Reign of Fire: Rising from the Ashes

Chapter Seventeen- You cannot quit me

The door to the infirmary slammed open, and patients and 'nurses' alike rushed to the side to let the broad man pass. Their eyes soon turned from his handsome, tear stained face to the wounded girl he was carrying. Holly. Their heroine. Now nearer to death than they had ever seen her.

After Holly's feverish mumbling the entrance hall had fallen eerily quiet, save for their joined sobs. But just as they began to comprehend their loss, she had suddenly gasped for air again, her small hands tightening on Creedy's larger ones. His resolve rebuilt itself in seconds; he was not going to let her down again, not now, not ever! And so he had scooped her up, amazed at how light she was, and had covered the distance towards the infirmary in record time.

"Doc! Bullet wound to the back, she lost I dunno how much blood! Gone into shock and everything!"

As a bed was cleared in an adjoining storage room, now in use as an operating room, Doc quickly checked Holly's responses, which were indeed minimal.

"We need to get that bullet out and get her on some sort of I.V. as soon as possible. Are you up for a little assistance Creedy?" Looking around he concluded the man was about his best option as the others were already exhausted from hours of devoted caring.

Creedy took a deep breath, not sure how his stomach would take an actual operation. But then again…this was Holly! "Sure, just tell me what to do."

"Well, you could get her undressed for starters, that shouldn't be too much of a problem I think." And with that he turned to gather all needed medical instruments and supplies.

Undressing her…That was about the one thing he'd wanted to do with her from the start, yet now it felt quite perverted, with Holly being unconscious and all. Right, for the sake of medical science then mate! You want her to survive this don't you? What the fuck are you waiting around for then? And so he carefully started to peel off the now bloodied black corset, allowing the flimsy top under it to fall open to her sides…

His hands stilled as his brains started to process the images his eyes were receiving. Her entire torso was covered in the nastiest scars and burns marks, one slashing across the other, causing sections of skin to rise over one another in different colours and textures. Suddenly in a hurry, he continued his work until she lay bare before him, her skin looking even paler as before under the bright lamps above them. The scars continued down her hips and licked at her thighs and upper legs before dissolving into the creamy, healthy skin he'd been treated to before. Before…

Suddenly realisation hit him like a brick in the head. Her distant behaviour, her nervous fumbling with the pretty skirt she wore over dinner, her sad eyes at his blunt remark on her undoubtedly many scars, her vague and aggressive remarks on how he and Kayleigh deserved each other and how they would never work…

She'd been successfully pushing him away from her all along, somehow getting it into her head that she wasn't good enough for him, that he wouldn't want her this scarred!

"Oh Holly lass, if only I'd known darling. Were you really that frightened of me?"

He knew better than to receive an answer of course, but as if hearing him Holly's brow furrowed and her muscles clenched in pain. "Doc! We need to start and we need to do it now!"

The room fell into a concentrated silence, as Doc and Creedy worked through the remainder of the night to reach the bullet in Holly's back. It had nestled itself against a bundle of nerves along her lower spine, and caution would have to be taken not to paralyse her permanently. While Doc's steady hands worked their magic Creedy was performing all kinds of odd jobs, from dabbing away the blood to checking Holly's heart rate and blood pressure. As the sun started to climb up over the surrounding hills the final stitches were eventually put in and an I.V. for fresh blood could be prepared. After a short search it had been confirmed that Jared shared Holly's blood type, and he had been happy to donate for her recovery. Painkillers was a different matter though.

"I can't put her on morphine right now Creedy, not before I've had a chance to test her reflexes properly. If she should deteriorate under the influence of morphine we won't be able to notice in time. I'll have to go for a lighter option I'm afraid."

Creedy nodded, knowing it would hurt like hell but understanding there was no other way. And if anyone was strong enough to fight through, it would be Holly. So long as she knew what she was fighting for. And so he sank down by her bed, tugging the warm blankets around her a little closer. He face was peaceful now, and he prayed it would stay that way for a while. With her current injuries she could use all the rest she could get!

Quinn and Alex had sat outside the small 'operating room' the entire time, only moving away when they helped search for a blood donor. Alex was fine, a mild concussion at worst; not that it stopped Quinn from fussing, if he could have he would have broken down and cried from relief, but with how badly Holly had been hurt he needed to be strong for everyone- there was time for anything else later.

The doctor came out from the room, exhaustion seeping from him. He looked down at the couple who sat by the door and sighed.

"Well?" Alex asked hesitantly- was the answer going to be what she wanted to hear?

"She's all right- for now."

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked this time, Alex's hand tightening her grip on his.

"The type of injury she has is really serious, if we were in a hospital then she would more or less make a recovery; but we're not, the surgical and after-care equipment I have is basic at best, before I escaped I could only get my hands on certain things. I had a small emergency pain relief store which I knew would come in handy, but she will still be in a lot of pain if she wakes up."

"What do you mean- 'if'?" Alex began to panic again. The doctor ran his hands through his hair.

"I am not a fully qualified doctor, I was an Intern when the dragons came and had never done or seen an operation like this. I guessed my way through the entire thing, for all I know she could be permanently paralysed. Then there is possible infection, the room, Creedy, the equipment, the wound and me were not specially sterilised, and there is no way we could have done it. Holly could pick up an infection like septicaemia from anywhere because her immune system is so low; the possibility of her making it through surgery, surviving the after care, not getting and dying from an infection, and definitely not suffer from any further problems because of the wound, is highly impossible. We will have to wait and see and pray she doesn't suffer." His face mirrored his words; the doctor's face was grim.

"Does Creedy know this?" Quinn asked solemnly.

" No, I thought best not to tell him just yet. He is tired and emotional, it wouldn't help matters."

"Yes, we'll wait and see what happens first." Quinn agreed.

Alex swallowed hard and no longer fought the tears in her eyes, Quinn pulled her into a crushing embrace and held her as she cried out all her anger, fear and shock.

"It'll be all right sweetheart, everything will be OK." He whispered, rocking them back and forth.

Kayleigh hadn't strayed far either, when she heard that Holly was dead she was rather sadistically over the moon. So when it was spread that Holly wasn't dead and was currently in theatre with the Doc and no one other than Creedy helping him, she knew she would have to stick close to the pretty useless infirmary so she would hear the news first.

Holly was alive, but her chances very slim- that made Kayleigh smile. It could be said that she expected Holly to have not even made it back from the camp, but then those friends of hers weren't as clever as they thought; reason number two why she had stayed put at the Castle. But this was possibly working out better than hoped, if Holly died, and die she would, then Creedy would need a shoulder to cry on- who better than Kayleigh? She could offer him everything he would need in and out of the bedroom.

She winced as the pain in her arm came back, she would have to go and get more pain relief from the doctor, knowing that playing the woe begotten victim would easily get her more than anyone else.

Creedy did not know how long he had been at Holly's bedside; his neck and back ached from the position he had been in for so long. He looked upon the still form of Holly, who had yet to wake; to Creedy she seemed to be like Sleeping Beauty- maybe if he kissed her…No, he could not take something she was so fearful to give, no matter how much he was tempted to kiss those full lips. Holly seemed so small lying there like she was, no longer the strong, feisty dragon slayer he had grown to care for and respect. Now she was just a young woman who had nearly died saving others, who was scared to let him see her as she really was, who needed love and protection more than anything- he could see that now.

"I'll be here for you love, don't worry. You just rest and I'll be here when you're ready to wake up…"

As before, the sound of his voice seemed to reach her and her mouth twitched somewhat. Not long after though, her pretty face pulled in to a frightened frown as a dream -nay, nightmare- seemed to attack her. The images inside her mind seemed to make her tremble. Shaking her head from side to side as if to shake off some bad memory. Creedy was immediately by her side, trying to keep her still so as not to hurt her recovering wounds, carefully listening to try and make out her words.

"No, please, don't…don't hurt him…he can't ever…you can't…please don't tell him…won't understand…Kayleigh…no…I'll…please don't…you'll hurt him…don't tell…Kayleigh…please don't…"

Creedy jerked back up on hearing the pretty blonde's name. And once more he realised the story might have played out quite differently than he had been led to believe. How many more tricks did his lover have up her sleeve? Creed, someone's been playing you for a fool mate, and it doesn't appear to be the little angel fighting for her life here! He needed answers…and he needed them now. And so he allowed Alex to release him from his watch, to make his way over to a more than eager Kayleigh…