Season Three: Episode Four (At All Costs)

Ericka dragged an injured soldier away from the front lines. He was far too heavy for her to carry and she couldn't even help him up to his feet, because he was unconscious. There were limited doctors and nurses, scurrying around and attending to the wounded. This man was really old, probably older than Colonel Weaver. In all the explosions and gunfire, he had his leg torn off from his knee down. She was panicking and screaming for a doctor. There was way too much blood and it just kept coming. Beside her was a dead soldier that someone else must have dragged away. She crawled over to him and yanked off his jacket. Moving back to the man who was bleeding out, she wadded up the jacket and put it on the wound, applying as much pressure as she could. "Lourdes!" Ericka shouted out when she spotted the young doctor. Immediately, Lourdes ran over to her friend. "We have to help him." She told Lourdes. "Ericka, he's a lost cause." She replied as her eyes drifted to other people. It wasn't that she didn't want to help this man, but she had other people who had a chance of living to attend to. "Fine, just tell me what to do." ordered Ericka. "Cauterize it, you need to burn the part where his leg was torn off to stop the bleeding." Lourdes told her before she rushed off. Ericka looked all around her for anything that could help her cauterize his injury. Then she spotted Pope; he always kept a lighter on him. He was running back to the fight with a bunch of guns and ammunition. Two other men were following closely behind. "Pope!" she tried to scream above the noise. He hadn't heard her though.

…

Her hands shook under the warm water. Most of the blood was washed away by the water, for the rest she used soap and scrubbed. She dried her hands on a towel. Ericka's hands were clean as a whistle. She grinned down at her hands, and then looked up into the mirror. She had been exhausted a lot lately. All-nighters had become very recent lately. It was hard for her to sleep. There weren't any horrific nightmares keeping her awake, she just found it impossible to sleep. Her dark brown hair was up in a ponytail. She wore dark jeans, a dark red tank top, and a black jacket. She wondered who the man was, what he was like, if he had any family. Ericka looked up at the ticking clock. Frowning, she muttered two words, "Oh crap."

Walking into the medical wing, she saw most of the kids with spikes leaving. She missed the walk-through Lourdes gave on removing the spikes. Ben hadn't asked her to come, but she wanted to show her support. He parted ways with Deni, who went back to talk with another girl. Noticing Ericka, he smiled and walked over to her. "Hey, I missed it, didn't I?" she questioned. "It's ok." He said, grabbing her hand as they left. "So, explain what's going on." Ericka said. As he was telling her about the procedure, she got the feeling that something was up. Did he really want his spikes removed? "I'll have use my inhaler again. Basically, I'll be how I was before." Ben added.

"Well, spikes or no spikes I still love you." She stated with a smile. He smirked, turning her to face him and wrapping his arms around her. "Really?" he questioned. "Really." Ericka confirmed, moving her hands to his shoulders. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

…

Ericka stopped Lourdes in the hall when she saw her walk by. "Hey, Lourdes; hold on a second."

She stopped, turning around to her friend. "Yes Ericka?" she asked. "I was wondering if you were allowed to get me some… sleeping pills." She said hesitantly. There were dark circles under her eyes. It was almost midnight and Lourdes was working later than usual. "Why are you having trouble sleeping? Are you having nightmares or something?" Lourdes questioned. Ericka shook her head, "No, I just can't sleep."

Frowning, she nodded. "I'll see what I can do." replied Lourdes before she walked away.

…

A knock on the door caused Anne to gaze up. She opened the door and grinned at Ericka. "Thanks so much. Lourdes is busy working and with Tom gone I didn't know who else I could trust to watch Alexis."

She nodded understandingly, "No problem. Who knows, she might be my sister-in-law in the very distant future." Anne chuckled. She showed Ericka where the food and the diapers for Alexis were. She told her that if Alexis was crying she should sing to her. "I should only be gone about twenty minutes." Anne explained. About four minutes after she left, Alexis started bawling. Ericka picked up the baby and gently rocked her, but her whines weren't silenced. She tried to think of a song to sing. Ericka had been around little kids before, but not babies. Babies made her nervous, especially when they cried. "It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity. Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity. And you won't bring me down…" she sang in her softest voice. Alexis giggled, and shoved her fist into her mouth, causing Ericka could laugh.

…

"I figured I would find you up here." She stated, walking over to Ben. Ericka smiled as she sat down beside him. Her eyes carefully watched the sky, gazing up at the stars. She knew he had a telescope in his room before the aliens came. "How much of that conversation did you hear?" he questioned, his eyes drifting over to her. "All of it. I brought you a gift to prep for the procedure." She said. As she pulled out an inhaler from her pocket, her blue eyes never left the sky. He took the inhaler from her, twiddling it in his hands. Ericka looked at him. "What are you afraid of? You said you hated those spikes and you couldn't wait to get them off." she said. He sighed and stood. Ben paced back and forth on the rooftop. "There won't be any need for me. I thought of all the pros and cons, and there are far more pros. It's just better for me to keep them and get rid of it." he responded. He stopped pacing and looked at her. This was one of the rare times he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

She thought about the risk he was taking. His lifespan could be shortened by a lot. It was selfish of her to want him to go through with the surgery. "There are a lot of risks, Ben." she started, "Like I said the other day, spikes or no spikes I still love you. But…" she paused.

"Then there's the but." Ben said, sitting down beside her. Ericka grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "No, all I mean is… (sigh) I'm scared and it's stupid, because I'm not even in your position. If you keep them, it shortens your life. I know we're only teens, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It sounds crazy, but_" Ben silenced her with a kiss. At first she was a little shocked, then she leaned into it. "You're right, that sounds crazy. But its ok, because I'm crazy for you." He stated. She chuckled thinking how corny (but sweet) that was. Their feet hung over the edge of the building, swinging back and forth. Out of nowhere, he pulled her into his lap. Then he stood up. Her eyes went wide. "Ben, what are you doing?" Ericka questioned in a panic and clung to him. It wasn't that she was afraid of heights; it was more of falling from those heights. "Trust me?" asked Ben. She bit her lip and nodded. Some part of her regretted nodding after what he did next. Ben jumped from the barely stable rooftop. His feet landed gracefully on the ground like a cat. He set her down on the ground, laughing at her frazzled appearance. She folded her arms, pouted, and looked away. Ben knew she was just joking. He came up from behind her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry." Ben apologized. She smiled, "I forgive you."

AN: Still no reviews... :( I didn't really like this chapter. Anyways, well Ericka is trying out something new. Maybe a nurse?