Ch. 6: Side Effects

Well, here we are at chapter six. This fic, by far, has been one of the most enjoyable projects I've written. I'd like to thank all anonymous readers for even reading this far, and I hope you continue to read as this fic continues to grow in length. Free cookies for all! Well, here we go.

It would be three weeks before Anna and the other more greviously wounded members of the team would be ready to return to their project. During that time, Anna and Moliere would share a drug-induced truce, she letting him alone to occupy himself with his magazines, and he letting her alone to her own devices. They learned much more about each other, she of his family, and he of her...love of sappy poetry. This would no doubtedly be lost once they were back to normal, but they each had a higher respect for the other in the end.

Milo had suffered only a minor concussion due to a blow to the back of his head, and was by far, the luckiest of the truly injured. Zahalm's wounds, under the watchful eye of Mimi, were beginning to heal, although he had stayed in critical condition for a week and a half after the incident. News of all this made Anna smile, for she had worried night and day for her friends' lives.

On her troubled mind for the most part, was the thoughts of Vinny. He'd lost a hand to save her, and she could not think of any ways to thank him other than throwing her body in front of his in battle. For the duration of their recovery, he slept mostly, never speaking unless it was to complain about the awful beverage they were served. Anna worried that he was angry with her, and voiced this fear to Gaetan.

"He isn't angry wis you. Eef you've paid any attention to him at all, you'd know he's quiet. He just dosen't want to talk ees all," was his reply.

Sighing, she nodded, taking up her notebook and pen. Her chest and back wounds were mending well enough, but it was as Sweet had feared. If she ever bore children, there would be no way for her to breast feed them. Anna was intent to keep her body intact, though, and refused the doctor's offer to amputate, saying that she came into this world whole, and she intended to leave it whole.

"You know, it's going to be sort of sad when they take us off the medication and we go back to hating each other and fighting like dogs."

"Oui, but ze world, she must keep on spinning."

Anna glanced up and looked back at him for a moment, a sudden and puzzling thought running through her mind. If they were being totally honest, she decided she might as well voice it.

"Do you even remember what we were fighting about?"

Never taking his eyes off the center-fold, the man shrugged a bit, thinking it over before coming to a conclusion.

"I believe eet was your theory on zat earthquake thing sinking zat city we're looking for. I protested on ze grounds zat all you 'ad was mythological evidence, and you called me a 'French freak,' eef I recall correctly," he answered curtly.

Grunting in reply, Anna shifted nervously. The tranquilizers Sweet had prescribed her were strong enough to make that Sphinx passive, and the effects were kicking in dose after dose. Of course, she knew it would probably mean nothing to him if she apologized, and once she was back in her right state of mind, she figured that if he did care, she'd never admit it.

Letting her head flop back, she closed her eyes, watching the world through her lids. Since when had she ever been this open with a man she wasn't related to? Sure, she'd had close talks with her uncle and grandfather, but she'd never even been close to having a guy date her, so no one stuck around to listen. She wondered, perhaps, if he listened out of boredom and restlessness, or if he actually wanted to. After all, the medication given during the day was made to keep the patient from falling out, and not being able to leave bed would make anyone wish for distraction. Surely, even he couldn't stare at those magazines all day?

Her thoughts drifted back to the day of the incident. She was glad that Mimi, Sweet, Audrey, and Kida had been able to stay out of harm's way. The most any of them had as far as injury was perhaps a large scratch, or a minor burn from backing into the flames. Kida had come out famously, for she'd done a beautiful job of keeping Milo and Audrey safe. While Anna and the others were distracting the creature, Sweet had been quietly clearing an escape route back to the tunnel they'd entered from. He'd been the first to help Mimi and Zahalm.

Mimi had miraculously put aside her fear of blood to pull the chef out. Anna figured she loved the man too much to let him die, because, although they argued, squabbled, and fought roughly, she knew the young girl had a deep respect for the man. Anna made a mental note to commend Mimi along with the others during her report.

"Do you think we'll find it?" she murmured, allowing her tense body to relax.

Gaetan adjusted his glasses and looked over at her. She seemed at peace, which in itself was disturbing. He recalled what the chef had told them about her childhood and wondered if there was ever a moment in her life in which she was as relaxed as this. Mimi had helped her bathe a few days before, and with the dirt removed from her body and hair, she looked like an ivory carving, the only sign of life being the strained movement of her chest.

"Wis your determination, probably so. Are you 'aving doubts already?"

She did not open her eyes, nor did she move at all. All that gave her answer was the light 'Uh-huh' in her breathing. She felt weak, and wanted sleep badly, for the past few nights had been spent away with insomnia, which the doctor had spoken of as an effect on her mind. Apparently, since the attack, she'd become slightly paranoid during the evenings, making it hard for her to sleep. He'd given her extra tranquilizers, but her body fought back, and Sweet was afraid she'd become immune.

Mole turned over, gingerly tucking his arm under his pillow to prop up and watch her. She seemed to be drifting off, and although it would be in his nature to agitate her, he decided to let her sleep. There had been several occasions in which he would wake up to her shouts and screams in the middle of the night. They would all, of course, be caused by nightmares in her fitful sleep. He thought it best to wait and see if she would speak again, however doubtful that it would happen.

"I get scared...sometimes," she choked suddenly.

He jumped a little in suprise, thinking she'd already drifted off some time ago. Her statement was completely random and irrelevant to what they'd discussed earlier, but he decided to bite and go along with her.

"Scared? Of what?"

"Everything! People, creatures; they all want to hurt me; all want me to die," she breathed.

Her body shook as the crystal tears drifted slowly from her eyes. It was obvious to him that she was in pain, but he couldn't tell if it was truly her speaking, or another side effect of the medication. His stomach lurched, instinct telling him to either leave her or comfort her, neither of which he was capable of. Normally, he hated to see women cry, but his heart told him to at least speak.

"You say 'people'. Surely you can't mean all people. We don't want you dead, Anna. Why would Vinny and I 'ave risked our lives to save you back zere, eh?"

She swallowed, hoping to rid her throat of the lump that had formed in it. Gasping for breath, her body gave a violent shudder before she continued.

"I don't know!" she spat, her voice dripping venom.

With that, she fell promptly to sleep, leaving Gaetan in a stunned silence. Later, he would find this to happen quite more often. In the times Anna went on her tangents of self-loathing and paranoia, the geologist could only lie in bed and listen to her, sometimes adding semi-supportive dialogue to his part.

The weeks drew forward while Sweet began weaning his patients from their sedatives and tranquilizers, leaving Anna and Gaetan in foul moods. Of course, both of them hated being dependant on the injections, but they'd enjoyed the few weeks of peace much more than what they'd shared earlier.

The day of their release, Sweet instructed Anna on the proper application of ointment for her tender wounds. Having been off of the drugs completely for a few days, the woman was back to her normal, snippy self.

"So, now that we've got you off of the medication, how do you feel?" he asked, lightly.

His smile was met with a murderous scowl as she swiped the ointment from his hands and shoved it in her pocket. She wore a tube-tank, open sleeveless vest over her shoulders. She would have looked completely normal but for the bandages peeking from under the bottom of the tank.

"How do I feel? How do I feel! I just spent three weeks discussing the meaning of life with that...that pig over there! How do you think I feel!" she shouted, storming out of the tent.

Anna sat in her tent, a disgusted look crossing her face as she opened the bottle of ointment. It smelled no better than the concoction she'd drunk for the past few weeks, and her stomach churned as she librally applied it to her wounds. The day had gone well; Milo remembered what he was supposed to be doing and the others were just about ready to return to work.

Suddenly, it dawned on her that she hadn't visited Vinny at all since she'd been up, but her muscles protested, screaming at her to sleep instead. Ignoring them, she quickly tore a page from her notebook and scribbled down her thoughts. Folding it and placing it in her breast-pocket, she quickly strode out of the tent and back to the infirmary.

Vinny sat up in bed, reclined on a few pillows as he fought all odds to pick up his fork. You see, the Italian had always been right handed, and with said appendage missing, he was having quite a time trying to use his left.

Anna winced as a stream of curses were uttered out of his frustration. She could only imagine what he was going through. How could she ever be sorry enough for what had happened?

"Vinny?"

The Italian stopped his utterances and looked up at her with cold eyes. He blinked and turned his attention back to his meal as the woman approached.

"Vinny, I... I don't know how to thank you. I wish there was something I could do. Vinny, I'm so sor..."

"Quiet," he interrupted, voice snapping at her.

Her figure withdrew, eyes waxed with pain. How could he be so hostile at a time like this? She only wanted him to know how much she appreciated his help; to tell him that the loss was not in vain.

"It's not your fault, ya know? Don't let me hear your apologies. That's the last thing I need to hear, okay?"

"Then what can I do? How can I ever repay you?"

He sighed, voice lowering in tone as he turned his gaze upward.

"Don' treat me any different. Just because I'm missin' a hand dosen't mean I can't do my work, ya' know?"

Anna nodded, reaching into her pocket and producing the note she'd written earlier. Laying it on the table beside him, she gave a short bow and walked away.

Once in her tent, she changed clothes and nestled down on her bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin. Saying a quick prayer, she fell into a fitfull sleep. In her sleep, she wept, searing pain creeping up her spine and to the base of her skull. Her dreams were filled with night terrors, her shouts waking nearly half the camp.

Those employed by the Russian knew better than to go to her side and risk having their necks snapped, for Anna could be violent in her sleep and unknowingly kill a person too close to her at the time. Although it had not happened for several years, she had brutally beaten one man that had come to check on her during an episode several years ago, all the time never conscious of her actions.

Again, she found herself up with the rising sun. Dressing, she walked out to the center of the camp, standing in the center of the charred remains of the bonfire. Spreading her arms wide, she bowed low, greeting the new day.

"Praise to thee, God of Sun. Praise to thee, for thou hast bestowed life again upon we wretched mortals. We honor thine presence," she prayed.

Lifting her head, she watched the clouds roll by as the others began to emerge from their tents. The still morning was calming, and for all the day long, she and her team made progress. After having Milo isolate another site, they loaded the machines once again and left by nightfall.

"Surely, this journey will not be in vain," Anna whispered as the truck bounced to and fro.