Until Then

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Kenneth

"It's not the worst one I've seen, but it's an infection and I'm glad you came in. Waiting at the VA Hospital would have most likely not ended well for you. Pathology says it's a strain of staphylococcus. We'll put you on some IV antibiotics and send you home in a few days with a cream to rub on the open sores." A deep male voice is rambling on inside the dark room as I stand in the hallway double-checking I have the right room number.

"Thanks, Sir." Mateo's voice is rough and I can tell he's in a lot of pain just from the sound of it. We spent so much time together before the mission, I know him well enough to know when something isn't right.

"You're welcome. I'll stop in again tomorrow to check on you. The nurse should be in shortly to get the meds started." The older man leaves the room, never even looking up as he heads to the counter behind me.

I step inside and it's as if I'm crossing from day to night. While the hallway is bright and cheery, filled with noise and commotion, Mateo's room is dark and depressing. He doesn't even have the TV on or any lights other than the one directly above his bed. I imagine it was the one the doctor was using to read the results.

Mateo's eyes are closed and his hands are gripping the mattress beneath him so hard his knuckles are white. His leg is propped up outside the sheets and I can see a large expanse of his thigh is covered in scarring skin and still-healing wounds. Near his kneecap the injury is especially red and shinny with moisture that most definitely doesn't mean it's healing well.

His face is pinched in discomfort and I know he's usually a pretty tough guy so this must be pushing his limit of tolerance. I watch a tear drip down the side of his face. He's hurting, and I'd give anything to be able to talk to him and tell him what a hero he is. I wonder where the other guys are and why he's here alone.

A nurse steps into the room behind me and then hangs a bag of something from the IV hook. "This is going to drip in slowly. It shouldn't bother you, but sometimes it makes people a little nauseous. Let me know if that happens and I can give you something for it. The doctor wrote it in the orders just in case."

Mateo doesn't even open his eyes. He just nods his head slightly and reaches for his thigh. "Don't," she warns just before his hand meets its target. "You can spread that fast. I can wrap it for you if you'd like. Sometimes that helps people to remember not to touch it."

"No. Thank you." His first word is sharp, but he softens it up at the end. If the nurse is offended she doesn't show it.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" She moves over to the white board hanging on the wall and writes down some medical terminology along with her name. "I'm your nurse for this shift so just hit the button if you need me."

"Okay, thank you." His voice is still strained, but you'd have to really know him to notice. She leaves the room and he's alone again.

I take a minute to look closely at his leg. He must have been hit just after me as we made a run for cover. I wonder if he thought he was going to die, or if he was too pumped up with adrenaline to feel the severity of his injury. I need to sit down when I realize he was in the perfect position to watch me die. I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like.

His cell phone rings from the small table beside his bed. I see Lucas' name flash across the screen and feel homesick for my friend. I'm also relieved because his name wouldn't be blinking if he didn't make it home. I let out a breath I didn't even know had been trapped in my lungs. Two out of four of my best friends are alive. I'm sure they are carrying around a lot of messed up baggage from the disaster that they had to witness, but they are all very strong—not just physically, but mentally—and I know they will figure out how to live without the pieces of them they buried in that desert.