They Call Me Cold Hearted

Chapter 22

"Avery?" Someone asks.

"Is she awake?" Another voice asks.

"Yes, but will she be alright?" Someone else asks. I feel a frown cross my face. My body aches, my shoulders feel as though they might fall off. I open my eyes. A few soldiers, including Jed and a younger guy named Buddy look down at me. I blink again and look around.

I see the dull grey's of the ward. A nurse comes over and gives me a tiny cup.

"What's this for?" I ask. I eye the tiny cup suspiciously.

"It's medicine sweet heart, don't worry, you will be alright." She says soothingly. I take the cup, but my arm feels number. I look down at it and find it extensively bandaged.

"I hear you're supposed to drink it." Someone says. I look at the door and see Christian standing there. I smile.

"Hey!" I say. He smiles too.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake." He says, walking over to my bed. I look back at the cup and take a sip.

I gag but chug the rest of it down. Medicine is medicine.

"So, what happened to Dylan?" I ask, setting the cup on the table beside me. Christian frowns. I look at him. "What happened?" I ask a little louder. Christian doesn't appear to be able to look me in the eye.

"Dylan," Christian begins. I look to Buddy and then to Jed, and neither of them can make my eye either. "Dylan is in a very fatal condition." Christian sighs. "He was shot twice, once in the lung, the other to his throat. He isn't, um, going to make it much longer." Christian says. I squint at him.

"Well are you trying?" I ask. Christian frowns. Jed looks up at me. Buddy stares at the floor still.

"Yes, Avery, we are trying hard, but he needs life sustaining devices and we don't have an unlimited supply." Christian says. I snort.

"You are thinking about letting Dylan die so you have those stupid machines for longer? Which life do you care about more?" I end with a shout. Jed steps back, and Christian looks confused.

"Avery, if we keep Dylan on those machines, he won't come off of them." Christian says. Jed indicates that he is going to leave, and I nod that they should.

"You make sure he stays alive." I say. I wish I could grab his shirt and say that closer to his face, but seeing that I can't feel my arms makes that unlikely.

"I promise that I will try." Christian says. I nod.

"You had better." I say. Christian shakes his head and leaves.

"Um, Christian, what happened to all the people upstairs?" I ask, Christian comes back in.

"Let's just say, you are officially a pest." He says. I cock my head. I wonder what that means.