A/N: Hello everyone! In this chapter, we'll get to meet some of our favorite coffee-guzzling Rangers! ...And a well-known healer, whom we love as well! Yay! This has the same warnings as ever... it's very angsty. *shrug* No big deal! OH, there's also- hmmm, let's see- ...ONE swear word!
Also, a big thank you to WisperRanger26, pennydragon, Guest, llo, and PFT3000, all of whom left me wonderful reviews on chapter 3! I appreciate it SO much! Thank you! :D
ON WITH THE ANGST!
Gilan P.O.V
I sighed as I carefully gathered Will's unconscious body in my arms, preparing to bring him back to his room. I felt terrible for startling him and causing him to have a panic attack... even though I still wasn't quite sure what I had done to scare him.
I shook my head, impatiently dismissing the thought. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that Will needs to be taken care of, and that's the most important thing right now.
Malcolm, who wasn't the tallest of people, had to run a bit to catch up with my long strides. His eyes widened when he looked at me and I wasn't sure why, until I noticed my arm- the one holding Will's legs- felt warm. Warm and... kind of... damp.
I hesitantly looked down to see fresh blood coating my forearm. I frowned, trying to figure out where on Will's body it was coming from. As if reading my mind, Malcolm spoke.
"Damn it... He tore the stitches in his leg. Lay him down on the bed, I'll be there in a minute." He ordered, turning in the opposite direction and heading for the living room, where his bag of medical supplies was.
I nodded, even though he was already gone, and gently laid Will down on the bed in Halt's room. I didn't have time to do much else before Malcolm came in, hurriedly setting his bag on the bed and searching for what he needed.
"Are you going to stitch it back up?" I asked, watching as he pulled gauze, peroxide, a needle, and thread from his bag.
He nodded and replied, "I'll have to. I can't leave it open, there's too big a chance of infection setting in with a wound that large. Several of these gashes are already infected, he doesn't need more."
"Yeah..."
I felt terrible, looking at the many colourful bruises that decorated his skin. It got worse when Malcolm pulled his pants down so he could stitch the stab wound in his thigh back up.
I could see the hand-shaped bruises wrapping around his hips, where someone had grabbed him while they... I shuddered and turned away, feeling bile rise in my throat.
I felt so incredibly guilty. We hadn't found him in time... and because of that, he was raped. I should have worked harder. I should have been out searching for him instead of resting like Halt had told me to. I should have prevented it at all costs... But I failed.
And now Will's hurt. Badly. To make things worse, we still haven't found the person who did this. When we rescued Will, there were around 10 guards, all of which we killed. But it had been obvious that the person who was responsible for this wasn't there.
I jumped when a hand squeezed my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Halt, standing in the doorway with a bowl of cold water and a washcloth.
"Go on out, Gil. You're going to make yourself sick worrying so much. Will is going to be fine." He said firmly, nudging me through the doorway and into the hall.
"But, Halt-!" I tried to go back in, but he had set the stuff down and was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed.
"I'll tell you if anything changes with Will, I promise. But you need rest, Gilan, you look terrible. Go lay down."
"...Can't I just-"
"No, you can't sleep beside Will's bed. Last night, I almost stepped on you because you didn't tell me you were going in there to sleep! This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely before I have Malcolm sedate you."
"And I will do it!" Malcolm chimed in.
"See? Now go get some rest." He ordered, stepping forward and pushing me toward my old room, where I was currently sleeping.
I sighed as I heard the door click shut, effectively ending the conversation. I yawned and, deciding I wasn't very fond of the idea of being sedated, reluctantly went to lay down.
I slipped off my boots and trudged over to my bed, flopping down onto it almost lifelessly. I didn't even bother to remove my blood covered shirt before I fell into unconsciousness, dreading the nightmares that were certain to come...
I was standing at the end of a long hallway, in front of a closed door. The screams that came from inside were the agonized, terrified cries of someone desperate to escape the horrors they were being put through.
And I immediately recognized them as Will's. My heart leapt into my throat and I lunged for the handle, yanking the door open in record time.
"Will!" I cried, running into the room... only to fall.
There was no floor. Everything was pitch black. I fell... and fell... and fell, my stomach left at the door. I screamed in surprise and flailed my arms as if that would help. It didn't.
Then I wasn't falling anymore. I was tied to a metal table, next to a silver tray full of bloody medical instruments. I gulped and tried not to think about whose blood they were covered in. I faintly noticed that I was shaking. It was freezing in here...
That's when I realized I had no clothes on. I gasped and a million questions raced through my mind all at once, making the room sway. I thrashed in the restraints, the sinking feeling in my stomach convincing me that being here wasn't a good thing.
Then something awful happened. The screams started again, louder this time. Tears rushed to my eyes, knowing that someone was hurting Will, and I tried even harder to escape.
"I'm coming, Will! Just hang on!" I yelled over the screams.
The hard leather of the restraints cut into my wrists and it burned, but Will was far more important than a few cuts. Time seemed to slow down as a drop of blood slipped from my wrist, splattering onto the table.
A flame rose from were it landed, and I screamed as fire enveloped me whole in mere seconds. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain I felt but couldn't escape.
When I opened my eyes again, Will was standing in front of me. I gasped in shock. Tears were pouring from his eyes and he was shaking so hard I could've mistaken it for a seizure. He was covered in blood and... a gooey white substance that filled my chest with guilt.
Oh no...
"Gilan..." He sobbed, "why didn't you save me?"
A/N: Tadaaa! Well, that was dramatic. Please leave me reviews! It's midnight, so I have to go to bed. Goodnight everyone! :P