Eliot
The life drains from the grey eyes of my opponent, though he's a skilful fighter, he's no match for me. As I pull the knife from out of his chest, his eyes swirl and I see a hint of recognition there. Widening my stance in a bid to get ready to strike, I bring back my fist, and as the man before me raises like a phoenix from the ashes, I jerk awake.
A soft hand grazes my forearm and acting on pure instinct I grasp it tightly. I twist and turn the figure beside me and move my arm around the assailants throat. As my eyes focus on the brightness of the room that surrounds me, the helpless, high pitched yelp that my attack induces has me releasing the assailant immediately. My eyesight settles against the bright lighting, revealing the face of a young women dressed in green scrubs. She hushes me like one would a wild animal and tells me where I am, and the realization hits me that I am in hospital. Taking a deep breathe I lean back into the bed noticing how my arm throbs at the exertion.
I stiffen as the woman before me slips her hand into her scrubs pocket and as I move once again to brace for an attack, she raises her free palm in a placating gesture before pulling her hand out of her pocket and revealing my earbud. She places it in my hand closing my fist around the small device.
"You're in Alice Springs Hospital, they said to give you this"
I nod and immediately place the earbud inside the canal of my ear, settling back against the pillows behind me. When I speak, my voice is even more gruff than usual.
"What the…"
"Hey El! How you are feeling?" Parker chimes in but she is swiftly cut off by Nate
"Eliot you were shot in the chest and needed surgery. We had no choice" He tells me, referring to my no hospitals rule. "By the way your alias is Eliot Crane"
"You're welcome" Hardison quips.
I grunt in response, watching the young nurse who checks my stats on the machine beside the bed and takes about adjusting my drips.
"Elliot be a good patient and rest up. We'll be by later to see you, and NO trying to escape you silly sod" Sophie berates me, the lilt in her accent making a smile tug at my lips
"I hear you" I grumble, beginning to feel the throbbing in my chest where I had taken the bullet, a sign my meds are wearing off. Good. I hate the damn stuff, makes me woozy and nauseous. I remove the earbud and as the nurse finishes up and adjusts my pillows, I see the bruising starting to swell upon her wrist. My face crumbles at the how I've hurt her, but before I can tell her how sorry I am, she breaks my brooding silence, seeing where my gaze is fixed.
"It's alright, they told me that you might do that. Said that you were hyper aware from being in the forces. I shouldn't have got so close; it's just you were dreaming, and I thought you were going to pull your stitches" I don't reply. My throat feels tight so I lift my lip up into a slight smile. "My brother was in the army." She continues. "He uh, never made it home, but before that he used to be like you"
I open my mouth to offer my sincerest apologies but somehow the way she looks at me, it's like she can read my mind, like the words don't have to form, she already knows. She places her soft slender hand on my comforter covered leg, offering me a smile that is so innocent and removed from my life and what I do, that it makes my breath catch in my throat. With a little wave and a promise to return, she leaves the room.
I awake with a roar of pain and a tugging at my chest where I've been shot. I struggle between asleep and awake, forcing away the nightmares that I've been dealing with for what seems like an eternity. I hear her voice like a whisper on the wind; she's hushing me again. She's not touching me I notice, and I'm glad after the last time. When my eyes focus and the nightmares fall away, I see her hovering over me, her eyes pleading, and I know she's asking to touch me.
"It's a'right sweetheart" I choke, giving her the most confident nod, I can muster.
"You've torn your stitches Eliot" She scolds "Can I take down your gown?". I appreciate her hesitance. I need the control and it's like she knows it. I pull myself carefully into a sitting position and sit forward so she can untie the gown at the back; pulling it down my chest to reveal my dressings. She stills for a moment, taking in my battle worn body and I watch with interest as she scans each scar, each blemish. As she pulls her stare away I settle back against the pillows bracing myself for her invasion but her touch is deft and confident. She pulls back the dressing and I inhale slightly as it tugs at my wound.
"Can I at least get your name before you start prodding at my chest?" I drawl and she smiles heading over to the trolley of supplies.
"April" She pauses, looking towards me a breath-taking smile appearing across her face "I'm Banano's God daughter so you're safe here. Your team made sure of it" She adds, turning her attention back to the supplies.
"Pleased to meet you darlin" I cough and she rolls her eyes as she returns with a dish full of dressings, surgical thread, and what looks like a vial and needle. She pulls the vial and needle from the pile, placing he rest on the bed beside me "No" I rasp "No pain relief"
"Elliot don't be a hero. Why take the pain if you don't have to?" She replies. I place my hand over hers that grasps the bottle.
"No"
She freezes seeing the determination in my eyes, and instead of being intimated or afraid as I expect, she rubs her hand over my knuckles her eyes not wavering from me for a second.
"What? You think that you deserve the pain? Because what? Its Penance for what you've done?. Well you don't"
A breath catches in my throat, how in the hell can she read me so easily? Not much scares me, but her understanding me like this. It's terrifying. I feel my nostrils flair at the effort to keep my features schooled but I bet she can see right through that too.
"And don't think I haven't noticed the painkillers in the drawer that you didn't take earlier" She adds for good measure, threading the surgical needle and placing it to one side. "You'll get in me in trouble"
"They make me nauseous" I offer in explanation. That and like she said it's my penance.
"And the pain doesn't?" she retorts with mirth.
"You're a right smartass, you know that?" I growl and she laughs as she carefully cleans up the blood around my wound, her slender fingers grazing the taught area surrounding the bullet hole. She applies a little iodine and positions herself ready to sew the first stitch.
"Ok ready?" My hands grip the metal hospital issue bed frame, my knuckles slowly turning white from the exertion and through gritted teeth I hiss the word ready.
"She pulls and tugs and I breathe through the pain. She's gentle and methodical and within seconds she stands to admire her handiwork. When she replaces the dressing over my stitches, she grazes the crook of my neck with her hands and I hope she doesn't notice the flinch of desire that ripples through me.
"Done. I'll get you a clean gown" she offers and after depositing the hospital waste and cleaning up she leaves the room.
When April returns I am standing, propped up against the bed, one leg into a pair of sweatpants that Sophie had packed into my overnight bag. I quickly pull at the waistband gathering the material to cover my exposed genitalia and stare guiltily like a deer caught in headlights. I expect to be scolded but instead she leans against the doorjamb smirking.
"What?" I growl
"Nothing, go on, don't let me stop you" She taunts, knowing full well that I am struggling and hadn't contemplated how to get around the canula in my ankle. I wobble slightly and putting down my left arm to steady myself jars the bullet hole in my chest. I let out a groan and April hurries to my good side giving me the support I need. While I continue to do my best to cover my modesty with the free pant leg, April unclips the canula feeding my antibiotics. As I pull down the pants to step my second foot in, I find I am grateful that April has had the decency to turn her head to allow me some privacy. When the pants are fully on, I sit back leaning on the bed behind me, inhaling deeply.
"Couldn't have let me get you a gown could you" She berates, and I can't help the uptick in my lips in response. I can't find it in me to explain but I don't have to she immediately calls me on it.
"I know you probably need to feel like you are prepared and ready for anything that comes your way and being dressed is a part of that. That somehow it makes you feel like you can flee at any moment, but you could have done that in the gown. Plus think of the distraction you could have created with that hiney hanging out the back" She snorts, and I can't help but huff out a laugh at her brashness and her undeniably cute humour. I smile, a genuine flirty smile; something I haven't done for some time and she kneels down at my side to connect the canula back in place, but before she does, she looks up me a glint in her eye. "If I thought I could trust you to take your antibiotics you'd have been off this drip yesterday"
"Just the painkillers I have a problem with" I rasp, and she tilts her head a little in understanding. "Ok so how about we take this off then and we go for a walk, get some fresh air, and we'll see about getting you some tablet antibiotics"
I can't think of anything that I want more in this moment and my relief at leaving this room is palpable.
"Yes please" I utter and internally cringe at the desperation in my voice.
"Just don't go trying to ditch me and escape. All being well you should be out of here day after tommorrow anyhows so just behave for one more day. Got it?"
I chuckle "Yes Darlin"
April picks up a sling from the chair beside my bed and helps me hook it around my neck, sweeping my long hair to the side so she can loop it round carefully without jostling my arm. The gentle scrape of her nails at the back on my neck coupled with her face just millimetres from mine has me forcing myself to curb my self-control. Her sweet breath puffs across my chin as she adjusts the strapping and gently lifts my arm into the sling. Her hair smells like lavender and as she turns just slightly, I notice a tattoo just behind her ear; a semi-colon.
I raise my good arm and against my better judgement I graze the tattoo with my thumb forcing her to freeze. I hesitantly push a stray hair behind her ear and taking a step back, I open my mouth to apologise, fearful that I've crossed a line. But she just smiles and with her thumb and forefinger cupping my chin she says "It's a symbol associated with mental health. It represents continuance. Authors usually use the semicolon when they choose not to end their sentence. I am my own author and the sentence is my life, and I'm choosing to continue. My story is not over. And neither is yours" She taps my cheek affectionately and then grabs a t-shirt from my bag and slips it over my head. It sits lightly over my sling, and I slip my good arm through. Once dressed she takes my good hand encouraging me to follow her to the door, and completely in awe of this women in front of me, I follow, doing anything else is not an option.
As we reach the door, she grabs a crutch that is leant against the wall in the corner and releases my good hand slips it under my arm. "Ok?"
"Damn perfect" I reply, and I follow her out to the hospital gardens we spend the afternoon talking about nothing and everything. She tells me about the reason behind getting the tattoo; the loss of her parents, and she asks me about the tattoo I have on my calf; A Wolf. I tell her about my Cherokee heritage, and as we drift into a comfortable silence I absorb the heat of the afternoon sun that beats down on us.
I am broken from my reverie by four familiar voices. It is when one cuts in louder than the others that I open my eyes.
"Hey M'man!" I turn and Hardison grabs my hand into our signature, brother like handshake and I can't help but smile at him. "Okay, freaky, April what have you done to him? He onsummin?" He asks rotating his finger in a 'is he tripping?' gesture
"No" I interject I am just happy alright. Is that such a crime?"
Parker hugs me from behind and I wince slightly
"No not a crime, just we are used to raaaah grumpy Eliot" She gesticulates the raaah like a lion and I huff in amusement.
"Just glad that you idiots are safe is all"
Nate silently rests a hand on my good shoulder while Sophie places a kiss on my cheek and I sit back and listen to welcome sound of my team chatting amongst themselves, relaxed in the knowledge that they are safe and sound.
I wake the following morning in a blissful haze. I try to recount the last time I awoke without having a nightmare and wonder how I managed to stave the monsters away last night. I turn to the right of me and April is sat in the chair beside the bed, her head resting at an ungodly angle, her chest rising and falling with each sleepy breath. I watch in awe as on each exhale her lip trembles and I find it one of the most beautiful sights I have seen for some time. Her green scrubs have slipped slightly with the way she rests in the chair and her shoulder is almost exposed. I stare longingly at the exposed area of flesh surrounding her neck, the pale skin a sight to behold.
I check the time, confused that April is still in this room and it occurs to me that I haven't seen her leave to tend to any other patients during her shifts since my admission. As I pull myself upright the grunt of exertion that leaves my lips has April stirring in her seat.
"Hey there sleeping beauty" I tease and she yawns before giving me her widest toothiest smile.
"Morning sunshine, You are looking better. Let me take your stats and I'll get you some breakfast" She says, waggling a bag on the table beside her. I say nothing but the raise in my eyebrow is enough and she relents immediately "Cordel's Deli fruited toast. Breakfast in this place sucks"
I snort in acknowledgment, Fruit toast is one of my favourite breakfast items and I find myself wondering if its coincidence as I sit on the edge of the bed, I watch with anticipation as April takes my blood pressure, heart rate and temperature.
"So do you have any other patients, and do you sleep in their rooms too?" I joke, following up with a wink for good measure.
"Nope. Just yours. I have been assigned as your personal nurse until you leave, special orders from the Portland Police Department." She winks as she says Police Department and I know she is referring to Banano. I mentally tell myself to thank him when I leave. To say that April has made this bearable would be an understatement of the greatest proportions and I find myself admitting that I am going to miss her when I go.
When April has recorded my information, she makes her way to the nurses station down the corridor and returns with two plates and a fresh jug of water. She fills two plastic glasses and then lays the toast out on the table between us. The little plastic cup filled with meds doesn't go unnoticed beside them and I stare them unwavering at the feel of Aprils gaze on me.
"You want me to turn away so you can squirrel away those painkillers?" She quips, and I smile at her teasing tone before thumbing the white capsules from the pot and adding them to my ever growing collection before knocking back the antibiotics.
"You keep them" April states, gesturing to my stash. "Why?"
I look at her blankly, wondering if she knows already and wants to hear me say it. Pondering my response I take a bite of the buttery toast, relishing its sweet flavour and as she watches me eat I assume she takes my silence as confusion because before I can answer she continues "You won't take them but you won't throw them away. You're keeping them but I can't figure out why"
"That's your thing, figuring me out. You're slacking" I joke, my lips curling into a smile.
"Well" She thinks, her eyes looking to the ceiling, the toast standing upright between her thumb and fore finger. She takes a bite then brings her eye line back to me "You're saving them for someone else. I just can't figure out who"
I smile at her astuteness. I knew from the moment she asked that I would tell her. I trust her, I just wanted to tease her a little, make her work for it. I take a moment to savour the last piece of my toast taking a tissue from the box beside me to wipe my fingers and look back toward my stash, before staring her down. She straightens ready for my response and she waits patiently to hear what I have to say.
"They are for no-one in particular. I just like to keep them, in case one of my team gets hurt. I don't like to see them in pain and that stuff is better than the over the counter alternatives"
I watch for her response and her smile says it all. She stands from her plastic hospital issue chair and pushing the table from between us she moves my hair from the side of my face
"You are good man Eliot" I don't believe her for a second but I like the sound of the words on her lips. Her fingers play for a second with the greasy tresses of my scalp and she looks towards the bathroom. "Think you're ready to take a shower?"
I can't help the smile that breaks across my face at the suggestion, partly because the thought of the hot water soothing my skin sounds incredible and partly because I can't stop my mind from going to a place that involves April naked in there with me. Before I can consider the latter thought more thoroughly, April bends over to grab my overnight bag from the floor. I inhale deeply, simultaneously berating and adjusting myself in equal measure and when she turns back to me, I think for the first time in my life I blush as she clearly notices my reaction. With a naughty twinkle in her eye she hands me my bag.
"There's only enough room in there for one Cowboy. Give me shout when your done and I'll redress that wound"