The Enhanced

Chapter Forty Seven

The car seems to have its plan and personally sees to it that Aiden be as vocal as possible. Every crack in the road sends the entire vehicle a foot in the air, I have to cup my hand over his mouth twice to muffle his screams of agony.

The very dim light s of a small truck stop ahead become apparent after nearly forty minutes of driving and I feel a weight lift off of my chest, the parking lot was empty so we didn't need to worry about anybody seeing us yet.

When we have finally pulled over, Aiden breathes a sigh of relief as well and seems to settle. I give him a concerned look, there was a lot more pain to come before he was up and ready to get on the road again, but I decide not to mention that. He didn't need to be more worried, sometimes a surprise was better.

His arm draped over my shoulder, and a bag clutched in my hand, I drag him to the small bathroom at the side of the building. Inside, there is a small metal bench, quick enough for him to lean across as I busy myself with the medical supplies.

The luminous lights were bright and I wet the clothes with water first to dab away the blood that had set all over his skin, it was caked on by now. Hours of bleeding had created a stiff layer over the wound. Aiden shifts and winces every so often but remains mainly quiet as I slowly work closer and closer to the wound.

Once the wound becomes visible enough, I prepare to put some disinfectant on it to keep away infection. Keeping my back turned to Aiden, staring at my hands in the mirror, I take a deep breath.

"Hey, do you remember that afternoon," I murmur, "when those men came and hurt you," I say, pushing away the feeling of guilt as I mention it.

I turn to him and he nods slowly.

"Do you remember how I found you on the floor?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'd been bleeding for hours, I thought I was going to die."

I feel myself nod instinctively as I approach him, he was laying sideways with his shirt lifted and stomach exposed. "What were you thinking? While you were laying there waiting to die?"

"I thought about... my life, my family, my past, I thought about you, and I felt sad that we wouldn't-" he screams in pain, clutching at the metal bars, barely holding in the noise.

I press myself against him, as I brush the cloth over his skin as softly as I can. "I know, I know, I'm sorry," I mutter into his ear. His screams drown out my reassurance.

Even after I've lifted the cloth from his skin he gulps the air.

"Aiden," I murmur.

He looks up, meeting my stare. His eyes were glassy and dazed but I knew he was listening.

My lips turn upwards slightly and I feel my own eyes begin to blur as I take his hand. "I love you."

I feel his arms around me, squeezing me, telling me everything I need to know without uttering a word. And I squeeze back, because what I truly felt couldn't be put into words. All we could do was hope the other understood.

Aiden calms and I wrap his wound and let him get changed as I go out and pull the car behind the building. We still had a while before dawn, everything had gotten so chaotic so quickly, I wanted to take the time to sit and think for a while. Using the thickest blanket we have, I climb onto the roof of the car and lay, staring at the stars.

Some time later, Aiden materialises from the bathroom and drags himself up to sit next to me, his arms around me, keeping me warm and safe. Everything here, right now, seemed so utterly complete. my heart felt so full that it just might burst out of happiness. It was perfect.