Falling Skies Invasion Alone

The Burning Bridges

I slept for hours. Seriously, hours. I didn't wake up until the bell for lunch was ringing. When I eventually got washed (as much as I could in the camp) and dressed, I groggily scoffed the army style food before heading for the medical bus.

"Good sleep?" Anne smiled as I got in.

"I don't know how you do it." I shook my head and shrugged off my thick jacket. Of course I still had many layers on. It was a war after all. "I was so zonked out. I sat down and totally just... slept for ten hours. Ten hours. I haven't slept for ten hours since before the invasion."

Lourdes laughed. "Well, you deserved it. You helped a lot. And you were up for a long time."

I had figured out that I had gone about thirty five hours without sleeping before I literally passed out. And it was an intense thirty five hours.

I surveyed the bus, seeing what there was for me to do.

"Don't settle in. We're heading off tomorrow. Didn't you hear the beamers?" Anne asked me.

"Seriously. I was totally out for the count." I shook my head. "So we're off again?"

"Yeah. There's damage to the bridge, but they're trying to get it repaired. Should be out by dark tomorrow night." She explained, leaning over a patient who had a wounded arm. I nodded, just as I noticed.

"Uh, do you know that we're missing a patient?" I questioned, motioning to the bed where Tom used to lie.

"Oh. He's up and about." Anne rolled her eyes. "The Masons, I'm telling you. You can tell them to rest a thousand times but they always go off and busy themselves doing something."

We worked almost constantly for the rest of the day, there was a steady stream of minor injuries which thankfully I could deal with without bothering Anne and Lourdes.

I was just about to say to them that I was thankful that we weren't as chaotic as the previous days when Matt came bombing in, screaming that his dad was hurt.

We all jumped up, just as Hal and Weaver lugged Tom into the bus. Tom's face was scrunched up, his eyes screwed shut as he stumbled onto the hospital chair that Lourdes had dragged out quickly.

"What is it?!" Anne exclaimed.

"My eye." He groaned through gritted teeth. "My eye. There's something in my eye."

Anne settled him down and snapped on the gloves I had laid out. "Lourdes, hold the eyelid open, I need this solution in. I need a torch right up the eye, Cassidy."

I grabbed the torch and shared a look with Hal which screamed 'Get you brother the hell out now.' He acted quickly and scooped Matt up and swung him out the door and disappeared. I could hear Anne tell Tom that it was gonna be sore, whatever it was she was gonna do.

I shone the light directly into Tom's eye as he groaned, grunted and writhed as Anne poured solution into his left eye. Weaver hovered as Ann manoeuvred my hand to get the light in the right position.

"Can you see that? Lodged in his sclera?" Anne asked Lourdes. I couldn't look. The sclera was the white bit of the eye under the jelly like protection on the outer layer. Eyes weren't exactly my favourite part of the anatomy. I just tried not to be sick as Anne and Weaver exchanged about the lump. But when Weaver said 'Whoa.' I realised I had to pay attention.

There was something wriggling about in his eye. It was like a worm. Or a leech. It was definitely not supposed to be there though. That's when Tom started convulsing as he argued with Anne about yanking the creature out of his eye. Anne ordered me to pin him down. Again.