My Love From Behind The Canvas

Chapter 2: Hi, my name is Patrick

Jamie’s POV

I was sitting in my work place which is also my favorite place. I was reading my favorite book for the third or fourth time this month. It was getting to my favorite part when out of the corner of my eye I saw a shadow. I didn't think it was anything but decided to check anyway. When I turned around I saw three burly men dressed in all black. I was so shocked that my book fell out of my hand and onto the floor, which unfortunately caught their attention and they began to stalk towards me. I became frozen in fear. 

One of them lifted their arm but before I could register what they were holding I hear a loud bang and felt a sharp poke in my stomach I look down and see deep red blood flowing freely from my stomach I use my hands to try and stop the blood but my eyes started to droop and before I know it I am lying on the cold marble floor.

I feel my head get lifted and my hand is enveloped by a much larger and stronger one. I hear someone whisper “No, please you can’t leave me, we haven’t even gotten to know each other yet.” I don’t know whose voice it is but it sounds warm and caring. I hear him call 911, after he ends the call he brushes my hair from my face. 

I struggle my eyes open and am welcomed by the sight of the most attractive man I have ever seen or maybe I’m hallucinating. There is a familiarity about him. His eyes are a bright blue with bursts of green and gold, his hair is dark black and glossy with little curls at the ends, I have the urge to run my fingers through it. That’s all I can get before black spots appear in my vision and then everything goes dark.

Patrick’s POV

All three of them rush to her bedside, not sparing me even a glance. They keep talking to her asking her if she’s okay when she continued not to answer they all looked worried and as if only now noticing me they turn and ask “Is she okay?” 

“She’s still under the effects of the anestesia, she just came out of surgery two hours ago and she should wake up any minute now”. I just repeated what the doctors had told me last time they came to check on her.

They all breath a collective sigh of relief then smile and say “Thank you Doctor”. I look down realising I’m still in the nurse’s borrowed scrubs.

“Oh I’m not..” Just as I was about to explain I heard a slight groan. I turned and saw Jamie open her eyes then immediately close them trying to block out the harsh fluorescent light. I moved to her side right when her eyes fluttered open her parents and friend immediately crowd around as her mom asks “Baby are you okay? How are you feeling?” She tries to talk but starts to cough. I grab the water and fill up a cup and put it to her lips, her perfectly pink and plump lips. She drinks the whole cup before asking “What happened?” 

Her best friend was the one to answer “I got a call an hour ago saying you got shot at work when some thieves broke in after hours. I always tell you not to stay so late, and I bet you were reading too.”

Jamie bows her head in shame “I’m sorry guys, it was all my fault.”

“Sweetie that’s not what I meant I was just so worried, thank god you’re okay I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I’d lost you” her best friend replied.

“Thank you Sophia, so do any of you know what actually happened to me?”

They all shake their heads, so I clear my throat and all the heads in the room snap to me. 

Jamie’s eyes show a flash of recognition but she shakes her head. Everyone else's eyes look at me expectantly. I try to explain in a way that doesn’t make me sound crazy. “Um… I’m actually not a doctor. I was walking past The Dubois and I heard the gunshot so I rushed in and saw her then called 911”. Her mother runs up and hugs me tightly, squeezing the air out of me before releasing and saying “I don’t know how to thank you enough you saved my baby”. Her father came up and clapped me on the back with tears in his eyes. 

I begin to feel awkward as I’ve never had this many people really looking at me before it’s usually just absentminded stares. I look past Jamie’s parents towards her and see her looking at me with admiration in her eyes and the most beautiful smile on her perfect lips. Knowing that that smile is meant for me I begin to feel a big smile spread on my face. 

Seeing this her eyes widen and she averts her eyes as a wonderfully pink blush flushes her cheeks. Which makes me smile even wider. When her parents go back to her side I walk up to her and put out my hand and say “Hi, my name is Patrick”. I see the small smile form on her lips recognising the name. “I’m Jamie” I almost say ‘I know’ but catch myself in time. She continues “Thank you for saving me, I owe you my life”. I’ve never been this close to her before she smells like vanilla and chocolate and even though her hair’s a mess she looks amazing with all her unruly curls going in every direction, her long eyelashes brushing her cheeks and those freckles that have never suited anyone more.

I excuse myself saying I need to get a drink so that she can be alone with her loved ones which unfortunately does not include me. I’m not thirsty so I just wander around for a while.

Jamie’s POV

I hear someone speaking “Oh no I’m not…” I groan trying to open my eyes once they’re open I immediately shut them to block out the blinding light. As I adjust to the light I hear mom asking me “Baby are you okay? How are you feeling?” I open my mouth to speak when sudden dryness causes me to start coughing. Then a cup is thrust in front of me and I drink the whole thing unaware of how thirsty I had been. After I’m finished I ask “What happened?”

My best friend Sophia is the one to answer “I got a call an hour ago saying you got shot at work when some thieves broke in after hours. I always tell you not to stay so late, and I bet you were reading too.”

I drop my eyes to my hands knowing she was right and I suddenly feel incredibly guilty for causing them to worry “I’m sorry guys, it’s all my fault.”

“Sweetie that’s not what I meant I was just so worried, thank god you’re okay I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I’d lost you” Sophia replied.

“Thank you Sophia, so do any of you know what actually happened to me?” I cast a questioning glance around the room, then I hear someone clearing their throat. I turn my head to the sound and see a male doctor in scrubs but he looks strangely familiar, but I shake the thought away. 

He takes a single step forward and starts talking “Um… I’m actually not a doctor. I was walking past The Dubois and I heard the gunshot so I rushed in and saw her then called 911”. That’s why he was familiar. He was the man I saw when I opened my eyes. Things were coming back to me slowly. He looked different, something about him seems more casual. As I’m trying to figure out what is different my mother rushes up to him and hugs him tightly before releasing and saying “I don’t know how to thank you enough you saved my baby”. My father came up and clapped him on the back with tears in his eyes.

I stare at his face thinking he’s my knight in shining armour then he looks past my parents at me and a big smile lights up his whole face making my heart skip a beat. He has this boyish charm and innocence though still manages to be incredibly hot. I feel my cheeks start to heat up so I look away when I glance up at him through my lashes his smile is even wider. Then he walks up to me and puts his hand out and says “Hi my name is Patrick” a smile pulls on my lips that's the name of one of my favorite book characters. I take his hand and watch as my small pale hand is swallowed by his huge tan one “I’m Jamie. Thank you for saving me, I owe you my life” ‘and I would gladly spend the rest of my life making it up to you.’ I added that last part in my head.

Patrick excuses himself for a drink and I’m rather disappointed that he’s gone but I push that to the back of my mind and try to ease my parents minds. I finally convince them that I’m fine and that they should go home and get some sleep even though it’s 7.00am and the sun has already risen.

When the nurse comes to check on me she asks “Where’s your boyfriend?”

“Who? Patrick. The man who brought me in, he’s not my boyfriend.” I replied

“Oh I’m sorry. I assumed with the way he hasn’t left your side since you got here. He waited outside the operating room for the whole four hours he didn’t even get up to get a drink or anything. Just stared at the door. The only time he got up before that was to change out of his clothes that had your blood on them it was on his hands too. The paramedics said he insisted on riding with you to the hospital.” I start to blush at all these new revelations. Then she states “You appear to be stable so we’re going to move you to a room now for the rest of your stay”.

“Great, thank you.”