What's the worst that can happen when you're forced to co-captain with your rival?
Nova Shields can't stand Leo Hendrix. She hates his arrogance and obnoxiousness, that crooked smirk he does when he thinks he's right. Leo can't stand Nova's wits, t...
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NOVA ============== 07/06/2002 - 2am ==============
I've felt a whole lot of agony in my career. I've been skimmed with bullets, bludgeoned, beaten a fair few times.
However, I've never felt agony like getting an uneven, jagged shard of scrap metal slowly extracted from my thigh with absolutely nothing to numb the pain.
My groans are muffled by the rag I've shoved into my mouth, my fingernails desperately scraping against the sides of the bed. Elijah is practically wrestling with my leg to keep it in place.
I can physically feel my flesh tearing as Elijah twists the scrap around, helping to extract it as smoothly as possible.
Everyone else is looking away, apart from Leo.
It's like he seems fascinated as to how I handle this. I rip the rag out of my mouth as Elijah stops for a second to reposition his grip.
"The fuck are you looking at?" I seethe at Leo.
He shrugs slightly. "Just watching," he mumbles.
I just snarl at him before glancing at Elijah. "How much is out?"
Elijah hesitates for a second. "I can't tell since I don't know how big it is." He says quietly.
"Fuck." I hiss under my breath, shoving the rag back into my mouth and waiting for the immense agony to start again. The urge to go and stab Ramirez with this metal when it's out is painfully tempting, since he's the bastard who lodged it in.
I honestly sound like I'm giving birth. I keep as quiet as I can, but it's as though crying into this rag offers some sort of relief. It feels like it get stuck slightly, as Elijah has to start pulling it from a different angle.
I don't know how much longer it goes on. Unable to comprehend the agony of my flesh ripping for any longer, I pass out.
================ 02/06/2002 - 4:30am La Castellana Safe House Colombia ================
I honestly think that passing out was the best thing that happened to me. Blinking a few times, the first thing I do is look down at my leg.
To my complete relief, the metal is no longer hanging out of the side; instead it's replaced with a thick layer of bandages. I'm out of my tactical gear, left in a tank top and some shorts I had layered underneath my cargos.
"Took you long enough." That familiar cynical voice rings through my eardrums as I sit up slightly, meeting his intense brown eyes.
"I just wanted a nap." I mumble sarcastically, glancing around the room. There was only a few beds, most of our squad sharing them with each other due to the short numbers. I glimpse back over towards Leo.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" I question, genuinely curious as I prop myself on my elbows. He rolls his shoulders.
"Don't know, I tried but I just couldn't. Think I've still got adrenaline in my system," he shrugs again, "or maybe it was the fact that I had to partner up with Jed for the bed situation." He mumbles, gesturing to Jed who is practically laying like a starfish across the double bed. I can't help but snicker a little at the sight.
"Yeah, doesn't particularly look appealing." I chuckle under my breath. Despite how much I can't stand Leo, that tiny selfless part of me feels a pang of guilt that he's the only one who hasn't had any rest. So, I say the thing I least expect.
"You can have this bed, I've already had my sleep." I mutter, sliding myself towards the edge of the mattress. He shakes his head.
"No. It's fine. You've got stab wound in your thigh, I don't think it's very gentlemanly of me to make you sleep on the floor." He mumbles, sarcasm laced in his voice.
"And since when have you ever acted like a gentleman? Plus, you aren't making me, I'm offering." I roll my shoulders, still preparing to push myself off of the bed. He shoves my shoulder slightly, forcing me back down.
"Shut up, Nova. Just go back to sleep." He hisses at me. Through the faint glow of a streetlight seeping between the boarded up windows; I can see his tired face, staring at me irritatedly.
"Anything interesting happen after I passed out?" I ask him, shifting slightly in the bed. He shakes his head.
"Not really. We handed Ramirez over to the Colombian force, so he's out of our hands. Had to carry your fat ass up a bunch of stairs. Elijah stitched up your leg, I think you're 'gonna be out of action for a few weeks. We actually kept the scrap in case you wanted to see it." He mumbles, to which I nod. He stands up and quietly makes his way to near where Elijah is sleeping, picking the shard from the table beside him before walking back over and handing it to me.
For some reason, my face turns ashen as I lay my eyes the size of the metal. It's grooved, has all sorts of twists and jagged edges, hence feeling of my flesh ripping when it was being extracted. I rest it against my thigh to work out how deep into my leg it got wedged. Leo snatches it off me and strides away to put it out of my sight.
"I wasn't finished looking at it." I mumble.
"Your face is white as a sheet. Can't particularly be bothered with you passing out again." He quips. I sigh, looking up at him.
"You look exhausted." I mutter. Despite the darkness of the room, I can still take notice of the heavy bags hanging beneath his eyes.
"I am. I didn't sleep a wink before we went on the mission." He groans under his breath. My brows furrow slightly as I go to stand up again.
"Then take the damn bed. It's not often I'll give you a generous offer, Leo." I mumble, standing up off of the bed and putting pressure on my uninjured leg. Once again, as I go to limp away and find a space to sleep on the floor, he hooks me with his arm and sits me back down.
"No. Stop being so fucking stubborn and stay in that goddamn bed." He hisses at me, and I can sense the warning tone of voice.
My nose twitches in annoyance. I'm the stubborn one here? That's rich, coming from him. Scoffing, I shake my head and lay back down; facing away from where he's stood. Adjusting myself so I'm not laying on my injured thigh, I'm quite literally too tired to bicker with him for any longer about this.
