Hi sorry for the long break, was in Germany for 2 weeks, now back…
Chapter 10
Kate was pleased with herself. She was glad that she had helped Sun in her gardens and knew now which are the plants for relieving pain and preventing infection. And she had managed to find these plants in the forest, which she was holding in her hands, together with some mangoes. Sawyer is going to need those herbs when she removes the bullet from his shoulder. True, she doesn't relish the idea of removing a bloody bullet from someone's flesh but she got to help him do it before that thing turns septic.
Just when she was reaching the tree, she thought she saw something lying underneath it which wasn't there before. Afraid that it might be some wild animal, she slowed down her steps and moved cautiously forward.
"Sawyer? Sawyer!" Kate threw all precaution to the air when she realised the 'thing' underneath the tree was Sawyer lying face down on the ground. She rushed to his side and discovered to her dismay that he was unconscious and the bandage she tied round his bullet wound earlier was no longer there and there was a big patch of blood on the wound now. One of his hands held the half-filled water bottle.
Kate put her finger to his neck and found that his pulse, though weak, was too quick, indicating severe blood loss. She gently turned his face to the side and examined the bullet wound, seeing that the hole has been widened and was now bleeding profusely. This crazy guy must have dug at his own wound to remove the bullet, she thought. But she wasn't sure whether he succeeded in his mission. Is the bullet still inside?
Just then she saw that his other fist was clenched around something small. Prising it open, she saw a blood-stained bullet inside. Glad that she does not have to perform the nerve-wrecking job, she removed the water bottle from his hand and poured the water on the wound to cleanse it. Then she squashed the plants which she found earlier and applied it as a paste on top of the wound. Finally she tored off his other sleeve and tied it as a bandage tightly around the wound. She used the remaining water to wash the blood off her hands.
Kate noticed that Sawyer did not move at all throughout her administering. His face was still extremely pale and his breathing shallow. How the world did he fall down the tree? Has he injured himself by that fall? She couldn't tell at the moment, with he still lying on his front. And what is she going to do now? She couldn't get his unconscious body up the tree on her own and the Others may return any moment. Looking around her, she decided to drag him behind some bushes.
Sawyer felt someone dragging him by his feet over the rough ground. And how that hurts, his injured shoulder and his left foot especially . When the movement stopped, he opened his eyes slowly, trying not to wince.
"Freckles?" he mumbled, his voice barely audible. But Kate heard it. "Hey how do you feel?" she asked him softly.
"Like someone's been dragging me like a corpse over the ground." he mumbled. He pushed himself up painfully and rolled over onto his back, and couldn't stifle a moan when the wound at the back of his shoulder made contact with the ground.
Kate saw the movement. "Did you injured yourself anywhere when you fall?"
"Oh, so that's why my whole body aches" Sawyer thought to himself. He didn't remember the fall until now. Gingerly, he tried to raise himself to a sitting position, trying not to wince. "No Freckles, I just……." But he didn't manage to finish his sentence as suddenly the pain in his stomach hit him again. He was so caught up with his new injuries and afflictions and he had completely forgotten about that. It caught him off guard and he fell back heavily onto the ground, jarring his shoulder badly in the process, and curled up on his side immediately.
"Oh Sawyer, I forgot to give you the second dose of injection!" Kate exclaimed when she saw him in pain. She quickly climbed up the tree to retrieve the backpack on the platform. She climbed back down and injected the yellow liquid into Sawyer's arm. Then she put the mangoes which she picked into the backpack.
As it was not a painkiller, it took a while later when the pain subsides that Sawyer was able to straighten his body a little. His eyes were tightly closed and his face was pale as a sheet.
"Sawyer, can you walk?" Kate asked a while later. She was reluctant to get him to move in his weakened state but that was not a good hiding place. They had to get out of the forest as soon as possible.
Sawyer opened his eyes at her words. Kate bent and helped him to sit up. She could feel him shaking with the effort and his body was hot with fever. She held his good arm and brought him to a standing position. As soon as Sawyer's feet touched the ground, he felt a sharp pain shooting up his entire left leg from his ankle all the way to his hips. Luckily Kate held him firmly, standing with her feet wide apart to brace him in case he falls. She wasn't sure if her petite figure could support him, but at least she must try.
As Sawyer shifted his weight onto his good foot, the surroundings start to spin around him mercilessly and his head throbbed in wild protest. He leaned heavily on Kate before his breathing becomes more regular and the dizzy spell abate a little. At least now the wound in his shoulder seemed to have stopped bleeding and there was a 'bandage' around it. But he still felt extremely cold and he was sure he had sprained his left foot during the 20 feet plunge.
"All right, let's go before those self-appointed scientists catch up and decide to do what-the-hell-you-know tests on us again.." Sawyer put his good hand around Kate's shoulder and they started to walk albeit slowly. Kate bent to pick up the backpack one-handedly and looped it round her other shoulder. She hoped that Sawyer would be able to last till they can find a good hiding place.
TBC…. no cliffhanger this time LOL.