Radiation Point

Twenty Eight

Jackson frowned when he saw Mia. His dark eyes held a hint of urgency, as he helped lower her to the cot and began pulling back layer after layer of gauze.
"This doesn't look good," he said, after examining her wound. "I don't know if you guys want to be in here for this."
His words sent shivers down my spine. I was right. Mia was getting worse. Just thinking about losing her put me in a panic, warm tears filling my eyes. Still, I had to be strong for my sister-even if it took every ounce of strength I had. Balling my hands into fists, nails digging into my palm, I took a deep breath.
"No, I'm staying," I said, my voice shaking.
"Me too," Ellen said from the door way. Her voice sounded more sure than mine. Strong. But her eyes held the same fear I know mine did. What if Mia lost the fight?
Jackson flicked his eyes from Ellen's to mine and nodded.
"Fine, but if you're staying then you can help. I need to get this wound clean."
"What do you need us to do?" Ellen askeM
"I'm going to need more alcohol. And gauze if you can find it," he said, frowning at my sister's wound. "It's pretty badly infected, but I think I can treat it."
"I'm on it," Ellen said, giving Jackson a curt nod, before hurrying out the door.
When Ellen had gone, Jackson set his dark eyes on me. He studied me as intensely as he had studied his other patients.
"You know how bad it is, don't you?"
I nodded, not meeting his eyes. If they held sympathy, I would lose any resolve that I had. I had to stay strong.
"Even if I can get the wound clean, she's going to have nerve damage," Jackson continued, more to himself, than to me. "Substantial nerve damage to her lower extremities."
I bit my lip in frustration.
"What are the odds of her walking again? Of her being like she was before this?"
"The odds of her walking again are low. You need to accept that. And V," Jackson said, his calculating eyes on my face. "She'll never be the way she was before this. None of us will."
"But we adapt," I finished, my own mantra sounding hollow in my ears.
"Yeah, we adapt to survive."
With a sigh, Jackson pushed himself off his knees and moved to watch Miracle where she lay.
"I honestly thought she'd have already changed," he admitted.
"Maybe Miracle won't change."
"She's going to change. You should get used to the idea," Jackson said, with a shake of his head. "What makes you think this little girl is so special? That out of all of the people who've changed after being bit, Miracle will be the one who doesn't?"
"She is special," I said, looking at Miracle fondly. "You said it yourself, you were surprised that she hadn't changed already."
"Don't get surprising confused with special. This is a chemical process that occurs in the body. It's science, nothing more." Jackson's voice wasn't harsh or angry the way the Tyler's could get, simply logical.
"What kind of doctor were you before the bomb was dropped?" I asked, examining him closely.
Despite the stress of the past few days, Jackson held his composure well. If anything, he simply looked tired, with dark rings under his eyes. It was as if he contained the fierce passion he had while fighting, into a well paced, even minded individual. An even minded individual with a lab coat and calculating eyes.
Jackson's reply was cut short by the door being wrenched open.
It was a young renegade that I'd never seen before. His face was pale and his brown eyes were wide as he caught his breath. Pulling out an inhaler, he sucked heavily on it before continuing.
"We're under attack. Tyler wants everyone at the fence immediately."
He puffed on his inhaler again, before turning out the door and hurrying away.
Jackson and I moved to the door at the same time.
"No," Jackson said, putting his hand up to stop me. "You have to stay here."
I started to argue, but Jackson nodded to my sister.
"You can't leave her alone. Stay here and keep an eye on the girls. And V, if Miracle changes-kill her."
His demand sent me reeling.
Kill her? I never thought I'd be the one to have to kill Miracle if she changed. My stomach twisted at the thought.
"Lock the door behind me," Jackson said, before darting out into the dark gymnasium.
I locked the door with a click, swallowing the fear that rose up in my throat. I wasn't used to running away from a fight and it made me feel venerable; exposed.
I turned my attention back to my sister. She was one reason I was happy to stay behind. The thought of something else happening to her made my stomach churn. Not long ago, I had vowed never to leave her alone again. And just as moment ago, I was ready to rush out the door, leaving her unprotected again.
Not this time. Even if I couldn't go out to the fence to fight, that didn't mean I couldn't still protect my sister.
First, I set Mia's pain pills and antibiotics next to her bed. She was still unconscious, but her eyes were fluttering wildly, as if she was struggling to wake up. I needed to be ready to give Mia her medications if that happened.
Then I moved to Miracle. Her cheeks were blazing red against her olive skin. Worried, I pressed my hand against her forehead and felt her hot flesh pushing against mine. The poor girl was burning up.
At my touch, Miracle's eyes flitted open. She stared at me groggily through a mess of dark lashes.
"Mommy?" Miracle whispered in confusion. She struggled to move her arms, but the leather straps held her still. Miracle blinked furiously and stared at the straps in deepening confusion. Without a word, she lay back against the cot, all fight gone from her. Her eyes clamped shut and she shuttered. Her breathing was soon rhythmic and measured-pulled back into a drug induced sleep.
"Keep fighting, little Miracle," I whispered, stroking her cheek.
Taking a final glance around the room, I flicked off the lights and plunged us into darkness. If I had thought the gymnasium was dark, the nurses station was a black hole.
But the darkness was necessary.
Leaving the light on would be a beacon to whatever was out there; like waving a white flag.
I shuffled through the dark room, taking slow, careful, steps to return to my sister's side. Even the small difference of having the light off made me feel better; less like a sitting duck. I absentmindedly stroked Mia's hair.
"Nessa?"
Her small voice surprised me. I thought she was still unconscious, but I suppose that if she was awake that meant that she was starting to get better. I could feel my face stretching to a grin in the darkness.
"Yeah, Mia?" I didn't even bother to use code names. It seemed like a pointless practice, when it was only the three of us in the office.
"Where are we?" she asked me, her voice trembling slightly.
I grasped her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay, we're safe. This is the old nurses station. Here, take this," I said, helping her take her medications.
She struggled to swallow the pills, coughing violently. Then she lay quiet in her bed. Mia's slow, even breathing the only sound.
"Why is it so dark?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.
I suppressed a laugh. A bomb dropping, human mutations, two dead parents later, and Mia was still afraid of the dark. Some things never changed.
"I don't want anyone to know we're here," I explained. "But there's nothing to worry about. You're safe with me."
Mia heaved a sigh and lay back against her pillows, still gripping my hand. I stared out into the darkness, feeling relieved. Jackson had been right to have me stay with her. She would have been so scared to wake up in a strange, dark place. But based on her steady, rhythmic, breathing, she had fallen back into an easy sleep.
I sat there, holding her hand for a long time listening to her breathe and wondering when Jackson would return. Funny how things changed. I really wanted the renegades to come back safe from this fight. Well, that is Ellen, Jackson, and Tyler. Even Bubba, shockingly enough. Not that I knew who they were fighting. Was it contaminated again? Had the commissioner come back?
That was what I was thinking about when I heard Mia's breathing start to speed up, sounding wet and ragged. It sounded as if she were struggling to get air in her lungs, so each breath she took was short and fast.
"Mia?" I asked in alarm, getting up from my chair. I was moving towards the light when I heard her voice.
"What is it, Nessa? What's the matter?"
It was then that I realized it wasn't Mia whose breathing was ragged. It was Miracle's.