The Missing Patriot

Chapter Two

I moved aside as I was still in shock, I looked at Asa in awe as he finally collapsed and the others uninjured soldiers holding him had to quickly keep from dropping him as they tried to move him slowly up the stairs, well... drag him up them. Dr. Ryan quickly rushed to get them inside while holding the back door to my private home open, the second soldier right arm was completely gone with a separate army shirt keeping it covered. 

Finally, the third soldier was in the worst shape and definitely looked like he would soon succumb to his injuries, but I knew that Dr. Ryan was going to try his hardest to keep the young soldier alive. I leaned against the first post on the patio as I heard banging and crashing while Dr. Ryan turned my front living room and nearby areas into his personal space to work on helping the injured. I slowly inched into the house, putting my hand on my stomach unknowingly as I used the wall for leverage, basically sliding against it as I walked toward them in shock still. 

He had returned... Asa was home...

I moved to where Dr. Ryan was working on the third soldier first, as his injuries seemed very life threatening and he was unconscious on arrival. I walked a little closer to watch as Dr. Ryan ordered one of the soldiers to go to the well and get a bucket of water from the backyard, the soldier rushed to do as he was supposed to as another soldier was raiding closets. It had gave me the same sensation I had gotten when I had gotten an inspection and my home had been torn apart, I remember the grains all over the floor and it was happening again. He was constantly coming up empty-handed and was obviously getting irritated about the entire situation as Dr. Ryan kept ordering him to find things he needed. 

"Linen are in the other cabinet beside that one." I told the soldier when he went to swing a cabinet open with agitation.

He was probably barely older than I, if not a few years younger with dirty blonde hair and teary blue eyes that were very red, he looked very traumatized as he stared at me and he stared as if this was the first time he actually realized my presence. I stepped back while still holding my stomach without thought, it was out of habit and when I finally did notice, I quickly dropped my hand as if my stomach was on fire and stepped away while the soldier watched my every move. 

"Ms. Michaels," Dr. Ryan spoke as he spotted me exiting my kitchen, "I put the Colonel upstairs, I need your help. If you don't mind, can you clean his wound for me... this one might take a while." He said, gesturing to the unconscious soldier.

"U-Uh, y-yes." I said, still shook about the entire ordeal.

I slowly turned and grabbed the staircase railing before pausing as I realized I needed a bucket of water and a few linen as well, I turned back to Dr. Ryan just as the solider came with linen from the kitchen.

"Linen... please?" I asked, Dr. Ryan quickly nodded and handed me few before telling the same soldier that brought the linen to him to go get me a bucket of water as well. 

I cupped the linen to my chest and ascended up the steps one by one, every step was almost in slow motion as I hesitated to see Asa this way, he was hurt. My child's father was hurt and I wasn't sure if there was much I could do about it. I walked to my bedroom and stared at the shut door that had blood smears on it from it being pushed open, I slowly pushed the ajar door and looked at the damage of my bedroom. There was a blood trail from where they had to drag him to the bed, I will have to get on my knees and scrub that whenever I finished cleaning everything else up. 

My bedroom didn't have much change to it, other than the blood all over the bed and bedside table, not to mention the man laying in the center of the bed with his chest slowly rising up and down. I could tell he was sleeping because his shirt had been torn open for better sight, he was still breathing and that at least made me feel better. I moved closer to the bed and dropped the linens on the bedside table before leaning slightly over him to get a better look, he was just as handsome as usual.