Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! It means a lot to me! And welcome new readers, glad to have you here!
It's been an interesting week. My bank accounts were compromised over the weekend and shut down due to fraud, so I have no access to my money.
My son put himself on the wrong school bus last week and promptly fell asleep, missing the two hour journey through glorious Australian countryside (while Mummy and the school frantically tried to locate him). Scariest two hours of my life.
I have school reports due and I've moved from part time to full time until Christmas as a favour to my boss. Oh my gawd, just... workload. Gah!
On the plus side, in an hour-and-a-half it will be October 19, which happens to be my birthday. Hooray for me!
But here I submit the next chapter for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Guide You Home
Chapter Ten
Kwame opened his eyes, blinking as a nurse shuffled past to do her hourly rounds. He sat up, stretching out the kinks in his neck and shoulders from his awkward position on the floor as his eyes surveyed the room.
He spotted Ma-Ti in the opposite corner- his legs curled up beneath him as he slept on the hard linoleum floor, using a blanket as a pillow.
Gi was asleep in the chair beside the bed, her eyes and limbs twitching every now and again as she dozed fitfully.
Wheeler was still under the effects of the sedation and slept on, oblivious to the events of the past few hours. He was pale but breathing steadily, the rise and fall of his chest causing his sling and cast to move with it.
Kwame checked his watch. It was 4:17am but he was now wide-awake. He glanced upwards, his brow creasing as his thoughts turned to Linka. He pushed himself to his feet, stepping over the pile of blankets and pillows the nurses had left for them. He exited the room and wandered towards the nurse's station.
The corridor was quiet and dimly lit as he approached the counter. One of the night shift nurses smiled as he approached. He asked if there were any updates and she shook her head, regarding him with a sympathetic smile.
He sighed, thanking her before returning to the room. The waiting was downright awful, but it was made more difficult by the fact that only immediate family members were allowed inside the intensive care unit. His eyes drifted towards the heavy bulk on the bed, thankful that the American was still under the effects of the drugs.
Probably for the best, under current circumstances.
He stretched and leaned against the wall, glancing towards Gi. Her elbows were perched on the armrests and her body was twisted. Gi's chin had lolled against her chest, putting her in danger of falling forwards.
Kwame eased himself off the wall and approached the chair, gently gripping her shoulders and settling her backwards. Gi's eyes fluttered open immediately.
"No change?" she asked softly, her voice thick with sleep.
"No."
Gi pursed her lips and nodded, dark circles present under her eyes. She rubbed her face with her hands, before glancing at Ma-Ti.
"Have her family arrived?"
Kwame nodded, crouching down beside Gi and speaking in low tones to avoid waking the others.
"Yes. Mishka is with her now, and her Grandmother is on her way."
"Oh." Gi chewed on her lip, her eyes glancing towards Wheeler. "Any word on Plunder?"
Kwame sighed. "They closed the borders, but he would have been well clear of them by then." Kwame's eyes darkened with anger, frustrated that the eco-villain had slipped through their fingers after causing so much damage. "Blight and Sludge are behind bars tonight though. For how long remains to be seen."
Gi sighed and shifted again, glancing towards Wheeler. She flinched as she realized that Wheeler was awake, his blue eyes regarding them silently.
"Hey," she said, leaning towards him. "How are you feeling?"
He groaned, rolling over to face her. "Like hammered shit," he said in a rasping voice, no doubt due to the intubation due to the surgery.
Wheeler raised his hand and it lingered for a moment in mid-air. He stared uncomprehendingly as he noticed the cannula embedded within his vein. Wheeler's forehead creased as he looked around in confusion, noticing his surroundings for the first time.
Kwame anticipated a number of possible scenarios from the temperamental redhead. He stepped forward and perched himself on the edge of the bed, ready to act if required.
"What the hell? Where…" Wheeler had tried to sit up, but Kwame was prepared. He gently pushed his friend back into the mattress, holding him down with his palm flat against the American's chest.
"We are in a hospital in Johannesburg. You've had surgery on your arm and…"
Wheeler only appeared to be half listening as he scanned the surroundings for the others and finding a team member still missing. "Where the fuck is Linka?"
He attempted to sit up again, but Kwame applied further pressure. "Ma-Ti found her. She is upstairs in intensive care. Her brother is with her."
Wheeler began to struggle again but Kwame was having none of it. He leaned forward, holding the American down and speaking calmly but authoritatively.
"She's alive but in bad shape. We think her ring stopped some of the momentum but she still fell too hard." Kwame looked away from Wheeler's distraught face, unable to cope with the American's stunned expression.
"Jesus," he whispered, barely noticing Gi grasping his hand from the chair beside him.
Kwame sighed heavily, still unable to maintain eye contact with the American. "She has a broken leg, her spleen was ruptured and she was bleeding internally for a few hours before she was found. There's also a major head wound and some swelling on the brain."
"Is she gonna' be all right?" Wheeler asked, his voice cracking on the last syllable. He squeezed Gi's hand as he heard quiet sniffing coming from her direction.
Kwame shrugged tiredly. "They've induced a coma. She's on a ventilator. They're hoping to give her body some time to recover before they wean her off. That's all we know."
"Can we see her?"
Kwame shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "They're allowing us to crash here for the moment and it was a stretch for Ma-Ti to even convince them to do that. Immediate family only in ICU, hospital policy…"
Wheeler scoffed, his jaw tense as he glared out towards the corridor. "Well, with all due respect, they can shove that policy up their fucking…"
"Calm down," Kwame interrupted, his eyes flashing as he bore down on Wheeler. A touch of anger accented his words, causing the red-head to shrink back slightly. "Just calm down. You're not the only one who cares about her. Just think about it. They're already stretched to capacity with the girls admitted for observation. You cause a scene and it will have implications for all of us. Understand?"
Wheeler's shoulders slumped. He was unaccustomed to seeing their leader starting to lose his composure. He gritted his teeth but said nothing and Kwame knew his point had been accepted.
"I am sorry, my friend," Kwame said, releasing his hold on Wheeler and watching him flop back against the pillows. "It has been a downright terrible day. I do not want to spend what is left of it fighting with you."
Kwame sighed, watching his friend stare ahead, processing the new information. The African glanced at Gi as she sat quietly, trembling as she wiped fresh tears away from her cheeks.
"You are exhausted Gi. Try and get some sleep while you can."
She shook her head. "I can't get comfortable."
"Here," Wheeler said, using his good arm to shuffle over to the edge of the bed. He patted the mattress beside him and Gi gratefully accepted, climbing in as the American pulled the covers over them. She snuggled into his side, propping her head against the pillow.
"Thank you," she said softly as he turned and wrapped his cast and sling awkwardly around her waist. Her eyelids were already drooping closed.
"No probs," he said as Kwame dropped into the chair Gi had just vacated. "Better cuddling with you than with grumpy-pants over there."
"I heard that."
"You were meant to." Wheeler replied. He exhaled, comforted by the warm weight of Gi's body beside him. "You'll wake me up if there's any news?"
"Yes.
Wheeler settled back against the pillows, listening to the steady beep of the machinery in the room and the footsteps pacing the corridor outside. He felt foggy and light-headed and was now struggling to focus on objects within the room.
He felt Gi stir and his nose twitched as her hair brushed against his face. She readjusted her position and shuffled herself until her back was close against his chest. Her breathing resumed its steady pace and Wheeler's eyes began to feel heavy, as he was lulled into sleep once again.
"How could this happen?" Mishka's accent was unmistakable as Wheeler stirred into wakefulness. He sat up quickly, straining hard to hear the conversation going on just outside the door. "Linka has spent the last six years reassuring us that she is in no immediate danger! And now look at her!"
"There has always been an element of danger, Mishka." Ma-Ti's voice floated above the background noise, doing his best to placate Linka's irate brother. "But I will admit we underestimated how badly this mission would turn out."
"Tell that to our grandmother. She is beside herself, hasn't stopped sobbing since she arrived. How could this happen? And what is to stop this from happening again?"
Wheeler was unable to hear Ma-Ti's response. He looked around, seeing the sunlight filtering through the window and realized it was daytime. Gi was still asleep beside him; her mouth open slightly and her leg resting on top of the blankets as she slept on, unburdened by the noise outside.
The American leaned forward, listening to Mishka's voice getting steadily louder. He heard Kwame talking in low tones but Linka's brother wasn't backing down.
"My sister is up there looking like a wax mannequin, with tubes and pumps and god-knows what else jammed down her throat." Mishka groaned at the image but his voice softened. "Look, I'm not blaming you. I know you have all been through a lot. But you need to understand that Linka is all we have left. Grandmother will not survive this if Linka doesn't make it."
"We know. We can't begin to tell you how worried we have been."
Mishka sighed. "How is the Amerikanskaya?"
"Broken arm, severed tendons and some cuts and knocks to the back of his head. He is doing well considering. Pretty much completed the mission single handed."
Gi's body shifted and Wheeler looked down, noticing for the first time that her eyes were open and also directed towards the conversation happening just out of their view. He caught her eye and gave her a reassuring smile. She gave a small smile in return, stretching her arms above her head.
"I am glad he is all right," Mishka said, and Wheeler surprised to hear that Mishka seemed to genuinely mean it.
"Have the doctors spoken to you?" Kwame asked.
"Yes. They say Linka's vital signs are very good. The swelling in her brain has reduced and the surgeries went well. The doctors will wean her off the drugs this afternoon and it is hoped the ventilator will not be required overnight. She should be awake within twelve to twenty-four hours"
"That is wonderful," Kwame said, the relief evident in his voice. "We appreciate you keeping us updated."
The voices trailed off, and Wheeler realized that they had walked away. He sat back against the headboard, contemplating the conversation. Gi turned over, resting her cheek against the inside of her arm as she looked up at the American, the relief evident on her face.
He grinned at her, moving his cast and tapping her repeatedly over the head with it.
"Quit it," she grumbled, her lips curving into a smile as she smacked it away. "God, you're annoying in a wide range of situations, aren't you?"
"Yep."
"So she's going to be fine." Gi grinned. "I honestly thought the worst when I saw her last night."
Wheeler turned to face her, clearly surprised. "You guys saw her?"
"Yeah, when they first brought her in. I honestly thought…" She trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ear as she studied the criss-cross pattern of the blanket they were sitting under. "I thought she was a goner."
"Nah. Lin's too stubborn for that." He chuckled, giving Gi an affectionate elbow to the ribs. "By tomorrow she'll be henpecking the surgeons on their stitching skills."
Gi laughed. "Yeah. Hey, did they find the animals?"
"What animals?"
Gi groaned, rolling her eyes. "You know, the original eco-alert? Before we were blown out of the sky?"
Wheeler scratched his chin. He'd honestly forgotten. "Geez. I'm sure they did. Friggin' Plunder."
"Yeah," she muttered. Gi glanced at the American, a delighted smile spreading over her features. "She's gonna be okay!"
Wheeler nodded, smiling down at her.
She pushed herself into a sitting position and settled beside him. The pair sat in a companionable silence for a while, watching people bustle past the doorway. A nurse eventually entered to check Wheeler's blood pressure and bandages, before moving on to the next room.
Gi glanced at the nurse's retreating figure. "I think Gaia is going to need to approve a serious amount of sick leave…"
Wheeler raised his eyebrows, laughing quietly. "Are we entitled to sick leave? It's not as if we signed a contract of employment, Gi."
She giggled; the sudden levity a refreshing change from the events of the past twenty-four hours, especially in light of Linka's most recent progress update. "Annual leave? Dental plan?"
He raised his cast. "Medical?"
"Collision coverage." Gi smiled at him. "Gaia has a lot to answer for. Her working conditions are a little lacking."
"We'll form a union."
"What will we call it?"
Wheeler grinned at her, considering his options. "Planeteer Industrial Support Squad. Or 'PISS' for short."
Gi snorted, clapping her hand over her mouth as she dissolved into hysterics. Wheeler soon joined her, their cackles drawing strange looks from the middle-aged woman who entered the room pushing a food trolley.
A breakfast tray was loaded onto the bedside table before the employee bustled away to continue her rounds.
"God, I'm starvin'," Wheeler said, offering Gi a piece of toast. She took it gratefully. He sighed, spreading jam over his toast and demolishing it within two bites. "Whaddya' think my chances are of sneaking in to see Lin tonight?"
She laughed, regarding him with a sly smile. "If anyone can find a way, it's you Wheeler."