The Mechanic

XXIII

XXIII     I'm Not Blowing Up Your Leg

When I said everything went to hell, it wasn't quite that bad. Okay, it was pretty bad. People ran around with blasters shouting things like "The First Order is Here!" And "To the defences!" I think I heard one "We're all doomed!" I ran outside with Poe. I stopped, checking that it was indeed my brother. I looked Poe dead in the eye. "I'm sorry," I ran towards the ship. I heard cries of I told you and Knew it! But I ignored them. I started to run up the ramp. Pew! I sensed the blaster shot, but I couldn't get out of the way. My left leg crippled. I threw myself into the ship. "Go! Just go!" And there you have it, that's how I betrayed the resistance. Again. I think. It's all a bit of a blur...

"Aelin? Aelin!" Ben's voice was far away "Aelin! Wake up!" I jolted upright "Oh thank goodness you're alright,"

"I'm...fine," My leg felt like it was on fire.

"They shot you,"

"Mmm, really, I didn't notice," I grinned through the pain.

"Are seriously still being sarcastic? Aelin, this is bad, it might need to be amputated,"

"Nonsense, like I said I'm...fine,"

"No, you're not. Have you even seen your leg?"

I lifted my head up to an awkward angle, the floor of the ship was covered in blood and my trouser leg was plastered to my actual leg. There was a tear in the side. "Nooooo, my overalls," I dropped my head on the floor "Ow," I lay on the floor staring at the ceiling. I thought about Poe, I was telling the truth then. I really did think he and Finn were made for each other, but he won't know that. That's the thing about being me, I lie so much people don't know when I'm telling the truth, hell, sometimes even I don't know. Ben set the medical box by my head startling me out of my thoughts "What are you doing?!"

"Looking after you?"

"You...don't need...to do that,"

"Oh come on, Aelin. I might not be allowed to be over-protective but at least let me make sure you're alright once in while,"

"I told you, I'm fine,"

"And I told you, you're not,"

I huffed "Whatever," Ben gingerly rolled up my trouser leg to just below my knee "Well, at least you didn't cut it off, then these overalls really would be ruined," He chuckled in response.

He used tweezers to examine the wound. "Am I hurting you?"

"Yes,"

"Sorry," He continued to look at it. "You've lost a lot of blood,"

"Well nah,"

"I can't stop the bleeding,"

"Cauterise it,"

"Oh, hell no,"

"Why not?"

"Aelin, do you even know what cauterising is?"

"Of course I do,"

"I'm not essentially blowing up your leg,"

"It won't blow up,"

"Where am I supposed to get gunpowder?"

"That's not the only way, besides you're the supreme leader of the First Order- if anyone can get it, it's you,"

"You want me to put gunpowder in your leg and then light it, in order to stop the bleeding. There are better methods you know,"

"But this will make sure it stops,"

"Fine,"

"I know you have gunpowder,"

"How do you know that? Actually, I don't want to know." A brief pause "I can't cauterise it until we get back,"

"Fine,"

"I'm going to bandage it to slow the bleeding,"

"Okay," Ben started to wrap it tightly.

"Why do you want to hurt yourself so much?" He looked me in the eye with that piercing gaze as if he was looking into my soul. He probably could, if he wanted to.

"Because I deserve it," I muttered, he was shocked by my answer.

"And what makes you so sure about that?"

A memory flashed in my mind, I tried to suppress it, but it was too late. The man laughed coldly. "The things people will do for money, too survive. It's despicable, but it keeps me out of trouble and them in it. Tar tar now, lovely," he threw a bag of coins across the table. I looked at Ben and shook my head, he was about to say something but I let out a hiss of pain as he finished bandaging my leg. The cloth was already soaked.