Twinsequences (A Twisted Twin Series) (41 page)

“I
 thought
 she
 shot
 you.”
 It
 was
 all
 that
 would
 come
 out.
 
“We’re
 going
 to
 be
 fine.
 Your
 sister
 aimed
 the
 gun
 at
 your
 father,
 but
 she
 
couldn’t
 go
 through
 with
 it.
 She
 shot
 the
 ceiling
 and
 ran
 downstairs.”
 My
 mother
 was
 
crying
 so
 badly
 that
 she
 couldn’t
 continue
 speaking.
 My
 father
 pulled
 her
 into
 his
 
arms
 and
 just
 held
 her.
 
 
Shooting
 pain
 sent
 me
 to
 my
 knees.
 It
 was
 the
 last
 thing
 that
 I
 could
 
remember
 before
 waking
 up
 in
 the
 hospital.
 
 
 
 
Chapter
 26
 
I
 can’t
 lose
 you.
 
 
Waking
 up
 in
 a
 hospital
 room
 and
 remembering
 how
 you
 got
 there
 isn’t
 
exactly
 a
 peaceful
 thing
 to
 go
 through.
 It
 took
 me
 a
 few
 seconds
 to
 focus
 on
 the
 
room.
 My
 parents
 were
 in
 a
 chair
 together
 and
 they
 were
 asleep.
 It
 was
 so
 good
 to
 
see
 that
 they
 were
 there
 with
 me.
 Just
 imagining
 a
 life
 without
 them
 in
 it
 would
 be
 
difficult.
 They’d
 never
 be
 able
 to
 meet
 their…my
 baby.
 
I
 sat
 up
 and
 looked
 around
 again,
 noticing
 that
 I
 had
 an
 IV
 sticking
 in
 my
 arm.
 
A
 clear
 drip
 was
 being
 administered
 and
 I
 was
 desperate
 to
 know
 what
 was
 going
 
on.
 
“Mom?”
 My
 voice
 was
 raspy.
 It
 felt
 so
 dry,
 like
 I
 hadn’t
 drank
 anything
 in
 
days.
 
She
 stirred
 and
 rushed
 over
 to
 the
 bedside.
 “Willow,
 are
 you
 okay?
 Are
 you
 in
 
any
 pain?
 Oh
 my
 God,
 this
 is
 all
 my
 fault.
 How
 could
 I
 have
 not
 known?”
 She
 started
 
crying
 and
 buried
 her
 head
 into
 my
 father’s
 chest.
 
 
I
 shook
 my
 head,
 but
 placed
 my
 hands
 on
 my
 stomach.
 Fear
 overwhelmed
 me
 
when
 I
 thought
 about
 my
 baby.
 I
 tried
 to
 sit
 up
 straight
 in
 the
 bed,
 but
 my
 mother
 
kept
 me
 still.
 “Mom,
 I…”
 
“The
 baby
 is
 fine,
 Willow.
 Stosh’s
 parents
 called
 us
 from
 the
 hospital.
 They
 
were
 so
 worried
 about
 you.
 We
 ran
 the
 tests
 ourselves
 and
 did
 a
 sonogram.”
 She
 
lifted
 up
 the
 picture
 that
 happened
 to
 be
 in
 her
 hand.
 “I
 never
 would
 have
 forgiven
 
myself
 if
 something
 bad
 would
 have
 happened
 to
 you
 or
 your
 child.
 We
 had
 no
 idea
 
that
 Ivy
 was
 capable
 of
 such
 horrible
 things.”
 
I
 grabbed
 her
 hand.
 “Mom,
 the
 pain
 was
 horrible.
 I
 was
 sure
 I
 was
 having
 a
 
miscarriage.
 You’re
 sure
 everything’s
 okay?”
 
“You
 went
 through
 something
 traumatic
 and
 were
 injured
 from
 fighting.
 I
 
would
 imagine
 the
 pain
 would
 be
 unbearable.
 I
 can
 assure
 you
 that
 the
 baby
 is
 fine.
 
It
 is
 still
 so
 small
 and
 well
 protected.
 
 Fetuses
 can
 be
 so
 resilient.
 Women
 have
 fallen
 
down
 stairs
 and
 even
 been
 in
 accidents
 and
 still
 carried
 to
 term.
 Hang
 on
 a
 minute
 
and
 I’ll
 prove
 it
 to
 you.”
 She
 stood
 up
 and
 messed
 with
 the
 monitor
 above
 my
 head.
 
A
 thumping
 sound
 got
 louder.
 It
 sounded
 like
 a
 heartbeat,
 but
 was
 much
 faster.
 
“What
 is
 that?”
 
“That’s
 your
 baby.
 Their
 hearts
 beat
 faster
 than
 ours.
 We
 were
 afraid
 it
 would
 
be
 too
 early
 to
 hear.”
 
 
“I’m
 around
 nine
 to
 ten
 weeks.
 I
 was
 four
 or
 five
 weeks
 when
 I
 found
 out.
 At
 
first
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 I
 was
 going
 to
 do.
 You
 and
 dad
 thought
 I
 purposely
 had
 an
 
affair
 with
 Stosh.
 You
 couldn’t
 have
 known
 that
 it
 was
 all
 some
 scheme
 of
 Ivy’s
 to
 
steal
 my
 baby.”
 She
 started
 to
 turn
 the
 volume
 back
 down.
 “No!
 Please
 keep
 it
 on.”
 I
 
wanted
 to
 hear
 it’s
 little
 heart
 beating.
 It
 made
 me
 think
 of
 Stosh
 and
 how
 we
 were
 
finally
 going
 to
 be
 a
 family.
 
She
 smiled
 and
 kissed
 my
 forehead.
 “You
 should
 rest.”
 
“I
 can’t
 rest.
 I
 want
 to
 know
 about
 Stosh.
 I
 watched
 him
 get
 shot.”
 I
 rubbed
 
my
 stomach.
 “He
 has
 to
 be
 okay.
 We
 have
 to
 be
 together.
 He
 wants
 this
 baby
 more
 
than
 anything.
 We
 want
 to
 be
 a
 family.”
 
She
 looked
 over
 at
 my
 father
 and
 then
 back
 to
 me.
 “He’s
 in
 surgery.
 The
 bullet
 
became
 lodged
 and
 they
 are
 working
 to
 get
 it
 out.”
 
I
 started
 to
 cry,
 becoming
 frantic.
 “Is
 he
 going
 to
 die?
 He
 can’t…I
 mean,
 he
 has
 
to
 be
 okay.
 We
 can
 finally
 be
 together.
 He
 has
 to
 be
 alright.”
 I
 was
 crying
 so
 badly
 
that
 the
 words
 were
 hard
 to
 get
 out.
 
 
I
 put
 my
 hands
 over
 my
 face
 and
 bawled.
 
 
My
 heart
 rate
 rapidly
 increased
 and
 my
 father
 stood
 up
 and
 came
 to
 my
 
bedside.
 “Sweetheart,
 you
 have
 to
 relax.
 Worrying
 isn’t
 going
 to
 help
 him
 get
 better.
 
You
 have
 to
 stay
 positive.”
 I
 hated
 him
 talking
 to
 me
 like
 I
 was
 one
 of
 his
 patients.
 
I
 looked
 at
 both
 of
 them
 and
 felt
 myself
 dying
 inside.
 Not
 knowing
 Stosh’s
 
fate
 was
 killing
 me.
 I
 couldn’t
 raise
 a
 baby
 without
 him.
 He
 promised
 to
 be
 with
 me.
 
He
 told
 me
 that
 nothing
 could
 keep
 us
 apart
 again.
 
 
“Ivy!
 Where
 is
 she?”
 I
 couldn’t
 remember
 anything.
 “Tell
 me
 they
 got
 her.”
 
“Your
 sister
 was
 taken
 into
 custody.
 Her
 accomplice
 didn’t
 make
 it.
 She
 isn’t
 
going
 to
 hurt
 you
 anymore,
 Willow.
 We
 promise
 you
 that.”
 I
 could
 see
 the
 pain
 in
 my
 
father’s
 eyes.
 
 They
 were
 so
 disappointed.
 Who
 could
 blame
 them?
 Their
 own
 
daughter
 had
 planned
 to
 murder
 her
 entire
 family
 for
 money
 and
 a
 baby
 that
 wasn’t
 
hers.
 
 
What
 kind
 of
 human
 being
 could
 be
 that
 cold?
 
My
 mother
 patted
 my
 leg.
 “She’s
 being
 held
 at
 the
 county
 detention
 center
 
until
 her
 arraignment.
 
 When
 we
 know
 where
 they
 are
 going
 to
 send
 her,
 your
 father
 
is
 having
 her
 evaluated
 by
 someone
 he
 works
 with.
 Even
 if
 your
 sister
 would
 ever
 
get
 out
 of
 jail,
 she’s
 going
 to
 be
 put
 away
 in
 an
 institution
 for
 a
 very
 long
 time.
 After
 
talking
 to
 Stosh’s
 parents,
 we
 have
 a
 better
 idea
 of
 everything
 that’s
 been
 going
 on.
 
We’re
 really
 sorry
 that
 we
 didn’t
 believe
 you.
 We
 just
 never
 thought
 your
 sister
 
would
 be
 capable
 of
 such
 madness.”
 
“She
 wanted
 you
 dead.
 In
 fact,
 she
 wanted
 us
 all
 dead.
 I
 never
 had
 any
 idea
 
how
 she
 felt
 about
 me.
 I
 trusted
 her
 and
 all
 along
 she’s
 been
 trying
 to
 ruin
 my
 life.”
 
My
 mother
 ran
 her
 hand
 through
 my
 hair.
 “Will
 you
 ever
 forgive
 us?”
 
I
 wanted
 to
 tell
 them
 that
 I
 was
 still
 angry;
 that
 nothing
 they
 said
 or
 did
 could
 
make
 me
 forget
 that
 they’d
 turned
 their
 backs
 on
 me,
 but
 I
 just
 couldn’t.
 All
 I
 cared
 
about
 was
 Stosh
 and
 our
 baby.
 “I’m
 not
 mad
 at
 you
 guys.
 We
 were
 all
 a
 part
 of
 Ivy’s
 
scheme.
 None
 of
 us
 could
 have
 known
 she
 was
 capable
 of
 such
 horrible
 things.”
 
“Can
 we
 get
 you
 anything?”
 She
 asked.
 
“I
 need
 Stosh.
 Please,
 can
 you
 just
 find
 out
 if
 he’s
 okay?
 I
 need
 to
 know,
 Mom.
 
I
 need
 to
 hear
 his
 voice.
 I
 can’t
 rest
 until
 I
 know
 he’s
 going
 to
 be
 fine.”
 
She
 looked
 over
 at
 my
 father.
 “We
 can
 go
 make
 some
 phone
 calls.
 Are
 you
 
going
 to
 be
 okay
 here
 by
 yourself?
 I’m
 so
 worried
 about
 you.”
 
I
 nodded.
 “I’ll
 be
 fine
 as
 soon
 as
 I
 know
 he’s
 okay.”
 I
 rubbed
 my
 abdomen
 
again.
 “We
 need
 to
 know.”
 
“You
 really
 love
 him
 don’t
 you?”
 
“I’ve
 loved
 him
 since
 the
 day
 he
 first
 walked
 into
 my
 life.
 I
 was
 just
 too
 afraid
 
to
 tell
 him.
 Ivy
 took
 advantage
 of
 that
 and
 kept
 us
 apart.
 She
 told
 him
 I
 wasn’t
 
interested
 and
 seduced
 him
 into
 thinking
 they
 slept
 together
 after
 prom.
 You
 read
 
the
 diary.
 You
 know
 the
 truth.”
 I
 wiped
 my
 eyes
 again.
 
 “I
 can’t
 lose
 him,
 Mom.
 I
 just
 
can’t,
 not
 after
 everything
 we’ve
 been
 through
 to
 be
 together.”
 
When
 my
 parents
 walked
 out
 of
 the
 room,
 I
 felt
 myself
 losing
 control
 of
 my
 
emotions.
 My
 life
 had
 been
 threatened.
 My
 unborn
 child’s
 life
 had
 been
 threatened
 
and
 their
 father
 had
 been
 shot.
 My
 sister
 was
 still
 ruining
 our
 lives,
 even
 from
 
behind
 bars.
 
 
While
 Stosh
 fought
 to
 stay
 alive,
 she
 was
 probably
 sitting
 in
 a
 cell
 gloating
 
about
 her
 accomplishments.
 I
 imagined
 bursting
 into
 the
 lock
 up
 room
 and
 shooting
 
her
 for
 the
 hell
 of
 it.
 She
 made
 me
 sick
 and,
 for
 the
 first
 time,
 I
 accepted
 that
 she
 was
 
no
 longer
 my
 sister.
 
 
I
 didn’t
 care
 if
 she
 was
 sick
 in
 the
 head.
 There
 were
 just
 some
 things
 in
 life
 
that
 couldn’t
 be
 forgiven.
 I’d
 never
 forgive
 her
 for
 ripping
 out
 my
 heart
 and
 
threatening
 my
 life
 and
 the
 people
 that
 I
 loved.
 
 
When
 my
 parents
 didn’t
 come
 back
 right
 away,
 I
 knew
 something
 had
 to
 be
 
wrong.
 They
 didn’t
 want
 to
 burden
 you
 with
 bad
 news.