Ch. 2 A Pained Call

Pain, more intense than any Steve had ever felt before, woke with him as he rolled his head to the side. He stifled a moan best he could. Slowly, slowly Steve opened his eyes. The light was like a knife, cutting into his eyes and mind. He fought the urge to snap them shut again. After mentally running his mind over his body and what position he was in, he realized something was in his hand. He shifted slightly to feel what it was.
A groan of pain banished the silence, and for a moment Steve thought it was him making the noise. There certainly was reason for it, as every twitch of his fingers around whatever he held sent shots of agony up his right arm. He remembered the searing pain when the man had broken it, and winced. Another groan sounded, and this time he was able to hear it more clearly. The groan wasn't coming from him! As he woke further, his mind cleared, and he realized the girl that he had been trying to save was coming around.
A moment more of painful fumbling told Steve that it was his cell phone he held. Unable to remember pulling it out before he'd been attacked, he shifted painfully to take the phone with his left hand. Wincing, he dialed 911, rolling onto his back again. Giving his location to the 911 operator was difficult, as his fuzzy thoughts wouldn't focus on the street signs he'd passed. Finally managing, he simply dropped the phone and rested.
"Hello?" A voice startled him, pulling him back awake before he even realized he'd been drifting. It was a small, scared voice, laced with pain. The girl. She must have heard his voice when he was calling for an ambulance. He groaned softly as he opened his eyes again. "Hello?" The voice sounded more scared this time. Focusing as well as he could, he tried to reply.
"H-...'lo," he finally managed; infuriated that he wasn't able to even speak the simplest of words. But the effort of talking to the operator had hurt his bruised jaw and caused his lungs to burn as if on fire. He coughed raggedly, trying to clear his throat. "He-...'llo," he said again, and went into a coughing fit. Damn it! He'd just spoken to the operator, albeit slowly and rather slurred. Taking a deep breath, the detective realized his lips were wet. He licked them and tasted blood. Grimacing, he realized the girl was speaking again.
"-You?" This didn't make much sense to Steve's foggy mind, so he didn't answer, hoping she'd repeat it. She didn't, however. Instead, the girl lapsed into silence, and soon he heard her breathing return to normal as she fell asleep. Steve wanted to follow suit. He couldn't remember a time when he had craved letting the painless clutches of sleep take him in more than now. But he knew he shouldn't; could tell from the immense pain and the blood on his lips that he had serious internal injuries.
//I won't sleep,// he swore. //But...maybe I will close my eyes. The light is so bright and...// He was unconscious before he could finish the thought.