said, his eyes remaining on her. After a minute or so, Eddie looked up at the man who seemed to be in charge. “What do you want?” Eddie said, not really making it much of a question. “Your cop friend…caused us all a lot of problems you see….giving weapons to the Gonzalez Fire. You need to find a way to get us the same weaponry. Make it even.” He began explaining, his arms crossing his chest. Eddie just glared. “He was doing something for his own person gain…nothing to do with her. Or me.” Eddie argued back, his eyes glancing back down to Aimee. “Yes, and now you’re going to make it right.” He said, yanking Aimee up by her arm, causing Eddie to take a step forward, only to have a large hand grab his shoulder. He looked only mildly amused at the man. He may be larger than Eddie, but he knew he was only that; big. Eddie could take him in no time. “Give me a few minutes with her, and then I will see what I can do.” Eddie said, not bowing down because of the man behind him. The one in charge looked at Eddie, seemingly deciding what he was going to do, then finally shoving Aimee forward. In that instant, Eddie moved closer, catching her in his arms. He reached behind her, removing the tape or whatever, around her wrists, haha. “You’re going to be okay. I’m going to get you out of this.” Eddie whispered into her ear, kissing her there before holding her face with his hands to look at her. His eyes grew once he saw the bruise on her face. “Did they hurt you?” And Eddie knew that if she was in pain, after this…job was over, he would take care of that.

Aimee looked from her captives to Eddie, swallowing the lump at the back of her throat and willing the tears to stay where they were instead of falling down her cheeks. She took in a deep breath, wincing at the pain in her face as she exhaled. "It has nothing to do with us!" Aimee chimed in, though she quickly shut up when they yanked her by her hands. She was doing her best not to panic, but she didn't want to be held captive again. She had finally gotten over what had happened in the past and the past few months had put her at ease. All she could do was stand there helplessly, looking down at her feet as they spoke. She felt herself shoved forward and prepared herself for the fall but was caught. She looked up and the tears she had been holding back steadily fell now as she kept herself as close as possible to Eddie. As soon as her arms were released, she wrapped them around his neck and practically clung to him. "Please don't leave me with them. Please," she pleaded. There was only so much abuse she could handle. She was fragile to begin with and this wasn't helping at all. The more she thought about being locked up in that dark room, the more she began to panic. Aimee nodded slowly as she pulled away, a shaky breath escaping from her lips as she met his gaze. "I can't be left here," she whispered. Whether or not she had a choice was still up in the air. Glancing over her shoulder, she bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering before turning back to Eddie as she pulled herself close to him again and buried her face in his neck.

Eddie could feel the anger coursing through him. He was trying to stay calm but it was really hard. He was pissed off, more than anything. He hated that Aimee had been pulled into this. Hell, he was pissed he'd been pulled into this. Blake's mess, nothing to do with them. He wanted to kill whoever thought it was a smart idea to hit her. If they wanted to intimidate her, that's all they had to do, not hurt her. Eddie kept his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let her go. He felt so bad for her. He was trying to figure out what to do, or how to get weapons. Maybe Alex would know. He looked into her eyes, hearing her plea, knowing that he couldn't leave her here. Keeping his arms around her, he looked behind her. "Let her come with me. You know where she lives. You can have one of your boys follow us, if need be." Eddie suggested, giving a shrug. He wasn't going to let her be here. He wouldn't be able to focus on doing what they needed him to do. It felt like a standoff, the man and Eddie glaring at one another. He wasn't going to let him win. He would protect her. It looked as if the man was going to say no, but then after nodding to someone behind Eddie, he spoke. "Very well. You cross me or make any indication you're going to the police, we'll make sure you watch as we slowly kill her." Eddie's jaw tightened at the threat, not saying anything, except turning and while keeping Aimee attached to his hip, walked them out of the warehouse. "Nothing is going to happen to you." Eddie whispered to her, walking out into the cooler night air, towards his car, getting her inside first before getting into the driver's seat. He wanted to take her to his place while he did this, but he didn't want them knowing where he lived.

So many emotions were racing through Aimee. She was angry that Blake's actions had dragged her into something like this. She was scared that Eddie and her weren't going to get out of this unscathed. She could already feel the bruise forming on her face. She was relieved that Eddie was there though. Without him, she wasn't sure if she could've made it. In his arms, this dreary situation didn't seem so dreary anymore. Aimee inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to keep herself from freaking out or bursting into tears. She didn't want to seem as weak as she probably already did. Aimee kept her gaze focused on the wall behind Eddie as she listened to him negotiate with the other men. She closed her eyes and held her breath, praying silently that they wouldn't tear her from his arms. A sigh of relief escaped when they agreed and Aimee finally pulled away, turning around and eying the men nervously. "Thank you," she murmured quietly to the men across from her, though she was now physically shaking. The threat certainly wasn't something to be taken lightly. "Okay," she replied, trying to breathe as they walked out. Once inside the car, Aimee relaxed a little but her heart was still pounding in her chest. "Why won't they just let us be, Eddie? I don't want you getting hurt," she managed to get out, blinking away a few tears as she looked over at him. "Isn't there any way around this?"

Whatever happened tonight, Eddie wasn't going to let Aimee get hurt. The threat was very real and there was no way he was going to let them kill her. He'd take her place before that happened. But the problem, he didn't exactly know where to get a bunch of weapons. The only thing he could wonder, would be if the other gang had hidden their weapons somewhere. Eddie ran his hands stressfully through his hair, before looking over at Aimee. "Because of my...affiliations in the past...there's no doubt they assume I helped Blake." He frowned, irritation and anger evident in his voice. He flipped on the light, his hand moving underneath her chin to gently raise her head. He tilted it, looking at the bruise. "He'll pay for that." Eddie said softly, lowering his hand, taking one of hers. "I'm going to make sure you're safe." He told her, kissing her knuckles. "Alejandro may be able to help." He mused, grabbing his cell phone, dialing his friend. In quick back and forth Spanish, Eddie explained to his best friend what had happened. He could tell Alex was just as pissed. Alex was going to call him back, because Maddie can't think of how to get this situated yet, hahah. "I'm so sorry beautiful...you should never get involved with this bull shit. This isn't meant to be a part of your life."

The whole scenario was a little absurd. How they expected Eddie to get them what they wanted was beyond her. She had no idea how Blake had even managed to get the gang weapons. Connections at the police department wouldn't even be able to provide the weaponry that he had provided without serious suspicions arising. Aimee breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself as Eddie spoke. Just being in his presence was helping and a bit of the security she always felt around him started to return. Her eyes closed as he inspected the bruises across her face and she winced slightly before opening her eyes and nodding. "Thank you," she whispered. Aimee wasn't exactly one for violence but knowing that Eddie wouldn't let the mistreatment towards her go unpunished was strangely satisfying. "Okay," she said shakily, trying to just relax and allow Eddie to be in control of the situation. She knew they were following her and the fear of them snatching her up the second Eddie left was certainly dwelling in the forefront of her mind. Aimee fell silent as he spoke on the phone, gaze focusing on her shaking hands. A frown formed and she willed herself to be still, turning to look at Eddie before reaching back to take his hand again. "It's not your fault," she said quietly, holding onto his hand with both of hers. "We just need to do what they say and hope that we can be done with them," she continued, swallowing the lump in her throat as she felt fresh tears begin to well up.

Eddie wanted to go back in time, when Alex and Eddie had made that stupid decision to join a gang. Of course, they hadn't been a very dangerous one, and did look out for each other; but still. Because of his ties in the past, now people knew him or who he had been. He had tried to stay out of it for a long time. This angered him highly. He started driving down the road again, his hand in hers and resting on her knee. Maybe five minutes later, Alex called him back, explaining to have him meet him at a warehouse. He wasn't far from there, heading that way. He wished he could lose the tail but oh well. Eddie made it to the warehouse, knowing he couldn't leave Aimee in the car alone. Eddie came around, helping Aimee out of the car and taking her hand firmly. He walked them quickly into the warehouse, Eddie staying in front of her. He relaxed when he saw Alex come out of the shadows. "Alejandro." Eddie greeted him, hugging the male briefly. Alex explained to them that someone he knew who was still in the gang life, hid plenty of weapons in here. "I'll be right back. Alex is going to protect you." Eddie told her, kissing her on her lips befpre walking back further into the warehouse, looking for the weapons. There were crates and crates filled with stuff, he was sure that this could work. He grabbed a couple guns, bringing them back, proof that this piece of shit could come and take it. Of course, Eddie also planned on making the police find them, somehow. He knew he'd seen someone walking down a side street, they just needed to get them here somehow without it looking as though they'd been set up.

Aimee was trying not to linger on any whats ifs because that only seemed to scare her even more. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she felt herself trembling slightly. It was no where near as bad as it had been when she was being held against her will by those gang members, but the fear was still there. She looked over, watching Eddie's facial expressions as he discussed the matters with Alex. She tried to read him, but she ultimately decided to focus on the dashboard of his car over anything else. Once at the warehouse, the fear seemed to take hold of her again. She held onto Eddie's hand tightly as they walked, keeping her eyes ahead of her despite the desire to look back tugging at her will. Aimee only offered Eddie a weak smile and a nod, returning the kiss and reluctantly letting go of his hand. It didn't seem safe to go look for everything on his own, but she appreciated Alejandro staying behind with her. Aimee looked around and folded her arms around her waist nervously as she half-anticipated someone to come bursting through a door or something. "Are there any other ways to get in and out of here?" she asked softly, turning back to look in the direction Eddie had gone. She was worried about him and about the gang members who were no doubt just outside the doors, if not already trying to find some way inside.

The only reason Eddie wasn't as afraid was because he'd been through this sort of bullshit before. But he was afraid that Aimee would get hurt. And he'd even brought Alex into this mess, even though he knew Alex could handle himself. Alex gave her a nod at her question. "There's a back door that way." He said, lifting his arm and pointing towards where said door would be. It was small and hidden but it would be enough for them to fit through. Eddie emerged from where he'd gone, just in time for the doors they'd come through to open. Eddie glared at the piece of shit who'd taken and hurt Aimee, as well as the others. Eddie cursed under his breath, watching as they pulled their guns. "Drop them." The man told Eddie. Eddie frowned, tossing the few guns in his arms to the floor. "There's more...but they get to leave first." Eddie said, referring to Aimee and Alex. He hadn't had time to get in front of her but was glad that Alex had done so as soon as he heard them. He stood near them, though. Eddie and the man stared at one another, but then the man pointed the gun he had towards Alex, which meant Aimee as well. "Or you tell me where the rest are..and they'll live." Eddie just gave a stiff nod, about to move but then there were sirens in the distance. Dun dun dun! Everyone froze, many guns were drawn. Shit! D:

Aimee narrowed her eyes in the direction he had pointed, barely making out the outlines of the door. "Okay," she said, letting out a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down a bit. She looked over quickly at the sound and froze at the sight before her. There they were. She was never a fan of guns, not after all she had seen them do. Aimee looked over to Eddie quickly. She wanted nothing more than to run to him. He was her safe place, and although she appreciated Alejandro being there to protect her, she didn't want anything bad to happen to Eddie because of where he was standing. Her eyes were locked on Eddie for a moment before she swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't know what to do. She was frozen, even as her body and everything in her was screaming to run to him. The sound of sirens echoed through the building along with the sound of guns being drawn. "Stop!" Aimee half-screamed, half-cried. "Just stop," she continued, softer this time as tears spilled over her cheeks. Several guns moved to her and Alejandro and she choked on her tears. "We gave you what you asked for," Aimee reminded them, wiping at her cheeks with trembling fingertips.

Eddie of course wanted to be the one to protect her and look after Aimee. But he also knew that he couldn't make any sort of move right now. And he wanted that man to be more focused on him, not his girl and his best friend. "You should teach your bitch to stay quiet." He said, only angering Eddie but he forced himself to stay where he was. He had an extra gun in his pants behind his back, and he was almost sure, no...he knew Alex was armed. But neither of them could reach for anything yet. He started barking in Spanish at some of the guys, figuring out that one of his dumbass new guys had been followed by an undercover cop. Eddie and Alex traded glances quickly, knowing they needed to get out of here. "You should leave, nothing good can come from staying here." Eddie told the man, who's name Maddie forgets. Ha. He sneered at him, "You planned this." Eddie knew they hadn't but that they'd gotten lucky. Hopefully. The sirens were getting closer, and before they knew it, police were swarming in. "GO!" Eddie yelled, knowing he didn't need to before Alex grabbed Aimee's hand and pulled her towards the exit, shooting as he went. Eddie ran as well, but the man tackled him. They both scrambled up, punching and kicking and doing whatever to get the other off. Eddie groaned at a sharp pain in his stomach, but kept fighting, managing to head butt him. He got up to his feet, sprinting towards the door he knew Alex and Aimee were either waiting or had gone through. He felt dizzy, but kept running, managing to get through the door, looking wearily for either of them. What he hadn't noticed, probably due to the adrenaline, that he'd been shot and was bleeding out.

Aimee felt anger rush through her. Being disrespected was something she never took lightly. Men had treated her horribly time and time again. She had about enough of it, but thought better than to retort. She watched the men in front of her warily, hoping that the cops would arrive soon and that they could escape unharmed, or at least no harmed anymore than they already were. She knew her face was badly bruised, but that would heal. Guns dealt much more serious wounds than a few bruises and staring down the barrel of one was terrifying. Hearing Eddie's command, she ran as Alex took her hand and half-ducked as they made their way to the exit. She looked over her shoulder and stopped, trying to pull away from Alex to go help Eddie but he held onto her tightly and continued guiding her out of the building. "But he's hurt!" she yelled, hardly being able to see through the tears and anger. When Eddie finally appeared out of the building, she instantly saw the red seeping through his shirt. Aimee finally yanked her hand free from Alex's grip and rushed to Eddie. "Alex, help me!" She moved to Eddie's side and wrapped his arm over her shoulders, helping him towards Alex and wrapping her arm around his front and putting pressure against the wound. "He's...he's...he's," she couldn't get the words out, half-choking on them to begin with. Soon police were rushing towards them. "Please help him," she urged, eyes dropping to the wound and the blood that covered her hand.

Eddie wanted to do worse to the man but he knew he needed to get out of there. The last thing they needed was to get arrested for having anything to do with this. They of course would be able to say they'd been kidnapped. Eddie knew that if they had to deal with police, that he and Alex had to be careful. Or else they both could possibly get into far worse trouble. Eddie realized his breathing was harder, thinking at first maybe it was him being out of shape. But then he looked down when Aimee said something, feeling his legs get heavy. He almost fell, but Aimee and Alex were holding him up. He groaned, not wanting to stay on his feet, the way his legs were giving on him and the way it stretched his body. He could hear Alex speaking to him and Spanish and Aimee as well. Alex reached behind Eddie, taking the gun and tossing it; doing the same with the gun he'd found. The last thing they needed was to be caught with those. Hopefully they wouldn't be found, though Alex quickly wiped them off. "You're...okay..." Eddie said smiling a little, feeling his legs totally give and needing to be on the ground. "Gracias Alejandro." Eddie said to his friend for protecting her. Eddie coughed, blood coming out of his mouth.

The weight of Eddie was easier to deal with when Alejandro joined her and helped carry him. She bit her bottom lip to keep it from quavering as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay," she finally got out. She looked up as she heard more sirens approaching. A sigh of relief escaped when she spotted the ambulance speeding down the alley to reach them. "You're going to be okay, too," she whispered, nodding as she tried to convince not only him but herself. The blood just seemed to keep coming. She could feel it against her hand as she held it against his stomach. Seeing the blood on his lips caused her to start panicking. Luckily the paramedics were fast approaching and they quickly got Eddie onto a stretcher and the wound patched up a little bit. It hardly took any time for the bandages to be soaked in blood. She followed them, her whole body trembling at this point. "I have to go with him," she told the paramedic. They helped her into the back of the ambulance and she moved to the seat beside the rolling stretcher. "You're going to be okay, Eddie," she whispered, using her clean hand to gently wipe at the blood on his lips. "You have to be okay," she cried softly.

Eddie was feeling pretty out of it by now. He knew that wasn't a good thing, because of what had happened. He needed to be alert but he found it hard to be. He was really tired, that was for sure. He looked over at Alex, seeing his eyes look almost watery. Eddie felt Alex squeeze his hand before having to move away and leave. He thought he'd said something about being at the hospital but he wasn't sure. Eddie felt confused, moving his hand on top of Aimee's on his stomach. He could feel the warm, sticky liquid. Oh shit. He groaned more and more as people moved him and touched him. He was glad Aimee was going with him. It still didn't exactly hit that he'd been shot. He let his head move to the side, looking at Aimee through foggy vision. "D-don't cry." Eddie said to her, his voice not very strong at all. He let his eyes close, seemingly passing out for a minute but he forced his eyes open again. "I...l-love you Aimee..." Eddie managed to get out before he really did pass out or almost die? Lmao. Everyone began scrambling, checking his pulse, seeing he didn't have one. Dun dun dun. Someone started ripping his shirt open, getting him ready to jolt him alive if need be.

Aimee blinked away tears, trying to brush them away from her eyes with her wrist. Her hands were still covered in blood, but it didn't bother her. She was too focused on Eddie and how weak he was becoming with each passing moment. "Sorry," she whispered, sniffling and trying to compose herself. Hearing those words caused the smallest of smiles to form on her lips. She moved forward and gently kissed his forehead. "I love you, too. So much, Eddie," she whispered against his skin, which felt warm and clammy beneath her lips. When the sound coming from the heart monitor went off, she pulled back and moved out of the way as the paramedics began preparing him for the shock. Fresh tears were spilling over her cheeks as she watched them perform the procedures. She watched the monitor, letting out a small sigh when she saw the heart rate return. It was too weak though. Aimee moved around one of the people and knelt beside the bed. "Eddie, please. Please baby, please don't give up. We're almost there," she whispered, reaching up and gently stroking his face with her mostly clean hand. The ambulance sped into the emergency port of the hospital and they quickly wheeled him out and through the doors. She followed behind, stopping when they took him into surgery. She stood there, waiting and dreading and crying and praying that he was going to be okay.

Eddie obviously wasn't able to comprehend anything. The last thing he did remember was hearing her voice, and pretty sure hearing the 'L' word from her. It was as if he was content with knowing that before he passed. He stayed unconscious once they brought him back and began to perform the surgery. While he was in there, Alex had finally gotten to the hospital and saw how upset Aimee was. "What happened? Is he alright?" He asked, his voice tight but Alex was far too tough to cry. Two hours later, a Doctor finally came out, looking for Aimee. "Mr. Riviera is a fighter. We were able to successfully remove the bullet which had lodged itself between two of his lower ribs. The bullet hit an artery which is why he had bled out so heavily." Blah blah, we can say he explained it much more doctor term like. "He is heavily sedated and may be asleep, but you may go in one at a time to see him." The Doctor told them, nodding before leaving so they could discuss who would go. Let's say that Alex needed to do some things, so Aimee let him go in for a couple minutes. He was quick and told her to call him if anything happens, which means yay, she can come see him.

"I..I don't know," Aimee admitted. He had to be okay. Eddie couldn't die. No, he couldn't. He was too strong and too young and too important to her. The thought of losing him lingered in her thoughts as she waited. It was too quiet in the hallway as they waited, but she couldn't bring herself to really say much. She had been approached by nurses who were quick to ask if she was alright, or if she needed any medical treatment herself. She shook them off and just focused on the door, waiting for any news. When the doctor came out with the good news, Aimee couldn't help but let out the breath she had been holding. "Thank you," she whispered to the doctor. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded as Alex went in to visit. When he returned, she thanked him for helping them and protecting her before entering the hospital room. She saw a sink in the bathroom and washed her hands quickly before timidly approaching the bed side. "Thank you, God," she whispered, biting her lip as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently. He was alive and breathing and recovering and would be okay. That was all that mattered to her right now.

Eddie felt really strange. He felt very weak and extremely tired, which wasn't him at all. He was always active and did yoga or went on runs almost every morning. He was pretty healthy, so this heavy, thick feeling; he did not like it one bit. He wanted to open his eyes or move, but it didn't seem like his body was working. He had a dream, with Alex in it. He could hear him talking to him and sounded choked up, but that couldn't have been real. And then Aimee was there, he was sure. She sounded upset too, but why? When Eddie came around, he still felt extremely groggy. He finally opened his eyes, blinking several times at the light in the room, not sure where it was coming from. He immediately felt something weird on his face, reaching up and removing the oxygen thing from his nose. Eddie's face screwed up in confusion as he looked at his arm, seeing the IV and then down his body, that he was covered by a blanket and in a hospital bed. "What?" He asked in spanish, trying to figure out what had happened, his brain not catching up to what they'd gone through right away.

Aimee just watched him quietly. She wasn't sure if he'd wake up or just continue to sleep. Either way was fine with her as long as he would eventually recover. He deserved to be happy and healthy and live a long, long life. As Eddie began to stir, Aimee straightened up a bit and wiped at her cheeks to make sure there were no stray tears trickling down. She was going to be strong for him because he probably didn't need her breaking down into tears every five seconds because of what was going on. "Hey," she said quietly, reaching over and taking his hand closest to hers. "You did it," she told him, offering him a smile. He seemed confused, but Aimee wasn't going to jump into telling him what had happened. Once the drugs wore off, she was certain that he would start remembering bits and pieces. She would fill in whatever he needed filled in. "Just relax," she said softly, gently stroking the back of his hand.

Eddie felt so out of it, that he hadn't noticed right away that Aimee was there. He felt stupid for not having seen her. He felt her hand on his, in his, and it felt comforting. He let his hand try to squeeze hers, feeling like a complete bitch for feeling so damn weak. Eddie could feel something creeping up, a fear or anxiety or something. He gave her a nod, closing his eyes and trying to remember what had happened. He could hear his heart rate increasing as the memories of earlier, yesterday, whatever it was, came to him. Aimee being kidnapped, gangs, guns, fights, police. His free hand moved down to his stomach, hissing at the tender area. He opened his eyes, his eyes a little more alert, looking at Aimee. He caught the bruise on her face. "What...what happened?" Eddie asked her, trying to piece together everything. He was pretty sure Alex had taken Aimee to get out of there. But the rest of it was rushed and really blurry.

It was easy to see the dawn of realization on Eddie's face. She stayed silent until he asked her what had happened. Inhaling deeply, she released the air before trying to collect her own thoughts and recall exactly what they had all just gone through. "I don't know how, but the police ended up finding us all there. Alejandro dragged me out and that guy that you were fighting with shot you. Luckily they had an ambulance close by and they were able to extract the bullet from you. You were in surgery for over two hours," she explained in the most even tone she could muster. "I wasn't sure you were going to make it. They had to shock you in the ambulance and I just..." she stopped, focusing on her breathing for a moment before composing herself. "I love you and I'm so glad you're okay," Aimee finally finished. She brought his hand up to her lips and gently kissed his knuckles, offering him a small smile as she brought his hand back down.

It felt like bit and pieces kept coming back to him, especially when he listened to what she was saying. It sounded about right. He remembered shouting to Alex to get her out of there. He knew he needed to thank his friend for his help. Eddie frowned when she started to get upset, but was equally shocked that he died? Possibly died briefly? That was eery and confusing, especially if it meant that he'd lost a period of time in his life. He couldn't remember it at all. Eddie let a smile curl on his lips, sort of remembering her words from earlier. Or was it a dream? Had it been real? Eddie lifted his hand up, letting his hand cup the side of her face. "I love you too....beautiful." Eddie told her, hating that it had to be like this, in a hospital. But he sort of had a feeling that he'd said it...maybe? He just wished it would have been a more romantic setting. "I couldn't leave you." He added, rubbing her cheek with his thumb gently.

It had all happened so fast that there were bits and pieces that even Aimee couldn't remember that clearly. She had no idea how they had escaped with guns pointed their way and police rushing through the other doors. But they were safe now. She hoped that this was the last time they had to deal with these gangs because she wasn't sure they'd always be so lucky. "I'm glad you didn't," she replied. It was a great feeling to finally get those words off her chest. She loved him and he loved her. They both had survived this experience and she was beyond thankful for their good fortune. "I'm going to make sure you're well taken care of," she assured him, placing her hand on his as it cupped her cheek. "You'll be on your feet in no time." And she completely believed that. Eddie was definitely the strongest person she knew and he had overcome a lot. A gun shot wound wouldn't keep him down.

Eddie was feeling oddly emotional and it was strange. He wanted to chalk it up to the drugs pumping through his system. He wasn't going to cry, that was definite, but he was just all over the place. "I wouldn't." He told her because he knew there was nothing on this Earth that could take him away from Aimee. He had to be able to protect her. Eddie really did hope that no more gang related things would come their way. He didn't want Aimee to be hurt. Ever again. He was already pissed that she'd been hurt tonight, or yesterday, or whatever it was. "I should be...taking care of you." Eddie told her, a little sadly as he noticed the darker bruise on her face. He was still pretty pissed off about that. "Are you alright"? Eddie asked her, hoping she'd be honest with him. He knew he was out of it a bit, but still. Eddie would preferably be out of this bed now, but he didn't think he had enough strength to even sit up.

Aimee was feeling all sorts of emotional. She wanted to cry and to smile and to just wrap him in her arms and make all of his pain go away. She knew she couldn't do that. If only, if only. He had put his own life on the line to protect her. There was something about that which nothing could ever compare. "I'm okay. I can hardly feel it anymore," she assured him. She hadn't had the chance to actually look at herself in the mirror. She probably looked like a mess, but all things considered, she figured she was allowed to at the moment. "I just want you better. This'll fade in a few days tops," she continued, pointing to her face. It did pain her a bit, but she wasn't really focused on her own injuries. They were nothing compared to the bullet wound that had nearly taken Eddie's life. "We're lucky," she commented quietly, fingertips curling against his hand.

Eddie felt very weak and very tired. He wasn't sure if he ever felt like this before. He was active and healthy and right now he felt so sluggish. He hated it so much. Eddie wanted to close his eyes and sleep but he didn't want to leave Aimee either. "I just wish there was no mark....if only I could get my hands on him..." He groaned at the last bit, exciting himself too much and hurting himself. He wanted to rub his chest but that area definitely did not want to be touched. "Can you lie with me?" Eddie asked, forcing himself to move his body over a little bit, groaning again. "If I fall asleep, I want to know that you're safe with me." Eddie told her, though he was fighting himself not to sleep. He nodded. "We are..." He agreed with her. It just sucked that they had to be thankful because of the ability to survive the things that came at them. He'd rather not have any of this badness happening.

Aimee bit her lip as she looked down at him. "It's okay, I'm fine. Really," she assured him. It hurt a bit, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She had suffered much worse at the hands of these men, but she would never give them the satisfaction that they had gotten to her. "Are you sure?' she asked. The last thing Aimee wanted to do was lay down with him and hurt him. She carefully kicked off her shoes and climbed into the bed beside him, leaning over and gently kissing his temple. She kept her lips pressed to his skin for a moment before shifting so she was a little higher than him as far as sitting up was concerned. "You can lay on me if you want," she offered. "That way I'll be safe and you can be a little more comfortable." His safety and well-being was her top concern right now. She was thankful that the doctors were able to save him and get him all patched up, but there was still the healing process to undergo. Eddie was strong though. She knew he'd be okay.