Page 22 of Silent Dust
“ ‘Course you can,” Dog replied, his tone light but focused. “But I’m still going to make you squirm a little.” He cleaned up the wound with antiseptic wipes, and Cobra winced, her tough facade cracking.
“Very funny,” she shot back, though a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth despite the pain. “Just remember, I’ll get you back for this.”
“Looking forward to it,” Dog said with a wink, continuing his work as the helicopter soared into the night sky, carrying them away from the chaos and toward safety.
With practiced hands, Dog applied more antiseptic to the area around the injury, and she flinched at the sting. “Sorry, Cobra,” he said, glancing up to meet her eyes. “Gotta make sure it’s clean.”
“Yeah, well, I’d rather be out there shooting than stuck here getting patched up,” she shot back, her pride refusing to let her show any weakness.
Dog smiled as he wrapped the gauze around her leg, securing it tightly. “You’re going to be alright,” he assured her. “We’ll get you stabilized, and once we land, you’ll be checked out by the real medical team.”
Cobra took a deep breath, her expression softening slightly as she felt the pressure of the bandage. “Thanks, Dog. I appreciate it,” she said, though her annoyance lingered.
“Just doing my job,” he replied with a faint grin. “But you’ve got to promise me you’ll take it easy for a while. No more heroics until you’re healed up, alright?”
“Don’t count on it,” she replied with a smirk, her bravado returning. Bear couldn’t help but admire her spirit, even in the face of pain. She was tough, and he knew she’d bounce back.
Havoc and Blast handed out bottles of water, their faces set with determination as they all strapped on their headsets, ready to communicate with the pilots. Samir sat wide-eyed, taking inthe helicopter with a mix of fear and awe. Bear could see the way his young mind processed the scene, a whirlwind of excitement and anxiety.
The pilots introduced themselves over the din of the rotor blades. “Welcome aboard, everyone! We’ll get you out of here in no time,” one of them said as they banked sharply, dodging incoming gunfire.
Bear leaned back against the wall of the helicopter, trying to catch his breath, but a sudden wave of pain shot through his side.
“Bear!” Dog suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening as he noticed the blood seeping through Bear’s shirt. “You’re hit!”
“It’s nothing,” Bear replied, attempting to brush off the concern, but the pain was sharper now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
“Nothing? That looks like more than nothing!” Dog crawled across the helo. “Let me take a look.”
Reluctantly, Bear lifted his shirt, revealing a deep graze on his right side. The wound was raw and bleeding, blood soaking into his shirt. “It’s just a graze, Dog. I’ll be fine,” he insisted, but Dog was already pulling supplies from the medic kit.
“Just sit still,” Dog grumbled, his tone rough but insistent. His hands moved almost on autopilot, methodically cleaning the blood and dirt from Bear’s wound. Fingers steady and sure, they worked carefully despite his gruff muttering about the mess. “You need proper treatment. We’re not about to let you bleed out on us, not after all this. And don’t think Flora won’t slap me upside the head if you show up with a damn boo-boo.”
“Boo-boo?” Moose chuckled from across the cabin. “I think we need to get you a sticker for that, Bear. Maybe a superhero one?”
“Yeah, maybe one of those glittery ones,” Nova added with a grin. “That way, you can show off your battle wound in style.”
Bear rolled his eyes, trying to suppress a smile despite the pain. “Very funny, guys.”
“Don’t worry, Bear,” Dog said, gently cleaning the wound with antiseptic. “We’ll make sure you’re all patched up. You know, you might want to consider a career in modeling after this. ‘Bear with a Boo-Boo’ could be your new tagline.”
“Just what I always wanted,” Bear replied dryly. “A career in pain-themed modeling.”
“Hey, it could work!” Moose chimed in. “You’d be a hit on the cover ofInjured Warrior Monthly.”
“Alright, alright,” Bear said. “Just make sure you guys don’t start calling me ‘Boo-Boo Bear.’ I’ll never live it down.”
Just then, Link leaned over to check on Samir, who was sitting quietly in a corner, looking a bit pale. “Hey, Samir! How you holding up?” he asked.
“I okay,” Samir replied, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, not making eye contact with Link.
“Well, that seemed kinda scary to me,” Link said softly, giving him a small smile. “You did an amazing job out there. But you know what? Once we land, I think we should all celebrate with some ice cream. What do you think?”
Samir’s eyes lit up at the mention. “Really? Ice cream?”
“Absolutely!” Link grinned. “We’re going to treat ourselves after everything we’ve been through.”
As Dog finished wrapping the bandage around Bear’s side, he added with a teasing grin, “Now you have to keep that boo-boo clean.”
