Paul was taken aback by the sudden hostility. "Are.... you... okay?...." He hesitantly asked.
"Nothing's wrong!" I said still fuming and began walking off quickly.
"Wait..." I heard him call out for me.
Still fuming I ignored him and carried on walking. 'Emilia wait...." I still heard him trying to call out to me, I felt his hand suddenly grab my arm turning me around, and instinctively I used the momentum and threw a punch him dead on his nose.
"What the fuck?....." he shouted instantaneously releasing my arm, grasping his nose as blood began to trickle down through his hands.
Everyone around us looked up to see the commotion, three middle aged men wearing suits began to stand up and started to run towards us. "Miss is this guy harassing you?" one asked me, while the other two stood between us glaring at Paul threatening him to not come closer.
"No… NO it was just an accident…" I said to the man
"Are you sure?... if he's harassing you we can call the police and stop him."
"Honestly it was an accident." I said to him
Man more people began joining in asking if I'm okay offered to help me get away, I began to panic none of them was understanding or listening to me, everything started to spiral out of control. More members of the public began to gather around us yelling all sorts of profanities at him. "Stop, it was an accident I didn't mean to hit him..." I tried to explain to the crowd but my voice was drowned out by the constant shouting and question of every around me.
I began feeling something start to pull me away from him, I tried to struggle against it but it was too strong. "Stop... Stop... it was an accident..." I yelled trying to fight free.
Paul was getting pushed back every time he tried to take a step closer, seeing him desperately trying to explain to them, but they kept pushing him back looking more and more threatening towards him.
"PAUL..... I'M SORRY!!!!!" I tried to scream at him, not knowing if my voice reached him. Despite there being five men stopping him, he was still adamant to get past them, Paul suddenly became more aggressive and started to push them back shouting at their faces. Suddenly one came swinging at Paul, connecting right into his jaw.
"STOPPPP!!!!!" I tried to yell still getting pulled away from him, I began to struggle harder fighting against their grip.
Paul swang back at him also connecting with the guys jaw. Causing all the other four members to start beating on him like a Pinata, the image of him quickly vanishing beneath the five of them as they carried on throwing punches and kicks.
I screamed in horror, and began screaming profanities at the people holding me, I began to punch scratch and kick, anything to make them release me. "GET THE FK OFF ME!!! I yelled at the top of my lungs. Slowly one my one they started to let me go as I tried to rake their arms and kick their legs.
I quickly made a mad dash to the group of people that were still attacking Paul, stomping and kicking him. I violently began pulling their hair and scratching their faces forcing them to stop, till I found an opening and instantly jumped on Paul to shield him. A few kicks and stomps still hit me causing me to tense up harder, till it eventually stopped.
The sound of sirens approached as a number of Policeman began arriving on the scene. I hastily stood up, "HELP!!!!!!" I yelled out to them waving him arms in the air, before seeing Paul's condition. HE looked absolutely awful, blood was everywhere, bruising and swelling all over his body and his clothes littered with shoe prints, "Hey........ You're okay now?..." He was barely able to mutter.
"Yes... Yes... I'm okay... I'm so sorry!" I sobbed crying into him.
"It's…. okay.... I'm..... Alright...." He muttered with a smile and began patting me on the head gently, before his hand went limp.
"Paul?..... Paul???!!!!" I yelled to him tears now cascading down my face.
"Someone call an ambulance please...." I begged holding him tightly.
One Policeman eventually arrived gently easing me off him and began to check his pulse, "He's gonna be okay." The officer said to me calmly.
Another officer arrived to see the situation and began to try and calm me down. "Miss can you tell me what happened here?" He asked calmly.
Anger began to well up inside of me again seeing Paul's unconscious body. "THESE FKERS ATTACKED HIM FOR NO REASON!!!!" I jumped at the closest one savagely tried to scratch and hit him.
An officers began pulling me off him. "I'M GONNA FKING KILL YOU!" I screamed at them as he ripped me away from him. The five men looking extremely confused at the situation.
"YOU! NEED TO CALM DOWN!" One of the officers said to me firmly. "Your friend is going to be okay..... He's just a little battered and bruised an ambulance has been called." He tried to calm me down notifying me what's happening... "My colleague is trained in first aid, don't worry just calm down, he will be fine." He calmly explained to me.
I began to calm down, as the sound of an ambulance arrived. Paramedics came rushing in leaving no time to waste, double checking his breathing and pulse. "Can you help him please..." I cried.
"He will be okay." The male paramedic replied. As a female Paramedic arrived with a stretcher, they both quickly began to put him on the stretcher and began moving him to the ambulance.
"... Can I go with them please…..?" I asked the officer for permission.....
"Sure go..." He said allowing me to go.
"Thank you..." I whimpered still crying and started to run after them.
"Can I stay with him?..." I asked the paramedics.
"Sure come in and sit here." She pointed at a seat and closed be door behind me and fastening the stretcher.
"Let's go!" She shouted to her colleague, to begin driving.
"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked her quietly.
"He should be fine." She replied still checking him.
Finishing her checks, she took a seat beside me and held one of my hands, "So I'm Susan and the one driving is Tom..... Your friend is going to be okay you have nothing to worry about." She tried to reassure me.
"Thank you...." I thanked her quietly.
"If you could..... Can you tell me what happened?" She calmly asked me.
"So we were having lunch at a restaurant, then on the way out I got really mad at him for a stupid reason, so I began to storm off. He tried to call for me to stop but I refused, so he gently grabbed me to make me stop, and at that point I don't know why I threw a punch at his face." I explained.
"Okay...." she nodded in understanding.
Then everyone around us started to get involved, then began pulling me away from him..... Even though it was a big accident, and then a group of 4 maybe 5 of them was stopping him form coming closer and got more and more aggressive with him." I carried on explaining
"All... right" she said still nodding.
Then suddenly one of them threw a punch at him, making him one back.... then the rest of them jumped in and started to beat him senseless to the ground and carried on kicking and stomping him...." I explained starting to cry again..... "It was all my fault..." I bawled.
"Darling it's not your fault..... It was just an accident. There nothing to worry about, he's totally fine." she explained hugging me.
Suddenly the ambulance came to a stop, and the doors flung open, with some doctors standing on the other side. They quickly took him off the ambulance whisking him inside relaying information to each other.
I stepped out the ambulance, totally lost on what to do or where to go.....
"Hi, sorry I didn't catch your name earlier..." The male paramedic Tom came stepping out the driver seat and walked up to me.
"I'm Emilia." I answered him still crying a little..
"Come, I'll take you to the waiting room...." He said leading the way.
I quietly followed him walking into the hospital, wiping away the tears with my already drenched sleeves. We quickly arrived at a small well-lit empty waiting room.
"Take a seat here, I'll be back in 1 mins tops with some tissues for you." He smiled and quickly dashed off while I went to take a seat.
I began to pray for Paul hoping that he will be okay, and that I am very sorry for everything that happened. Very quickly Tom returned with a box of tissues for me and sat with me.
"Don't worry he will be okay, it looked pretty bad, but there was nothing serious." He tried to reassure me.
We sat in silence for a few minutes to let me slowly calm down.
"I'll be back shortly okay?... I'll just ask the doctors see how he's doing, Okay?" He asked me, I replied by nodding yes.
It felt like an eternity me waiting here alone with no news of his condition, till the door opened again. It was Tom entering the room with two police officers. "Don't be alarmed..... I spoke to the doctors they said he's going to be fine, he's just got a few broken bones and some cuts and bruises he will be fine." He explained to me calmly.
The two officers came walking towards me slowly, "Ummm Emillia? Is it?..." A female police officer asked, I answered her with a nod.
"Okay... so we are here, so we can take a statement from you on what happened earlier." She said calmly.
I began explaining to them how it was all a big misunderstanding, and how the 4 or 5 people savagely beat Paul down to the floor and carried on beating on him.
"Thank you Miss Patel." We will be nearby if you need anything." they said before all three of them exited the room.