Hello my darlings! I have been having a shitty time at work, and as such have limited my writing. But I'm going to reverse that trend and get some more chapters posted soon! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Pretty please review! xoxo
The following morning the group headed out with Gabriella leading the way on her motorcycle and the men in the hummer. They had been travelling for five days, going at a hard pace, harassed by 8balls, resupplying and cold, nasty weather.
They were currently stopped, fighting a group of 8balls, each of them engaged in hand to hand combat, having tried to outrun them. Gabriella was fighting a particularly ugly female 8ball, who had a wicked looking jagged knife, and was losing. She had already been sliced across her abdomen, shallow, but goddamn it hurt.
She waited for the 8ball to thrust with the knife and when she did, grabbed her wrist, wrenching it until it broke. The 8ball shrieked in her ear, and she tugged on the 8ball, forcing it over her hip and slamming it into the ground. Standing over it, Gabriella panted, the icy air searing her tired lungs. She looked around for her gun and saw it a foot away.
She kicked the 8ball in the ribs, making sure it stayed down while she retrieved her gun. She nabbed her gun up and spun around quickly when she heard movement behind her. The 8ball was standing and lunged; Gabriella felt searing pain in her right bicep. She fired at the 8ball point blank, hitting it in the chest multiple times. It dropped to the ground and she coolly put a bullet between its eyes.
She turned as she felt her angel sense dulling, finally only sensing Michael.
She ran over to Alex who was sitting on the ground, a gash on his head bleeding freely. She pulled his hand away from it and assessed quickly, it definitely needed stitches. She ran to the back of the hummer and grabbed her med bag, jogging back to Alex. She kneeled by him and quickly wiped away the blood before wiping it with iodine. She wiped her needle down with iodine and rapidly stitched up the gash, muttering, "Sorry!" when he winced.
After she had finished with the stitches she put a clean bandage on, smoothing a hand over his forehead. "Don't scare me like that Alex" she whispered.
He gave her a mulish look, "It's not like I was trying to get hurt."
She smiled wryly, "Yea I know, but still. Don't." She looked over to see Michael leaning against the hummer, wiping blood from his mouth.
He held up a hand to stop her, "I'm ok. No stitches necessary."
She nodded and gathered up her medical supplies, heading to the back of the hummer. She stripped off her jacket and long sleeved Henley, wincing as her abdomen and bicep protested. She lifted her tank top and wiped the blood off of her stomach, wiped it with iodine, and wrapped a bandage around her body, suppressing a groan.
She inspected her bicep, it probably needed a stitch or two, but they didn't have time. She pressed some butterfly bandages to the worst areas after wiping it down with iodine, and tied a tight bandage around it.
"You're hurt!" Michael exclaimed behind her softly, worry in his voice. She sighed and grabbed her Henley, pulling it over her head, turning to face Michael.
"I'm ok, really." She promised, hiding a grimace as she pulled her jacket on. She looked into Michael's eyes and saw real fear there, making her pause. She reached a hand up to his face, "Hey, I'm ok." She smiled reassuringly up at him, and leaned up to brush a kiss across his cheek.
He nodded, still worried. "Come on, we need to get going" Gabriella said softly. Alex and Michael climbed back into the hummer while Gabriella got back on the bike. They took off and kept travelling, pushing hard.
Over the next two days they moved steadily northward through Virginia and into western Pennsylvania. The freezing cold rain turned to sleet and then snow as they approached Pittsburgh.
Gabriella was in the lead on her motorcycle, shivering in her many layers, her skin burning despite the freezing cold. The signs on the highway buzzed past, her eyes glazed with fever. She barely noticed she was weaving, until her eyes drifted closed and they were startled back open when the hummer honked behind her. She raised a hand indicating she was okay, and drove a little further, her head pounding.
Her eyes drifted closed again, and she drifted into unconsciousness, her bike spinning out of control. She woke, feeling terror grip her as her body slammed into the pavement, her helmeted head dragging across the pavement.
Vaguely she heard the hummer come to a screeching halt. She heard running footsteps approaching and tried to move and say something to reassure the men she was ok, but found she didn't have the energy to move or speak.
Michael knelt by Gabriella, his heart racing, fear choking him. He had never experienced such an awful moment as when her bike had spun out of control and sent her rolling across the icy road. Now he removed her helmet carefully, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was breathing, her eyes closed. Her clothes were torn and she had multiple bloody scrapes, but miraculously, she seemed ok.
When he reached a hand out to touch her cheek he felt her blazing skin and cursed, no wonder she had crashed.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her gently to the hummer, laying her down in the back, covering her with a blanket. Alex pointed to the bike, "Should we try to bring it?"
Michael shook his head, "Good riddance" he muttered angrily.
They got back into the hummer and pulled away from the wreck site, driving quickly towards the city of Pittsburgh. They crested a large hill and took in the sight of the ruined city, empty and lifeless.
Michael pointed to an area of the city that looked relatively livable and Alex pointed the hummer in that direction. Shortly thereafter they found an apartment and quickly unloaded, Michael carrying Gabriella.
He carried her into the first bedroom he found and quickly stripped off her torn clothes, and unwound her bandages, gritting his teeth when he saw that her wounds were red and inflamed.
He riffled through the medical bag and saw that they were dangerously low on everything. He grabbed the iodine and wiped down her wounds, re-bandaging it and wrapping her in a thick blanket before tucking her into bed.
He didn't know how to get an IV in and was hoping against hope that Gabriella would wake soon so she could tell him what to do. He ran a hand over his face, frustrated, not knowing what to do. He backed out of the room and let her sleep, heading out to find Alex sitting on the couch, head in his hands.
He sat down next to Alex and sighed deeply, "She's unconscious. I don't know what to do. She needs antibiotics, but I don't think I should wake her, right?"
Alex rubbed a hand over his face vigorously, "I don't know man. She hit her head hard. We should probably wake her up."
Michael frowned deeply, "Yea, ok." He stood and walked back into her room and sat gently on the bed. He laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently, speaking softly, "Gabriella? Gabriella…please wake up." His heart raced as she remained out. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple, "Please Gabriella, wake up" he whispered.
She shifted and stirred, searching out his voice. Her eyes fluttered open, and he had never been so happy to see her beautiful ocean blue eyes as he was then. He reached a hand out and brushed a thumb against her cheekbone, "Hello there my love" he whispered, his heart in his throat.
Gabriella's eyes were unfocused as they rested on his face. "M-michael" she strained to whisper. He smiled at her, the pain on his face obvious to Alex, who was hovering in the doorway. "Darling, you have an infection and there aren't any IV meds left, just some pills. I need to know, should you take them?"
Gabriella fought to focus on his words, her head fuzzy. She nodded slowly, "Tell me what we have." Michael nodded and leaned down for the med bag, rummaging through it before pulling out the last bottle with just three pills in it. "What is it?" she whispered.
He read the label, "Ampicillin?"
Gabriella nodded, "Give me all three, and then I'll need IV fluids."
Michael nodded and twisted off the lid, dumping the pills into his hand before grabbing a bottle of water. He helped her drink and watched as she swallowed the pills. He encouraged her to drink more water until she shook her head and pushed the bottle away. She collapsed back against the pillow and her eyes drifted closed, exhaustion taking over.
She whispered, "You need to go into the city, to one of the UPMC buildings. They were huge before everything went to shit. Find meds there and bring them back."
Michael was hesitant to leave her alone, but knew that the need for meds was desperate. He ran a hand over her face, sick to his stomach with worry. Gabriella smiled up at him wearily, "Go. Take Alex, and get back soon. I'll make you a list of what we need." Michael nodded and stood, heading out to the kitchen for a pen and paper.
He came back quickly and settled back down on the bed, "Ok, what do we need?" he asked quietly.
Gabriella's eyes were closed, and there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead as she spoke, "Five saline bags, varying sizes of bandages, painkillers-strong ones, and regular Advil if they have it and antibiotics- as many different types as you can get." She took a deep breath and continued, "Get some more needles and suture kits for me too. That should be it."
Michael nodded and tucked the list into his inner jacket pocket and stood, staring down at Gabriella, who was fighting to stay awake. She smiled weakly at him, "Go! I'll be fine."
Michael nodded sharply and walked out of the room, unable to stay longer. He motioned to Alex, "Come on, we need to get med supplies."
Alex nodded and pulled on his heavy jacket, sheathing his knife and tucking his gun into his waistband. Michael wrapped a scarf around his neck and buttoned his jacket tight before they headed out to the hummer.
The moved quickly through the city to the large UPMC hospital clusters, parking in front. As they stepped out and walked toward the entrance, four 8balls swooped down from the tall roof and landed in front of them, grinning evilly.
Michael reached for his swords while Alex whipped his gun out to point at the 8balls. Both felt a ripple of nerves as they assessed the situation. They knew they were screwed, but had to fight anyway. They moved slowly to stand side by side, covering each other. Suddenly there was a loud buffeting of air, and another figure dropped in front of them.
The figure straightened and faced the men, shocking Michael when he saw it was Uriel. She flung back her golden hair and gave him a smirk, "Shall we brother?" she asked before turning back to the 8balls, raising her sword.
The 8balls now looked nervous, having to face two higher angels, and the Chosen One. They dove into the fray and began battling with the 8balls. The fight lasted a few short minutes, and was easily won by Michael, Alex and Uriel.
They sheathed their weapons and headed into the hospital, spreading out to search for the items Gabriella had asked for. After an hour they had found all the items on the list, and had reconvened back at the entrance to the building.
Uriel lay a restraining hand on Michael's arm, "Those 8balls won't be the last. There are more flying in as we speak. I can control them and keep them at bay until you get out of the city."
Michael stared at her, "You can control them?"
Uriel nodded, "I find it distasteful as well Michael, but I learned when I saw the madness in Gabriel's eyes." She took a breath and then continued, "I can hold them off for a few days at most, but after that, Gabriel will retake possession of them."
Michael nodded, "Very well, thank you sister." He and Alex grabbed their bags filled with med supplies and ran out to the hummer, throwing the supplies in the back before jumping in and tearing away from the hospital.
As they drove away Alex peered out of the window and saw 8balls perched on the tall buildings watching them. He saw Uriel fly up to face them and make hand movements, and a moment later the 8balls flew away, Uriel in pursuit.
Michael and Alex raced back into the house, bolting the door behind them. They ran to Gabriella and found her sleeping restlessly, her face pale, and the fever higher than before. Alex assisted him with setting up the IV and getting antibiotics into the drip. They checked her wounds and cleaned them, re-bandaging them and then bundling her back up in blankets.
For the next three days Gabriella slept fitfully, being fed by Michael or Alex when she woke briefly. On the fourth day her fever had broken and her wounds were healing cleanly. Gabriella pushed the blankets back weakly, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She tried to stand and sank back down to the bed as a wave of dizziness swept her.
Michael was in the room in an instant, having heard her movements from the other room. He was by her side in an instant, "Get back in bed" he said grabbing her legs and trying to push her back.
Gabriella glared at him, "Let me up!" she was fierce, and tried to stand again. When she swayed, Michael's hands grasped her waist and steadied her. She stared up into his face, "Please, help me walk, I need some movement."
Michael closed his eyes and breathed deeply, opening them and grimacing at her before wrapping an arm around her waist, "Come on, five minutes, that's all you get." Gabriella smiled at him, thankful for his assistance, even if he didn't want to give it.
With his assistance Gabriella made it out into the kitchen, where she now stood, clinging to the kitchen counter, her muscles trembling at the exertion. Michael stood beside her, his hand ghosting at the small of her back, prepared for her to drop. Alex stood on the other side of the counter and gave her a tentative smile, "Hey Gabby, good to see you up."
She smiled back at him, "Thanks Alex, I'm happy to be up. Is there any food?" she asked, her stomach rumbling. Alex moved around the counter and grabbed a bowl of spiced oatmeal with powdered eggs he had made just in case she woke up. He offered it to her and both men watched as she leaned heavily against the counter and took small bites, her eyes sliding shut in happiness.
After she finished eating she set the bowl down carefully, "So let's get going. We need to get back on the road."
Michael stared at her incredulously, "No. Absolutely not."
Gabriella glared at him, "Why the hell not?!"
Michael grabbed her by the bicep, quickly letting go when she winced, "Because you are so weak you can barely stand! There is no way you could stand the rigors of the road." He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, opening the closet to reveal a full length mirror. He set Gabriella down and turned her to face the mirror.
"Look! Look at yourself!" he hissed, fear and anger making him tremble. Gabriella stared at her feet until Michael forced her chin up, making her stare at her reflection. A small gasp escaped her as she took in her appearance. Now she could see why Michael and Alex had grimaced at her appearance.
Tears streamed down her face as she took in her prominent cheekbones, thin wrists, her collarbones jutting up tight under her skin. She looked like…a prisoner of war. She turned into Michael's waiting embrace and sobbed, collapsing with exhaustion and emotion. Michael swept her into his arms and sat down in the chair by the bed, soothing her.
When her tears had stopped he murmured, "Now listen, I know you are strong, and so does Alex. But you being sick weakened you. You lost a lot of weight on this journey, and the changes occurring to your body have made you tired. We are going to rest here for the rest of today and leave tomorrow. You need more time to sleep, eat and hydrate. Okay?"
Gabriella nodded weakly, she already felt tired. Michael carried her back to bed and tucked her in, "Do you need anything?" he asked quietly. She smiled at him sadly, sorry she had caused him so much worry.
"A book from my bag and something to drink would be great" she murmured. Michael nodded and leaned down, brushing a kiss to her forehead before walking out of the room to grab her book and a protein drink he had found in the hospital. After dropping them off with Gabriella he pulled her door shut, knowing she would be asleep soon.
"That was a little intense, don't you think?" Alex asked softly. Michael shook his head and sank down on the couch beside him.
He ran a hand over his face, "I know. But…I can't let her hurt herself trying to fulfill this damn prophecy."
Alex nodded and sighed, "I know man, but you can't prevent her from being her."
The men sat in silence for a long time until Michael got up to make some dinner. They ate, keeping an eye on the sky, making sure that the 8balls weren't coming for them.
Alex motioned to the couch, "I'll sleep out here."
Michael nodded and grabbed a bowl of the food, taking it into Gabriella. She was asleep, but he stroked her arm softly, rousing her. She looked at him with sleepy eyes and he smiled at her. "Eat something and then go back to sleep" he spoke softly.
She sat up a bit and accepted the food, eating more heartily than before. Michael stripped off his jacket and boots and climbed into bed with her. He was tired too, and while his body wanted to fall asleep, he instead lay on his side and watched Gabriella eat, pleased to see that she had an appetite.
When Gabriella had finished eating she set the bowl on the bedside table and turned to Michael, easily slipping into his arms. Her medical mind knew she needed more rest, food, and antibiotics, but her adventurous spirit said to get back on the road, they only had a few more days. Her thoughts became muddled as she drifted back to sleep, safe in Michael's arms.
Michael watched her sleep for awhile, worried at her weight loss and how weak she looked. He could only hope that she would gain some weight and strength in the week that they had left to make it to Vermont. As he drifted to sleep, his last thought was that he hoped she had the strength to survive it all.
The next day Michael convinced her to ride in the hummer, to stay warm and healthy. They packed up the hummer with Gabriella in the back seat, under a pile of blankets, with a bottle of water and food. She had been commanded to eat, drink and sleep. If they were harassed by 8ball, she was to stay in the hummer and not get involved.
She was deeply unhappy with the situation, but after eating some protein bars, dried fruit, jerky and drinking a bottle of water, she eventually fell asleep, her body needing rest.
They drove for nearly a day straight until the men had to stop, exhaustion overwhelming them, pulling to the side of the road. They slept for four hours and then with Alex behind the wheel, continued driving.
Gabriella woke when the hummer came to a screeching halt, throwing her forward. Panic seized her when she looked out the window; there was a group of five 8balls in the road, blocking them.
DUN DUN DUN...lol Hope you guys enjoyed it! More to come soon! The big showdown will be happening in a few chapters! Prepare yourselves emotionally! MWUAHAHAHAHHA ;D