Chapter Sixteen

Amara rubbed at her head, it still hurting despite more pain medication. Not to mention she still felt ill from the anesthesia they had used on her. She let him dress her, since her body just didn’t want to cooperate. Looking down at her hands, Amara opened and closed them without much difficulty, then looked up at Vince, What’s wrong with me?

Buttoning the shirt, he stopped, “There’s nothing wrong with you. You just had a little slip. It happens, it has before. Your body just needs a little more time to recover. You had major surgery on your head.”

I shouldn’t stutter when I talk. I can’t walk cause my foot won’t listen when it needs to move. What if it’s permanent and I’m stuck like this, she asked tears falling down her face.

Taking the IV, he hooked it back up making sure the flow was right. Pulling her forward, he let her cry. This was a lot for her to take and more things just kept being added rather than being taken away. Kissing the top of her head, he could feel how she was inadvertently projecting her emotions, “If it is, it doesn’t matter. We will work around it, get you into therapy and just work at it. I told you I wouldn’t leave you and I’m not going to.”

She slid her arms around him, clutching at his shirt, I don’t want you to have to deal with this. Bad enough I’m so sick to begin with and now all this surgery and people still after us. You say…you’re not going to leave, but you going to and then I’ll be stuck with people I barely know and who knows if you’ll even come back. I can’t handle you just leaving, not after all this time.

Lifting his head he saw a nurse with a wheelchair. When the nurse pointed to herself then out the door, he nodded letting her know she could leave. It broke his heart that she thought he was so shallow. He had said he’d leave her one she was some place safe, but after he had spent a couple hours listening to what the guys had been through, maybe he hadn’t thought this out enough. It had just been a way to try and get rid of the threat to her and the others.

“I’m not leaving. It’s not worth it anymore.” he whispered to her, then went to retrieve the wheelchair. Lifting her up, he set her down into it. Grabbing the IV he hung it on the bar, and started to wheel her out of the room, when the doctor stopped him, “What’s wrong? She been cleared right?”

“She needs to be on oxygen and I don’t see it.” the doctor stated glaring at Amara.

Vince rolled his eyes and wheeled her back into the room. He didn’t like delays and neither would the others. He kept his hands on the handles, having no intention of stepping away from her just yet.

The doctor grabbed one of the oxygen tanks, strapping it onto the back of the wheelchair. Picking up a mask, he hooked up the mask and put it on Amara, not liking how she fought him at first, “The mask stinks, but you need this to make sure you don’t suffer from any further brain damage and to help speed healing.” He picked up a roll of gauze and wrapped it around her head, hiding the tube that had been put in, “This has to stay clean and not be exposed to air for long periods of time. The risk of infection is too great.”

“I’ll be careful. I have seen to her medical needs until now and it will be easy to keep doing so.” Vince stated, wheeling her out of the room. He didn’t like being treated like an idiot. If he didn’t know any better this was a stall technique being put on as a long patient check out. Going into the elevator, he hit the button for the ground floor.

She pulled the mask off, I hate this thing. It itches. I’m not going to heal fast no matter what they do. They can just leave me alone and out of this game. They should have let me die.

He took hold of the mask and put it back on her, “Just do this until we’re on the plane. Then when it’s just us on the plane we can take that off. I’m sure there is supplies on the plane where we can get something else that doesn’t bother you as much. So just do this for a little bit longer. We’ll have a nice talk on the plane.”

Wheeling her out of the elevator, he let the paramedics load her into the ambulance where the others were already sitting ready to go. Once they were moving, he started to look around for the tubing that could be used to instead of a mask. Looking at Flame, he took the tubing, “How’d you know?”

“She didn’t like it up in the room and the jerk would put it back on her.” she replied, adjusting her hat some. “We took some supplies as well, minor things that they would have to replace on a run so they won’t know we took it.”

Vince hooked everything up, “That better?”

Amara nodded, “Ye..ah.” She rolled her eyes, I don’t like the stutter. It’s annoying. It not going to end once we get there, Whitney won’t let it end here. I been under him too long.

“It won’t end, but we can get it to stop for the most part.” Nico stated, glancing out the small window on the side door. “All of us are probably not safe, but we’re doing what we can. You’ll receive medical treatment and you’ll be back to normal in no time.”

And what if I can’t be helped? I don’t want to sound negative, but I’ll be reduced only telepathy and this gives me a headache, she said rubbing at her right temple. She still felt out of it, didn’t like how her head was feeling as of late.

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Getting off of the ambulance, everyone made their way to the plane and got comfortable for the flight out to California. Vince helped Amara into a bunk bed that was on the plane and climbed into the bed with her. Running his hand over what hair was above the bandages, he pulled her close to him, “You just get some sleep and that will help with your headache.”

Turning on her side, she touched his face smiling at him, I have never deserved you. You been too nice to me over these past few years. You’re putting up with this crap and part of me didn’t blame you for wanting out. I wouldn’t have been happy, but I would never hold it against you.

He kissed her forehead, “I thought if I left I could protect you, get rid of the threat, undermine things from the inside making everything easier on you and the others. I had no idea how big this was. I would never leave you to hurt you. I’m not that cold. Never have I been that cold, not towards you. I love you. You’ll get better and show me up with physical tests. I’ll get fired..” He loved seeing her smile and try to hide it, “Get some sleep it will help if your body can just worry about all that medication and getting it out.”

Amara woke with a start, feeling the plane shake some. Vince was till asleep not noticing anything. Sitting up, she slid over into the wheelchair and wheeled herself into the main cabin. The others were asleep, well all accept for Kadan. She could hear his pulse moving much faster than it ought to be for someone that was supposed to be asleep. She touched his knee, Kadan? Why is the plane shaking so much?

He opened his eyes, looking around, “Could just be turbulence. It happens when flying over the mountains quite a bit.”

She shook her head, No something’s wrong. Something doesn’t feel right. Things just don’t wake me up. I don’t like this.

Letting out a groan, he closed his eyes, “If something was wrong you wouldn’t be the only to sense it. Nico can sense very subtle things and he’s asleep. I don’t even sense anything. We’ll be landing soon. Go lay back down or I can get you something to drink.”

Frowning, she turned around and went back by Vince. How could she feel something they didn’t? They were all like her…then again maybe not. They could protect her mind. Maybe cause she wasn’t an anchor. Her head hurt, everything was a mess. Glancing down at her arm, she noticed the IV was in a different spot. The old one had a bandage over it. Doctors had pulled that one out and put a new one in. Pushing the foot rests up with her feet, she stood up slowly determined not to need something to get around.

Leaning on the handles, she shuffled her feet around until she got behind the wheelchair. This would serve as a walker of some sort until her feet decided to listen to her brain. Pushing it forward, she did her best to walk at least a little bit. Her left foot wasn’t moving. It had to be dragged along. Perhaps she could get a cane and be able to walk on her own once they landed.

Vince went to adjust his arm around her, but found nothing. Looking up, he saw her standing behind the wheelchair, not looking all that happy about something. Rolling out of bed, he walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, “What are you doing out of bed?”

“S..ss…some…th..thing’sss w-w-wrong.” she stuttered out, slamming her hand against one of the handles. Kadan doesn’t believe me. I woke up something felt wrong, I went to talk to him about it, not wanting to wake you up. He brushed me off, said if something was wrong the others would have felt it. I wanted to walk on my own cause last time I felt something wrong…I was…well this happened.

“Shhh it’s okay.” he whispered in her ear. “Can you walk any better than before? Or you still having difficulties with your feet listening?”

My left foot won’t move. I have to drag it. I don’t get why it’s only my foot. If it was a stroke, my left hand would have problems and I could move both fine at the hospital, she stated obviously getting more and more frustrated.

“It has to have been something close to a stroke. Why else would you be unable to speak and your foot give you problems?” he asked, taking her hand so she could stand. “Walk forward and let me see.”

Nodding, she attempted to move her left foot forward. Having to swing her hip out a little before her foot moved. A couple of more steps, her foot shuffled with a bit of effort, but it was progress.

“We are getting somewhere. We’ll be landing soon, want to sit down?” he asked reaching out to bring the chair over and helping her down into it. He kneeled down in front of her, pushing the foot rests down, “I’m going to stay with you. I’m not going to leave you alone when I’m not sure how much they can be trusted or how secure things are or will remain. Once you can walk, I think I’m going to have to marry you just so I can keep an eye on you.”

Amara shook her head and smiled at him, If that is your idea of a proposal you need to be taught how to do it right. Not to mention you don’t have a ring and we’re not at a nice restaurant dressed all nice. I’m in your shirt a pair of shorts, on an IV and oxygen and my hair is mess. You better make up for this with a much nicer place. And I don’t do yellow gold for the record. I like platinum.

“Picky picky girl I’ve chosen.” he joked, leaning up to kiss her cheek. “You want a diamond or another stone? Might as well get what you want if you’re telling me all of this about how I should propose to you properly.”

A diamond is just fine, just no huge rocks, you know I’m not into that, she said touching his face, then ran her fingers through his hair with a smile. Amara took in a deep breath, then let it out, “Keep…yourr…hair l-l-long.”

“That’s getting better too. That will probably come back with time once your brain can adjust to normal pressure again. It was still a little high when you were released.” he said getting up with a small groan. He stepped out for a moment and came back with his bag and pulled out a hairbrush. “I can clean what is left of your hair up. You’re kinda lucky that they didn’t shave it all off.”

She nodded, running her hand through some of her hair feeling a bit depressed. Her hair hadn’t been cut in years and how it had been cut was so weird, it might as well have been shaved off. Still she let him fix her hair as best he could. The feeling had settled a little, but hadn’t gone away. She wasn’t going to say anything more about it if no one was going to believe her.