March 1st, 2020 - 8 pm
"Ana! Ana!" She heard from the front porch. The boy's voice was panicked, and she leaped from her spot on the couch in front of the fireplace. Outside the ground was covered in snow and the boy screaming at her stood out against the blanket of white in his black gear. He was waving his arms around frantically in an attempt to catch her attention. She opened the window and yelled out to him.
"What is it, Billy?" She shivered as the cool air was pulled into the house.
"There is a man on the beach! He's injured really badly" The boy replied. She didn't need more of an explanation to get her into action. She rushed back into the house, not even bothering to close the window, to change into warmer clothes. Once she was in her room, she scrambled around to pull on a black pair of jeans, a baggy purple sweater with a thick collar that covered her neck, and a white pair of timberland lace-up boots. She bolted down the stairs, and as she left the house, she threw her fur-lined jacket on and snatched the keys from the wall next to the door.
"Let's go!" She exclaimed, jumping into the cab of the truck. She started the engine and fast as she could safely drive, she followed Billy's instructions. It didn't take long to get to the beach, and she didn't need to ask Billy where to go. Down the beach was a huge metal skeleton, which she recognized as the remnants of a Jaeger. The machine was smoking and a little way from it, she could see George sitting beside a man in white armor. She was quick to pull over as close as she could.
"Good god." She gasped at the sight before her and the blood-stained snow below the pilot. She fell to her knees next to him and searched for a pulse. It was there, but it was rather weak. "We need to get him back to the house. Help me get him into the back of the truck." She grabbed him under his arms and lifted him with all her strength. Between the two of them, they managed to get him into the truck bed. She climbed in with him and used her lap to cushion his head. Once she was situated, she slapped the back of the truck cab, signaling to go. She focused on his face.
He had a small cut above his right eyebrow that would undoubtedly scar. She looked over the rest of his body, and she could see that he was bleeding on his right side and the most obvious injury was that his armor on the left side was torn to shreds with lacerations underneath. They went over a bump, and his shattered helmet smacked her hip. She yelped in pain and glared down at the metal that had assaulted her. As carefully as she could, she removed the helmet, earning a pained groan from the man. His eyes fluttered momentarily, and she caught a glimpse of blue eyes.
"Yancy." He muttered in pain.
"It's okay. You're safe." She told him, weaving her hands into his hair, hoping to comfort him.
"My brother. Yancy. No. Yancy." He sobbed, turning his head into her stomach as if to hide away from the pain.
"She...sshh...you're okay. I'm going to take care of you." She whispered to him as her eyes filled with tears. His eyes fluttered closed once again as he fell back into unconsciousness. "George, hurry up!" She yelled, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't have to ask him what had happened to know. When she had pulled up near the Jaeger, she could see that the entire right side of the skeleton was missing. His pilot, his brother had been killed in action, and he was lucky to be alive. Her gaze found the sky as she found it almost impossible to keep the tears at bay. She knew what it was like to lose a brother, her family.
They arrived back at the house, and they rushed to get him into the house where she swiped everything off of the kitchen table and sent Billy to his room. George got her kit as she got to work pulling the white armor off his body. She was relieved to find he was wearing an under-suit as she removed the chest plate. His under-suit was ripped, and she could see that the mechanics had fried his left arm.
"Is he going to make it, Ana?" George gushed as he came rushing back into the room.
"He'll be fine. I am more concerned about his mental state." She replied, accepting the box of medical supplies from him. She knew from past research that when two pilots are controlling the Jaegers they are connected mentally. From the damage done to the Jaeger, she knew that the connection had been broken in the middle of the battle. What that meant for his mind, she didn't know, she could only guess the kind of trauma it had caused.
"Do you need anything from me?" he asked, glancing at the pilot unconscious on the table.
"No. Go make sure Billy doesn't leave his room." She told him. He nodded and rushed out of the room. She chuckled to herself, knowing that he didn't do well with medical things. In no time, she had the lower armor off of him, and she could see that his ankle was swollen and twisted. A deep blush rushed to her cheeks as she removed his under-suit leaving him only in his briefs. His chest was rather muscular, and she wouldn't admit it out loud she liked what she saw.
Shaking off her daze, she got to work. She started by wiping away the blood from his wounds. Her first task was seeing to the cut above his eyebrow. She taped a bandage over it and then wrapped gauze around his forehead. Next, she went to his right side where a piece of shrapnel had punctured his armor and cut into his side. She was careful in removing it before she stitched it up. She waited to wrap it up until she had finished with stitching up his arms as well. Every time he would wince or grown in pain, she would pause, waiting for him to settle before she continued to weave the thread through his skin. After she finished the stitches she used what strength, she had left to lift him up enough to wrap more gauze around his torso and his arm.
She laid him back down and leaned over, resting her head on the table next to his head. She took a few moments to catch her breath. Medical work had always worn her out and after a long day at the hospital, this had used the last of her energy. She looked down at her hands, and her breath hitched in her throat. Her hands were covered in blood, and they were shaking. All of a sudden, she had a flashback to the second wave of Kaiju attacks when her family was wiped out.
FLASHBACK START
An eleven-year-old Analia is seen kneeling beside a young male, her hands putting pressure on a chest wound.
"Chris...No Chris...don't go. Don't leave me alone." She sobbed.
"It's okay Ana. You're a survivor. You'll make it through this. I know you will." The boy choked out. "I love you, baby sister." His breath left him, and the light in his eyes died. From where her hands were putting pressure on his wound, she could feel that his heart had stopped beating. She let out an agonizing scream and let her head fall onto her fallen brothers' chest.
"I love you big brother. Please...come back. Don't leave me alone like this." She sobbed.
FLASHBACK END
She came out of her flashback and took a shaky breath. She pulled a chair up the table and laid her head back down onto the table, so she could close her eyes. She only prayed that she wouldn't dream.
FLASHBACK END
March 2nd, 2020 - 7 am
RALEIGH'S POV
The sun woke him up the next morning as it shone through the window. His body ached all over, and the pain in his torso brought him back to reality. He slowly opened his eyes and observed where he was. The walls were a putrid yellow color that made him cringe. He glanced around to see he was in a kitchen, probably on the table. The next thing he noticed was the head of dark hair. From what he could see she had full lips and thick eyelashes. She was asleep. 'She must have passed out after cleaning me up.' He thought to himself, seeing that her hands and clothes were covered blood. His blood. He shifted his body slightly and sucked in a quick breath of air in pain. The sudden noise was enough to send her sitting up with a startled gasp. She looked around dazed momentarily until she caught sight of him laying there with his eyes open.
"You're awake!" She exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. He watched her run into the kitchen to grab painkillers and a glass of water. She was back in a flash, helping him sit up, so he could swallow the pills. "Do you know your name?" He gave her a weird look before realizing that she was obviously a nurse.
"Raleigh. Raleigh Becket." He told her, frowning.
"Well, Mr. Becket, you took one hell of a fall. I'm not worried about your injuries; they will heal in no time. However, I am concerned about your mental state." She told him. His head snapped up to look at her confused. "It's not hard to guess what happened when one is patching up a single Jaeger pilot. I saw the damage done to the Jaeger as well; the entire right hemisphere was missing." She clarified. He nodded and didn't say anything in return. "Just know that if you wish to talk about any of it, you aren't alone."
"I never got your name." He gave her an appreciative smile.
"Where are my manners? Analia, my name is Analia Crux. You can call me Ana." She told him, venturing over to the kitchen sink to wash the blood off of her hands.
"Thank you, for saving my life." He said, attempting to get up off the table.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Your ankle is fractured." She told him with a pointed look. He quit moving "You're welcome. You should remain here until you are fully healed. George won't mind."
"I don't have anywhere else to go." He told her sadly.
"Well then Raleigh Becket, welcome to your new home." There was something about the way she said the name that made him suddenly forget about the gaping hole in his chest and the memory that kept replaying in his mind time and again. He couldn't help but give her an attempt at a grateful smile.