Rebellious Connection (Ela x Reader)

Recovery

The sound of traffic wakes you. You blink a few times and see your room is in an orange haze. You inhale deeply and roll to your side to find that you're sore. A sharp pain sets your nerves on fire and forces a small grunt to escape from your dry lips.

You move your legs and look around. There's a garbage can in the corner with bloody bandages spilling out.

You move your hand to your side, finding the source of the pain almost immediately; a gauze is stuck to your side. You move slightly to see the medical application that's been added to you. It looks kind of sloppy, but it probably saved your life.

The familiar scent of spices enters your nostrils, which in return, caused your mouth to water. You are starving, and holy hell are you thirsty. Mustering your strength, you swing your legs off the bed and stand up. The pain is so intense you nearly crumble to your knees, but press on nonetheless. You don't know how long you've been out, but the time is almost 5 o'clock in the evening.

You open the refrigerator and dig out some pudding and a bottle of water. You open both of the plastic containers and eat/drink everything in less than 20 seconds. Sound returns and some of the lingering numbness leaves. You are in a lot of pain. You've been shot at before, but this is your first time being hit. You can't really put it into words, but it almost feels surreal. You always assumed being hit would have been more...dramatic, but you barely noticed it until you got to safety.  You sit at the table, shirtless and drenched in sweat as the heat raises. Without any AC, the heat surrounded and engulfed you.

Elżbieta must've patched you up after you blacked out from blood loss. You'll have to thank her in some fashion for her efforts. You sat at the table, slowly sipping water from a second bottle of water  as you waited for her likely return - you still had hours, probably, before she'd get here. Even though you didn't do all that much, it left your body was feeling drained of energy, and weak of any power. Once you relaxed enough some of the original numbness covered the pain, allowing you enough contentment to fall asleep...

. . .

. . .

  Darkness met your eyes when you opened them. The sound of Baghdad is muffled by the closed windows. The scent of something sweet and spicy lingers in the black. You stretch your fingers and meet something tender. It recoils.

"[Y/N?"]

"Elżbieta?"

There's a brief flash of light before it dims. A flame dances in places before it's moved to the center of the table, where a candle resigns and is lit. The room is flooded in a gentle orange glow. Elżbieta and her features are highlighted by the candle. She looks tired, but happy to see you. There's a slight pink tint to her cheeks as she stares at you. She holds her hands now, zippo still in between her fingers.

"Are you feeling?" She asks in a low voice.

"A little sore, but I'll live." You managed a shift, the pain is still there, but isn't as bad as when you first moved that morning.

Elżbieta sighs, relieved to hear your assurance. "Sorry, my medical knowledge isn't exactly the greatest, but it was all that I knew to do."

This was perhaps your first time hearing a genuine apology leave her lips. You offered a small smile, which she greeted with one of her own. She blinks and looks away, bringing her attention to a small box at the edge of the table.

"I thought you'd like something that wasn't an MRE or something freeze dried..." she takes the box and slides it towards you. "So, I picked this up before dropping by."

That scent of spice increases tenfold, which triggers your mouth to water again. You open the box and see the contents; a spicy chicken curry in a thick, creamy liquid. Again, the smell increases. You dig in immediately, which amuses Elżbieta at first, but when she gets tired of the silence eventually and breaks it.

"Seriously, I'd see a medical expert before long. The bullet left your body and I cleaned it the best I could, but I'm no expert."

You nodded and swallowed. "Whatever you did, I owe you my life."

She chuckles, her eyes meeting yours. "Please, don't worry about it. If anything, I owe you. You followed me to my mission."

"Which I chose to go on. Elżbieta, I was serious about helping you. What you're doing is very admirable."

Your words made her release some air from her pale nose. It seems like she doesn't really know how to react. "Well, thanks then. I'm happy to have you aboard."

Everything still seems surreal. You chow down the rest of the food that she brought for you and retire to the deep end of your chair. You look at her as she gives a hollow stare at the middle of the table, lost in thought, or just the wild maze of ideas and plans she left for herself to put into action. She blinks suddenly and sighs. Your eyes meet and she relaxes back into her own chair on the opposite end.

"Satisfied?"

You nod and step up. She watches carefully as you step towards the closed window.

"Wait!" She hisses, buying herself enough time to blow out the candle. When you open the blinders you're greeted by a very different Baghdad...

Lights from lamps, fires, and buildings lights the dark corners and alleys of the city. It's as though a thousand light bugs have set fire to the capital. It's a majestic view. You haven't seen anything like it before. The climate and smell all join together in making this moment seem much more dream like than it already did.

Elżbieta joins you in your admiring. All is silent for a view minutes as you stare.

"How many longer do you have here?" She asks, again in a low voice.

You think for a moment. "Not much longer - only two more weeks."

She nudges. "Well, if you are serious about sticking around to help me, you better recover quickly!"

You felt awful. Your mind was swimming in pain, but for whatever reason; you felt compelled to help as much as possible. You look at her. She's all lit up in the gentle lighting from the city.

With a smile, you nudge her back. "What are you talking about? I'm ready now!"