Tent City

Chapter 20 - Andy

A loud ringing filled my room, a phone call. I woke with my heart bursting from my chest. The computer's monotone voice then proceeded after the ringing.

"Sir, Dr Su is calling from Sick Bay. She has marked the call as urgent. Would you like to answer it?"

"Yes, answer the call." I replied, trying to hide the panic in my voice.

"Andy? Andy? Are you there?" Dr. Su's voice shook me back to reality.

"Yes, Doctor, I'm here. What has happened?" I replied, trying to maintain a professional tone.

"Good, you need to come down to Sick Bay. Commander Lee returned to the bunker last night. He is injured. I'll give you more details when you get here, okay?" She said, also trying to maintain a professional tone. I could tell she was worried. After all, she did have a soft spot for Commander Lee. Some would say she loved him, and he also felt the same way about her.

"Y-yes, of course I'll be right there." I answered as I rushed around my room, pulling on some clothes.

I arrived at Sick Bay within 2 minutes, as it wasn't too far from my room. Dr Su was waiting for me. She quickly led me to Commander Lee's bedside. I let a small gasp escape my lips. He was in a very bad way. He had lost a lot of weight since he left a few months ago. His face was bloody, bruised, and swollen. His arm was in a sling, and his right leg was in a cast.

"I've given him a sedative and painkillers. He needs to rest so he can heal. I've tried my best to treat his injuries, clean and dress his wounds, and he is dehydrated as well, which im in the process of treating. Now all we can do is wait." She said, her voice soft and strained.

"What happened to him?" I whispered.

" He was barely coherent when he arrived. I managed to get some sense out of him. He said he was ambushed by bandits. I don't know why he left the safety of the transporter."

"So, did they get to the medical supplies?" I asked, feeling the dread build inside. I hoped that all the trouble he went through; the constant delays, the change of routes, the constant avoidance of bandits and raiders, the laying low until conflict died down enough for him to continue back home was not all for nothing.

" Well, that's what is strange. The transporter had also sustained some damage, but the medical supplies were untouched, which was quite unexpected. I think the only way we will know is to wait until Commander Lee is awake and willing to talk to us." She replied.

I pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat with Commander Lee, just like I had done with Kelsie, while Dr Su continued with her job. I knew she was worried about him, but she had other patients to see and other people in the sick bay to tend to. 

I sat beside Commander Lee and stared at his bruised and broken body, I felt hopeless. I felt like shaking him awake. Our bunker needed him, I needed him. Other desperate wanderers and raiders kept getting closer to the entrance to our bunker every day. The possibility of desperate wanderers and raiders gaining access to the bunker weighed on my mind, and my anxiety grew every day. I've used every method of defense taught to me by Commander Lee, but my inexperience due to my age and the fact that I don't have decades of experience being a leader in a military setting was like an Achilles heel to me. 

It was like I was in a trance and lost track of time as I sat beside Commander Lee, willing him to get better, just as I willed Kelsie to do the same. My mind wandered back to Kelsie and the way she looked when I kissed her, beautiful and angelic. I also felt guilty, since I kissed her I've been avoiding her. Not because I didn't like her, but because I was embarrassed by my moment of weakness. What if she only kissed me back because she felt threatened or scared? I don't know what her life was like before I found her drinking from Lake Illusion. Maybe she had to be forced to do things she didn't want to for survival? The guilt grew so much that I felt sick. 

My mind wandered back to Commander Lee. How did he survive? If he was attacked by bandits or raiders, why were the medical supplies untouched, and why was he still alive? They'd have killed him even for the clothes on his back. If it was the mutated humans who ate other humans, there'd be nothing left other than half devoured meat against shining white bone, and maybe some organs littered across the half devoured corpse If it was a mutated or genetically engineered animal, there'd be bites or signs of poisoning. There was nothing like that on him. 

The only thing that brought me out of my trance was the feeling of a rough tap on my left shoulder. I turned around only to see Marcie's face before me. Her full lips were pulled back in an annoyed scowl, her eyebrows creased together, and her brown eyes sparked with anger.

"You're 2 hours late for your shift. There's been more sightings of raiders than usual, we could do with your help. But as usual, I'm the one that has to cover for you." She said, her voice harsh and angry. Her eyes became even more fiery with every passing second. That was until she saw the single tear fall from my eye. Her face softened instantly, and she pulled me into her chest into a rough embrace, I felt overwhelmed with sadness as the familiar smell of her perfume consumed me. Yet again, the memories of our time together, the good times, flooded my mind. The tears spilled down my face like a dam that had breached its walls. 

Before I could blink, Marcie had her hands one on each side of my head and roughly pulled my face towards her, and we kissed. The tears that had run down my face and formed like dew on my lips transferred to Marcie. Now she could taste my sadness. I was vulnerable, and I gave into Marcie's charm and kissed her back. Now, not only did I cry tears of sadness, I cried tears of betrayal and my heart broke. I had betrayed Kelsie by not pulling away from Marcie, and by not saying no.....

It broke even more when I heard a single word whispered as soft as the wind and as sweet as honey,

"Andy...?" 

It was Kelsie. I pushed Marcie away. I wanted to explain the situation to Kelsie, but she had already left. Marcie looked at me, hurt. She had gone from tender and caring to furious. Now, the sparks that had reflected in her eyes only minutes ago had turned into a tornado of raging, hot flame. 

"From now onwards, I'm going to stop covering for you. Do not approach me when you have one of your panic attacks. I will no longer be there for you. Do not come to my room when your emotions overwhelm you or when you want to fuck. The door will remain closed. It is obvious who you have chosen.

How dare you choose her! She doesn't know you like I do! She hasn't been there for you like I have. I have been by your side when you have needed me, I have supported your decisions, I have been there to comfort you after you've killed innocent people. Has she? NO! Does she even know that you have Panic attacks? I thought you were different Andrea, but you're not. You've used me just like the Men from my past have used me, to gain an advantage or for sexual gratification. In your case both. You are dead to me." 

Amongst Marcie's angry words, I could tell she was hurt. Tears were running down her face as she yelled, even though she cried, her eyes burned with an undeniable rage. I knew she meant the words she spoke. When she left, the room filled with a deafening and suffocating silence. I could no longer handle it, I've just lost two of the most important people in my life and the possibility of losing a third broke me. I broke down in tears, my breathing quickened and i started to rock in the chair. Through gritted teeth and with the strength I had left I whispered,

"I better not lose you too, Commander. You need to get better."