Charlie

Last weeks were just a blur.

I remembered beeping sounds, a lot of them.

I remembered harsh voices arguing over my head.

I remembered wanting to speak up, but there was something plastic in my mouth, pushed down my throat and I just couldn't make a sound.

I remembered darkness engulfing me like a soft blanket, and I remembered being grateful for finally getting to see my mom. And, was that Colin? But that couldn't be true. He was far, far away, not in Frozen Falls, and I had to go and find him because...

Then I opened my eyes, and there was light.

I shut them close again. It felt as if someone stabbed me in both of them at once. I felt a warm dribble of tears running down from the corners of my eyes, and I shifted.

"Oh my god, Charlie!"

It was Michelle, I was sure of that. I never heard her so terrified and relieved at the same time, and I wondered, what happened. Where was I? What was she doing there with me?

I… The accident? I tried to swallow. My throat was parched, and I coughed. I wanted to say something, ask for water, but words wouldn't come to me. The taste in my mouth was foul, reminding me of some medicines I took when I was younger. My breathing quickened, my fingers clenched on the sheet, I could almost hear my heart speeding up.

I heard a rustling of clothing to my left and turned my head to that direction. Then something cold and hard was pressed to my mouth, while a slender hand sneaked its way behind my head. Glass of water. I wanted to cry with gratefulness, but instead, with the help, I bent my neck a little and finally got to drink some water. It spilled down my chin, gloriously cold and fresh, and I whimpered at the loss. But the cup was back there, filled with another portion of the blessed liquid, and I just kept drinking and drinking, until I could take no more. I moved my head away, and the cup was taken from me. The hand moved away from behind my head and dried my chin with a handkerchief.

I opened my eyes again, this time being more careful, and blinked a couple of times. I felt as if I was looking at the world through a hazy glass. I blinked again and Michelle's face, contorted with worry, nearly materialized in front of me.

"Hey," I croaked, forcing my lips into a lopsided grin. "Where… where am I?"

"Hey, yourself," she answered, grabbing my hand and squeezing it almost painfully hard. "God, Charlie, I was so worried. It's some military facility, but I don't know much about it. They took good care of you in here, but damn, Charlie, I didn't even know you were in the military. Why didn't you tell me before?"

Shit. I didn't want to talk about that with Michelle right now. I turned my head away, feeling the flush creeping up my face. I didn't know why I was feeling embarrassed. Being a soldier wasn't a reason to be ashamed, these days especially when every last trooper was proclaimed a bloody hero. I just felt stupid for not telling her earlier. It used to mean a great deal for me, I loved being a soldier, I rather didn't return to that because it was the part of my life that involved lots of things I wasn't ready to talk about. Colin. My team. My friends, which I left behind without a word of explanation. I didn't like to reminisce about these better days. It wasn't as if it was ever coming back, though. Some things were better left buried in the past.

"Freckles?"

I looked at her and realized she's been talking all the time I dozed off thinking about my past. Again, blush covered my cheeks. She sighed and pushed her hand over her hair, and I just noticed how bad she looked. There were dark circles under her eyes, which hid her usual spark. I felt guilty about it because it was my fault.

"You're not even listening, are you?" she sighed again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't bother you with all that stuff. I was just… I just was so worried, you know?"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I brought you chocolate. I don't know if you can eat that yet, but I thought it would be nice to have the option."

"Thanks, Michelle."

She bent down and hugged me awkwardly, carefully trying not to rip any of the multiple tubes I had installed in my body. Gathering my strength, I wrapped my arm around her slim back, smelling her perfume, so strange and exotic in this place filled with the smell of decontaminators, cheap air freshener, and a flowery floor wash.

"I'll come tomorrow," she promised, squeezing my hand again. "You rest, okay?"

I grunted my approval. She gave me a soft smile, tucked her purse under her arm, and in a moment she was gone, the only sign she's ever been here the distant clicking of her heels and a bar of caramel chocolate on my nightstand.

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The only source of light was a yellowish streak coming from a street lamp just behind my window. I laid on my back and stared at the dark ceiling, my racing thoughts stopping me from falling asleep. Hell, I already slept too much, I decided, shifting uncomfortably on the thin mattress. One would think the army would take better care of their own, I thought bitterly. One good thing was I got my own room without any snoring companions. Yeah. Great thing.

Straining my tired muscles to do so, I reached to my nightstand and grabbed my phone. Three o'clock. I wished I could have left the room, just go to my cozy home and sit there under a mountain of blankets. How could I not notice that damn deer jump in front of my car? It's not like it was invisible or something. I sighed and groaned right after that, feeling the soreness in my back as I tried to get more comfortable on the tiny bed. I was going to feel these bruises for a couple of next weeks.

"Sergeant Walker? May I come in?"

I stiffened at the sound of a stranger's voice. It was a woman, but none of the nurses I already got to know. Maybe a new one? Three in the morning was a strange time to start one's shift though. She knocked on the ajar door and seemed to be waiting for my invitation.

I cleared my throat and answered.

"If you have to."

She walked in, her stride confident and sure. I couldn't make out her face, and I squinted my eyes, trying to tell her apart from the rest of the dark room. She walked to the only armchair in the room and sat down with a sigh. I heard her putting a paper cup of coffee on the window sill.

"A little dark in here," she noticed wryly.

"You can switch the lamp on," I pointed to the interface on the wall to her left. She huffed to herself, stood up and pressed a couple of buttons. Soft, orange glow flooded the room. Ignoring the pain of my bruised back I scrambled back in my bed, so I was leaning against the wall behind and looked at the older woman sitting in front of me. She was oddly familiar, I thought, frowning, but I couldn't quite grasp why— I didn't notice anything unusual about her, one of those blank, indifferent faces you pass every day on your way to work and forget about them as soon as you see them. She made me feel uneasy, though. There was some hidden power behind her plain stature.

I shot her an expecting look. She stared back and, unexpectedly, smiled. I felt nervous despite the friendly gesture. Something…predatory in her smile...Something that whispered real bad news.

"Hello, Sergeant Walker," she nodded in greeting. I furrowed my brow.

"Hello," I replied. "Who exactly— "

"I have important information for you," she continued as if she didn't interrupt me in the middle of speaking. She leaned in, her forearm on her knee, her brows raised. I didn't like her, I decided finally, folding my hands together on my lap.

"Would you like to find out about the whereabouts of Lieutenant Colin Hunt?"

I stiffened. What the—

"Please close your mouth," the gray-haired woman said carelessly, "you look rather silly."

I blinked a couple of times. My breath caught when Colin's face flashed before my eyes, and I shook my head, feeling the familiar clutch in my chest.

"What… Why… How?" I whispered incoherently, not taking my eyes off of her. "How do you know about him?"

She smirked, and I felt a wave of heat. God, I wanted to punch the smirk off of her face—

"I have my ways, Sergeant. Now, could you answer that? I'm rather short on time. From your reaction, I can tell the answer's positive, but I'm afraid I need to hear you articulate the words."

"Of course I want to know," I hissed through clenched teeth, "I'd do anything to find him, you hear me? Anything!"

"That's interesting," she pondered out loud, tapping a finger on her chin. "Define anything, Sergeant Walker."

I choked on betraying tears that tried to force their way down my cheeks. I wiped my eyes angrily and looked up to find the woman observing my reaction. Her constant attention made me jittery.

"Anything," I forced myself to speak calmly, "means exactly what it means. Would you like me to call for a dictionary for you?"

The only response to my sarcasm was a slight rise of her brow. She stood up and flicked off an invisible dust speck from her trousers.

"I see you're not that all interested, Sergeant," she said, stepping closer to my bed. I tensed, clenching the sheet with my fist.

"You didn't even offer anything yet', I replied weakly. "The only thing you told me was his name. He was— is a soldier, so the basic info about him is public. How do I know you're not just messing with me?"

She dipped her hand into her jacket's pocket and fished out a piece of paper. Leaning, she put it carefully on my nightstand next to the chocolate left by Michelle.

"Contact me when you're ready to find out what happened to your fiance," she whispered and gave me another of her creepy smiles. "Get well soon, Sergeant. You'll need to be strong."

I frowned.

"Why do you care?" I demanded, staring at her with a challenge in my eyes— at least I hoped it was a challenge. She chuckled and folded her arms behind herself.

"You are perfect, Charlene," she stated. A smile tugged at a corner of her lips. I wanted to wipe that annoying little smirk off her face.

"Goodnight," was the last thing she said before leaving the room as quietly as she entered. When she stepped through the door I realized I noticed what was off about her— one of her arms was replaced with an elegant artificial limb. It wasn't even covered in synthetic skin— I probably wouldn't have realized it was then— and I had to put not seeing it earlier on my exhaustion and the late hour.

I glanced at the card laying on my nightstand and let out a long breath.

What the hell was all that about?

"That was so weird", I muttered to myself.

I didn't sleep much through what was left of the night.

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Hello! Here we go again. Been lost in action for lost couple of weeks, but now back on track. There's been some cosmetic changes to the last three chapters, so you might like to have a quick look at them before reading this one. Thanks to my Beta, Jaegar Gypsy Dancer for helping me with typos and general tips. Hope you enjoy!