Through The Bandages and BondsA Story by Jax Alessa A medic sat on the battlefield. Will she find someone who has her back or is she always stuck saving herself? The medic sat patiently in the cold, white painted room of the nearby hospital. War had been going on for days, ravaging the land, hour by hour and minute by minute. Bodies plagued the land, blood scattered all over the grass, dirt, and remains of others. The medic knew her job was the heal the wounded, to give them more time and more life, but her thoughts still spun when she realized all the deaths in her awakening. While she waited for more supplies to carry out on the battlefield, she knew it was best to move about as sitting there would only make her think more. Standing up, she walked around the white, sterilized building, wondering how a clean building could still exist only so far from the wars. Of course, she knew the reason as she knew her medicinal skills: Nobody was allowed to bring harm to a building with the symbol of medicine.
She stopped by the cafeteria, grabbing a cup of hot tea and some bagels. She hadn't known real food for days as she spent her time on the field. The taste of the hot, fresh bagel melted in her mouth along with the hot tea. She couldn't remember the last time she actually enjoyed her meal, considering how long it had been since she had a real meal, not the MREs she had to eat. A year now she guessed. She had been on the battlefield, taking care of wounds for a year now. Finishing up her first bagel, she chuckled to herself at the thought of knowing that a simple bagel could bring about those thoughts. Looking on ahead and lost in thought, watching the white clothed women shuffle about, grabbing food and talking amongst another, she almost didn't hear the sound that had echoed through the hospital.
The loud echo of the siren flooded the halls of the hospital. She quickly stood up and left her food lying on the table. She knew what that sound meant. It meant the war was nearby, close to the hospital and this meant dangers. She rushed out of the cafeteria, her feet hitting the stone flooring as she rushed to grab her own supplies, seeing as she didn't have time to wait. She had to get back on the field. Afterall, even the sniper waited for her return.
Moments had passed and she was back out on the field, tending to the fallen. By the time she reached the blood stained field, her hands were already stained with even more blood. Her hands quickly moved about on the current soldier she was working on. A gunshot to the shoulder, blood pouring out as he screamed in pain. As she knew her work well, she kept a calm head, putting pressure on the wound as she used the sterilized tweezers to remove the bullet that stuck deep inbetween the muscles, flesh, and the crippled veins of his shoulder. The bullet hadn't pierced the bone as badly, but still caused damaged. As she removed the bullet, she could hear the squishing sounds of removing it slowly. As soon as she finished her task up, she did her best to tightly wrap cotton pads and bandages around his shoulder. However, she didn't notice the danger that was right in front of her. The enemy sneaked closer amongst the tall grasses of the field, sneaking up behind her, his knife inching forward as he quietly stepped toward her. The medic finished bandaging up the wounded soldier helping him up to take him to the medical truck on the field. That was when he struck. The enemy soldier rushing forward, knife at the ready to plunge into her back. As she heard the crinkle of the broken leaves on the ground, she barely had seconds to turn. A dark grin was printed on his lips as he pulled back to stab her. Her eyes widened as she saw her own death coming, her givings of life no longer to be present. But then, there she saw the enemy soldier fall over, the knife dropping out of his hands as he hit the ground, his body limp. She could feel the warm liquid of his blood splattered on her face as she looked down, her own body still, as she saw it. The enlarged hole pierced through his head, blood leaking out slowly. She then knew exactly what had happened, who had protected her. Her eyes became still again and shrank from fear to appreciation mixed with worry as she looked on ahead of her, knowing the hidden man she could trust, the sniper had her back and was watching out for her.
She quickly gathered her supplies, her hands still slightly shaking from experiencing her near-death. She rushed the wounded soldier into the medical truck as it took off. The medic, however was still expected to stay on the field, healing other fallen. She finished gathering up her supplies, moving about silently through the battlefield looking for another downed person. Her thoughts raced as she remembered the sniper, her protector. The bond with him was so strong, she should've known better than to think she was dead. He promised to never abandon her, to always have her back.
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It was on a moonlit, cold night during the winter as the white powder filled the field, covering trees and creating a blanket over the medical trucks. She had been told of an incident involving a top soldier, a sniper who had been outdone by the enemy. He had been shot in the thigh as the enemy had snuck up on him before he finished off the enemy soldier. He sat on his hill, still perched, ready to fire as she had arrived. He seemed rather relaxed as he yawned, the wound to his leg showing little concern compared to how importan his job seemed to him. Blood stained his leg, bits of the blood dried up as it flaked off. The cold air must've caused the blood flow to halt as she looked at his wound, leaning down. He peeked over his shoulder as he turned on his side, smirking at the medic. Snow had fallen around him, but the presence of his body made a pattern underneath him, untouched by the snow. The medic began to clean out the wound, removing the bullet that had barely lodged in his thigh seeing as the shot wasn't close enough to dig deeper. The sniper looked at the medic curious as to why she didn't cringe at the sight of the wound, let alone show any emotion. All he could see was a steady, calm demeanor on her face.
"Do you do this often?" he asked her, his voice raw, but gentle as he spoke, staring directly at her. "Do you often look so relaxed and unbothered by the sight of blood and dead flesh hanging by torn ligaments?" His known smirk plastered his face again. He was hoping to make her cringe, to make her demeanor change. He wanted to see her lose her cool. Unfortunately, she wasn't bothered. She was used to seeing wound after wound, injury after injury. Afterall, she took her position knowing what she would see and the work cut out for her.
"Just as you shoot hundreds in the head everyday, perched amongst a hidden spot, I do my job everyday, seeing wound after wound, the fallen amongst the living. I see no reason to be upset and to freak out in the middle of my job. It won't do any good and will get the patient and myself nowhere." she said back, her words flowing out smoothly as if she was singing. Her voice was rather gentle, somehow managing to show that she cared except only through her voice. The sniper looked at her, his eyes in a glare as it relaxed into content gaze, a slight smile appearing on his face. He shifted his rifle amongst himself, preparing in case a shot needed to be taken. The medic continued to move about, applying pressure and bandaging his thigh. She leaned back, sitting on her knees as she looked at him, wiping the droplets of sweat on her brow. It may have been cold outside, but whenever she did her work, she always concentrated hard, making sure she was efficient, but quick, hoping to never waste time as time was not always in her favor on the battlefield.
"All done then?" the sniper asked, generally asking of the situation, no longer trying to cause a russle amongst the medic. The medic finished packing her supplies as she stood up, smiling.
"All finished. Make sure you get that wound checked out at one of the nearby hospital tents. You were lucky, seeing as the bullet hadn't dug deep, but the wound does need to be cleaned again. I managed to get it sterile and fixed enough so no infection could spread." she said, happy with her work as she bowed to the soldier in front of her, turning to take her leave. The sniper sat up from his position, looking calmly at the medic.
"For a medic, you're awfully different than the others. Risking your own life on the battlefield, when only a handful go out there. I've seen tons of field medics, but never as calm as you. Don't you ever get concerned for your life?" he questioned. His gaze staring at her as she looked back at him, her eyes meeting with his own.
"I always am concerned for my life, but I have life to bring to others. I am here to bring life to those hurt, to make sure they survive. I am not here to watch for my own life, but to watch the life of others." she said, her voice stern, but gentle as she explained, blinking as her lips pressed together at the end of her words. The sniper snickered at the arrogance of the woman in front of him, but also grinned. As he rustled in the dead grass and the snow, he once again shifted his rifle.
"Then as thanks as as a fellow soldier, I promise to watch over you. When danger rears its ugly head, I will do my best to protect you. Don't need to lose someone more loyal to others than herself." he said, grinning up at the woman in front of him. He knew that this promise was something he couldn't go back on. The man hated making promises, but this medic was important. She wasn't like the others and had a unique quality he trusted, something he knew he needed in his life, even if it meant something from a fellow soldier. The medic closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before opening her eyes to gaze upon him again. She shifted her own medical box in her hands, switching hands as she smiled.
"A protector huh?" she said, looking down at the thought of knowing she had someone actually looking out for her. She looked back up, grinning at the sniper. "You have yourself a deal. I will continue to bring life, if you continue to bring death to those who only cause pain." The sniper crossed him arms, a chuckle escaping from him lips followed by closing his eyes and smirking. The medic turned to continue on back to the medical camp as she stopped, her foot steps painting the white powder covering the ground. "Thank you." she whispered, barely audible in the cold winds of the night as the sniper looked up, opening his eyes as he watched her depart.
"Until next time, keep yourself alive for me." he said to her, turning back to aim his scope in the night. The last thing she remembered of that night was his words echoing in the dead night, smiling as she left her protector in the snow. © 2013 Jax AlessaAuthor's Note
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Jax AlessaMohave Valley, AZAboutI am merely just a being. A person who writes and explores. Come create a world with me. I write what I feel. My feelings 95% of the time are what help me write and are what is present in the stori.. more..Writing
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