*Authors Note *
Just letting everyone know this chapter is about 4 months later since the last chapter and there is some gory scene. I am also not a doctor so I apologize if I don't get all the medical stuff right!
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I was walking with Diego and Trevor in the desert in the middle of nowhere. They were talking to each other about Tennessee football, who was the better team, Tennessee Titans or the Vols?
I tried to join into the conversation but they were ignoring me for some reason. I thought that was a bit strange.
"Diego..." I said, trying to get his attention and he looked at me for a second and gave me a smile. That sweet smile of his can warm anyone's heart. I bet when he was a kid he got away with a lot of things because of that cheeky smile.
I was wearing a tan short, light blue tank top and a dusty plaid pink shirt. We were walking in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing in sight just the occasional palm trees. It was just Diego and Trevor and about a few of other people I have no idea who they were. They looked all like soldiers. I guess we were on patrol in the middle of no where looking for drugs .
I had a camera Nikon d3000 around my neck. I started taking pictures, I just felt like taking pictures for some reason. The scenery was beautiful.
"So, Diego when are we heading back?" I asked, he just looked at me and smiled again.
"Soon sweetie soon." He whispered. Then all of a sudden I turn my head for one second, one second my whole world changed. One second it was all over.. I heard a loud boom, then felt a major push back. I felt as if someone picked me up and through me across the football field. I quickly open my eyes and started running.
"Diego, Trevor!" I screamed trying to figure out where I was and what happened. Then,I saw Diego lying there about six feet away from me. He was bloody from head to toe, I bent down and checked for a pulse.
"Hey,Diego wake up," I shook his right shoulder. He wouldn't wake up for a few seconds. Then he took a big deep breath,
"I..can't..breathe. " he gasped, opening his eyes.
"OK, you'll be OK. " I said looking for his medical kit. Then he started breathing harder and harder.
"Diego hang on," I screamed.
"Help help!!" I screamed as loud as I could.
"I'm sorry. " he breathed one last time.
"No , Diego no!!" I screamed, he closed his eyes and his breathing stopped.
I woke up screaming. My eyes filled with tears. Oh my goodness that dream felt so real, It felt like I was actually there.
Katie came running into my room.
"Are you okay?" She asked with a red face. "Yeah, just had a bad dream that is all." I said crawling back into bed. I felt embarrassed I woke her up.
"Alex..." she mutter before she wiped a tear from her eye.
"What?" I asked looking confused. It was 2 in the morning so I wasn't fully awake.
" I just got off the phone with Trevor. " she sighed. My heart started to sink, my body started to feel numb. This is not good, he never calls this late in the night.
"What..."I held my breath, trying not to think of the worse. The look on her face though told me the news isn't good.
"It's Diego, there has been an incident. "She said.
"Oh my God. " I cried covering my mouth with my hands.
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*Trevor P.O.V*
"So, how's Alex?" I asked Diego as he was off in his own little world, not paying attention to where he was walking. He snapped out of it,
''She is fine.'' He yawned as we continue to walk though the middle of nowhere in Iraq. It was all dirt roads and abandoned biblical style buildings. It is rather beautiful, and also heartbreaking because these people's lives are forever changed.
"How's Katie?" He asked.
''She's good..'' I yawned myself. We haven't slept in 48 hours, so we are exhausted.
"Lieutenant Fred, how many more hours do we have to go?"Specialist Carl asked forgetting his manners.
When you do not say "sir" to Lieutenant Fred then he will kick you in the butt, literally he will!
"Sorry I mean Sir." he changed his tone quickly. Specialist Carl is an 23 year old kid who is on his first deployment.
"Thanks to Specialist Carl, everyone will have to walk another 6 more miles. " Lieutenant Fred informed us.
Great.. We all gave Carl and nasty look, he is young and still a foolish boy.
"Oh well, let's think of the positive. "Diego tried to cheer everyone up.
"What is positive about walking an extra 6 miles?!" Private David snapped.
"Watch that tone young man!" Lieutenant Fred yelled.
" We are all alive." Diego reminded everyone.
"We have two good legs and we can use them. Not many people have good legs to walk." He went on. I just shook my head with a giggle.
"You're odd. " Sergeant Tim looked at Diego.
"He is right though. " I agreed with him. After that little talk it was a pretty quite walk.. No noise, except crunching of the sand between our boots as we walked. I guess everyone is just really tired.
"Do you think the girls like their packages?" I asked Diego as I was trying to start a conversation. The quiet was getting to me.
"Yup I bet they do." He smiled. We had each sent them a bracelet from a little shop that was set up in the market. They were purple and pink beaded type. We thought they were adorable bracelets to send to them!
As we were walking a glare of light hit me. It hit me like a laser in the eye. Then, I heard one shot and my face got splashed with something..
"Sniper Take cover!"Lieutenant Fred screamed, everyone started running for cover around the buildings.
I was getting ready to run when I saw Diego turn to me. It was a slow motion movie feeling, he looked down at his right side of his chest and he looked at me with a scared look on his face. I saw blood just gushing out as fast as it could. I stood there for a second, in terror not knowing what to do. He tried to take one step toward me, then another shot was fired, I saw it go through his back and he fell forward.
"Diego!" I screamed running to him.I
grabbed him by his kevlar vest, and dragged him as fast as my legs could take me. I laid him down behind the alley way that was behind me. He was gasping for air, as he was trying take off his vest.
"Shit!!!Where did that come from!?" I screamed looking over at Lieutenant Fred.
"Trevor..."Diego gasped, with his hands covered in blood shivering. He couldn't get his vest off to see how bad his wounds were.
"Hang on bud!" I told him. I took my M-16 and tried to find that bastered of a sniper. When I finally was able to locate the bastered I fired. Then we saw him fall out the building.
After that, I ran to Diego's aid. He was starting to go into shock.
"I got it, save your strength. " I told him, helping him get his vest off. He started coughing up blood,
"We need help, Soldier down!!!" I screamed. Then I started hearing footsteps running toward us.
"Oh shit!" Lieutenant Fred snapped running toward Diego. He got down on his knees and stabilized his head.
"Diego it's not that bad, you're going to be fine." I comfort him as I quickly grabbed a bandage out of his medical bag. I covered both of his wounds and put pressure on them. He was loosing a lot of blood.
"Liar." He smiled.
"Tell Alex something please-. " Diego started but I immediately stopped him.
"No you tell her. You are going to see her again. " I snapped.
"No Trevor. " he said, trying to talk.
"Diego... You're going to be fine. " I tried to comfort him. You can look into his eyes and tell he was scared. I was scared, I think we are all scared. Diego is our best medic and he is my best friend. I don't want to lose my best friend.
"Trevor, tell her I'm sorry for breaking the promise. " he was able to say with each breath out, his breathing started to get harder. I turn my head so he didn't see the tears roll down my face.
"Ok.." I sighed trying to keep him calm. " Let's get that medivac here now!" I screamed as loud as I could. My voice was starting to hurt from all the screaming.
"It'll be here in 3 minutes. " Private David shouted,
"He doesn't have that long!!" I shouted.
"Trevor tell Alex I love her dearly, and that I will mis-"he started, but his eyes slammed shut on him.
"Diego stay with me!"I yelled shaking his shoulder.
"Diego hang on." Fred whispered in a deep tone. Then, I felt Diego's heartbeat slow down, his breathing started to get shallow then it stopped.
"Noo!!" I screamed starting CPR.
Lieutenant Fred put two fingers on his neck to feel a pulse.
" Nothing yet.." he shook his head no. I continued CPR trying not to lose it. Still nothing...
"Diego dammit don't do this!!" I screamed. Everyone gathered around us.
" FIGHT DAMMIT FIGHT!" I screamed. Three minutes later,
"You can barely feel it but he has a pulse. " Fred sounded happy. I put my ear to his chest, you could hear a heart beat but it was faint. The medic finally came,
"Two shots to the chest. Lost a heartbeat about four minutes ago but it came back, It is very faint though. " I told the blond hair, blue eyes woman medic.
"OK, we got it from here." She told me.
I hopped into the back of the Hmmv, because I am not leaving my friend to die on me, I am going with him to the hospital. We promised we would stick together through this hole thing.
"Diego fight dude, think of Alex she needs you." I whispered to him as they lifted him up. I helped pulled him into the back of the hmmv it.
"We need to find a place to get him airlifted. He won't survive the drive." I shouted.
"We are working on getting a chopper. "The young Muslim driver told me. I sat in the back and watch them try to save him. They put a tube in his mouth to take over his breathing. It was hard to see a man that was always so strong, he was always there for everyone, but now he is barely alive.
Thankfully we were able to get a chopper and fly him to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital, they rushed him in as soon as the chopper landed on the roof. They wouldn't let me go in with him, "He is my friend please!" I cried. They pushed me away
"Right now he needs you out here. " the nurse with black hair and brown eyes told me. I ran out of the hospital building, I grabbed my phone and called Katie.
"Hey were you hit?" Lieutenant Fred asked me pointing to the blood on my face and hands as he was walking to the hospital door. Everyone had met us at the hospital to be here for him.
"No sir. " I Sigh walking away.
I have to let Katie know before this gets on the news. If they found out from the news then it would be hard.
"Who in the heck is this??" She snapped.
"Katie cat it's Trevor...." I tried not to cry. I have to be strong.
"Hey I'm so sorry!" She giggled, It did make me feel good to hear her laugh.
"Hey babe..." I started crying.
"What's wrong?" She asked. I took a deep breath and tried to gather myself.
"It's Diego. Something has happened." I sighed. I heard her gasp on the phone and cover her mouth.
"Oh no what happen?" She asked with her voice cracking.
" Diego has been shot and it's not good." I took a deep breath again, it is hard not to just lose it right now. I heard her start to cry,
"Oh my gosh." she cried.
"They don't know if he will make it." I sighed.
"Is Alex awake?" I asked.
"No I'll wake her up. " she said getting out of bed.
"Are you going to be ok?" She asked
"No but you need to tell Alex. " I sighed hanging up the phone.
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