Page 52 of Three Beasts

Chapter 32

Wade

The sound of my bike probably wakes her.

I peer into the dark and I see her coming out of the motel in just a towel. I’m slumped over my bike and she runs to me.

"Wade! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Baby, I've been shot."

"What?" She looks me over and sees my arm tucked under my leather jacket, wrapped in a blood stained rag. "Oh my God. Wade!"

I get off the bike and it falls to the side. I struggle to my feet to make it to the door. She turns the handle and I bust through the door. Her towel falls to the floor as I grab her tight as ever around the waist even though there’s blood everywhere. I'm glad to grab her. I'm relieved to have her back in my arms. I'm tough, sure; I probably proved that tonight. I'm independent, yes, but I want to be with Zeva. If sharing my life with someone means releasing some control, then I guess I'm willing to do that.

She gets me inside and helps me to the couch and where she begins to strip away my clothing. She gets a first aid kit from her bag and starts to examine the wounds. She’s familiar with gunshot wounds. Apparently too familiar, the result of living this life of danger.

Inside she must be panicking as she tries not to let me see her fingers tremble. There is blood everywhere and as I remove the rag holding it all in more blood spills from my arm. The wound is on my shoulder. She washes away the dirt and blood and to my total relief I see that this is a superficial wound.

"It's okay. It's just an external wound. I can fix it." She tries to appear calm and she is calmer now, knowing that this is something she can take care of right here and now.

"Oh Wade, I was so worried. Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere else? Are you absolutely positive? I think after this I should check."

"No, Zeva, it's okay. I'm okay now that I'm with you." I want to let my head sink into this couch and pass out but I watch her keep on working. She makes sure I don’t lose too much blood. I’m trying to be strong for her.

She tells me, "Wade, I'm so sorry for not listening to you about leaving the compound. I should have. I realize now I could've been killed. I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," I say as I stroke her hair. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I left you alone to the wolves. Never again, Zeva. I will never leave your side again. Are you okay?" I push her back so that I can examine every bit of her naked body.

“And the others? Please tell me they’re --”

“They’re fine,” I whisper, managing a smile.

"I need you, Wade," she says, whispering back at me. "I just have to be with you no matter what."

"It's okay. Zeva, you have me. And I have you. That's what I know now. I can't survive a minute without you."

She’s happy to hear these words and she allows herself to relax. She’s safe now. And I'm not alone in this world as I thought I was.

Zeva continues tending to my wound and I'm grateful to be in her presence. When the fighting started I was resigned to the fact that I might not ever see her again. They definitely fought back, and they could stand their ground. And while I knew we had them outgunned, there’s always that fear. It’s always a possibility that we might not make it out alive. I'm sure not everyone did. And my heart breaks for that. Jason and Alex stayed behind to tend to the wounded. I had to get back to see Zeva.

Fighting never gets easier for me. I knew some of those guys I'll never see again. And though we all knew what we were in for, you never expect someone to ever really die. Luckily I was not wounded bad, and I was able to get back to her, but I will have to call Alex and figure out exactly what went down and see how many guys we lost.

"You think it's just superficial?" She nods her head, focusing on the task at hand. I'm surprised she knows about this and I wonder how many wounds she's doctored in the past. I imagine this whole evening wasn't easy for her, she must've been worried and also thinking about the loved ones she's lost in this exact same circumstance.

"Zeva, I'm sorry to have put you in this position. You know if there's something I could have done to avoid it I would have. You know that, right?"

"Yes," she says, soft as ever. "I know you did what you could. But, oh, Wade," she throws her arms around my neck. "I thought I had lost you. To be here, without knowing what was happening... I thought it was over. I was preparing for the Legion to come after me next, and you know what? I didn't even care if I died. Because what point is there in living without you and Alex and Jason? You’re my family now."

I hold her with my good arm. "Don't you say that. Don't you ever say that. You will go on no matter what. You have to be resilient and tough, do you hear me?"

She nods her head in agreement but I can tell she doesn't really mean it. She probably would want to die if something happened to any of us, and that's a pain I can't bear to focus on.

I have her to think of now and I might have to start considering her before all things, including war.

I hold her to me and I suggest we take a shower. "Come on, I can wash the blood off and I want nothing more than to see more of you naked."

"Are you sure you can manage it?"

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