Take a Bullet

Chapter 3

Hello again beautiful people!:) So I was really excited to write this chapter and now that it is done, I'm excited for you all to read it! Please enjoy! :)

                   Sean's P.O.V.

I smirk in humor at Bryan's constant fidgeting.

"Do I look alright?" He asks me in a worried tone.

I chuckle in response. "As good as you're going to look in a hospital gown."

He glares at me. "Thanks, Sean. You're a big help," he states sarcastically.

"I know," I responded jokingly before turning my attention away from Bryan and towards the large window of our hospital room. We arrived back in America just about two days ago and have been holding residence in the medical clinic on the Pettawawa basic. The past week has been a different kind of experience for the past year in combat. This hell threatens to never end. I glance at the large military backpack at the base of my bed and close my eyes as I am drawn to a memory a few days ago.

Cold.

Wherever I am right now, I feel cold.

As I slowly regain consciousness, I register a constant stream of voices and footsteps coming and going. I hesitantly open my eyes and blink rapidly several times at the harsh light of day.

I twist over onto my back and take in the beeping monitors around me and the multiple wires attached to my body.

"About time you came to," a voice calls out to me.

I turn my head and watch as Bryan attempts to sit up higher on his bed. The grimace on his face relays that even that slight movement is causing him pain.

Pain.

I glance down at my right arm where the endless shots of pain from the battle come back into my memory. The now slight, almost undetectable, pain emerging from my wound feels like a freaking walk in the park compared to the initial impact.

"Where the hell are we?" I ask Bryan.

"Germany. They flew us out after the medics on the ground thought we needed more proper assistance. You don't remember this?"

I slowly shake my head. "No. Last thing I remember is this injury knocking me out."

Bryan pulls his gown aside slightly to show me his wound. "I feel your pain, bro."

"Crap," I mumbled at the sight of his injury.

"Yeah," he responded back lightly while returning his gown back to his original place.

"Sean Lawrence? Nice to see you up and talking," a male voice speaks up. Both Bryan and I look up at the doctor walking into our room as he glances at the multiple sheets on his clipboard. " I'm Doctor Banner. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," I tell him.

"You took two bullets to your right arm. And I know it may not have felt like it, but you were lucky. If any of those bullets hit an artery, you probably wouldn't have been here right now."

I swallow at the new information. I hate to admit that as much as I would have embraced death, my fear of it consumes me.

"What made your injury worse was the hypovolemic shock you went through upon impact."

What the hell does that mean? "English, please." I hear Bryan speak up from beside me and I silently thank the God I don't believe in for his request.

"It happens when your body enters a state of decreased blood volume. Your body's natural response is to quicken your respiratory and circulatory rates. You lost a good amount of blood which is peculiar considering the injury."