Fallen Angel

Recovery

Will sat by Leira’s bedside, staring at the floor. Her pallor was so similar to that of a cadaver that it worried him greatly. She was unconscious, and had been in that state for almost two days. The only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of her chest.

 After the battle, he and Kyle were so thrilled to see the angel fall. They cheered and celebrated with the rest of the Incendians, until they saw Leira. There was so much blood, it made his heart skip a beat. A long gash on her arm, so deep and wide, poured out blood onto the ground. It stained her uniform jacket crimson at one of her shoulders. Her face was so pale and her eyes focused in and out.

 He caught her before she fell and scooped up her frail form into his arms. It sent daggers into his heart to see her in this condition. He never thought Leira would be injured this severely in any battle. He always admired her strength and courage. But here she lay, weak and dying.

 The Fortisan military had arrived at Incendia just after the battle ended, wounded from their own side of the battle. Will was able to tell that they had fought hard and had many casualties. He had approached General Kardon himself and asked him for transportation to Fortis. The Fortisan medics were the best in the land, which could treat Leira’s wounds. The General agreed; he had to send his wounded back to Fortis anyway.

 So Will and Kyle boarded an airship (lent to Fortis from the Capitol) which arrived at Fortis in minutes, the advanced technology it possessed allowing it to traverse the land quickly. The medics took care of Leira immediately. They had to give her stitches for both wounds in order to get them to close up. One told Will and Kyle that her arm had been sliced open so badly, it may limit her use of it in the future. Will’s heart sank, knowing that was Leira’s sword arm.

 It had been a day and a half, and she still hadn’t woken up. The healer said she could awaken at any time, though since she lost so much blood it might take a few days. Her vitals were fine and she was healing well, though they would still keep an eye on her to make sure she remained in a stable condition.

 Kyle had left to go survey the damage on Fortis, and to grab him and Will something to eat, leaving Will alone with her. He started at her for a moment, noting how small and weak she looked. It wasn’t like her.

 A healer entered the room. “Is there a William in here?”

 He sat up. “Yes, that’s me.”

 “There's a messenger here, from your mother,” she replied. Will wasn’t sure he wanted to have any dealings with his mother, but she was probably worried sick about him so he agreed to receive it.

 He stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. He glanced at Leira one last time. Without thinking, he leaned in and gently kissed her forehead. She seemed to smile a bit in reaction to it, but other than that she remained still. He sighed and left the room to go answer to his mother.

 -------------------------------

Leira slowly opened her eyes. Everything blurred for a moment before coming into focus. She was lying on something soft and comfortable. She could feel the fabric of a blanket brushing on her skin, providing warmth. Her arm tingled a bit, though was mostly numb, which alarmed her. She flexed her fingers and shifted her arm, relieved to find that it was still functional.

 Where am I? She thought, staring at the thatched wooden ceiling. Sunlight illuminated it, flowing in through a window. She turned her head on the pillow and stared out, surprised to find a stunning view of the ocean. The sun made the sea sparkle like a certain crystal… There was only one place she knew that was close to the sparkling blue waters: Fortis. Her heart began to beat faster as she recognized that she was home.

 Then everything flew back into her mind like a tidal wave; the battle, Minerva, everything. Where were her companions? Were they hurt or worse? Did they make it?

 She shot up to a sitting position, causing her head to pound crazily. She lifted her hand up onto her forehead, praying the dizziness would cease. The arm she lifted up was covered in medical bandages, from her wrist all the way to her shoulder. She was in the white shirt she wore underneath her uniform jacket with sleeves short enough to show her the damage to her arm.

 “Hey, you’re awake!” someone said. It was Will, standing in the doorway. He sounded extremely relieved.

 “How long have I been out?” she replied groggily.

 “Almost two days; Kyle and I were starting to get worried.”

 “Where is Kyle?”

 “He went out to get some food. I hope you’re hungry.”

 She chuckled. “Starving. So what happened?”

 'You took some pretty hard blows there; you passed out on the battlefield. We got you here as fast as we could. You were bleeding like crazy from that huge wound on your arm. Some of us feared you wouldn’t make it."

 This sounded all too familiar to her. She had been in this situation before, almost dying from wounds earned in battle. At least there was no poison this time.

 “You feeling alright?” Will added.

 “I’m okay for now. My head is pounding though.”

 “You shouldn’t be sitting up; you should get your rest. You deserve it.”

 They spent the rest of the afternoon speaking to each other, about the recent events. Leira found herself drifting off into slumber though, and she lost the fight to stay awake. She was fast asleep before Kyle returned with a delicious hot meal.