KELLEN
Once on the jet, Eve's pain seemed to intensify. Her groans and tears were almost unbearable. I didn’t know how to help her and it was eating at me. I wanted to kill something.
One of the AU pilots noticed her distress as well. "We need to get her to the hospital, immediately."
I grunted with a nod. The plane’s speed increased but every tick of the clock felt like an unaffordable second lapsed. I sat there helplessly as Eve's face contorted in pain and tears streamed down her cheeks—my heart broke.
"If I hadn't been so stubborn, this wouldn't have happened," I said, laying my head on her. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt her hand gently stroking my hair.
"There, there, Killer. It's not your fault that your girlfriend is clumsy. Now, what was that about walking me down the aisle?" she giggled through gritted teeth. "After my ankle is better, I'll hold you to that."
I wiped my face and smiled, grabbing her hand in mine. "We'll see."
Eve tossed and turned but finally slowly drifted off to sleep. The pain was too much for her body to bear. She started snoring, sounding like an ox grazing in the plains. I couldn't believe that someone so beautiful could make such noises while sleeping, but I didn't have the heart to wake her. Finally, after a couple of hours, we arrived at the hospital and they rushed her straight to the back for X-rays.
I paced back and forth in the waiting room, my anxiety growing with each passing minute. The sterile smell of the hospital only added to my unease. I couldn't help but worry about what the X-rays would reveal.
The clock on the wall taunted me and my hands itched for my rifle. Finally, the doctor emerged from the examination room. His face was grave, and my heart sank.
No.
"I'm afraid Eve has a fractured ankle," he informed professionally. "She will need to have it immobilized and may require surgery."
My mind raced with a million thoughts. How long would her recovery take? Would she be in pain? How would this affect our plans for the future? But amidst the chaos in my mind, one thing remained clear—I would be there for her every step of the way.
I entered Eve's room, her ankle now wrapped in a cast. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain and exhaustion. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I ruined our mission."
I sat down beside her and took her hand in mine. "No, Eve, don't apologize," I said softly. "Accidents happen, and this is not your fault. What matters now is that you get better. You are the one who completed the mission. I guess I should call you Sniper," I teased with a hearty chuckle.
She nodded, a small smile forming on her beautiful lips. "Thank you for being here. I don't know what I would do without you."
I leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what," I whispered. "We'll get through this together."
“So, are you going to sign my cast?” She asked with a cheesy grin. Shaking my head at Eve’s antics, I walked over to the board in her hospital room and retrieved a red marker and began drawing on her cast. She glanced down to see the art I was creating which was a man being shot with a giant X across him.
“Sweetheart, you do know a simple xoxo Kellen and Eve would have been just fine, right?” she pouted while shaking her head.
I looked up at her with a giant grin, "Now, you know that's not my style."
“Oh, you jerk!” she giggled.
I capped the marker, tossed it at the foot of her bed and leaned in to taker her lips with mine. “Your jerk. I love you, Eve.”
“I love you too, Killer.”