Disclaimer: All characters belong to CAPCOM.
My eyes flickered open wildly. It was dark. Where were we? Did the zombies get us? Oh holy shit! were we fucked!? I gasped in shock, my heart was pounding as I was instinctively grabbing the nearest thing, it was warm, smooth, an arm? I ran my hand over the toned bicep, probing, and received a familiar sight: Claire's arm. It was after my flurry of disorientation wore off that I realized I had fallen asleep with my head in her lap. She was with me. I could smell the scent of her favorite body wash through her clothes. I wanted to cry, as she was softly brushing fingers through my hair.
"Claire...?, God, Where are we? Did Alex get us?" My voice was quiet, but still frantic, along with my breathing.
"Hey. Shhh. I'm here." I heard a click and the small helicopter cabin was dimly illuminated. Our eyes met, Honey and Sapphire. Her soft features were looming over me with care when I didn't respond, a hand cupping my cheek. I flinched at her touch. My lips quivered. I wanted to cry "It's okay now, Moira, you're gonna be okay. Relax, honey." My eyes closed, a sigh of relief came.
"Oh...," I looked around, instantly relieved that we were no longer facing imminent danger. Memories of Claire's daring rescue flooded back into my mind and then embarrassment followed. "Yeah..."
"I'll have the medical team look at you when we land. I know you don't like doctors, but they'll want to do a full workup." I nodded. I actually hated doctors, but wouldn't doubt her judgement. I probably looked like Hell under all Yuvgenny's choppy first-aid and my crusty bloodstained clothes... Fuck, I needed a bath. Claire was cradling me. How could she even stand me right now?
Claire's hand which paused, had been softly stroking my hair as we sat in the airborne helicopter. When I reached out she stopped. Our eyes met for a moment, and we exchanged weary smiles. She asked if I was alright, which I responded to with a tearful nod. Slowly I resumed my position, pleased to find her fingers trailing through my hair again. She was so warm, the best pillow EVER. I saved her life in Hell and she had returned the favour like a total badass. Shifting my eyes to the window I saw the sky was bathed in reddish orange. A blanket had been draped over my body up to my shoulders. Across from me, Barry was out like a light, and Natalia was nestled in his arms.
"Moira?" Claire began softly, her voice gentle yet precise. I blinked looking back up at her again. "We're about to land."
"Ok" I nodded, wondering what the temperature would be like back in the States, or wherever we were headed. The frost on the window looked less than inviting.
"It's not over yet, but don't worry. I'm not going to leave you again, alright?" Claire added, gripping me firmly when we jerked from the loss of altitude.
I was living in the confines of that hug, snuggling in a little more.
I swallowed with a sense of discomfort for the potential reason behind such words, but before I could ask for details her cellphone rang. It scared the piss out of me!
"This is Redfield. Yes. Yes. She's conscious, the others are out cold. I'll let you know when we touch ground. No, follow my lead. Over and out."
~
Before I knew it I was surrounded by Hazmat clad workers and other EMT wearing masks. I was quickly ushered onto a stretcher from the aircraft and began the rickety roll away from the Helipad. Silicone covered hands threatened to swallow me up, the medical terms that were being shouted back and forth were giving me a headache, and it was absolutely freezing outside! I would have fucking lost it if it hadn't been for my redheaded Angel overhead. One of her hands clutched the steel railing of the stretcher and she ran with it as I was rolled away. I couldn't look away from her. She was barking out orders the moment we got inside.
"Ok guys! Let's detox and put her on fluids! She's been out there for 6 months, so I want everyone to be on their A game, got it?" There was an urgency in Claire's voice, paired with a tinge of desperation that was very slight. But also a hint of demand. She wanted results.
As we breached the EMERGENCY entrance I heard what sounded like Natalia screaming and Barry 's panicked gasp; they were getting a rude awakening alright. Once we'd come to a stop two doctors approached me. One was a girl with short brown hair, the other was a man. I glanced between them and Claire long enough to see Claire nod, my heart started to beat faster as if it sensed something my brain didn't. "Hey..., what's happening?" I swallowed as a guard came behind me. "HEY! Let GO! Claire! What the fuck!?" I hissed as handcuffs were cinched around my wrists. My heart was racing now.
"We are keeping them on just in case there are 'complications'" the male doctor replied curtly. Claire swallowed, looking down at her best friend. She knew why the choice was being made, it was frustrating as Hell, but telling Moira would only make matters worse.
"They're just on to keep you from moving/hurting yourself..."
"I'm NOT a fucking psycho!" I cried. Claire bit her lip, keeping her calm as she continued.
"You'll get some sedatives in a few minutes to calm your anxiety." she answered more softly; it was a half-lie. She grunted lightly as other personnel escorted her off to a small station. It was near enough away where from my distance I could tell what was happening to her. A sandy haired girl approached Claire, opening a case on a table to remove it's contents. She said a few things which led to Claire rolling up her left sleeve with a nod, appearing apologetic. The doctor was rubbing her arm, Claire nodded, then shortly after she was jabbed with a syringe. It must've hurt like hell because she groaned, I heard her all the way from across the room.
"
I was drugged hard under blinding lights, more talking, like buzzing bees. I was spoken over, not to, like a lab animal. They chose not to hear me. I was their piece of meat. A specimen. Needles came fast into my wrists and soon scissors were cutting my clothes off until there was nothing left for me to hide beneath. My battle wounds were on display as they stripped the bandages off, along with my dignity. I was forced up by two people and taken to a plastic tent where a crude assault of hot water and soap hit my body from a shower head. It shocked my flesh making me writhe in protest, the second wave of ice cold fluid wasn't much better. I screamed. My jaw clenched as tears flowed from my eyes and Claire was being pulled away. "it's gonna be okay!" I heard her call out over my screaming. Fucking needles. It had to be fucking needles. I heard Claire talking from a distance, saying how long I had been gone, then a man came with some kind of antivirus and jabbed her arm making her shout.
When everything was over, I laid still as a board in a small recovery room. Finally the chaos had ceased, and it fell quiet. Every so often my muscles spasmed in autonomous fear of further intervention. I felt as if part of my soul had been violated. The crazy doctors must've done away with a layer of my skin. This had to be Hell. Yeah. That's it. Claire and I got infected, died, and woke up in fucking Hell. What could be salvaged of my personal items had been placed in a neon yellow bag on a table by my bed. I stared blankly at it, wondering what was inside, but hadn't the strength to get up. My right leg, and arm burned from the disinfectant rubbed into them.
When the doorknob began to turn I seized up, unsure of if I'd be in the company of a friend or another bitch with a syringe. Thankfully I was granted with the latter.
"How are you?" my crimson haired angel asked with a concerned look evident in her strong features. I guess even Hell had it's perks. I noticed a bouquet of stargazer lilies was resting in her arms. Were they for me? She quickly arranged them in a glass vase on the nightstand and poured in some water. They were beautiful, but my voice sounded quite the opposite as I replied. "Fucked up..., thanks for the flowers." I grumbled, picking at the tape over the wire in my left wrist.
Claire's expression had faltered some as she realized what I was doing. She walked closer and pulled my hand away from the drip "You can't do that, Moira." She sighed, giving a knowing look. Like a mother's disapproval of a child.
"They've drugged me enough, Claire... I feel like shit."
"You know as well as I do, If you pull the needle out they're gonna' have to insert a new one." She tilted her head putting a hand on her hip with a continuous amount of disapproval on her face. Her stare was hard to ignore. She naturally had to soften once I decided to give in. She started stroking my hair, but my opinion of the place stayed firm.
"Fuck this. Fuck everything. Take me home, Claire. I wanna get out of here, with you." Tears were welling up in my eyes, threatening to fall down my cheeks, but I refused to let that happen. I was stronger than that wasn't I?
"I would if I could, but after some talking it looks like you are about to undergo more tests," she glanced a clipboard and bit her lip briefly. "They want a few vials of blood, an X-Ray, and you need stitches in your left bicep removed in a few days." Over the clipboard she could see Moira's expression, it was painful to watch. Her brows creased sympathetically.
"I wish you were a doctor. How come you didn't go to Med School?..." I pouted.
"I know..., I'm sorry, it just wasn't in the cards." Claire took my hand, squeezing softly as she lowered down to kiss my forehead. She felt compelled to call up Jill, or Rebecca, they knew their stuff. but she figured the BSAA wouldn't allow such a request. She'd have to leave things as they were so everything about this mess could be properly documented.
Claire's doting love was the best kind of medicine. Soft, sweet, warm. The feeling of her lips lingered on my right cheekbone. I never wanted her to leave me again.
When the inevitable happened, that is the doctors returned for more of my blood, like the damned vampires they were, Claire stayed. She squeezed my hand, whispered in my ear and told me everything was going to be alright. All the little sticks and prodding, my childish whimpers and cries, she was there. And when it was over, as we sat in nothing but the green glow of monitors at 3am, she ran her fingers through my hair, and hummed a gentle melody/sang to me until I fell asleep.