Falling Skies Invasion Alone

Wounded

I barely registered the explosion as we drove away in the Jeep. We were all silent.

Anne was sitting next to me on the ride back, pressing someone's shirt against the gaping wound on my leg.

"You doing okay?" she whispered.

I was sweating, still breathing heavy through the pain. "Not healing as quick as I would have liked." I admitted quietly, out of ear shot from the rest of them. I ground my teeth. It was still agonising. The pain was clouding my head, making me squeeze my eyes shut.

"Cassie, I... I'm so..." I opened my eyes to see her eyes overflowing with tears. "You should never have..."

"Hey." I covered my hand with hers. "Don't even worry. I could take it. Better me than that little bean growing in your belly." I didn't have the energy to be sitting up properly. I had to lean my head on the beam of the jeep.

"She told them all." Anne blubbered, tying the shirt bandage tight around my thigh.

I gripped my hair, trying to focus on what she was saying and not on me. "It's gonna be fine, Anne."

She sniffed and exhaled deeply. "Well your hair isn't going to be if you don't stop pulling at it."

I chuckled and groaned at the same time. "God. I'm not used to being in pain for any amount of time anymore."

"I know, sweetie. Just hold on, we're almost back." Anne gave me her hand to squeeze.

Seeing how much pain I was in when he looked back at us, Ben jumped over the front seat and came back to sit with me, letting Crazy Lee move along on the seats.

"You doing okay?" he slotted himself into the space between me and the side of the truck.

I swallowed back a groan. "Up and down. Kinda feels like my legs on fire, kinda feels like I'm still being shocked, kinda feels like I'm gonna be sick."

"Need me to do anything?" Ben asked.

I shook my head. "You okay? With Red Eye and everything?"

After a short pause, he shrugged and pressed his lips together. "He told me to keep going. I'm gonna be fine."

I went to speak, tell him I was sorry that he had lost Red Eye, when we went over the biggest hole in the road that has ever been. The jolt moved my leg against Anne's, causing me shout out in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." I cried out, grabbing Ben's arm and gripping hard at Anne's hand. "Can you not?!"

"Sorry!" Tector shouted back to us.

Ben's arm went around me, pulling me into him. I rested my head on his chest, sweat dampening my forehead.

"It's okay. Just breathe through it." Anne rubbed her thumb over the back of my hand.

"Why isn't she healing?" Ben whispered over my head to Anne, making sure nobody else heard.

"I am." I breathed. "I think I am, anyway. It's just taking time because the crazy bitch practically stuck her hand in my leg."

Ben's hand stroked my hair gently, and he kept it up until we got back. I got help manoeuvring out of the back of the Jeep before limping inside.

We were greeted by Bressler, like returning heroes, but I couldn't focus or commit to any of the jubilations. Lourdes enveloped both Anne and I in close hugs, then seeing my bloody leg, helped Anne take me to the infirmary.

We had to tell Lourdes about my amazing healing skills. She accepted it surprisingly well, without any questions. Again, like Anne, I think she was just used to bizarreness.