ARKEN

Invasion

Jordan had been allowed to walk around at least. Doctor Stanton said it was okay. He was amazed at just how quick his new arken physiology allowed him to heal. Only a couple days ago he was bedridden with a quarter sized bullet hole all the way through his torso, now he was walking around like nothing. If only everyone else had that capability, Jordan thought to himself, reflecting on how many people were shot and killed in Chicago every year.

His thoughts were interrupted by commotion outside. He grabbed a plain gray short-sleeved tee-shirt Vanessa had brought to him and pulled it on, opening his door and stepping out onto the walkway.

They were back, but Militia medics were running toward the van. Someone was hurt. Jordan made his way down the steps and over to the van, worried that it might have been Kiera. He was relieved when he she walked out from behind the van, mostly fine. She was limping a little from a wound in her thigh and holding her right hand over her left shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Chen got me a few times. It's nothing."

"Then who are the medics for?" Jordan's question was answered when they came from behind the van carrying Harvey Gesner on a makeshift stretcher. "Do they know about the quills?"

"I helped them with that."

"What happened?"

Kiera shook her head, "We got Chen, but it was an ambush. A whole bunch of gang members were shooting at us. I was fighting Chen one on one and Gesner tried to sneak up behind him and stab him with a knife."

"What about Derrick, Blaszak, Woloszyn?"

"They're all fine."

"You should get yourself tended to."

"It's not that bad. They need to focus on him and all the others who are in worse shape than me."

Kiera's hand was bloody from holding her shoulder, and a thin stream of blood trickled from her leg as she put weight on it. "Then let me do it," he offered.

Jordan grabbed some peroxide, a roll of bandages, a suture kit, and some medical tape and brought Kiera up to an unoccupied room. She sat on the bed and removed her jacket and rolled up her shirt sleeve.

The hole bled continuously as Jordan put peroxide on it, making Kiera wince slightly. These holes were larger than the ones from the previous fight with Chen. He was glad he'd brought a needle and thread.

"I'm going to try and sew these closed."

"Just my luck, huh? Two wounds in the same shoulder?"

Jordan made a half grin, "Glad we're done with that guy."

"You can say that again."

Jordan got in close to sew up Kiera's shoulder. While he worked, he had her soft breathing in his ear. It didn't take him long, and he put a bandage over it and taped it down to absorb the rest of the blood.

"All done there."

Kiera stood up and removed her pants, Jordan avoided looking. Setting them aside, "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, feeling silly. She sat back down; blood oozed from the wound. It was much larger than the one on her shoulder, but the quill had not done any life endangering damage. He repeated the process, cleaning the wound and suturing it up with a series of surgeon's knots.