Guardians: Away Mission Book 2 of the Guardians Saga COMPLETED except for edits

Back To Earth Ch. 10.3

      
The brothers and Alex appeared behind the concrete wall that shielded the dumpsters of Charity Hospital. Rile looked up and saw the huge neon sign that proclaimed "Emergency."

He signaled his brothers to follow and they ran to the huge glass double doors, which obediently swooshed opened. The clean scent of bleach and cold air hit them in the face.

Rile grabbed the nearest man in scrubs. "Help her! She was stabbed and can't breathe!" Rile waved at Alex, still in Gabe's arms.

"Put her on a stretcher," the man said and Rile released him.

Gabe complied, gently lowered Alex to one of the many stretchers lining the walls. Rile leaned over Alex as well, eye-ridges knit together in concern.

"No hospital," Alex whispered and more blood bubbled on her lips. Her breath left a sour, metallic taste in the air, warming the air around her. "Take me home to die with you." She held onto Gabe's tunic.

Gabe held her hand but peeled it off his tunic. The man pushed Rile out of the way, whipped out a stethoscope, and listened for a few seconds to Alex's chest. Then he looped it back over his neck.

"I've got a pneumothorax here!" he called out. "Where can I put her?"

"Trauma bay six," someone else yelled. "I didn't see it check in."

"Not checked in," the man yelled back but then told the brothers, "You need to fill out paperwork. Stay right there."

"Let me do it," Gabe said. "I remember from the last hospitalization."

They watched as a swarm of scrubs descended on Alex and pushed her into the trauma bay.

When the paperwork descended next, Gabe painstakingly filled it out, remembering the name of Godeaux, and to blame Morgan. He used the address that Morgan had stalked Alex to as the home address, and the doctor's office as the work address. He listed Morgan's description as the assailant and his first name.

At long last, the forms were filled out. Gabe sent a prayer of thanks to the Portal Guardian for the automatic translation abilities.

"How is Alex?" he asked the unit clerk as he handed in the last form.

"I don't know. I can check," the clerk said.

The clerk spoke to a nurse's aide, who spoke to the licensed vocational nurse, who had to track down the registered nurse, who had to call the operating room nurse.

"She's doing well," the clerk said. "Chest tube is in and lung re-inflated. They explored and sutured some other knife wounds, but other than that, she's doing well. She'll be back in the room shortly, but she's sedated. You'll be allowed a brief visit. Mr. Godeaux, then you'll have to leave. Visiting hours aren't until tomorrow."

"Mr. Godeaux," Rile hissed softly once Gabe sat next to him in the hard plastic chair.

"Shut up." Gabe rubbed his eyes, a weary gesture.

"Let's pray for Alex," Cale said. He was about to recite a prayer for Alex, but couldn't remember it. He looked down into his hands, his fingers ached with the need to paint it onto a scroll.

"You pray." Rile stood up and paced the waiting room with its yellowed tile floors and concrete block walls.

Gabe curled in the chair and closed his eyes. It wasn't long before a woman in scrubs lightly touched his shoulder.

"Mr. Godeaux, you can see your wife now," she said.

"Wife?" Rile hissed.

Gabe ignored him and followed the aide. Rile and Cale tagged after him.