Boo! | Simon 'Ghost' Riley

2) Infection

Rebecca took a look at my shoulder. Immediately, I saw that something was wrong by the way she looked at it. She looked back at me and smiled.

"It's not getting worse, but it's not improving either," Rebecca said. "What about the pain?"

"Comes and goes out of nowhere," I replied. "Sometimes it's really bad."

"You're not skipping your meds, right?" Rebecca made sure.

"No," I said. "Am I getting the vaccine?"

"Vaccines could kill you, honey," Rebecca sighed. "I will, though-"

The door of the infirmary opened. As quickly as possible, I slipped my arms into my sleeves as I looked back. I quickly buttoned my uniform up.

It was Ghost. His eyes were piercing through my left shoulder before narrowed at my face. Soap had arrived by then.

"Prescribe you as usual and you'll be good to go. Nothing to worry about," Rebecca continued before addressing the two. "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready, doc," Soap said before looking at Ghost. "Am I going first or you?"

"You scared of needles?" Ghost asked.

"No," Soap scoffed.

I got off the bed and Soap took over the seat. I stepped aside, trying to dismiss the way Ghost looked at me. The cautiousness in his eyes.

"You good?" Soap asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You sure?" it was Ghost.

"Tattoo infection," I flatly smiled at the floor.

When I looked back up at him, I could tell that Ghost was not convinced.

Soap had rolled up his sleeve and Rebecca had prepared the vaccine. From his spot not far behind Soap, Ghost had started rolling up his sleeve. Took me a while for me to realise I was staring.

Immediately, I looked down and noticed that my shoelace was undone. I exhaled as I knelt and tied my lace.

"So, you have to take notes that the vaccine won't work against a bite," Rebecca said. "Should there be any BOW near you, don't hesitate to exterminate it."

"I'm guessing you don't work on the fields," Soap said.

"Sometimes," Rebecca chuckled. "I'm mostly at the lab."

When I stood up, I looked at Soap in disbelief.

"There you go," Rebecca said. "Next."

Soap moved from the bed and stood next to me. Ghost was not the one by the bed, sitting by the edge of it. Rebecca prepared his dose.

"Caelith doesn't bring you any trouble, does she?" Rebecca joked.

"Not so far, but I see a potential," Soap replied, chuckling in the end.

"Any warning we should know about?" Ghost asked.

I had a feeling Rebecca and Soap missed the intention of the question.

"Oh, she made really bad coffee," Rebecca said casually. "Never ask her for one. She also eats like a vacuum cleaner."

When I looked at Rebecca, my gaze stopped at what she was doing. Her hands on Ghost's upper arm. It was like a painting. Like a sculpture and I hated myself for looking at it.

So, I excused myself to the toilet that was a door away. I washed my face and took a leak. I washed my hands before walking out.

By then, Ghost and Soap had been ready to go. Rebecca was just explaining about the vaccine that we would be bringing. I had been through the explanation many times before.