"Get a crash cart her vitals are dropping!" A nurse shouts, your eyes fluttering open and closed as you're left dizzy from the flashing lights above you as you're moved down a hallway.
Your head hurts from trying to focus so you give up and close your eyes. Everything felt so heavy. Where are you? How did you get here? Everything seems to ache and throb with pain and you even feel lightheaded but you need to figure out where you are and why. Had the enemy somehow managed to get a hold of all of you?! Wait...wait a second!
Private....Private Johansson! You had shielded him from the blast of a grenade and you didn't make it all the way all the way into the ditch. The sharpenal having dug into your right hip and leg. Despite it being torn you picked him up and forced your way back to the chopper waiting to take everyone to safety. He was the last person you needed to save and you'd be damned if you left anyone behind. Once aboard the helicopter it took off, everyone assessing their injuries. You slump against the inner wall of the helicopter, feeling your vision swimming. You chance a look at your leg and nausea overwhelms you so you have to look away.
You keep quiet as your squad assesses the injuries and taking care of worse ones immediately, figuring you'd just hold off until you got to the hospital. Unfortunately, your leg isn't your only injury and a shot to the ribs is making you bleed out faster. Your head swims and you can barely make out what anyone is saying to you. You blacked out after that, drifting in and out of consciousness between the helicopter ride and the transfer onto a gurney. A mask is put over your head and a sweet smell meets your nose, finally passing out completely.
~~~~
The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor is what you finally wake up to, a pained groan leaving your lips as you open your eyes. Everything feels heavy as you feel over the hospital sheet draped over you. Your mouth and throat are dry and scratchy and there's a light throb to your right leg. You try to flex your right foot in order to maybe ease the throbbing, pausing when you can't even feel your right foot. Now that you focus on it you didn't feel your right leg at all. You're hesitant but you lift up the sheet on top of you, alarms suddenly blaring as you completely break down.
Nurses come rushing in and you're not sure what you're dosed with but it calms you down enough to be able to speak with the doctor. The damage was too severe from the sharpenal impacts and they had no choice but to amputate. You're informed everyone in your squad was okay and despite the horror of no longer having a leg you're relieved at the same time. You promised you'd get everyone out of there and you stuck to that promise.
Your commander comes in after a few days to inform you you'd be getting a quick discharge from the service. After a ceremony of course. You'd be receiving a Purple Heart after your injury in battle saving your squad. That's what you get? A damn metal and getting fired. You know it's for the best. You can't exactly do much fighting if you're missing a leg. Your squad visits you a while later, everyone bandaged here and there but otherwise everyone looks to be okay. They're angry that you're being kicked out of the army so fast but you tell them things will be okay. You've been talking about finishing this contract and going home anyway. You suppose this is just a way to expedite the process.
"This is all my fault," Johansson curses softly. "If you hadn't come back for me!"
"Then your wife and kids will lose their biggest support. I don't leave men behind. Not good men," You tell him with a gentle smile.
"Fortunately, everything turned out okay. We got past the enemy line and took control of the village. If you hadn't called for aid none of you might have made it out alive," Roberts, your captain, explains. "You did a real service."
"Thank you sir," You mumble softly.
"Here's the paperwork," He says, handing you a stack of papers. "We'll get you home soon."
"Talk about a buzzkill," Williams mumbles after your captain leaves. "You okay?"
"I will be," You promise them. "Who wants to help me pack?"
Your squad bursts into laughter but you know they're feeling as upset over it as you do. You've watched these men grow into amazing soldiers and they watched you lead in hopes of doing the same for others someday. You're the glue that holds the entire squad together and now you had to leave. You know they'll be okay, they're strong soldiers, and you have trained them well. You've all been overseas so many times fighting for your country but you all lost count how many. Everyone wanted you and your squad and you know why. You've trained the best fighting squad in the country and you all know how to get a job done.
"The doctor says you can get out of here today. Why don't we all go out to dinner?" Meyers offers. "It'll be my treat."
~~~~
You and your squad sit around your table as you all chat and reminisce about old deployments, everyone enjoying drinks and food. You put up a happy front for everyone but your hand never leaves your right thigh. You're amputated above the knee, making you wonder if they make prosthetics that would work with your amputation. You hope they do because you don't want to sit around once you get out. You're going to find a job as soon as you can. You still have bills to pay and you have a good savings built up but you needed to be active and working. You can't sit.
Everyone is having such a good time and drinks are flowing heavy to the point you forget your leg and just focus on the moment. You'd all make sure your waitress got a huge tip at the end of the night. You're all safe and call for a car service to take you all home, but you'd need to regardless since that's how all of you got here. You bid everyone farewell once they all leave in their individual cars. You rest on a bench with crutches in hand, the early winter air chilly as the night continues on. You wrap your arms around yourself as you begin to shiver, regretting not grabbing a heavier coat.
What was taking so long? The app said they were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago! You try to request a new driver but your phone is about as cold as you and shuts down, softly cursing at the old model. You needed a new one but you avoid it until you absolutely need it. You're not hurting for money by any means, you just don't really care about having the latest and greatest models. Your old ones do just fine. You can't exactly stay here all night but your apartment was about almost an hour away by car! You'd even look up a hotel but again, the cold killed your phone.
Finally, a sleek black car pulls up to the bench and you're ready to give them a piece of your mind for being late. The window rolls down and the driver asks your name to confirm things. You waste no time climbing in as soon as the doors are unlocked. The inside is beyond nice and you wonder why the hell this person was even doing driving people around?!
"I apologize for my lateness. There was.....an incident," The driver explains, catching your attention.
"An incident? What happened?" You ask in surprise.
"Police found someone's body so we all got sent on detours. This city can be so hard to navigate," They explain.
"A body? This far into the city?" You ask in surprise. "That's not a good sign."
"It's not at all," The driver agrees. "I'm glad you're okay."
You pause at their words but manage to get the hint. They're glad that whoever murdered the first person didn't somehow find you and make you the second victim. A shiver runs through you at the very idea. You're glad that didn't happen as well.
"Here we are," The driver says, stopped in front of your apartment building.
"Thank you," You tell them, confirming they're paid and tipped before going inside.
You feel bad for getting annoyed at them now so no point leaving a bad review because of something that was out of their control. Using your crutches you get to the elevator and take it up to the top floor of your apartment. You grab your keys from your purse and unlock your door before working yourself inside. You shut it and then lock it before turning on a light.
"Good evening my baby," You coo when your cat runs up to you meowing to greet you, like she's done her entire life since you adopted her. "Did you miss me? I missed you. I bet you're ready for dinner."
Your cat purrs and rubs around your leg before leading you to the kitchen. You give them their dinner and head to the bedroom so you can change into comfortable clothes. Once you're dressed you move to the couch and settle on there, a sigh leaving you as you grab the remote. You turn in the television and find the news channel, turning up the volume so you can hear what's going on.
"They're saying this may be the work of the Red Devil, despite being past Halloween," Thew news anchor explains. "We encourage citizens to lock their houses at night to keep yourselves as safe as possible. A police investigation is ongoing at this time they ask for any and all leads possible."
"Damn," You hum, giving a light shake of your head. "I really hope this doesn't continue. I moved to get away from the drama years ago, not walk back into it."
Your cat purrs beside you, their tail flicking slightly. They truly don't have a care in this world. You smile at this, happy you've been able to provide them with a happy life. Despite the constant moving and being gone for months they're a very healthy and happy cat. You've both been loving the fact that you're home now. You really missed all the cuddle time. The hospital is back in the city and hour away but you choose to stay in a small town away from the drama of city life. Wonder what made the city think it was the Red Devil this late in the year. Maybe they were just trying to offer what little solace they could.
You flick off the news and find a random movie to relax to, laying out on the couch, your kitty resting on your chest. You don't really watch the movie, more just keep it on for background so you're not so alone with your thoughts. You have a ceremony to go to in a week where they'd be giving you your Purple Heart. Part of you didn't want to go. It's a huge honor! You just don't exactly want to parade to the world you lost your leg. It's going to be hard enough going through town with everyone knowing!
You just don't want any sympathy is all. It's hard enough remembering you've lost your leg and you just got out of the hospital! Sure, people offered to help take care of you, but you declined all of them. You couldn't do that. You've spent your whole life taking care of others. You weren't changing that just because you lost your leg. You end up falling asleep on the couch.
You surprise even yourself when you suddenly wake up screaming. Your chest heaves with heavy pants as you just sit there in the dark, the television having turned off at some point. You fumble for your phone to check the time, sighing when the clock only reads three thirty. You nearly jump out of your skin when there's a sudden banging at your door. You groan but manage to get up and get to the door, your elderly neighbor looking worried as he looks down at you.
"Are you alright? I heard screaming," He tells you, his voice gentle as he looks down at you with piercing blue eyes full of nothing but kindness for you.
"I'm so sorry. It was a nightmare," You admit, your cheeks red with embarrassment. "I wasn't in my room so it ended up carrying."
"Would you like to discuss it?" He asks you gently.
"Honestly? I don't even know what it was about," You admit to him. "I'll be more careful about where I sleep."
"If you ever need an ear to talk to I've got to of 'em. You still comin' to bingo with me tomorrow?" He asks.
"Yes," I tell him, relieved he's changed the subject. "You know I can't miss bingo night when I'm home."
"You take care of yourself. I'm across the hall," He reminds me, a smile coming to my lips.
"Can I get a hug?" You ask, your voice low at the selfish request.
You're sure he doesn't hear you until he's opening his arms. Your eyes widen before relief washes over you as you push forward and wrap your arms around him, your crutches rattling when they're dropped on the ground. He returns the favor, gently rubbing your back as you hug him tight. Tears flow hot and heavy down your cheeks as he just comforts you for a while. When you're able to calm down you pull away, sniffling softly and wiping at your eyes.
"Need me to tuck you in?" He teases, making you realize he's supporting you.
"Not tonight," You can't help but laugh in embarrassment. "But I could use a hand?"
"Here," He chuckles, letting you rest on the door frame while he retrieves your crutches.
"Thank you, Oscar," You tell him.
"Anytime. Sleep well," He says, patting your head before he returns to his own apartment.
You close and lock your door before you head to your bedroom to sleep on your bed. Your room had been made soundproof after one of your first deployments. People complained about the noise despite knowing you're a soldier. The landlord and a few neighbors who've been here as long as you have wanted to kick you out. So, the landlord hired people to come in and soundproof the room. He didn't do the whole apartment as it was expensive to do so but he was happy to do your bedroom. Turned out everyone who wanted you to stay chipped in so it could be done.
You settle down in bed as the fond memory comes back to you, being able to sleep the rest of the night.