by Frankie Rose
“Hold this, will you?”
“Listen, I’ve only got two hands, kid.”
“Then… here… just hold it in your teeth.”
“Okay, okay.”
“There’s so much blood. I don’t know where it’s coming from. Can you… can you… here… yes. Yes, I’ve got it. I’ve got pressure on it.”
“Good. It’ll stop soon enough. Don’t move your hand. I’ll be right back.”
“Hurry.”
Muffled footsteps disappeared and breathing quickened as someone leaned over me. They grunted with exertion as they pressed down hard on my shoulder, pinning me to the floor. I lay absolutely still. A foggy memory was taking shape in my mind. I was standing in Aldan’s room, I touched his scar, and then…wham. Pain and dizziness and blood.
My ears rang as I lay there, feeling strangely disjointed and uninvolved in what was happening. The strong hands worked over me, pulling my body straight and lifting my head to place something soft underneath it.
“Damn it, Farley. Damn it.”
I jolted when I realized who was piecing me back together so frantically. I attempted to turn, to move out of his hands so that my pride wouldn’t be quite so wounded, so he couldn’t shout and scream at me for doing exactly what he’d told me not to.
“Don’t do this. Don’t do this…” Daniel repeated it over and over like a mantra. He brushed my hair back out of my face. The strands were sticky as they peeled from my skin, smelling like the bitter tang of blood. Uneasy, I tried to open my eyes, to feel out my body, but all I managed was a pained moan. Daniel stiffened, exhaled sharply, and then went back to work.
Agatha returned. She lowered herself to the floor, tutting as she fiddled with something. Another second passed by. I felt Daniel’s strong grip around my upper arm. He squeezed hard, cutting off the circulation. My stomach fluttered, nervous. What’s he doing?
A scratching sensation in the crook of my arm—an injection. Daniel released his grip.
“She’s coming to,” he said.
“You better do it quickly, then.”
“Here. Hold her up a little.”
Daniel grunted, and Agatha’s small hands moved underneath my head, gently lifting me up into a half-sitting position. After that, Agatha maneuvered herself in behind me to support me against her stomach. At this point I managed to crack my eyes open, wincing, to see Daniel crouching over me. His face was creased with something that looked shockingly close to concern.
Sweat ran from his brow as he took hold of the top of my arm. He rested his other hand over my shoulder, placing the heel of his palm against my collarbone. Agatha gripped me tighter. I managed a frown, trying to figure out what was happening, just as Daniel braced and pulled sharply in opposite directions. There was a popping sound, and a wild surge of fresh, crippling pain sprinted through my body.
Dislocated shoulder.
I swooned and swallowed back the urge to vomit as my stomach heaved. Daniel let go as soon as it was done, pushing himself back to reveal that his white t-shirt was spattered with fat, round circles of blood. The hem of it was a sticky, dark red mess. Our eyes met, and he struggled to his feet, his face hardening in a matter of seconds. Amongst all the pain, the added knowledge that he was going to be mad made the situation a hundred times worse. I groaned and closed my eyes again, not wanting to see him shut down.
“I gotta get outta here.”
It sounded like he tripped in his rush to escape, and I opened my eyes in time to see his green Converse disappear through the doorway. Agatha huffed and heaved herself out from underneath me, shifting so that she was in view.
“How you doing, kid?”
“Kinda hurting.” My voice was a weak rasp.
Agatha grimaced. “I’ll bet.” She rummaged through the first aid kit at her knees and pulled out another syringe, tearing it from the plastic and inserting it into a clear glass vial. Her hands were steady, methodical. “This’ll knock you out. You might feel a little better in a couple of hours.”
She didn’t sound as hopeful as I would have liked. How badly had I been hurt? I nodded and barely flinched when the syringe was emptied into my arm, enjoying the dulling sensation as I crept out of consciousness once more.
******