I send my anger into the ground creating an earthquake almost strong enough to knock the garbage truck off of its wheels. Sharon lets out a cry of surprise as she loses her balance and starts to fall. She manages to catch herself on the counter behind me.
"What was that all about?" she demands.
I ignore her as I see the sirens take flight. I know I'm only going to get one chance at this. I pull in the wind, pushing the sirens higher and then I twist the wind around them. This vortex needs to be faster and tighter than the last one I did or else they'll escape. I'm not sure I can do it, but I have to try. Sharon comes up behind me and watches what I'm doing.
"What are you doing?" she asks.
"Help me," I say through gritted teeth.
"Why? What good will it do?"
"You're better at this than I am," I growl. "Now please help me."
"I don't see the point, but all right," she says.
I feel her power join my own. The wind gains in strength and speed.
"Please, make it faster and narrower," I tell her as I let her take control of the vortex.
"All right," she grumbles. "But I still don't see what good it will do. All we're doing is making them dizzy and angry."
I watch as Hellboy levels the Samaritan at the vortex and lets loose four rounds. As he reloads, I see Liz send her own power into the vortex. The heat generated by her and the burning bodies makes the vortex even more powerful.
"That's a Fire Mage," Sharon exclaims.
"Concentrate on the vortex," I remind her.
Finally, Liz douses her flame as the last of the sirens dies. We slowly let the wind die down and the pieces of burnt siren start to fall back to earth. I bet the smell out there must be something else, and I'm actually glad I'm in here. Then I notice Hellboy get down on his hands and knees. It looks like he's shielding something. I see something blue underneath him and my heart catches in my throat.
As the last piece of siren hits the ground, I see Hellboy pick Abe up and quickly head our way. I do a quick 'check' on the truck and find the button that opens the door. I stick my hand behind the loose panel and push the button.
"Thank goodness," says Sharon. "Now we can finally get out of here."
She starts to head for the ramp just as Hellboy appears at the bottom of it. Sharon gasps at the sight of him and Abe. I grab her arm and yank her back out of the way so Hellboy can put Abe down on the bench. I see Abe gasp and I now know why he was on the ground. The siren left puncture wounds in his abdomen and groin area. I can see his blood spilling out of the holes. One side of his body has also been badly burned. The smell of burnt fish and foam neoprene reach my nose making me want to gag as I kneel down beside him, and I don't care.
"Abe?" I quietly call his name.
I can hear my voice shaking. His eyes flutter open and he looks at me.
"Abe?" Sharon suddenly asks. "Wait a minute. You can't possible mean that Abe. Can you?"
"Yes, Sharon," I answer as I look at her. "I mean that Abe. Hellboy, who's the medic?"
"I am," Abe answers with a weak, pain filled voice.
I turn and look at him. Every ounce of my being is crying in pain with him. I suddenly remember something. I stand up and face Sharon.
"Please help him," I beg her.
"Are you crazy?" she asks incredulously.
"Sharon, you're an RN," I reply. "He's been badly hurt. Will you please help him?"
"I quit being a nurse when I married Ron," she counters, nervously glancing at Abe and then HB.
"So, you forgot all of your training on the wedding night?" I ask her hotly.
"No of course not," she answers. "But look at him, Maggie. He's bleeding blue."
She says that last part as a whisper.
"So I guess that makes him a true blue American," I retort hotly. "For crying out loud, Sharon, he's dying and all you can seem to think about is his color. Did you have problems dealing with patients of different ethnicity, too?"
"No, of course not," she answers, sounding peeved.
"Then help him," I beg again. "Please."
She looks at me, looks at Abe, and then looks at me again. She sighs and finally nods. She looks with barely contained fear at Hellboy.
"Are there any medical supplies in here?" she asks him.
Hellboy points to a cabinet above Abe's head.
"Thank you," she says.
She walks to the cabinet and opens it. Abe starts to tell her what shelves and drawers the items she needs are on and in. I can see her hands shaking as she pulls out the items.
"He's just another patient, Sharon," I quietly remind her.
She stops what she's doing and looks at me. After a few moments, she nods and turns back to her work with steady hands. I don't think I can handle seeing any more blood, so I turn to leave. The back of the truck is closed up and I finally notice we're moving. I've been concentrating on Abe so much that I hadn't noticed anything else that was going on.
"How long have we been in motion?" I ask Hellboy without even looking at him.
"We left shortly after Abe and I got back in," he answers.
"Oh, thank you," is all I can think to say.
I stand near the door and just stare at it. I don't dare turn around. I can hear Abe and Sharon quietly talking. I hear Hellboy rustling around in coat, looking for something. After about a minute he seems to find it. Then I hear a match light. It goes out immediately.
"Oh, come on," he complains.
"I told you can't stand the smell of those things," I remind him.
I hear Hellboy mutter something under his breath as he puts the cigar and box of matches away.
"Hey, whoa, Abe," Hellboy says in shock. "I don't think it's the right time for that. Besides, you've got the wrong girl."
Confused, I turn around and look at Abe. He's lying on the bench completely naked and he has a full erection. I feel my face turn red hot as I quickly turn back around. I imagine that my eyes must be as big as dinner plates at this point.
"Actually, it's perfectly normal," Sharon responds. "It's an automatic reaction to trauma to the body. By the way, where are we heading?"
"Jersey," Hellboy answers.
"Oh, thank you," she says. "I told my husband that I'd be home tonight. How am I to get back?"
"Can't your cousin drive you?" he asks.
"My car is back at the bar," I answer without turning around.
"Oh," he says. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Myers or someone can give you a ride home. Where you live?"
"Central Park West," she replies.
"Nice," Hellboy says.
"Would you please lend me your coat?" she asks.
"What for?" he responds.
"I'm done," she answers. "I'd like to cover him up now."
"Ok, sure," he says.
I hear the snap of latex gloves coming off as Hellboy takes his duster off.
"Thank you," Sharon says.
A few moments later, she's standing next to me.
"You can go see him now," she tells me.
"Thank you," I say. "I owe you."
"You owe me an invitation to the wedding," she responds.
I quietly chuckle as I walk toward the back of the truck. Abe is now mostly covered with Hellboy's coat. The burned areas have been left exposed to the air. I'm afraid to touch him, so I just sit on the floor next to him leaning my head against the cool metal bench. He starts to stroke my hair and that's when the silent tears finally come.