Crashing In To You ( Freen x Becky)

Chapter 19

"Nong! You're okay!" Nam threw her arms around her friend, the top of her head coming up to Irin's chest as she hugged her. The older girl had come back to the spot where the fuselage had gone in the water, hoping to salvage more of their luggage, or at least some more water bottles. She'd found Irin and Queenee instead.

"You too, phi." Irin sighed, hugging Nam back. "What happened? Where are the others? And the plane?"

Nam pulled back as she answered. "We moved up to the caves. The storm washed the plane in to the ocean. It was really bad, nong."

"Oh, my god! Are Becky and P'Char okay?"

"They're fine. They're okay, but P'Fa not." Nam's face fell, her expression twisting. "The plane rolled when it went in the water and P'Fa and nong Becky were still inside. She's fine, but P'Fa was hurt... It's bad, nong. Real bad."

By the time the three girls reached the cave Irin knew just what to expect, but that still didn't prepare her for the sight of Engfa lying on a pile of clothes on the floor of the cave, her skin pale and clammy and a six-inch piece of twisted metal sticking out of her abdomen.
She was unconscious, which was probably a small mercy. Charlotte sat by her side, holding her hand. She jumped up when she saw Irin, and Irin ran to her, throwing her arms around her in a crushing hug.

"I'm so sorry, phi..." Irin said. Charlotte slumped against her, burying her face in the crook of the other girl's neck.

"She's going to be okay, nu." Charlotte said, letting out a heavy sigh. "She's a fighter. She'll pull through."

"Of course." Irin said, squeezing her eyes shut as she lied to her best friend.

It was the kindest thing to do. Engfa looked in bad shape. Irin was surprised she'd even lasted the night. Queenee knelt by the injured girl's side and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte snapped as she noticed. She pulled back from Irin and rounded on Queenee.

Queenee reared back, holding her hands up in the air. "She has a fever. We need to try bring it down."

"I've been trying." Charlotte said, her tone defensive. She'd spent most of the night dabbing Engfa's cheeks and forehead with a wet cloth.

"I can see that. You've done a good job of making her comfortable, but I have some plants and herbs that might help." Queenee reached out, touching Charlotte's arm. The other girl nodded.

"Okay. Thanks."

Queenee gave a stiff nod and set to work. She carried her pack over to the fire and pulled out the ingredients she needed.

Irin made sure Charlotte was okay before she joined Queenee by the fire. "Can I help?"

"Sure. You can boil some water for me." Queenee said, passing Irin a half empty water bottle.

"Are you going to make some of that tea you made last night?"

"Yeah. I'm going to add some cloves for the pain. It's antibacterial too. If I add enough of the Noni leaves, she'll be too high to feel anything... it's the best I can do." Queenee sighed. "I'll make a poultice and apply it to the skin around the wound, too. It should help keep it clean."

Irin ducked her head as she tucked her hair behind her ear and asked in a whisper, "It's not enough, though, is it?"

Queenee glanced over at Charlotte on the other side of the dimly lit cave. She was absorbed in taking care of her girlfriend, dabbing her forehead with a cloth. Queenee shook her head. "She needs a doctor, like yesterday."