*** EDITING *** The Only Half I Need - {Synyster Gates - Book 3}

“NOOOOOO!”
“Jeremy, NOOO!”
Without thinking twice and ignoring his best friend Jeremy jumped up and ran over to the girl that had stolen his heart. He was too slow, he reached her too late: Her back had already hit the cold ground. Her blue eyes opened wide in surprise were starring up into the bright Californian sky.
“Oh God. Oh God, please no.” Jeremy fell to his knees next to Katie and grabbed her twitching hand. Her soft skin felt already cold and he could see the light inside her eyes fading. This couldn’t be true. This wasn’t happening. His head was refusing to understand but his broken heart was already aching in his chest.
Everything around him was blurred, frozen in time. The only thing Jeremy could focus on was the red headed girl and the precious lifeblood that was pouring out of her slim body uncontrollably. She was gargling and coughing, her beautiful face distorted to a mask of fear and pain.
“Katie, stay with me. Do hear me? Stay with me.” Jeremy cupped her pale left cheek. He could feel her obvious struggle under his calloused palm. Her body was trembling, almost shaking. Tears stung in his light brown eyes as his mind slowly realized what had happened. He clutched her delicate and cold hand to his warm chest as if he was able to transfer his strength into her by this simple touch.
Shouting and fast movements pulled Jeremy a little out of his trance but he stayed focused on Katie who was now gasping for air. He didn’t notice the SWAT-team that had been barging in as soon as the two shots had gone off. They had secured the area around the terminal and then attacked the shooter who was in total shock. His pale eyes were glued to the red liquid that was drenching her white tank top and blue jeans. Slowly he realized what he had done. He had ended seven lives and another one was about to complete the list. The man barely felt the kick to the back of his knee as the special police force was closing in on him.
“I’m so sorry … what have I done?” The shooter said, looking sadly and full of regret to the slim body that was hardly moving anymore. Roughly the officers pushed him onto the ground where they put him in handcuffs. They screamed at him to shut up and to stop moving; he wouldn’t do it anyways. He was paralyzed by guilt and regret.
Jeremy couldn’t care less though. The shooters apologize, the officers conducting him away brutally, nothing of this would make up for the damage he had inflicted on the girl the tattooed drummer loved. He felt so helpless while he watched her body growing weaker. His hands were holding onto her, desperately trying to pull her away from the darkness that was closing in around her. Jeremy could see it in her eyes. He could see that Katie was giving up. He couldn’t have that. Not now. Not ever.
“No, Katie, stay with me. Keep fighting. I beg you. You can’t give up now!” He said, feeling the first tears making their way down his cheeks. He never cried. Crying meant accepting the pain. But accepting it would mean that the precious girl that was lying in front of him was dying on him. It would mean that he was losing her forever. Not once did he think of her friends and family, of her boyfriend. All Jeremy could think of was that he had to save her, no matter the costs.
He was kissing her pale hand with its bluish knuckles when suddenly the twitching stopped. Confused he looked up to her face and noticed that Katie’s tense muscles had suddenly relaxed. Jeremy’s eyes grew wide in horror.
“No! No, no, no, no, no!” He let go of her hand and shook her shoulders. The girl’s blue eyes stared into space, empty, nothing was left of the spark he had admired so much. She was gone. Katie, the red headed girl from Germany that could win over the hearts of thousands in a blink of an eye, was dead.
“Oh no.” He growled. “You will not leave like this. Do you hear me? I will not let you go this easily.” Jeremy sat up and started to press down onto her chest. Angry tears streamed down his face as he rhythmically massaged her heart. He was good at that, finding the perfect rhythm and holding it.
“You can’t die on me, Katie. Fuck, this is not a decision you make by yourself, you hear me? I swear to you, I will kick your ass if you not come. Back. Now.” Her limp body was moving under the angry pressure coming from his arms and hands. This wasn’t over yet. Not if Jeremy had a say in this.
“Ok, we take over now.” A voice reached his ears but Jeremy didn’t stop. He couldn’t. If he stopped he would lose her.
“Sir, please stop. You’re hurting her.” He ignored the voice, finding her annoying. He had a life to save here. He couldn’t stop. And where the hell was the ambulance?
“Can someone please take this man away?!”
Suddenly two pair of hands grabbed him by his arms and jerked him away from Katie’s body. They pulled him away from the scene. Jeremy was fighting against the grip, his arms tensing and his legs kicking senseless.
“No! Katie! Come back! No!” He screamed. He didn’t want to be apart from her. He had to save her. That’s when someone slapped his face hard.
“Fuck, Spencer, wake up you goddamn idiot.” Ivan growled. He had a fistful of his friend’s shirt, pulling him closer. “You’re not helping her if you keep acting like that.”
“Fuck you! I gotta safe her! This is my fault. I have to do something!” Jeremy again fought against his friend but that just earned him another hard slap.
“The medics are working their magic already. Now calm your fucking tits!” Ivan released him roughly and turned to look at the paramedics.
While the two men were arguing three angels did everything in their power to bring Katie back to life. They used a defibrillator and some kind of medicine cocktail that they injected into her vein. It took them a while but in the end they managed to get Katie’s heart to beat again. It wasn’t strong and more flickering than steady but it was there. The girl was alive, barely, but still.
Jeremy and Ivan watched the paramedics lift Katie onto a stretcher and rush outside. The concerned drummer ran after them not wanting to leave the girl alone, Ivan following him quickly.
“Katie! … Wait! … I’m her boyfriend!” Jeremy called out without hesitation.
“What the fuck, dude?” Ivan said but Jeremy glared at him.
“I won’t leave her side.” He growled. Yes, it was a lie but this was the only way to stay with her. Jeremy turned back to the police and the medics. “Please let me come with you.” They looked at one another and agreed after a few minutes. They were going by helicopter since it was faster than trying to run through the packed streets of Los Angeles.
Katie was wrapped in several blankets and what looked like an orange sleeping bag. Her body was secured by three broad straps that were attached to the stretcher. She had a breathing mask over her mouth and nose, her eyes now closed. Needles poked through her skin, attached to hoses with bags of some kind of liquid in it. Seeing her like this was unbearable for Jeremy but it gave him hope that she was going to pull through. She had to.
Throughout the whole and quick flight with the chopper he lightly caressed her forearm. He felt her soft skin that was still ice cold and he watched, together with one of the medics, the thin line on the heart monitor pulsing lightly up and down. Through the big headphones he could hear the pilot radio several hospitals. One in Hollywood answered and they sped up to get the severely injured passenger to the doctors.
For Jeremy it took them way too long. He had difficulties holding himself back from lashing out at the medics. He knew that they were doing everything in their power and that it was useless to let out his anger that was pouring out from a desperate and fearful heart.
When they landed on the roof of the hospital no one paid attention to him at all. The paramedic that had been sitting in the back with him to watch over the patient and the one sitting next to the pilot jumped out and hurried to get the girl onto the stretcher provided by the hospital. Two nurses and a resident were waiting, ready to get her inside.
“We have everything ready for surgery. What are we dealing with exactly?” The doctor asked.
“Gun shots. Two bullets, one in the chest and one in the stomach. The lung collapsed and is severely injured, as far as we can tell. The first bullet barely missed her heart. The second however went through her liver. She has lost way too much blood. Her heart gave up but we managed to bring her back.”
“Alright, thank you. We will have to prepare Cell-Savers then as well. Let’s run.” One of the nurses was running ahead to prepare whatever.
Jeremy understood only half of their conversation as he ran after them into the building and through the halls to the surgery area. He grew scared and tried to stay literally in touch with Katie but then they reached the double doors that meant the end for Jeremy.
“Are you her boyfriend?”
“Yes. I want to be with her! What’s happening?” He pushed against female but strong hands.
“Please stay here. She is in surgery now. We will let you know how she is.” The black nurse said and then left, closing the doors behind her.
Frustrated and worried out of his mind Jeremy sank down on one of the chairs in the waiting area, close to the door that separated him from Katie.

Ivan and their manager came running after it took them two and a half hours to get to the hospital with the horrible traffic going on. They spotted Jeremy, who had his face buried in his hands with his arms propped up on his elbows on his thighs. Ivan frowned seeing his best friend broken like this. He hadn’t been spending a lot of time with Katie, but he knew that the beautiful and charming girl was with their friend Brian. Ivan knew that Brian was madly in love with her, even if they were going through a rough patch. Seeing Jeremy so upset now made him wonder what was going on between him and the girl of their friend.
“Hey, man. How are you doing?” Ivan said softly as he sat next to his friend. Jeremy inhaled sharply and leaned back wiping his hands down his face. He looked exhausted, the wrinkles around his eyes cut deep into his skin and he had dark bags under his eyes.
“She can’t die, Ivan. She can’t.” Jeremy said with a hoarse voice. “I know you think I’m pathetic but I have been falling for her ever since I ran into her in that bar. I don’t care if she is with Brian. I looked in her eyes and I can see that she isn’t happy with him.”
“Dude, you can’t just go and steal another man’s girl. Especially when he is one of our friends. Plus, I’m sure you only assume things. Maybe they are working things out just now.” Jeremy stayed quiet after this. Ivan was a bit worried and cleared his throat.
“Brian needs to know.” Ivan stood, fishing for his phone, but Jeremy grabbed his arm.
“I’ll call him. I was here when the doctor said what they were going to do so it’s just right when I tell him everything.” He said. Ivan squinted his eyes, debating whether to believe him or not, but in the end he nodded with a sigh.
“Alright. Do it now. I go and get us some coffee and check on Chris.” Jeremy nodded and pulled out his phone. With a small pat on the shoulder of his best friend Ivan turned to find the cafeteria or a coffee brewer and then their manager.
Jeremy looked down to his phone. He opened his contacts and scrolled to ‘G’ and his thumb hovered over the contact of a ‘Syn Gates’. He knew that it was the right thing to do. Brian and Katie weren’t officially done and Ivan was expecting him to call the lead guitarist of Avenged. But the longer he hesitated the angrier Jeremy grew. Brian didn’t deserve her! He had hurt her beyond imagination; he was even responsible for the death of her baby. Losing the fetus had crushed her soul. Jeremy knew, he had held the broken girl in his arms back in Vegas.
“You will never hurt her again.” Jeremy muttered angrily under his breath and shut his phone. He had made a call and he wasn’t backing away from it. He loved Katie and he wanted her ok. He wanted to see her alive. Jeremy wanted to see her happy and enjoy her dazzling smile. He alone wanted to own her heart. And now he had the chance to prove Katie of his qualities.
Now he was going to be her knight in shining armor, whereas Brian was to be left out in the cold. And Jeremy didn’t feel any remorse going through with this.

Notes

Woop woop!

Chapter # 1 is here! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

INFO:
- I have come up with a decent plot with a huge ass surprise. So stay tuned :)
- I won't update until Thursday this week because I have a Marketing presentation on Wednesday and haven't prepared anything for it yet. Sorry for that guys!

Nevertheless, thank you for your amazing feedback! I love yous <333333