Islands

40. The Island of Pain Part III.

I woke up screaming. My legs burn and stung like never before. My heart raced frantically. I screamed in pain trying to push myself away from what was hurting me. Hands pushed my shoulders down onto a hard surface. Tears moved down my cheeks as the pain became unbearable. Finally the pain eased into a slow rhythm, into a throbbing state.
I took a deep breath and clenched my hand into fists.

"Jesus Christ! Where is Troy, we sent him almost twenty minutes ago," Mads says with anger.

"Calm down, you're stressed out cause she's in pain. Take a deep breath," Robert says as he loosens his grip on my shoulders.

I lean up and look at my legs.
A string and needle is between my skin, forcing the wound closed. He was only a quarter up my leg.
He looks at me, his eyes red, he looked stressed, ready to pass out onto the floor.
He looks away from me. He pushes some gauze on my leg to stop the blood.

"I have to close this wound up," He says with a sigh.
Robert pushes me back down and suddenly the pain begins again.

"Stop!" I scream. But the pain doesn't stop. I feel the burn and the movement of thread, my skin moving to close. Something was wrong. It wasn't the thread that burned, it was something else.
I force myself to look down at my leg.

What the hell!

Mads was no longer moving the thread. But putting a match to my skin. The flame burned my skin, cauterizing the wound.
I screamed hysterically as the flame came into contact with my skin.

"Stop!" I begged.

After a moment the pain eases into a throb, the burning still there but not as much.
I breath heavily in the pain.
The door bursts open and I hear Troy begin to talk breathlessly.

"I got matches and a lighter...her uncle left to get a cell signal to call the hospital on the mainland. Hopefully they can get a helicopter out here soon," He says.

"I didn't think it was this bad. She'll need surgery to repair the damage on her muscles. The nerve damage is irreparable," Mads says.

My heart races some more.
Troy hands Mads a lighter.

"I'll hold her leg still," Troy proffers.
A moment passes, I expect the pain but it doesn't come. Mads is still, he stares at the lighter and finally moves to shake his head.

"I can't do it...Troy, you need to do it, i can't..." Mads says helplessly.

"No, come on, you're the better doctor," Troy says.

"No, I need you to do it. I can't do this to her," Mads explains.

Troy reluctantly takes the lighter. Mads moved towards my head.

"Can you hold her leg?" Mads asks Robert.

I see Robert move to my leg, gripping it to stay still.
Mads crouches to be face to face, next to my head. He pushes my shoulders onto the table I lay on. His face next to mine. He plants a kiss on my forehead and nods to Troy to start cauterizing the wound again.
After a minute of the burning sensation, I am out like a light.

     When I wake up again, I am laying on a soft mattress. My legs are propped on pillows. I am sore, thirsty, in pain, tired, confused and scared all at the same time.
My head hurts, probably from the pain that caused me to pass out. My throat is dry, probably from the screaming. My eyes fell dry, probably from the constant sobbing. My legs hurt, probably because I were just attacked by a wild dog for the second time in my life.

I sit up, breathless, groggy, and dizzy.
I look around the room. Another bed in on the opposite side of the room. I move slightly but the pain rushes over me. I screech in pain, not loudly but just the subtle sound causes footsteps to rush to the door, swinging it open. 
Mads rushes to my side, on his knees at my side.
He kisses my forehead and then my cheek.

"How do you feel?" He asks.

"I'm tired. Thirsty, nauseas, sore," I say.

"Can you get her some water," Mads asks someone who stands in the doorway.

"Mads, what happened?" I ask.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember being attacked by that dog, because of that man...but-"

"What man?" He asks.

"He...he took the rope...off the dog...told the dog to..." I trail off, confused.

"Allison, did someone sick the dog on you? It was intentional?"

"I don't know. I remember, him saying that he saw me a couple weeks ago...that he saw us...he wanted to know if I was a friend of yours..." I trail off again.

"So someone sicked their dog on you, because they saw us together?"
I nod.

"That's what it seemed like..."

     Robert wanted to take my statement before the helicopter landed in a field down the mountain. Mads and Troy would have to carry me down the mile trail to the field.

I told him what I remembered, what the man said and what he looked like.
When he was done taking my statement, Will entered the room. He was concerned, red faced, slightly angry.

"How do you feel?" He asked sitting in the seat that Robert had sat in. Mads was sitting on the bed across the room.

"Tired. In pain."

"I would go with you on the hellicopter but, I need to go back and tell mom and dad what happened.

"I know, it's okay," I say nodding in a drifting state.

"I can go with her," Mads offers.
Will abruptly stands up.

"You are not going near my sister, ever again!" He yells as he approaches Mads in an angry manner. I sit up some more.

"Will stop!" I yell angrily. Mads stands up.

"You don't know the full story," Mads says.

"I think it's easy to see...you tricked her into believing that you actually like her," Will says.

Mads shakes his head.

"I love her-" with those three words, Will swings his fist and it meets Mads's jaw.

Mads's head turns and he staggers for a second.
Mads looks back at Will.

"I love her, I love-" Mads says but again his face is impacted my Wills fist.

"Stop!" I yell. Moving to get up.
"Don't move, you'll hurt yourself," Mads says adjusting to the punch he just received.

"Don't talk to her, you fucking cradle robber," Will snaps.

"Shes a fucking adult, not your child!" Mads snaps back.
Someone walks into the room, they are not in view but their voice proves that its Kristi.

"I can't believe this is happening. Will stop blaming him!" She whines.

"Stop blaming him? He is the one who took advantage of my sister!" Will yells.

"Your sister probably seduced him! You've seen how desperate that wench is!" She yells back.

"Enough! All of you need to get out, now! She needs to rest, not stress out over your stupid argument!" Robert yells in the doorway.

Kristi storms off and Will follows.
Robert comes into view and looks at his brother's bruised face.

"Shit! That boy is strong. Haven't seen you stagger like that since middle school," Robert says with a chuckle.

"You know what else is like middle school, you watching me get punched in the face by someone else," Mads says.

Robert chuckles again and moved out of the way for Mads to come to my side.

Mads kisses my forehead.

"I'm going with you on the helicopter. When we land, I'll call Ella and have her pack your things," Mads says.

"I'll have one of the boys take your things to the mainland," Robert proffers. I nod. Robert leaves the two of us. Mads holds my hand until I drift to sleep yet again.