I hurt.

Have I been in that damn shed again?

The thought hits me then and I remember. A rescue.

Have they forgotten me?

Did we get beaten?

I don't wanna be in the cage anymore.

I bolt upright and make the biggest mistake I've made in a while.

"Jesus." Someone says.

Nausea hits me badly.

My stomach feels like it's been trod on and my head spins wildly, like it's just spun 360.

"I gottcha." A familiar voice says, but my eyes are too tightly squeezed shut to see who's speaking to me. "Just take some deep breaths, stay clam, you're OK." he continues.

My breathing's rapid and not steady and I concentrate on steadying it best I can. Just don't think about the feeling in my stomach and how dreadful I really feel, keep breathing. Eventually, things steady and I open my eyes a little.

Things around me look normal. Not normal like they've been for the weeks or months I've been at that camp but before that. Before any of that shit happened.

The guy with me is that Face kid. I can't remember whether I've known his name all along or what, but I just know that's who it is. He's looking at me kinda intently, watching me carefully. He smiles a little when I look at him. Is he trying to reassure me, or is he just being nice?

"Feel a little better now?" He asks me.

Dumb ass question. Do I feel better now I'm at a clean hospital rather than in a disgustion POW camp. I go to bite back, but something stops me.

I'm not there any more. That anger that was helping me through seems to be evaporating as I lay here. I made it.

Realising that the guys still waiting for an answer, I nod my head a little, careful of my actions from earlier.

"Do you want anything?" He asks. He looks to something off to the side and I look round too. I see Hannibal and B.A over at the door, waiting for Face to join them.

"Unless you've got a collection of Superman comics up your ass, I think I'll be okay."

He smiles at me. "I gotta go. I'll see ya soon." He stands up and I watch him leave.

My smile fades slowly as I watch him join the other two men. I get this feeling that I won't be seeing them again. Not sure why that makes me sad, but it does. You know what they say, misery loves company and I start searching for some.

I scan the people around me, all resting in the hospital beds. There's no one I really recognise, so I turn to the guy in the closest bed. I smile at him brightly and ask "What're you in for?"

'Standing space is all the space I can stand, gravity just keeps on keeping me down'

The days start drifting into one, endless boring day, the boredom only ceasing when I sleep. That's when the nightmares turn up and they're not great, but I can handle some crappy dream. I mean, the stuff that happens in the dream is usually just some weirder version of what actually happened to me anyway and I managed to live through that.If you can call this living.

I've noticed something change in me recently. It feels almost dangerous, but it's hard to tell. I never felt this way in the camps, or before. But now I'm out I'm feeling different.

The nurse has been encouraging me to discuss my feelings with the doctor, but I've heard them talk about shrinks and I'm not going down that road.

I guess I was kinda on a high when we first got back and now the trip back to reality is a long, boring one. It's lonely too. Not that I care about that. My own company suits me fine, but I can't get released from this god damn hospital and that's just frustrating.

I feel okay really. If they'd let me outta here, I'd feel a whole lot better. Ah, screw 'em anyway, I'll get out of here one way or another. Just wish I didn't have so much thinking time at the moment.

"Captain?" A voice near me startles me a little. Hadn't noticed anyone approach. I see it's the Hannibal guy. He looks well. Better than stuck in a camp.

"Colonel." I reply. Did he tell me he was a Colonel before? I notice the rank on the uniform, but some of the stuff I can't remember is weird.

"You're looking better. I guess you'll be out of here in a matter of days, huh?" He asks me.

I simply shrug my shoulders. I'm the last to know anything here. "Well I hope you are because you've been assigned to fly several missions with my team and I'd quite like you out of a hospital bed by then."

I was a little surprised by the news, but tried not to show it. Maybe this was some type of test. "What's the catch?" I ask, wondering if they're planning on sticking me in to see a shrink first before I can fly any more.

"No catch." Hannibal assures me. He looks serious enough, before he remembers something and reaches around to his back pocket. "Face wanted me to pass these on to you. He says he hopes you like 'em." Hannibal said.

I reach for what he's holding out and look at it. Superman comics. Three comics in great condition. I feel a smile tug at my lips.

"He said not to worry, he didn't get them out of his ass." He looked almost as surprised as I was at the laugh that came from me. I couldn't help it. "Look, when you get out of here, come and find me. I'm sure you'll be out any day now. Then we can go through the first mission. I'll leave you to your comics and I'll see you soon."

I watch Hannibal walking away. Maybe I haven't seen the last of those guys.

And that thought gives me a little hope, that maybe I'm not done for. I've got a mission with those guys, a reason to carry on.

Something to live for.

The End