Secrets and Sins

2. Easier said than done

~Beatrice~

The quickest way back to town was also the steepest.

Adrenaline flooding her veins, Beatrice was moving as swiftly as she could back down the trail without jostling Ava. It was easier said than done.

Protectively holding the unconscious Ava to her chest, Beatrice struggled down yet another sharp incline only to slip as her sneaker skidded on the gravel. She fell to one knee, grazing it badly. With a hiss of pain, Beatrice stood back up, blood trickling down her shin and continued down the path.

Every so often she paused to ensure Ava was still breathing, relieved to feel the weak but steady puffs of breath against her collarbone.

After what seemed like hours, Beatrice stumbled out of the trees at the entrance of the trail. She spotted a small house nestled right against the edge of the woods.

"Dear God, please let someone be home." She prayed, voice cracking with desperation.

Racing towards the front of the house as fast as she could manage, Beatrice, with both hands full, pounded the toe of her sneaker against the oak door.

"Please, is someone there? I need help, my friend is hurt! Please?" She shouted, hoping someone might hear her.

There was a long moment where nothing happened and Beatrice was starting to panic, she could feel the seconds ticking by, Ava's life trickling away.

The door banged open.

"Whaddayou want?"

A gruff elderly woman stood in the doorway, her face changing from annoyance to surprise to concern as she surveyed the disheveled Beatrice and blood drenched Ava.

"I'll call an ambulance. Get her inside. Quickly." The woman ordered spinning on heel and marched into the house.

Beatrice hesitated only for a moment before entering.

"Put her on the table". The woman said, pointing to her dining room, before disappearing further into the house.

Beatrice laid Ava down as gently as she could before pulling up a chair beside her. Adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, numbing everything else. She took Ava's hand in her own, stroking gentle patterns across the back of it with her thumbs and looked around the room. The old woman's dining room was small and quaint. Photos of family members lined the top of a short bookshelf that ran the length of the wall opposite her.

After a few minutes, the older woman returned.

"Ambulance is on its way. Hopefully your friend can hang in there." The concern was evident on her face, "What happened to her?"

"I don't know." Beatrice answered as truthfully as she could, "I just found her bleeding on the trail."

The ambulance arrived quickly, and the paramedics rushed into the room. Seeing Ava lying unconscious on the table they rushed to her side, beginning to stabilize her. Rapid questions were fired in Beatrice's direction and in the chaos she could only nod or shake her head in reply.

"We need to take her to hospital straight away, she needs a blood transfusion." One of the paramedics told her, "Are you family? Will you be accompanying her?"

"Ahhh, I'm not family, no." Beatrice replied before thinking.

She realized her mistake almost instantly.

Seeing the paramedic was about to take back their offer of having her accompany them in the ambulance, Beatrice barreled onwards.

"I'm her girlfriend." She spluttered quickly, face reddening.

She hoped Ava wouldn't mind the small lie because Beatrice wasn't about to leave her, not for anything. The paramedic nodded, motioning for her to follow as they loaded Ava onto a gurney and wheeled her out to the ambulance. Never letting go of Ava's hand, Beatrice followed. Climbing into the ambulance, she smiled her thanks to the old woman.

"Good luck dear." The woman nodded towards Ava, "Look after her."

She's never leaving my sight again.

Beatrice thought to herself, reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind Ava's ear. Trying to ignore how cold and clammy her skin felt under her fingertips.

It didn't take long to get to the local hospital. Beatrice had been so focused on Ava and her breathing she hadn't noticed the ambulance slowing to a halt by the emergency department doors. And she definitely wasn't ready for the half a dozen doctors to be talking over each other as they opened the back doors of the ambulance. Beatrice tried to get the attention of the woman who seemed to be in charge as they bundled Ava out of the ambulance and through the doors of the ED.

"Yes, yes we will do everything we can." The doctor said dismissively to Beatrice as she tried to brush the sister warrior out of the way.

"NO. Wait." Beatrice's outburst seemed to finally get the Doctor's attention.

"She. I mean, Ava. My friend... My girlfriend. She can't have an MRI or X Rays done at all. She um..." Beatrice tried to find an acceptable lie that would convince the doctor, Beatrice knew that if the halo was found, shit would quite literally hit the fan. It would expose the OCS and the Church, as well as make Ava subject to a litany of tests.

"She can't have diagnostic imaging done due to her...religious beliefs." Beatrice finished lamely, praying that that was enough to sway the doctor.

A moment went by, finally the doctor sighed, "Fine. Fine, I don't want to be the reason for a lawsuit."

With that the doctor left following Ava's gurney into the OR.

Beatrice slumped into a chair in the waiting room, she felt shaken and exhausted. The ED was relatively quiet with only a handful of people waiting with her.

Fuck! The OCS. I should make contact.

Beatrice groaned inwardly, running her hand over her face. She pulled out her phone, texting a simple 'SOS' to the secret number she had saved for the OCS. While she waited, Beatrice absentmindedly watched the old T.V hanging from the wall by the reception desk. A cooking show was playing, with a very over enthusiastic chef currently demonstrating how to sauté onions. It took about fifteen minutes for Beatrice to get the call.

With shaky hands she clicked the answer button nervously.

"Beatrice?" Mother Superior's voice questioned.

"Ava is back, she's hurt. We are at the local hospital."

Her voice was even and neutral, like she was discussing what the weather was doing. Not at all like she was describing how the Halo bearer, who was in another world, had been spit out onto a trail that Beatrice had just happened to run that morning.

"WHAT?! HOW?!" The reply was abrupt, partially cutting off the end of her sentence.

"I...I don't know. I'll call again when she wakes up." Beatrice replied, just as void of emotion, before hanging up.