*Updated 21-05-2018*

Chapter 74 - Happiness

The crackle of the flames was still going strong as the jungle around the compound seemed to lay in ruins.

Bodies were lying everywhere and blood flowed through every crack in the ground like a lake. Rosa lifted her head, coughing into the dirt. The sound of the the RPG was still ringing in her ears and her head felt fuzzy. Her eyes scanned for Vaas but she could not see him.

"Vaas?" she croaked but the sound of the flames seemed to block out her cries.

Her leg was cut and bleeding heavily, her body was littered with wounds and newly forming bruises. She tried to get up but her leg felt like it was ablaze, causing her to whimper in pain.

"Vaas?" she called out again, louder.

She could faintly see Jane dragging a body over to a tree, limping. Jane propped the body against the trunk and collapsed next to it. Rosa could see Jane shouting for help but she couldn't hear her.

"Vaas, please!" she screamed, desperate for him to find her.

The locals had swarmed and not one had remained.

However, many pirates lives were lost and the only thing Vaas thought to do was to set the RPG from the roof to eliminate the remaining rebels. Rosa had seen him fall down but she didn't know where exactly. Her head pounded and her body felt on fire and broken. Thick clouds of billowing smoke encompassed their little island as the flames were slowly but surely dying out.

"Vaas?" Rosa cried out with all of her strength, hot tears running down her cheek.

Had she actually lost him in the flames? Had they claimed his life?

"Rosa?" a voice echoed, sounding distant, "Rosa, I'm coming!"

Rosa's head collapsed into the ground as she felt too weak to support it anymore. A hand came into her line of sight as someone was pulling themselves to her.

"Princesa." Vaas coughed, his face coming into few.
His eye was surrounded by blood and his body was black with smoke. His other hand looked severely broken but he held something in it.

"You're alive." Rosa whispered, growing weaker.
"I thought I'd lost you. We've won baby, we've won." Vaas replied, smiling gently.
Rosa's mouth upturned as she smiled back at him.

"Are we going to die?" she whimpered, reaching out for his hand.
"We're going to be fine, I promise you. Look."
Vaas opened out his hand to reveal a leaf covered in blood. The centre of the leaf was blue with the red surrounding it.

"What's that?" Rosa asked, squinting at him.
"It's the leaf that has your blood on it from where that local punched you. I saw him hit you and luckily fell into the pile when I set that fucking RPG off. It's changed colour." Vaas said, laughing.
His eye was swelling up but it was like he didn't notice.

"Wait, what?" Rosa mumbled, opening her eyes wider.
There was only one leaf that did that and Doctor Earnhardt had discovered and sold to the women of Bad Town and Amanki.

"We're going to have a baby." Vaas replied, laughing louder.

It was like Rosa's world had stopped spinning as time seemed to stand still in that moment. All of the pain and agony seemed to go away in that instant. They were safe; no one was going to get them anymore. They wouldn't allow it.

Nothing was going to make her lose the baby this time. Rosa felt a smile erupt on her face. She didn't know how to feel.

"We're going to have a baby?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.
Vaas nodded and placed his hand on top of hers.

"We're actually going to have one? Oh my fucking God, I can't believe it!" Rosa said, wincing through the pain.

"Te amo, Mrs Montenegro."
"Te amo, Mr Montenegro."

A pirate eventually saw the pair and ran over to them to help them up.

He called for some other guys to help them to their feet. Rosa placed her hand protectively over her stomach and grinned. The pirates brought a stretcher fashioned out of bamboo to carry Vaas into the compound, whereas two steadied Rosa on her feet and supported her. She could finally take in the damage done to the small island on which the compound rested on.

There were a few trees that had been completely untouched by the flames and it reminded them what was. Most of them had been burnt down and the ground looked desolated and scarce. Rosa looked away as she continued limping to the compound.

Many shouts were coming from the inside as Doctor Earnhardt was rushed off his feet. He had enlisted four medic pirates to help with the work load to save the injured men. Jane was sat on a sofa as one of them pressed a gauze to her lip, making her wince.

"Ah fuck this. One of you two, carry me to Jane." she commanded.

The stronger of the two picked Rosa up in his arms to which Vaas shot him a death glare as his hands were on his girl. His hand was been looked at by one pirate and his eye by another.
"Jane, what's happened? Where's Raul?" Rosa asked as the pirate sat her down next to Jane.
The medic that was tending to Jane quickly rushed to Rosa to see to her, examining her. Rosa took no notice. A tear ran down Jane's cheek.

"It's Raul. He's alive - just. I found him by the sands and dragged him to a tree. Doctor E is looking at him now but it seems that he's lost his leg." she sobbed, tears choking her.
Rosa put an arm around her friend and rubbed her shoulder.

"Shh, he'll be fine. Raul's a strong guy and the Doc is a miracle worker. If his leg is lost, I'll specially order him in a prosthetic one. It's the least I can do for that man. I don't know what I'd do without him sometimes."
Jane sniffled, wiping her nose.

"Are you hurt?" Rosa asked her.
"Not really. I've bruised some ribs and my lip is bust. My finger was dislocated but he popped it back in for me and now it's as good as new."
Before Rosa could reply, a sickening scream sounded throughout the compound, echoing all around them. Everyone fell silent.

"What the FUCK was that?" Vaas called out, breaking the thick silence.
The scream came again, a sound of pure agony. A meek looking pirate ran out from a shack to find all eyes on him.

"It's Raul. The Doctor is sorting out his leg."
"My poor Raul!" Jane cried, rushing off to the shack to be with him.
The silence left the compound and Raul's screams were subsiding but everyone could hear his sobbing.

"So, what's the damage?" Rosa asked the pirate.
He was bandaging up her arm.

"Nothing too serious. Although I do need to tend the cut on your leg; it's deep and needs cleaning. It's going to sting but you're badass, so it'll be nothing." he replied, making Rosa chuckle.
"What's your name?" she asked, distracting herself from the pain.
"Luca. Hold still, Rosa, please."

Rosa looked at him to study his features. He had beautifully sculpted cheekbones and caramel skin; his hair was style upwards and off his face. He wore tattered khaki shorts, a red tank top and a bandana was tied around the top his his arm. His eyes were the same shade as his skin and his smile was warm and friendly. He was no older than 20 at least.

"Luca, huh?" Rosa said, taking in a sharp inhale as he rinsed her leg of blood with a salt water solution, "Where'd you learn to be a medic?"
"I was always interested in blood and gore as a kid. I read lots of books on medicine and did a few courses. I was pretty close to getting to do a doctorate in my home land of Portugal but certain situations led me here. Doctor Earnhardt trusts me and trains me up further."

Luca leaned forward with a needle in his hand and put the tip in the fire that was near the sofa. He threaded a piece of stitching through the eye, concentrating.
"Have some of this. This will hurt." he said solemnly, passing her a bottle of whiskey.
Rosa took the bottle and brought it to her lips before remembering her condition.

"Just pour it on the wound. I've gotta take the pain."
"Rosa, are you ..."
"Just fucking do it." she said through gritted teeth, bracing herself for the pain.
The needle was plunged into her flesh and she stifled a scream of pain. She then thought of Raul who might not even have a leg and internally scolded herself.

"Just a few more stitches. They're dissolvable which quickens the healing time." Luca explained. His swift needlework meant the stitching was over within a matter of minutes but it felt like an eternity. He grabbed a huge plaster and placed it over the wound.

"You only really need this on for tonight. Tomorrow you need to let some air to it. I'll treat it in the morning."
Luca got to his feet, collecting his things.
"Thank you, Luca. I have a feeling that you're going to be around here for a long time." Rosa said, titling her head to the side.
He smiled at her before rushing off to see the other pirates that needed medical attention.

"ARGH, FUCK ME! DON'T...COME ON, PLEASE!"

Rosa heard Vaas' Spanish accent through the moans of the men and got to her feet. She wobbled a little before she found her balance and walking was painful.
"Where is he?" she asked a bleeding pirate.
"Over there." he motioned. Rosa followed his direction and found Vaas on the stretcher with his bad hand being reset into place.

"Vaas, hey hey, it's okay." Rosa soothed, rushing over to him.
"My belle princesa. Take my mind away from the pain."
Rosa moved over to his head and held his good hand which still contained the leaf.

"My leg has been stitched up. Jane is fine but it's Raul. He's most definitely lost his leg."
"Shit, shit, shit. I'll get him a fake one, one of the best there is." Vaas said, his voice full of promise and sincerity.
"I know you will, baby."
"Oh fuck, why does this hurt so much? I'd rather be stabbed by Brody again."
A crack sounded from Vaas' hand causing him to scream out in pain.

"Right all done. We're going to plaster it now. He's going to clean your arm first because you won't be able to wash for a while." a pirate explained before leaving to collect the correct tools needed.
Vaas was slick with sweat and his brow was on fire.

"Be back in a mo." Rosa said.
"Don't leave me!" Vaas cried, indignantly.
Rosa stuck out her tongue at him.
"Gimme a second, Vaasy bear."

She went off to the kitchens, picked up a cloth and doused it in cold water. She returned to Vaas to find the younger pirate cleaning his sooty arm.
"Here."

Rosa placed the cloth on his forehead and began cleaning his face and neck, cooling him down. Vaas closed his eyes and sighed, knowingly in pain but feeling better. Vaas sighed, relaxing slightly.

"Are you okay, princesa? You're not badly hurt are you?" he asked, opening an eye.
Rosa was behind his head so she looked upside down. After everything, she still looked beautiful.

"I'm fine. It's my leg that's giving me the worst pain. Everything else is cool."
Vaas smiled at her, showing his white and perfect teeth.

"We'll get the Doctor to look over you when he's done and check a few more things." he said, wary of the pirate sat next to them.
"Okay. That sounds fine." Rosa said, kissing him on the forehead.

"We'll start plastering now, okay boss?"

Just over an hour had passed and many men were fixed up and back to work. They were tidying the compound and a large group of them were dealing with the mess outside the walls, tending to the remaining plants and the ground.

Rosa and Vaas sat on a sofa together, anxiously waiting for Jane, Doctor Earnhardt or even Raul himself to emerge from the shack. But the minutes ticked by and none of them did.

"I'm sick of waiting to see if he's okay." Rosa sighed, her leg burning.
"I am too but we need to let Doc do his thing." Vaas replied.

His hand was plastered up; messily done but plastered nonetheless. Rosa had helped him neaten it as it needed a 'woman's touch' as she called it, making Vaas laugh. It would take around six weeks to heal, four weeks if he was extra careful but knowing Vaas, it would have to be the six weeks.

The couple hadn't seen Doctor Earnhardt either since before the battle and they wanted him to confirm Rosa's pregnancy. She felt little flutters of joy when she thought about it but tried not to get too excited as she was expecting something to go wrong.

Suddenly, the shack door flew open and the Doctor walked out, blood stained and looking weary. He tottered over to Vaas and Rosa, wiping his bloodied hands on his pants. The pair got to their feet. Rosa then flung her arms around him, hugging the old man tightly.

"Thank you for everything you've ever done for us, Doctor Earnhardt. You're the true hero of Rook Island." she whispered into his ear.
The man was taken by surprise at first and had frowned but softened at her kind words and patted her on the back.

"How is he, Doc?" Vaas asked, breaking the hug between the two.
"Alive and awake. He has one less limb than what he woke up with this morning however."
Rosa felt heavy with sadness. Poor Raul, he didn't deserve that at all; he was a good guy.

"What did you have to do?" Vaas asked.
"I had to remove the remaining bone that was sticking out of his leg which was excruciatingly painful for him which I'm sure you heard. I then had to close the artery and veins to make sure that he didn't lose anymore blood. I then gave him a liquid concoction to increase his blood production as we cannot do a transfusion out here. Then I stitched him up and bandaged his leg. It will take a while to heal. I'm surprised he survived."

The pair looked pale by the time he had finished explaining. It sounded awful.
"So do you know what exactly happened?" she asked.
"The boy says a local hacked at his leg and then the explosion did the rest." he replied, glancing worriedly at Vaas.
The pirate lord looked into the air in front of him and sat down into the seat behind him, shocked.

"Vaas? Honey, you okay?" Rosa asked, moving next to him.
Vaas rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He looked stunned.
"I caused him to lose his leg?" he mumbled, growing ever paler.

"The boy tells me it was near falling off before the explosion. He was going to remove it himself after the fight. Don't worry, Vaas, he's a fighter like yourself. He needs time to heal and he'll be back to normal. Jane mentioned a prosthetic leg for him?"
Rosa nodded.

"We'll give him anything he wants and more. We need him fighting fit."
"I'll look into it. I'm sure I can get a top class one for the boy. I just need to collect my thoughts as that's the toughest work I've ever done."
"You go Doc, rest. You deserve it. You will be paid greatly for your duties here today, I promise you." she said, smiling at him.
He smiled back before wandering off to his shack.

Vaas was still sat down and looking like he was thinking deeply.

"Vaas, come on, the Doc told us what Raul said himself. You didn't cause him to lose his leg. Shouldn't we be grateful that he's not dead?"
"You couldn't kill me if you tried, lazy ass." a voice chipped in.
The couple's heads snapped up at the sound of Raul's voice.

He looked awful but alive. His hair was greasy due to sweat and his upper body had patches of black soot from the fire and smoke. He had a bandaid on his forehead but his eyes were still the same as they had always been; sparkling and alive. He had a cannula in his arm and Jane was holding a bag of liquid that they could only assume was morphine otherwise he wouldn't be able move.

Rosa and Vaas slowly moved their eyes down to his leg, preparing themselves. His shorts were in tatters, ripped and singed. His right leg was still there, tanned and muscular yet covered in blood. Where his left leg should have been, the short just hung listlessly, flapping in the breeze. Raul was sporting a pair of battered crutches to help him stabilise himself.

"Oh Raul." Rosa whispered, trying not to let herself cry.
Vaas had grown pale again.
"Hey, don't worry, I'm alive aren't I? Jane said I shouldn't have gotten out of bed but I wanted to see you two and check you were okay."
Rosa scoffed.

"Check we were okay? Raul, you stupid man, you're the one who has lost a fucking leg! The Doc filled us in but tell us in your own words; what happened?"
Raul hopped over to the sofa and sat down next to Vaas who was yet to say something. Rosa frowned. Vaas killed people in all manner of ways; why was he bothered about Raul's leg? It wasn't even his fault the Doctor has said.

"Well, I ran down the path near the beach and drop off area to set up some explosives for the incoming locals. As I was running, I tripped over a piece of wire that one had used for a trap. I got to my feet as quickly as I fell but then suddenly my leg was struck, hard. I then fell down properly and couldn't get up. The guy was about to kill me but I reached for my knife and threw it into his eye."
"Jesus." Rosa whispered, stunned.

"I couldn't really feel the pain in my leg because of the adrenaline but I looked down and he'd nearly got me all the way through." Raul continued, "I knew that once the battle was over that it would have to come off. I used my bandana to tie of the top of my leg and used my t-shirt to stem the blood flow as it was near the main artery but nothing can kill the mighty Raul! Turns out the RPG did the rest so all the Doc had to do was sort out the remaining bone and my artery or else I would have died. He said I should have been dead but I guess I'm just one lucky son of a bitch." Raul explained, chuckling.

Rosa leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm so happy that you're alive." she mumbled.
Raul sighed, rubbing his stump.
"How's the big boss down there? Heard some guys saying you fucked up your hand. They said your face was bad too but it still looks as ugly as it ever was."
Vaas rubbed his beard and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
Rosa narrowed her eyes at him.
"Erm Jane, how about we leave these two boys to talk for a few minutes. I know Vaas has to speak to him."
Rosa shot Jane a look and the girl nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Lead the way."
As she walked passed, Jane kissed Raul on the top of his head.

"I'm just over here. Shout if you need anything, baby."
Jane linked her arm in Rosa's to help her walk as she led her over to the bar.

"I think we need a drink."
"I second that." Rosa replied, smirking slightly.

"All sorted now boys?" Rosa asked, walking over to the pair who were chuckling over the fire.

Night had fallen and the stars twinkled up above. Rosa and Jane had gone to the bar which was busy due to everyone wanting a drink. Jane had passed Rosa a beer but she declined and asked for a water, saying that she wasn't feeling so good, which Jane had thankfully put down to the shock of everything.

"Yeah, we're good." Vaas replied, putting his good hand out to Raul for him to shake it.
"Right, come on, Raul. Time for bed." Jane said, putting on a stern motherly voice, making everyone laugh.
"Okay, I'm coming now. Help me up, wench."
"Wench? You're lucky you're in the state that you're in, otherwise I would have beaten your ass."
"I like the sound of that." he purred, as he walked off with Jane, her carrying his nearly empty morphine bag.

"Time for bed for us too, Vaasy bear." Rosa said.
Vaas quickly pulled her into his lap, making her squeal but she rested her head against his shoulder.

"You rang Hoyt?"
"Yeah, I explained everything that had happened and that was the end of it all now. He said he was happy and that he loved me."
"He's going soft in his age."
"So are you. Even more so, now we've got a baby on the way." she whispered in his ear.

Vaas shivered before scooping her up bridal style and carrying her over to the Doctor's shack.
"Vaas! Your arm!" she protested but she was laughing.
"Screw my arm, I want to find out for sure if I'm going to be a Papa!"

The pair sat anxiously on Doctor Earnhardt's bed as they waited for the results of the urine test. His room was messy yet seemingly had order to it, scattered with papers and pictures. Rosa got up and walked over to a picture that caught her eye.

"Hey, Vaas! It's us!" Rosa said.
Vaas got up to join her as Doctor Earnhardt turned around quickly.
"Those are my things!"

The photo was of Vaas and Rosa on their wedding day as they had walked back into the compound. They looked so happy and carefree; it was beautiful.

"Did you take this, Doctor E?" Vaas asked, taking the photo and smiling.
"That is none of your concern." he replied, pouting slightly and looking uncomfortable.
"Why do you have this, Doc?" Rosa asked softly, making him loosen up.
He cleared his throat and straightened himself.

"I only ever had one child, Agnes, who passed away very young. I wasn't that old when I first came here and you were both so young that I ... I thought of you as my own children in a way. I have been so proud of you both, even if I sometimes don't agree with the killing."
"Oh Doc!" Rosa said, emotionally, looking at Vaas who couldn't stop smiling.
The Doctor seemed to blush slightly but it was hard to tell in the dim light.

"So, what are the results?" Vaas asked.

Doctor Earnhardt grumbled as he walked over to his little desk area. He stood for a second, looking at the results. Rosa found Vaas' hand and intertwined their fingers, holding onto him tightly. The Doctor turned around, the corners of his lips upturned.

"Congratulations."

Rosa and Vaas lay in bed; Rosa in his vest and her underwear and Vaas shirtless and in shorts. Rosa was tucked under Vaas' protective arm as he stroked her side.

"I can't believe we're going to have a baby. And nothing is going to hurt us anymore."
"There are lots of things that can hurt us, princesa."
Rosa sat up sharply and turned to give him a death glare.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it is a jungle out there." he smirked.
Rosa punched him in his chest before settling back down.

"Goodnight, Mr Montenegro."
"Goodnight, Mrs Montenegro. Sweet dreams."

Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed this extra LOOOONG chapter which is the penultimate chapter of Diagonal Insanity! I hope most of you are still with me so please review or send me a message! I love you all, my little cherubs! x