*Whew not long now. Enjoy. Thanks for the reviews.*
It all happened to fast. Tina had heard those five words often enough when she worked at the emergency room in Texas. She never thought that those five words would apply to her. It was chaos that surrounded her. So many people, screams, yelling, voices raised in anger and confusion then Wikus went bounding forward. Her voice joined the cacophony of sound, but he didn't look back.
Then the gun shots rang out first one followed by others. Tina strained to see where Wikus went, but the press of bodies around her added to the chaos. All she could think of was Wikus. His warnings, his fears about this trip, as she found herself pushed to the ground by a security guard. Her heart pounded in her chest. It was all happening so fast, too fast. Then she heard it, while she huddled on the ground, her name being called out frantically.
It was Marjorie she was sure of it. The guard tried to keep her down, but she pushed him off, as she got to her feet, and began in the direction of Marjorie's voice. The crowd was clearing, as she neared. Marjorie knelt on the ground. Thomas's stood tall looking down, while two others of his people stood near him their eyes searching the diminishing crowd. Dread filled her, as she scanned the area for Wikus.
Marjorie turned, and a flood of relief coursed through her.
"Tina, hurry!" she said in a rush; her heart pounding. "He's been shot."
She stood quickly making room for Tina, and looked at the people assembled. Mark looked pale and drawn; Thomas crouched down taking a hold of one of Wikus's hands. Alex clutched his arm close to his chest and watched the scene with flicking antennae. There were others of course. Security and police and the others that Thomas had brought with him. They moved restlessly. And Wikus he was impossibly still. He was never still even in his calmest moments his body hummed with movement, but now his quiet terrified her. Hot tears burned at the corners of her eyes.
The steady whirl of helicopter blades drew near, and she looked to see a place being cleared so that it could land. Men jumped out holding a stretcher. The worst thing was that Marjorie didn't know if Wikus was alive. It had seemed like an eternity until Tina had arrived.
And now her friend was here, and she hoped if there was something to save Tina could do it. Cold fear had settled into her stomach, and her chest was tight, as she watched. Tina was quickly accessing Wikus. Whatever fears her friend possessed were hidden in her movements. Marjorie felt her spirits lift some when Tina began barking orders to the men that arrived with the stretcher.
Within minutes they were gone, Alex as well. Mark met her eyes, and she knew he would go with them. Looking around Marjorie knew she had to pick up the pieces there, and let Mark deal with the rest. She watched Mark climb into the helicopter, and soon they were lifting up into the sky.
The crowds had diminished. Police and UN security were milling about asking questions, taking statements. Marjorie stood and found Thomas staring at her. He was deathly still; his eyes guarded his thoughts, as was often the case with the older Poleepkwa. He was a true leader, careful and calculating.
Marjorie watched him turn, and saw a group of well-dressed men and women hurrying to them. Thomas stood taller, which caused the woman in the lead to slow her approach. Marjorie went to Thomas side and waited.
The woman stopped five-feet from Thomas, her eyes wide. She must have only seen pictures of Thomas and his people. Marjorie remembered the first time she saw one of them, how imposing it had been, and how amazing.
"If you could come with us, we want to ensure your safety." The woman said with a slight waver in her voice.
"Safety." Thomas warbled a laugh. "Where was your safety when my companion fell?"
Marjorie quickly translated.
The woman swallowed and fidgeted. "Please." Was all she managed to say.
The men and women assembled behind her looked on with uncertain expressions.
"Lead the way." Thomas said his head held high.
Soon they were working their way through the halls of the UN. Thomas and the others feet clicked and clacked on the polished floors. They were led to a large conference room filled with voices that hushed the moment Thomas stepped into the room.
Mark watched it all happen in what seemed slow motion, as if they were in a movie on a screen, but it wasn't a movie. It was Wikus taking bullets that had been intended for Thomas. And now Mark was left sitting in a waiting room with Alex, who had brushed off any attempt to help him. Insisting he would be fine, as he held his arm tightly to his body. Mark could see his damaged exoskeleton plates, and the reddish-brown fluid that had leaked out of the bullet wound. He wanted to say something to Alex; to assure him somehow that what had happened could be erased. But there was nothing to say. No way to go back. All the planning, all the assurances that the UN had given had meant nothing.
It shocked him that such a thing could occur. They dealt with high-profile people all the time. Why did their security fail, or did they somehow just assume that the aliens would receive good-will from the people of New York, and the world? He placed his face in his hands and rubbed at his temples. A hand on his shoulder surprised him and he thought that perhaps a nurse had come, but when he looked up he saw Alex bending over him, a soft look in his eyes.
Mark exhaled unsure of what to say.
"Wikus is strong." Alex said with a flick of his antennae.
Mark could only nod and pray to a god that he had been lax in praying to over the years.
They were underfoot, all of them, in their eagerness to help. Tina's voice was soar from requesting this or that, and telling them to get the hell out of her way. Poleepkwa anatomy and physiology was so different than that of a human. And she wished just this once that she had one of those bastards from the MNU beside her. She had been dealing with various complicated cases in the district, but two gunshot wounds to the chest was a decidedly different matter. Wikus's exoskeleton was damaged and she had to cut small sections away to get at his internal organs and the bullets lodged inside. There was no time for x-rays or anything else. She was losing him, his vitals were weak and growing weaker by the minute. She called for another clamp and continued. It was all she could do.
The questions had thankfully stopped and those gathered around her began to listen. Then she found ready hands besides her asking what he could do. He said he had a limited understanding of alien physiology and anatomy. Tina nodded thankful for the help, as she adjusted the light strapped to her forehead, and handed over the clamp to him.
Marjorie listening to apologies, condolences and assurances that were flowing around Thomas, and translated answering questions as she went.. She had managed to slip away for a moment to call Mark, only to learn that there was no news. Three hours had passed. Marjorie knew that Thomas was worried, but he wasn't showing it to the men and women that continued to gather before him. He used the chaos to his advantage. The heads-of-state that he met were suddenly willing to hear his pleas, willing to see changes made.
Marjorie could see their nervousness, their fear, and she wasn't surprised when a steady hand landed upon her shoulder. Mabaso stood behind her.
"Marjorie." He said with a slight dip of his head.
She nodded then translated again for Thomas. He was busy explaining again the need for his people to have adequate living conditions and status as something more than prisoners.
"When I heard I didn't think you'd go through with it." He said his mouth near her ear.
She translated again, and spoke in a near whisper. "With what?"
"This, him," he gestured to Thomas, "very calculating of you."
Her eyes narrowed, as she stared at him only to be summoned back into Thomas's conversation when he addressed her with a question.
Her mind was flying, as she translated yet again. When she finished she gave a slight excuse me to Thomas and turned giving Mabaso a cold look. "The only calculating one in this room is you, and always has been." Her voice hissed. "I've got a job to do." She turned her back on the man who had once been her associate and focused on Thomas.
"I hope for all our sakes that you did the right thing." He whispered in her ear, and was gone leaving Marjorie wondering the same thing. Looking at the room she certainly hoped so.
A nurse had brought coffee for Mark and water for Alex. She had handed the cup to Alex with a shaky hand, and an equally shaky smile. Alex had took it with a graceful nod. That was an hour ago and Mark still held the half consumed, now cold, cup of coffee in his hand. Marjorie had also called, but he had nothing to tell her. So they sat in silence. Nearly four hours had passed when the doors to the waiting room opened and Tina walked in, her face drawn and tired. Mark was on his feet and moved to her in a heartbeat. He heard Alex's clicking feet on the floor.
The suit jacket she had worn earlier was gone. Her once white shirt was stained with reddish-brown.
"He's stable for now." Tina said and Mark could see the tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Mark reached out and Tina fell into his arms. Her sobs were quiet and reserved on his shoulder. One glance to Alex showed that the normally reserved Poleepkwa had his hand upon her back, and had moved close sharing in the moment. Mark exhaled feeling the stress of the day diminishing a bit, as he held her securely in his arms.
The tears started pressing the moment Tina saw both Mark and Alex. They looked at her as if she said the wrong thing they would shatter into a million pieces. After she spoke she saw their relief, and that's when the dam broke within her. The stress of the day, seeing Wikus who had become a perfect constant in her life reduced to the brink of death had shaken her to her core. All those years spent working the Emergency Room couldn't prepare her for what she had felt in that moment she reached his side: helpless. If only he had been human, but he wasn't any longer, and yet again she had been reminded. Sometimes she had often wished that she would find a way to see him human again. That this man turned alien could be something more in her life. That he could hold her as a man, but she knew they were crazy fantasies, especially today. Whatever he had been was long gone.
She had fought to make him live, but some part of her prepared to let him go, just in case. And in truth she may still have too, but there was no way she would dash their hopes away. It was up to Wikus now. The bullets were out of him, the damage repaired as best she could, but the gaping holes in his exoskeleton could only be patched for the moment. If he survived she would have to find an alternative. Her mind was already working in the direction. Hoping for his eventual recovery, planning what could be done with titanium weaves or plates that were normally used to patch a skull.
When she pulled away from Mark, and felt Alex's hand leave her back, she felt a faint smile tug at her cheeks.
Back in the hotel room that night Marjorie sat with Mark. They had been to the hospital long enough to see Wikus. Machines beeped around him, and Tina sat beside him. When Thomas entered the room he looked Wikus over and gave Tina a nod and a soft thank you. His hand had brushed Wikus's antennae, and after that he was gone leaving Marjorie to follow him into the hall. He was speaking in quiet tones to Alex, who had a bandage wrapped around him arm. Tina had taken the bullet out, and declared him fine to leave if he wanted. Marjorie had suggested that they take shifts to watch Wikus, but Tina said no. She would stay, as she had to anyways. Plus the full meeting was going to occur at the UN at Thomas's bequest despite what had occurred. They would leave, and Tina would keep them all apprised.
Marjorie gripped Mark's hand, as though it were a lifeline. The rest of the Right's Now support staff were safely in their rooms downstairs, and Thomas and the others had gone to bed. But Marjorie couldn't stop her mind from racing. In a way this was all her fault. She had pushed Thomas. She knew Wikus didn't want this that he didn't want to be in New York. That he saw the threat that coming here had posed, but she didn't listen to him. And if Thomas felt some guilt he wasn't saying. She imagined if he did he wouldn't tell her. Perhaps those he trusted the most of his own people, but not her.
She had developed a partnership with Thomas, but what had happened had strained that relationship. She saw it in him during the impromptu meeting in the aftermath of the shooting. He was cold, calculating, and reserved. He used her services, but he said little else. She would need to talk to him, but imagined it would have to wait until after the council. Her emotions were raw, and she thought that perhaps his were as well.
"Hey, your lost, come back." Mark said softly.
Marjorie shook her head slightly and looked at him. "Just thinking."
"Your blaming yourself, don't, we all make choices, Thomas, and especially Wikus. If he hadn't have stepped in the way this meeting would be going differently."
"You make it sound so simple." Marjorie sighed.
"Isn't it though? No one made Wikus do what he did, it was his choice."
"I guess, it's just—"
"Just what, that he was worried something like this would happen?"
Marjorie nodded.
"So it did, it could have happened in the district. We knew the risks, and so did Thomas when he became a public figure."
"I guess." Marjorie looked down twisting her hands together.
Marks hands took hers then moved to cup her chin. His eyes gazed into hers.
"I love you Marjorie, that's no secret, and one of the things that I love about you is that you're a fighter. You see something wrong and try to fix it. Thomas is lucky, they all are. Hell I'm lucky to have you, now please let's go to bed."
She felt herself drawn to her feet, as they moved to the dark unoccupied room. Mark gave her hand a firm squeeze, and she wondered how it was that she had gone so long without him.
Days passed for Tina while Wikus lay unmoving in the bed. His vitals were still weak, but he was hanging on. She did everything she could think of. Even going so far as to call the others in the field of Alien biology asking for advice. They had given her a few ideas, but mostly she found out that she had done everything she could. So she waited slitting in a chair by his bedside, and occasionally stretching out on the couch in the doctors' lounge with the strict orders that she was to be awoken if there were any changes.
She had one constant visitor that brought her food, coffee and good company. His name was John Riley, the doctor who had assisted her. It was ironic to her that his name would be John, seeing that Wikus had carried that name as a badge to hide behind for some time. When John asked about Wikus Tina had worked to censer her words. She wanted to tell him all about the once man who was now wearing a hard exoskeleton, but she didn't. She told him small things, like how kind he was, but nothing significant.
John had commented with a smile that it seemed like Wikus meant a lot to her, and Tina had only smiled and nodded. Since that first day whenever John was free he was checking up on her. They would sit watching Wikus sharing stories about their work. He was a year older than her, and had studied Alien biology as a hobby. By the second day Tina's mind was whirling with both sleep deprivation, and the thought the maybe he'd come to South Africa with them. Right's Now could use another doctor, and he had proven himself.
Marjorie would check in by phone often. She had even sent Tina her bags from the hotel room, and it had been wonderful getting a shower and changing from her ruined clothing. Her suit went into the trash. She didn't want a physical reminder of the day that Wikus was shot staying with her. Marjorie also told her about the meetings, and it seemed based on what she said and the news cast that was running on the TV in Wikus's room, that Thomas had made quite an impression. There was of course coverage about the shooting, but the hospital and UN security had worked hard to keep reporters away from Wikus. Even the nurses that were attending to him were more or less attending Tina first. Taking all of their direction from her, and deferring to her expertise on their alien patient.
She also continued to check on Alex, who assured her that he was fine. When she pressed him, not certain if she believed him or not, he gave the same answers. See to Wikus, not to worry about him. So she did that trusting that if something changed he would let her know. By the fifth day Wikus's vital signs were improving, but he showed no signs of waking. He was unresponsive when she checked him over. Despite the better outlook she began to worry. That was when she found John's hand over hers. At first she wanted to pull away, as her eyes flowed over Wikus's still form, but then she looked at John again. His sandy-brown hair, kind blue eyes, and decided that his comfort was welcomed.
The meetings were going impossibly well. The Poleepkwa people had unanimously been recognized by the human rights council. Thomas's eloquent speech had moved the crowd of statesmen and women. He took their questions with grace and explained his position. How their lives had degraded and asked if any one of them had been forced to live in such ways, even before the days of the district, how they would have reacted. She saw many blanched faces. And even when footage was shown of human deaths at the hands of the aliens Thomas handled those moments with impassioned pleas. That it was their wish to move forward into better lives for all, and that they expected to leave Earth at some point in the near future. All they were asking for was what all people ask for: safety, food, housing, meaningful lives and recognition that they were not animals forced to live in the dirt.
Marjorie knew that it would have been a harder fight if Wikus wouldn't have been shot. Somehow a local station had gotten footage of the event. Wikus bounding through the crowd, Alex wounded clutching his arm. Then Wikus again in the forefront as he pushed Thomas down and took two shots to the chest, crumpling to the ground. In the eyes of humanity the prawns or the Poleepkwa as Thomas had corrected that first day in the conference room, were seen as having what people termed as human characteristics. Thomas only monopolized on the sentiment after he had watched hours of TV coverage the first night in the hotel room before he had gone to sleep.
He echoed words of the past when he had asked the assembled council: "do we not bleed?"
In that moment he changed everything. And now Marjorie could only watch in the wake of chaos to see the changes that would come knowing that it was Wikus who had made it all possible. It had always been Wikus. From the moment he fought to see the Mothership leave, to the day she met him. From the time in Mabaso's compound, to the days together in Mark's home, and finally to this day, as she watched the men and women rise and call for change. All at the bequest of a being who stood before them wearing a hard exterior, finally showing the world that humanity was truly not alone anymore.
