What I Want

Chapter 42: Just Words

Mal was beginning to panic as Ben bled out in front of her. What could she do? Her phone was dead. This alley was pretty remote, so there was no way anyone could hear her cries for help. She certainly couldn't carry him home, due to her current state of being in a wheelchair. Heck, she couldn't even think straight. Normally, in a high pressure situation she'd be able to come up with something, but because it wasn't her life at stake, she couldn't make a coherent thought. She was too worried about losing him. Survival mode only worked when she was in danger. Right now, she was in protective mode, and that wasn't helping.

The only thing Mal could think of was to try and stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite reach his bleeding torso. Not wanting to waste another moment, she pushed herself off her wheelchair and used her arms to scoot closer to him. She then ripped off a piece of her shirt and searched over his body for the wounds. She fumbled around a bit in the dark before finding one. Mal then pressed the fabric against it and kept tight pressure on it. However, she also started to feel blood dripping near her leg. Clearly, he had more wounds than she could take care of. As a result, her anxiety began to rise even more. Ben couldn't really see, but he could feel Mal as she tended to him and he could sense her anxiety. Wanting to calm her, he reached up with a bloody hand and touched her face. She was startled at first, having thought he had passed out already, but she placed her hand over his and squeezed it.

"I am not losing you tonight," Mal told him.

Suddenly, her leg brushed against his pocket as she shifted her weight. Of course! What hadn't she thought of this earlier? Mal reached into Ben's pocket, unlocked it with the security code, and immediately phoned Evie, who picked up instantly. Mal couldn't really explain where she was, mostly because she didn't know herself, but Evie was able to find Mal's laptop and triangulated their location via GPS. Evie then told Mal that she had to hang up and call for help. For now, all Mal could do was wait. However, she was still panicking. Ben was bleeding out quick. She worried if help would arrive in time. Thankfully, Ben was a fighter. He wasn't going to give up that easily.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mal. I promise," Ben wheezed.

"Damn right you're not," Mal agreed,"you're staying right here with me."

"I feel like I'm going to pass out."

"Don't you dare. Stay with me Ben!"

"But I feel so weak."

"Please. I can't lose you. Stay strong, Ben," Mal urged him as she squeezed his hand tightly in hers,"help will be here soon."

"I can't."

"Please. Do it for me. Stay strong. I need you."

"Well," Ben coughed,"when you put it that way..."

"Ben..."

"I'm fighting, Mal, but it's hard."

"Keep going. I'm right here with you."

"Stay with me?"

"Always."

Not two seconds, later, an ambulance had arrived. The medics quickly got in and pushed Mal out of the way so they could tend to his wounds. Belle arrived to and helped Mal get back into her wheel chair. She then fought to get back in there to be with Ben, but Belle told her that the medics needed space to work. Mal looked at Belle and could see in her eyes how worried she was for her son, and yet she stood strong and stayed out of the way. If Belle could do it, Mal could too, but it wasn't by choice. Eventually, the medics put Ben on a stretcher and put him in the ambulance. And because Mal was in her wheel chair, she couldn't get in and ride with them, so she hitched a ride with Belle as they made their way to the hospital.