Out of Oblivion

Chapter 27

I don’t know how long I stayed there, crying, shivering, and cradling his head. The snow continued to fall and the air continued to get colder. I knew of a hotel with a nice lobby just a few buildings down, but there was no way I could get him there.

            I looked over at the body of Black Eyes, contorted and covered in snow. What did he really want from me? Why did he need information about Steve Rogers? The questions burned in my head. I pushed them aside, however. I was too cold to think.

            “Eleanor.” His voice startled me. I looked down at him, his grey eyes digging through my soul. “It’s so cold…”

            “I know. If you can walk, there’s a hotel just around the corner. You can rest there until you’re well enough to go home.”

            “I think I can walk,” he said.

            I nodded and held out my hand for him to take, to stable him. He laced his frozen fingers in mine and smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered.

            I smiled in return as he lifted himself up slowly. I stood up first, still holding his hand. As he rose to his feet, he clutched his side and staggered. I wrapped my arm around his waist and let him lean on me.

            “You alright?” I asked.

            “Yeah,” he insisted.

            We began our slow trudge to the hotel, the snow fogging our vision. After what seemed like hours, we tripped into the hotel lobby. A man at the desk, when he saw us, ran up and offered assistance.

            “Just a place to rest until morning,” I told him, guiding James over to a couch by a crackling fire.

            “Are you sure you don’t want a room? Should I call an ambulance?” the man frantically adjusted the pillows on the couch, eyeing James with bewilderment.

            “That won’t be necessary, sir. But, a fresh cloth to wrap his arm would be appreciated,” I said, making sure James fell comfortably onto the couch.

            The hotel clerk nodded and scurried away. I sighed, relieved that he was gone for the time being. James groaned softly. I wasn’t sure if it was from pain or a sigh of relief. I took a pillow from another chair and cradled it under his head. He groaned again. I supposed he was comfortable.

            The clerk returned with a fresh roll of gauze. “Thank you so much, sir.” I said, taking the roll from him.

            “Anything else I can do for you, mam?” the clerk asked breathlessly.

            “That will be all, thank you.”

            The clerk nodded and scurried away to his desk, out of sight of the lobby.

            “Eleanor,” I heard James say.

            I went to him and bent down beside where his head was and began to unwrap the old cloth. The wound was still opened, but the blood had stopped. I gently wrapped the fresh gauze around the wound, feeling his eyes on me.

            “You need to rest too,” he said sleepily.

            “I will.” I smiled, stroking his hair unconsciously. I wanted to tell him about the emotions swelling inside me. But I couldn’t.

            The smile melted from my face. Heather.