Why me? ~ mark sloan

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The sounds of gun shots reverberated through the tents, sending chills down Vanessa's spine every single time a different shot was fired. 

She moved over to the most important bed to her, her fiance who had been in the line of fire - gunshot wound to his abdomen. She patched it up as best she could, comforting him and making sure there was no infection but the bleeding would just not stop.

She cried over his dying body as he used the last of his strength to lift his hand and stroke her hair tenderly as he breathed out his last shaky breath. 

She immediately lifted her head from his chest, eyes wide as the reality of his death hit her. She sobbed loudly, still trying to cover the gaping wound in his side that just wouldn't stop gushing blood. 

"V, he's gone. He's...dead." Owen sounded from behind her and she turned to him slowly, the look on her face was enough to break Owen's heart, literally. He pulled her in for a hug, burying her head in his neck, giving the comfort that she needed.

"Come on. We have men that need our help." Owen pushed her away, looking into her eyes to convey his point. She nodded her head, a steady flow of tears still streaming down her face as she looked back at her dead fiance.

"We h-have to move h-him. Make r-room for other p-people." She stuttered and Owen tilted his head at her.

"You go over there and help them - I'll...I'll do it." He offered and she nodded, wiping her eyes and walking across the tent to help other people that were wounded. 

"He's dead." She whispered, over and over again as she treated other patients.

"Yes I am dead." Her dead fiance appeared in-front of her, "And it's your fault." 

She stopped moving her hands and looked up at him, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Your fault I'm dead. Your fault our baby dies in a few minutes. All. Your. Fault." He disappeared, leaving her confused, sitting on her heels. She heard a cry for help and she instantly got up, running out of the tent and into the field.

Suddenly a bomb exploded, sending her flying backward into the air. She hit the ground with a thud, shrapnel flying everywhere around her - some of it hitting her. 

Her vision went dark and she heard Owen calling her name before another bomb went off, knocking Vanessa off of the verge of consciousness and into the darkness.

---

She awoke with a start, sitting straight up and gulping in air violently as tears fell down her face. Mark startled next to her, sitting up slowly and placing his hand on her back. She jumped away from the touch and fell out of the bed, landing loudly on the hard floor.

"Vanessa?" Mark called, all signs of sleepiness gone from his system. She didn't answer, the remnants of her dreams still running through her mind - the thoughts of her ex fiance still fresh in her memory.

Mark moved around the bed quickly, kneeling down next to where Vanessa was huddled on the floor, rocking herself back and forward slightly, sobbing silently into her hands.

"Vanessa?" He repeated, not touching her as he didn't want to hurt her again.

"He's dead." She whispered, barely realising where she was and who she was with, her mind was running at a million miles a second and it didn't feel like it was going to slow down any time soon.

"Who? Who's dead?" He asked, trying his hardest to understand the situation without making it worse for her.

"He's dead." She repeated, beginning to hyperventilate and panic as Mark hesitantly placed his hand on her arm. When she didn't react to it he pulled her closer to him, forcing her to cry into him as she just repeated the same words over and over again.