OPERATION: YOUNGBLOOD | Peterick

Chapter 16

Patrick woke up lying on what felt like a sheet of concrete. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his head quickly brought him back down.

There were faint screams of orders in a language he couldn't comprehend, but it was the only sound Patrick could hear. Thankfully it was, because he began to feel a raging headache and even those quiet voices did not help.

He lay there for what felt like forever, a complete useless lump on the floor. His vision was blurry and his sense of time and memory were virtually non-existent, but Patrick was still able to comprehend that there were many other bodies scattered around, laying helplessly just like him.

"Mr. Stump!" Someone shouted. "Mr. Stump! Can you hear me?"

A head appeared in his view, but Patrick couldn't make out any facial features about him. He nodded his head as much as he could, and the man backed away.

"Paramedics are on the way, just hold on Mr. Stump."

It was the last thing Patrick remembered before he blacked out again.

•••

A strong sterile scent, maybe something like formaldehyde, attacked Patrick's sinuses and suddenly made him aware of himself.

His surroundings were white from what he could see and there was a distant beeping sound that gradually got louder as he blinked to clear his vision.

There must have been another person in the room with him because soon someone was speaking something in Japanese and a lady with a clipboard entered the room.

"Glad to see you're awake Mr. Stump, how're you feeling?"

It was all too much at once. "Wha-?"

"Some confusion is normal," she chuckled. "Does anything hurt?"

Patrick was able to process this information and he motioned up to the left side of his head and his left arm. That's when he noticed the the small needle pushed in his vein.

"That sounds about right," she continued, scribbling a few things down on the clipboard. "Are you able to tell me where you are?"

"Um, a hospital I'm assuming? Wh-Why am I here?" He shook his head in confusion but quickly realized that was a bad idea.

"It appears that during your mission a bullet had become lodged in your left bicep and another grazed the side of your head, hence the pain in both of those areas."

It was a lot for Patrick to take in, but it did seem to explain what he really needed to know.

"W-Where's my partner?" He stuttered out. The nurse cocked an eyebrow and answer with a question.

"Is that Mr. Wentz?"

"Yes."

She left the room without saying anything more and confusion struck Patrick again until she came back, followed by Pete.

"I'll be back to check on you in a little while," she said before leaving again. Pete walked slowly over to the bed and sat down in the chair next to it.

"I didn't want to wait in here because I was pretty positive you wouldn't want me to be the first thing you saw when you woke up." He said it with a smile, but Patrick could see the hurt behind it. "I know now's not the best time to apologize, but I really am sorry Patrick. I was being stupid."

"I-It's fine," Patrick waved off. He was too focused on what happened during the mission to pay attention to any feelings. "How is everyone? Did anyone else get hurt?"