Off Planet (Asterism Chronicles Volume One)

Worry

I awoke to Jack and Martha both gone. Sitting up I felt a little better, my face didn't feel as hot. I stood up and slowly walked into the bathroom and checked my side. The scab was leaving, but the veins were darkening, and a bruise was forming. I placed another gauze pad over it, hoping Jack wouldn't see as I heard the front door open. I stepped out of the bathroom to see Jack smiling.

"You look happy." I said leaning against the doorway.

"I just met Jun. He gave me a good deal, I got all four tickets half the price I thought!"

I smiled at his joy while my muscle tightened in pain. I ran back into the restroom and threw up as Jack followed me

"Are you okay!?" Jack yelled as I stood up, wiping my mouth.

I shook my head yes as a wave of nausea washed over me. Jack grabbed my arm and helped me back to the bed. As I layed down he handed me a bottle of pills.

"Jun had medicine. It's supposed to take away fevers."

"Thank you," I said swallowing one without water.

"I'm taking you to a doctor today. We have more than enough left over. Jun said the cops are still looking for us, we need to leave soon. All the others we escaped with were caught."

Bedridden again, I asked "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow. I'm going to get Martha, she'll be happy we get to leave. Don't move, you need to rest."

As he left I whispered "that's all I've been doing."

I laid there with my eyes closed to try and alleviate the pain of my side, and the nausea in my stomach. I wiped my forehead as I started to sweat as Martha came back in the small back room.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed as she looked at me laying there, eyes closed. She placed a hand on my head again, "You look so pale."

"I gave her medicine. I'm taking her to a doctor today, Jun said there's one that won't ask any questions."

"See if the medicine works first. It takes a while for it to take affect. For now, do as you did before, keep the rag cold."

Jack placed the cold rag on my head as I lay there, I need to get better soon, we have to leave this place.

"I'm fine." I whispered as Martha left to get me some water.

"You can't heal a wound by saying its not there, Rae. It's in the Bible, Jeremiah 6:14."

I smiled at the quoted scripture. Martha came back in and forced me to drink the water.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"When you gave us the soup." Jack answered.

"Nothing since then? What about water?"

"We drank the tea you gave us."

"She needs food, and more water. She needs to get stronger to heal." Martha felt my head again and lifted my shirt. Before I could resist she lifted the gauze. With a gaps she asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jack looked at my side with wide eyes as I avoided his stare. He moved closer to me and placed his hands on my arm. "I told you it was the bullet. Why did you hide it?"

"We needed the money to leave, I didn't want to risk getting caught."

"Your more important than getting caught. What if you died?" Martha asked stroking my hair.

Looking to Martha beside her was a figure in all white with long blond hair. "My mom."

Jack looked at me, sadness and worry in his eyes at my incomprehensible response, "if you died, you'd leave me. We said we wouldn't leave eachother."

"I know..." I said as I sank into unconsciousness.