Nathan lay on the floor, his face, drained of color, was contorted in pain as he watched Star cry.
"I'm not dying, it's only a shoulder wound," he tried to assure her as she kept crying for help.
"Don't talk," Star pleaded, her own voice breaking. "Just save your strength."
Star's heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs, threatening to burst through. Ignoring the stinging tears blurring her vision, she fumbled for her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed for help.
Ruby and Stefan who had heard the gunshot appeared, their faces pale with worry as they rushed towards Nathan.
"Star! What happened?" Ruby cried as her eyes darted from Nathan's crumpled form to Star's blood-stained hands.
"He… he took a bullet for me," Star stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
"It's just my shoulder. It's nothing serious," Nathan assured them but hearing how weak he was, they could tell he sounded losing a lot of blood already.
