AN: New update, heading towards the season 2 finale soon! This chapter contains Grace Mason, OC of my friend Jemmz. And you can read her story about being the big sister of the Masons here on . It's called Heartbeat Away From Death Story ID: /10691430/

Chapter 29: Visceral Reaction

After Anne had dressed Casey's burn and given her something for the pain, Casey sat holding Etta in her hospital bedroom while Lee and Grace filled her in on what happened while she had been stuck underground. As destroyed as the lower levels of the hospital were, the top was pretty much undamaged if not for everything not bolted down being a little askew. Like a giant had plucked the building out of the ground, given it a good shake and dropped it back down.

Ben had returned safely, Grace explained, but not before Tom had ambushed Ben, Karen and a fishhead overlord. On a whim, it would seem, Tom brought the fishhead back to the hospital as a prisoner. "He's in the psych ward," Grace told Casey. "Where Karen was, fittingly enough."

Then Lee took over, explaining to Casey how Karen had lead an army of Mechs to the hospital, waved a white flag but taken Boon hostage. Lee stared at her feet. "Boon was murdered," she said. "Karen had him, gave him a split-second head start and then let a Mech unload on him. Shot him dead. In front of all of us."

Casey couldn't find words to say so she said nothing. While Anne was dressing her wound, Weaver told Casey that Boon had died, but she hadn't known the circumstances around it. Now she understood why Tector had barely nodded at her when he'd seen her emerge from the hospital, and Lyle had given her that weary smile. They'd lost a friend today.

Etta squirmed in her basket on the seat by Casey. Casey moved to lift her but Grace stopped her. "Don't," Grace rose and gently scooped Etta out of her basket. "Try not to move your back." She placed Etta in Casey's arm and arranged her blanket so she was warm.

Etta blinked tiredly and yawned up at Casey. Etta had been in the medbus with Matt when the blast went off, Lee said. Nowhere near danger. She'd not slept, though, and Lee said she'd struggled to feed her. But as Anne had finished up her bandage, Casey had no trouble feeding Etta her bottle. It was just picking her up and setting her down that was the problem.

"You're good with her," Grace smiled warmly. "She missed you."

Casey blushed and watched Etta do her little half-a-grin as she stuffed her fist in her mouth. Good with her, Casey thought back to what she'd said about her mother to Pope while he was unconscious. And what he said to her. You're good. For the 2nd Mass. Especially for Etta. You're good. Casey had to admit it was kind of him to say, no matter about anything else. Though Anne had treated him to nice dose of painkillers, so he may not have realised he was being nice.

"So," Casey cleared her throat; she didn't like it when Pope randomly entered her mind. "What now?"

"We're leaving," Grace said. "The fishhead was killing Ben, so Dad shot it. Told Karen if she wants to get it back to wherever they're holed up to save it, they have to let the 2nd Mass go."

"And she agreed? It agreed?"

Grace nodded, a grim expression shadowed her young face. "Bitch must love that thing."

xxx

Given how close to death Anne, Matt, Lourdes and herself came, Casey wasn't sad to be ditching the hospital. Everyone was still packed up and ready from when Karen had first arrived and everyone (accurately) assumed trouble would soon follow her.

The 2nd Mass were in the vehicles and ready to move before the clock hit midnight. Due to her injury, Casey stayed on the medbus with Etta and two of Anne's severely injured patients. Matt was with her, gun in hand and ready to guard, while Lourdes sleeping in the backseat.

It was a strange sight, leaving the hospital, because there were still Mechs standing around. Presumably they were guarding Karen and the fishhead overlord, but they were abiding by the order not to fire so they were just standing in the snow like monstrous metal statues. As the medbus pulled away, Casey kept her eye on the Mechs waiting for them to light up and start firing. They didn't. Who knew aliens had values enough to honour a deal?

From her window Casey watched Lee, Tector and Lyle zoomed ahead of the medbus on their quad bikes along with Hal, Grace and a bunch of the other scouts. Casey had no idea where Pope ended up. She was annoyed at herself that she felt annoyed at her curt attitude towards him when he offered to help her. Nice once doesn't erase what he did, or didn't do, regarding Maggie. He wasn't worth Casey feeling guilty. Still, she didn't have to make herself feel crappy over it.

Casey tried to rearrange herself in her seat to be more comfortable but it was impossible to lean against anything without causing herself pain. She settled for sitting backwards in her seat leaning her chin against the bar across the back. She was staring right at Lourdes. Casey hadn't seen her on her feet since she'd walked off from Weaver just after they'd been rescued from the hospital basement. Perhaps resting for the drive would do her good. At least if she was sleeping she wasn't thinking about the horrific way Jamil had died. Those creeper bugs… Casey would never lose that image of them stretching Jamil's mouth open bursting out of his throat. And poor Lourdes was stuck with that for the rest of her life.

They drove on and on. Etta slept soundly in her basket, the patients dozed comfortably and at some point Matt fell asleep in his seat across from Casey. Casey braved the pain it took to shift herself over so she could take his gun from him. A tired child with a weapon was a screw-up waiting to happen. In the light of the early morning that the 2nd Mass convoy came to a stop. Even though the old medbus shuddered when Anne turned off the engine, Matt stayed asleep. Lourdes had her back to Casey, so she was either asleep or faking it. Either way Casey didn't plan on disturbing her.

The bus doors screeched as Anne pulled the lever to open them. Then she got to her feet and faced Casey. "Weaver's signalling for us," Anne said as she came down the aisle. "I sense a speech."

Casey looked from the two patients on gurneys to Etta to Matt to Lourdes.

"They'll be fine," Anne said. "We won't go far. Come on."

Though she didn't really need it, Casey was glad that Anne reached down to help her stand. It was strange how many odd parts of her body hurt that were nowhere near her burn. Anne said she'd probably bruised loads of things when the roof had collapsed on top of them all. Walking was fine, it was just the general motions of being a human that twitched her shoulder muscles that gave Casey random explosions of stinging pain. Like walking off the bus. When Casey stepped out into the early morning, the sharp chill in the air sent shiver over her skin which rippled over her burn and made her bite down hard on her lip.

About a third of the 2nd Mass, including most of the scouts and remaining Berserkers. congregated at the front of the convoy while Weaver gave a brief speech about their next move. Casey hung at the back with Lee at her quad bike as she listened to Weaver's speech about how the 2nd Mass was headed to Charleston the fastest but safest way possible. "We're gonna keep rolling come hell or high water all the way to Charleston!" Weaver roused the 2nd Mass. "Got just enough gas and supplies to get there. This is the final push. We're gonna high-ball it down that black ribbon of highway till we see the blue water of Charleston Harbor!"

Scattered applause and cheering rolled over the crowd of smiling faces as the 2nd Mass dispersed back to their vehicles. People around Casey chattered with renewed energy and started to climb back aboard their vehicles.

"Yeah, I heard they got fresh fish. Even lobster." Anthony looked legitimately exhilarated at the thought of seafood. "Oh, man. I can taste it now, swimming in butter."

Dari stepped out from behind his truck shivering in his jacket. "Warm cognac in a tulip-shaped glass."

"Count me in on that action," Maggie grinned as she stepped up onto the side of one of the trucks.

"Oh, yeah," Pope added from the seat of his bike. "They got day spas, ice-cream parlors, theme parks, strip clubs made out of gingerbread. Charleston's gonna be a paradise on earth."

"If you think it'll be a bust, why are you going?" Maggie asked him.

"'Cause he has nowhere else to go and no one else will have him," Anthony said shooting Pope a smug look. "Right, John?"

The 2nd Mass travelled for another four hours before pulling to a stop near a thin river. There wasn't a big Weaver speech this time, it was just a short break for a map check and, for Casey at least, a bandage change. Weaver still sent out the scouts to secure the perimeter, and that of course resulted in a little drama of its own. One of the scouts, Troy or Trey or something, tripped and snapped his arm or his leg of something. Casey had only heard snippets of from Anne as she and Lourdes hurried out into the field to help the injured man. So Casey was left alone in the medbus with two unconscious patients, a wriggling baby and an irritated burn.

Etta was restless, Casey thought she might need fresh air, but her bandage was driving her nuts. The more she tried not to think about it, the more it began to sting and itch in tandem. She made the mistake of pressing her back against the side of the bus to try and alleviate the itch and instead caused herself such a violent pain she swore out loud. She had to get that bandage off, she felt like it was being absorbed into her skin. The longer she waited, the worse it would get. If shouldn't be any harder than changing Etta. Might even be less gross.

Casey tilted the mirror slightly so she could sort of see what she was doing. Then she slowly shrugged off her jacket and turned her shoulder to the mirror. She expected her bandage to be completely stained in blood so she was thankful just to see a round reddish mark about half the size of her palm. It had some weird yellow stains on it, too. Definitely had to come off.

Casey slid both straps of her black singlet down, if she left one over her shoulder it just pulled the back of the shirt sideways across her burn. She didn't need the added irritation. It was hard enough having the singlet rub against the bandage. Casey stood with her back to the mirror, reached over her shoulder and tugged on the edges of her bandage. Ripping it like a Band-Aid would be a terrible idea, the skin was so delicate it would likely just tear open a fresh wound. Casey took her time pulling the bandage as slowly as she could. It still felt like she was ripping off skin. She had to keep stopping to swear and catch her breath.

Etta stirred in her basket and spit bubbles. She bounced and kicked out her legs. She wanted to be picked up but Casey couldn't lift her.

"Bah-bah-bah-bah!" Etta kicked up her legs and stuffed her fist in her mouth.

"Hang on, love," Casey told her through gritted teeth. She gripped the side of the benchtop as tightly as she could, clenched her jaw and tore the bandage completely off her back. "Arg!" Tears welled in her eyes as white hot pain radiated over her back. Etta stopped bouncing and looked at Casey. She frowned a little and looked about to cry.

"It's okay," Casey grimaced a smile at Etta. "I'm okay."

"Liar."

Pope stood aboard the front of the bus halfway up the stairs. Anne had left the doors open to let the air through. The medbus knew how to hold a stink.

"I'm fine," Casey tried to act calmer than she felt. "Is A-Anne out there?"

"Nah, she's up front of the convoy sticking the bone back in some guys' wrist. Idiot tripped on patrol."

Crap. Casey had managed to get her bandage off but there was no way she could apply a new one by herself. And her wound was starting to throb. She could hear Pope walking further down the aisle.

"Need some help?" He asked.

"No," Casey said immediately. "Just leave me alone. Please."

"You're hurt," Pope said matter-of-factly as he arrived behind her. "Let me help."

Casey's burn seemed to beat in time with her heart. She was quickly getting to the point where she'd let Etta have a go at changing her bandage. She picked up the fresh bandage and held it up between her fingers. "Okay." She expected him to make some kind of comment. About her burn, or her shirt being down or something. But he didn't. He just took the bandage from her and opened it on the countertop.

"Think this is the worst injury I've seen?" He said.

A breeze came through the bus and rolled across Casey's raw skin. She had to swallow a sharp bark of pain. "I'm not worried about you being grossed out," she muttered.

"Well, don't worry," he said. "Even in your current state of undress, I won't hit on you."

Casey had to smile or she'd scream. "What, you don't find my scabbing enormously attractive?"

"I didn't say that," Pope said. "Okay, this is probably gonna hurt."

Pope pressed the fresh bandage onto Casey's back. The pressure of his hand against her skin made her gasp and her eyes fill with hot tears. She could tell he was being gentle, but it didn't matter.

"Sorry," Pope said. "Almost done."

Casey curled her toes so tight in her boots her feet cramped. She squeezed the counter edge hard enough that she thought she might snap in her hands. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a low, guttural growl. Etta made a whingy noise.

"Don't stress, kid," Pope said to her. "Burns heal faster than you'd think. Tequila helps numb the pain. Be sure to let this one—" his eyes met Casey's in the mirror. "—know I've got a stash. If she ever needs a drink, that is."

A shiver ran over Casey's skin that sent her a stab of pain through her burn and made her tense up.

"Sorry," Pope said again. He lightly pressed his finger around the edges of the bandage to secure it into place. "Okay, done."

Casey exhaled slowly a few times and let the cool of the bandage on her skin calm her down. After a few moments, the skin on her back stopped throbbing so much. She opened her eyes and noticed the reflection of Pope still standing behind her.

He nodded at her bare shoulders. "Do you, ah, need help to-?"

"No," Casey said. "It's better if I keep the straps down for a while."

"Tube top," he nodded approvingly. "Hot."

Casey's jaw relaxed and she wriggled her toes inside her boots. The fresh bandage felt better, like another layer of skin protecting her burn. She turned around to face Pope. "Thank you."

He smirked. "Don't mention it." Then he turned and jogged off the bus.

Casey took a look at her bandage in the reflection. He'd done a good job. Not that placing a bandage on was difficult, but it sure something Casey couldn't do right now.

"Hrmm!" Etta hummed loudly and made spit bubbles.

"What are you smiling at?" Casey asked her.

Etta responded by kicking out her legs and drooling.

A crash of glass from outside made Casey jump a little. The sound came from the side of the bus that looked out onto the river. Casey looked at Etta and hoped she would be okay alone for a moment reasoning that it'd be worse if skitters were scuttling around out there waiting to attack.

But it wasn't skitters Casey found at the water's edge. It was Lee. She was sitting on a fallen log with a box of glasses stuck in the mud at her feet. Casey recognised them as glasses the 2nd Mass used at mealtimes. The scouts had brought them back from some catering warehouse. Lee was picking them up one by one and tossing them over the water.

Casey trod carefully down the bank. "What are you doing?"

"Tossing glasses," Lee hiked another one across the river.

"That's dangerous," Casey said. "You can't see broken glass in water. The-"

Lee whipped around, her eyes wide face torn in anger. "Does it look like I give a crap?!"

Casey was stunned quiet. "No," she admitted. "No, it doesn't."

Since they'd become better friends, Lee had never screamed at Casey. Even before then Lee was more prone to dismissive sarcasm rather than anger. Something was wrong, and when Casey noticed the gun sitting across Lee's lap she thought she knew what it was. "Is that Boon's rifle?"

Lee didn't say anything at first, she just tossed another glass. "I taught him to shoot using glasses like these," she said a moment later. "Started him slow. Made him shoot those big ass milkshake glasses first. Then these drinking glasses. Got him shooting shot glasses from thirty feet away." She hurled another glass across the water but it smashed against a rock midstream.

Casey's feet sank in the mud but she didn't move.

"He could have made it," Lee turned a glass over in her palm and then suddenly gripped it tight. "If he had run!" Lee hurled the glass clear across the river. "He could have made it!" Lee threw another glass. "He could have. I coulda run out to get him." Out of glasses, Lee just sat staring at the river. "I could have shot Karen right between the eyes. We could have done something."

Casey bit her lip. "Stand up."

Lee looked up at her, confused. Her eyes were wet and reddened.

"Stand the hell up," Casey ordered.

"Why?"

"'Cos I'm gonna hug you."

For whatever reason, Casey's burn decided not to give her grief at that moment. Lee slowly stood up and Casey wrapped her arms around her. She felt Lee's stiff frame relax slightly. Lee's arms latched around Casey's waist and her head sank into Casey's shoulder. The breeze blew Lee's untameable curls across Casey's face and her burn started to irritate her, but Casey didn't mind. They stood together in the mud until Weaver called for the 2nd Mass to get back on the road.

xxx