Mr. Forgettable #Wattys2016

29

       

"Just don't let them take off my mask," whispered Larkin.

The wind whipped her quiet words away as Finn flew her across the city to the Markusville Community Hospital. Only with his advanced hearing was he able to catch what she had said.

Larkin shifted in his arms, hoping that they would just get there already, hoping someone could get the stupid knife out of her arm, hoping that this was an injury she would be able to hide with a simple long sleeved tee.

"I won't, I promise," Finn said back.

"You know, it's not like I was stabbed in the leg. I could walk myself to the hospital. You don't have to fly me there like some damsel in distress," said Larkin. She was beginning to feel more like herself again. She didn't know if the shock was making her feel this way, or if it was from being carried by Finn.

Finn let out a slight chuckle. "Yes. I'll let you drag yourself to the hospital that's five miles away as you slowly bleed out. That would make me a great friend."

Larkin couldn't help but laugh at that. She glanced at her wound with the knife protruding from it. "I think it stopped bleeding."

"I guess that's a good thing."

The two supers arrived at the emergency room no less than thirty seconds after they stopped their conversation. Finn landed just outside the entry doors. Not breaking stride, he pushed open the door with his back.

Almost as soon as they entered the doors, the smorgasbord of injured people looked up from their laps with shocked expressions. Larkin supposed many of them had never seen an injured super before. Heck, some of them may not have seen a super in the flesh, ever. Larkin would have tried to paste a smile on her face for all of the people that were now staring at her and Finn as he walked up to the reception desk, but really, she just wanted to get the knife out of her arm.

"You can put me down now," Larkin whispered to Finn.

She gestured toward the ground with her good arm and squirmed in Finn's arms. Finn only pressed his lips together before reluctantly letting Larkin set her feet on the floor. Larkin slowly walked up to one of the receptionists typing away at her computer and cleared her throat, Finn beside her.

The woman looked up and didn't bother to conceal the surprise that flitted across her face. "Coalesence. And Black Lightning. What is your problem?"

Larkin turned her body so that the knife in her right arm was visible to the woman. "I was knifed," said Larkin.

Finn elbowed her in the side at her blunt words. "There were some bank robbers. One of them caught us unawares. Coalescence saved my life."

The receptionist nodded before continuing. "Usually, I would ask for your name, social security number, and date of birth..." She trailed off without finishing her sentence. "And then we would have a nurse come to take your vitals before determining how severe you're injury is."

"Can I just, like, pay in cash or something?" asked Larkin.

The receptionist, whose name Larkin noticed was Katherine, raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure we can figure something out. We will get you to a triage nurse right away, though."

After the two of them were led out of the waiting room and into a room that appeared to be a typical hospital room, another nurse entered, and Larkin figured her to be the triage nurse. Whatever triage means. The walls were a color in between yellow and beige, and there were a few cabinets on the walls. Larkin took a seat on the examination chair and Finn sat in one of the comfortable, stuffed chairs.