Breaking but not broken.

Chapter 16

The man came back to me after a while. Well it may have been a while or only 30 seconds I couldn't really tell. Furiosa was by his side and he picked me up again, except this time under my knees. He carried me into the main section of Joe's car and set me down again.

We had been driving for hours it seemed. My breathing only got worse. Each breath sent pain signals whizzing through my body and my lungs seemed to vibrate. Each painful, worthless, short breath decreased the time I had left with my family.

"Why is she making that noise?" Cheedo finally asked, tears brimmed her eyes.

"She's pumping air into her chest cavity. She's colassping her lungs, one breath at a time."

I was going to die.

[The Man]

I knew what she was doing. I frantically looked around the rig for something sharp or at least a blade of sorts. Stabbing her again didn't sound like the best idea but it was necessary.

I turned to Furiosa and mumbled, "Blade."

Furiosa helped me look around until she found one. I wiped it on my pants to wipe the dirt off. I positioned it at her side and took a deep breath.

"I am so sorry."

I shoved the blade in and she gasped. The girls squirmed watching the blade go into her side.

I nodded my head unconsciously and mumbled to her, "I know. I know."

She smiled a bit. That was a small improvement at best, but it would give me more time to fix the rest of her.

I stared down at her, my eyes inadvertnly falling on her lips. They moved like she was talking. Was she trying to say something?

"Hey. Hey." I said softly.

I lifted her head up to mine, being careful and supporting her neck.

"Take th..them..home..thank... you."

She closed her eyes.

"No no. No no no."

"She's exangistugted. Drained of all her blood." One mother explained.

Blood was something I had to spare. I started to unravel the tubing I had kept from earlier and got to work.

"Keep her awake." I told them.

Furiosa and the girls came over to her, still giving me enough room to work.

"Please don't leave us." They begged.

"You're strong. You can make it." Furiosa told her.

I pushed one end of the needle into my own vein and asked the blonde one to hold up the other end. Once it was filled with crimson liquid I gently pushed it into The Woman's arm. Well, as gently as I could.

"Sorry. There you go. Okay. There you go."

I lifted her head up again. Instead of her big brown eyes staring up into mine they were closed. She was to pale. To much blood stained her skin. This had to work. She needed to be okay. I gasped internally. This was more about me owing her. If it was, I wanted to owe her for the rest of my life. But feeling this way means people getting close, and then people getting hurt.
   But she made it this far.
There was something I felt she deserved to know. She had gained my trust and respect over this journey and I felt that sharing this with her was the way to tell her that.

I swept a piece of her brown hair out of her face.
"Max. My name is Max."

I nodded. I gazed around the rig as I blinked back tears. I was hoping she could hear me. "Mm. Mm." I nodded. It was a reminder to myself more than anything. My name is Max. "That's my name."