"Will you take your sunglasses off, please?" Sue asked the man sitting across from her.
'Why?'
"It makes it easier to read you."
'Not yet. Soon. W first. Then talk more.'
"I can help you." She made a move to rise from the small table.
'No. I do it. W strong. Violent. Hurt here.' He tapped his temple. 'Wait.' He stepped outside to his own car she presumed. Momentarily he returned with a military field sack.
Sue watched as the silent man pulled a med kit from the pack. He began laying out bandages and tape, scissors and a needle and thread. He set a tube of antibiotic ointment to the side and pulled out a syringe.
"What's that for?"
'Sleep. I fix. He sleep.'
"What about Levi? Will he be in the way? Could he get hurt?"
The silent man pondered the question. 'Parrot.'
"Come again?"
'W, parrot. Polly. Me, wolf. Timber.' Sue wasn't sure, but she thought she saw his face move a little at his last remark. 'You, dog. Levi. Calm.'
She watched as he began to clean the small cuts on Hector's head. The cuts weren't deep but there were so many of them. Looking closely, she could now tell that dried blood was mixed into his dark hair.
"What happened to him?"
The silent man put a finger to his lips. 'Wait.'
He finished with Hector's head. After resetting his supplies, the silent man started to remove the sleeping man's jacket when Hector jumped up with a roar. Sue stumbled back and Levi scrambled in front of her. "NOOOO! Let me go! I don't know what you want! Red, stop! Please, don't make me hurt you!" The blinded man fought wildly with his nightmares.
'TALK!' came the command from the other side of the bed.
Sue calmed herself as best as she could. "Hector? Hector, can you hear me? Where are you?"
Behind the wild man, the silent man prepared to subdue his friend. He grabbed Hector's left hand and spun him so the two men were face to face. On making contact with another person, Hector clutched at his opponent's sleeve and began to attack using his right hand. The silent man dropped into a defensive posture knowing his friend was not himself. He didn't want to hurt him anymore than he already had been. Sue could only watch as the two fought. She pushed herself back into a corner and drew Levi down in front of her.
Inside Hector's mind, he was fighting to get away. Away from the lights, away from the drugs, away from his hellish nightmare. Strong arms were trying to restrain him again and he wasn't going to let them win this time. Getting his legs under, he pushed his attacker off and heard him hit the wall. He roared in frustration when his connection to his opponent was lost. He stood heaving for a moment, letting his ears find his prey. A scrabbling noise came from the corner behind him and he turned.
The silent man stood up shakily and saw instantly how wrong the situation could go. He launched himself onto Hector's back and they slammed into the bed. The wild man was pinned for the moment but it was taking all of his strength to hold him down. Turning to the frightened woman, he struggled to communicate. He saw that she was watching. Daring to loosen one hand, he flashed 'needle' at her. She nodded and began to edge around the perimeter of the room toward the nightstand where the syringe lay.
Hector continued to wrestle against the man who had pinned him. He felt one hand release and took advantage of the moment to elbow his captor in the head. "Let me go! I just want to go home! I don't know what you are looking for! I—Ahhh" A right cross to the jaw silenced him, angered him. He only wanted his life back. His wife and daughter. His friends. He couldn't give in. He had to fight.
The silent man tried to subdue his friend with a punch to the jaw but he felt him tense. In combat, adrenaline served a purpose, to ensure survival. His friend was trapped in shadows trying to survive. He gripped Hector in a move similar to a half nelson and held tight. He would have to have help. He heard Sue groping for the syringe. He wrestled his friend into a tight position and motioned to the woman with his head.
Sue made eye contact with the silent man. He motioned her attention to the other man's shoulder. She made a stabbing motion with the syringe and pointed to him. He shook his head no. She pointed to herself and he nodded. Drawing a deep breath, she waited until Hector was pressed deep into the bed before she drove the needle home. She could tell he screamed in pain and it affected her to the core. Stumbling back, she sat hard on the floor. Levi nosed her arm and she pulled him close in a hug.
The silent man held tight until he felt the sedative take affect. The shuddered breathing of his friend evened out to the peaceful rhythm of sleep. Easing his arms free of the slumbering man, he sat at the edge of the bed. He drew in a shaky breath then slid to the floor, elbows to knees, hands clenched in his hair. Sue watched as his shoulders started to shake and she moved forward. Gently, she reached and removed his glasses and saw a pair of eyes that mirrored her own, down to the tears. She pulled him into an embrace of shared grief. Great sobs tore through his frame but she only heard the sound of silence.