The Ghost of Him |WWII Frerard AU|

-37-

"You're lucky those pieces of debris didn't cut straight through to your skull,"  he remarks, dousing the cloth in ointment and gently dabbing at the gash on my head; it takes everything I have in me not to wince at the burn.  "I've seen some pretty gross stuff today.  Broken bones, detached ears and eyes, missing legs...."

"Okay, okay, I think I get the picture,"  I hurry to say before my churning stomach makes me vomit all over his shoes.  The pungent stench of blood in the stale air is making me sick enough as it is.  I don't need to picture, let alone see for myself, the terrible damage that this air strike caused.

A small smile of amusement spreads across Ryan's face as he blots another dose of ointment on my forehead.  "So squeamish, Gerard,"  he teases.  "You'd never make it as a medic at this rate."

"And I don't think I'd want to,"  I chuckle, flinching again as he finishes cleaning up the gash.  "I'll leave the professional medic stuff to you."

"Probably a good idea."

Coughs and groans of pain permeate the atmosphere of the building as Ryan moves to gather the roll of gauze.  It's difficult to breathe in here, what with all the metallic scents of blood and the old, balmy air it resides in.  Each breath adds another ounce of pressure in my lungs, and at this point in time, I'd give anything to step outside and take in the fresh air, if only for a short moment.  It's like there's no oxygen in here, and the fact that we're surrounded by terribly injured people only makes it harder to breathe.

I hope Ryan finishes up soon so I can get out of here.  I'm not sure how much longer I can stand it.

Unrolling the gauze, Ryan takes a deep breath and begins to wrap it around my head.  It only takes a few short seconds for him to secure it and tape it up.  "There we go!"  he says with a breathless smile.  "You're all set.  Just make sure to check back in with me in a couple of days, just so I can make sure it's not getting infected.  Otherwise, you should be good to go."

With a grimace, I slide off the table and try to steady my balance.  The pain pulsing through my body is slowly subsiding, but even so, I'm not sure if it'll ever completely go away until I sleep, which might be never at the rate I'm going.  Who has time to sleep when we're constantly on the road and fighting a war?

Regardless, what Ryan did for me helped tremendously.  Now I can start down the healing path, no matter how long that may be.

"Thanks, Ryan,"  I tell him.  My head feels a lot heavier than it did before, but I can't complain.  I'd rather not get infected.  "You're a lifesaver."

He lifts his shoulders in a shrug, an uneasy expression passing over his pale face.  "I wouldn't go that far,"  he says quietly, organizing his supplies on the table.  "I just help out.  I leave the serious stuff for the real professionals."  Then he heaves a sigh, trying his best to put on a smile as he turns to look at me.  "But don't mention it.  I'm just glad you're okay after all of that.  You and Josh had me scared half to death for a minute."

God, I can't even imagine the fear that washed over the rest of the company when that bomb struck.  Apparently I wasn't moving, and Josh was covered in his own blood.  I would've been terrified if I saw that happen to someone else.  I'm just so grateful that nothing too serious happened, either with Josh and me or anyone else in the company.  It was a scary time, but thankfully, everything turned out all right.

I hope I can say the same for the rest of the day.

"How is Josh, by the way?"  I ask, trying to reroute my nauseating train of thought.

With another shrug, Ryan casts his gaze to the floor as he picks up a bottle of painkillers, absentmindedly turning it over in his hands.  "Pretty banged up, but he'll be okay,"  he replies.  "I'm keeping him here for a few days since his injuries are a lot more serious than yours.  He just needs rest and treatment, but soon enough, he should be able to join you guys again."