SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Chapter Forty Seven Alan sat with Rose while they waited for Awinita to return. Both of them had recovered physically from the ordeal, although Alan kept a close eye on their surroundings figuring that at any second the creature would return. He had no idea if it was the real Jersey Devil or not, but whatever it had been, he was determined to keep Rose from being harmed again. He continued to scan around for a moment before turning his attention back to Rose who was quietly watching him. “How are you feeling?” he asked, stroking her cheek. Better. My arm still hurts, but I don’t feel dizzy or anything so I don’t think I’m losing much blood now.” She made a face when she glanced at her arm. “My jacket’s ruined now.” “We’ll get you a new one.” “Yeah, but I loved this jacket .” She let out a ruthful laugh. “Thing survived the dimension cannon, Davros and the Daleks and a horse bat finally gets it.” “I didn’t see any wings on it, did you?” She shook her head. “Maybe they were folded up behind him.” “Nah, I didn’t see any when he turned and ran. It’s a good job, I guess. If it flew, we never would have caught up to you.” He sighed. “Rose, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said you heard a noise. If I had gone and investigated instead of telling you it was your imagination…” “Alan, no, don’t! Don’t start blaming yourself. I wasn’t sure I heard the noise either. What’s done is done, let’s just go and get my arm patched up and move on.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if this is really any kind of a life for you, always running for your life, always in danger. You deserve better than this.” ”I don’t want any other life. You were right. I’m meant to do more than work a crappy job and raise a family. If I have to go through stuff like this to be with you, than I will do it. I’m alright, really. I’m sure the wounds look a lot worse than they really are.” He smiled sadly as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “So much for an uneventful trip around the world,” he said. “You and me, trouble just follows us like a stray dog. Makes me wonder if we should let Awinita in on our little secret. I betcha after what she just saw, she’d believe I’m half alien now.” He sighed angrily. “Where is she? How far is it from the road? Bollocks, I knew I should have gone instead of her.” “Alan, you’re in no shape to go walking like that, you haven’t had much sleep and you just wore yourself out chasing after me. Awinita was the most rested out of any of us. I think it made sense for her to go. Just be patient. I’m not gonna die on ya, I promise.” “I just want you out of these woods.” “Well, I also agree with Awinita when she said she didn’t think that thing would come back after you threw the knife into it. I think after you did that, it knew not to mess with ya anymore.” He jerked his head around and tensed his muscles when he heard someone coming towards him. He relaxed when Awinita came through the trees followed by two paramedics. “That’s Rose,” she said, pointing to her friend. “Evening, Rose, I’m George and this is Lou,” one of the paramedics said. “Your friend said a bear attacked you.” Alan glanced at Awinita. She shrugged. “Brilliant,” he mouthed to her. “Um, yeah,” Rose said, “we were camping and I got up to pee and a bear came out of the woods and surprised me and took a swipe at my arm.” “Well, you’re very lucky,” Lou said. “Let’s take a look at it.” Alan stood up and moved out of the way while George set a battery powered lantern on the ground beside Rose’s arm. He opened up a black case while they took the jacket off and Alan winced when he saw the wounds. George examined them while Lou poured some rubbing alcohol onto some cotton balls. “Doesn’t look too deep, but it definitely need some stitches. Let’s get it cleaned off so we can have a better look at it, shall we? Hold still, Rose, this will sting.” Rose and Alan both winced when he put the cotton ball on her arm and started to clean off the dried blood. “Bleeding’s stopped. That’s a good sign,” George said. He threw the cotton ball into a plastic zip lock bag and grabbed another. “Yup, I think your jacket took most of the damage, Rose, you’re very lucky.” He finished cleaning her arm and held the lantern up to it. “Probably need about twenty six stitches with this,” he said. “Are you hurting anywhere else?” “My back hurts a little,” she said. George frowned. “Did the bear knock you down?” “Um…yeah and I hit the ground pretty hard,” he said, trying to sound convincing. “Where does it hurt the most?” “My lower back.” George leaned back behind her and pressed on her spine while Lou wrapped a bandage around the wounds. “There?” George asked. Rose winced at the pain and nodded. “Can you walk?” She nodded. “Might have them take an x-ray just as a precaution, but it’s more than likely just bruised from the fall. Anywhere else?” She shook her head. George looked at Alan and Awinita. “Are you guys alright?” “Yeah, we’re fine,” Alan said. “The bear only went after Rose.” “How’d you get it to leave?” Lou asked. “I made some noise and scared it off,” Alan said. “Well, like I said, all of you were lucky tonight. Now the ambulance is about two miles away. Can you walk? Because we can radio a helicopter to airlift you out if you need it.” Lou said. “I can carry her if her back is hurting,” Alan said. “You sure?” George asked. He nodded. “Okay, well I’m not sure what you have out here, but if you want to take some things with you now’s the time to get them.” “I’ll carry the backpacks,” Awinita said. “You sure?” Alan asked. “Yeah, you’ll have enough to carry, I’ll handle the extra stuff.” “I’ll help with the backpacks also,” Lou said. “George has the lantern and the medical kit, so I can spare a hand and carry some.” “Thank you,” Alan said. “You’re welcome. I’m just glad all of you are alright.” Awinita went to retrieve Rose’s rucksack while Alan bent down and scooped her up. “Alan, are you sure you can do this?” she asked. He nodded. “I’m alright, just relax. You’ve had a long night.” Awinita returned with Rose’s rucksack. She slipped hers on her back and gave Alan’s rucksack to Lou while she carried the other in her hand. “Everyone ready?” Lou asked. They nodded. “Then follow us.” Forty five minutes later, they reached the ambulance. George pulled out the stretcher and helped Alan position her on it. They covered her, strapped her down and rolled her inside. Alan and Awinita climbed in beside her while Lou got in on the opposite side. He grabbed a clipboard while George got in the front and started the ignition. As he drove off, Lou took down Rose’s information. “Do you want the Doctor to contact anyway? Any friends or family?” Lou asked when he had gotten all her vital info. “Uh…no, that’s fine, “Rose said. Lou nodded. “That’s all I need then. Just hold tight and we’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes.” It took about an hour for Rose to get her stitches. Alan stood by her while she laid on the gurney in one of the ER rooms. Awinita slept in a chair beside the door and Alan held her right hand while the surgeon stitched up her wounds. “How long will she need to have these in?” Alan asked, gesturing to the stitches. “About three weeks.” “And does she need to come back here to have them out?” “No necessarily. She can go to her doctor and they can call here to get the information they need, just as long as it’s been three weeks.” He finished up and cleaned and dressed the wound. “Now, if you’ll wait a moment, a nurse will take you to get your back x-rayed, “he said. A half hour later, the three weary travelers stood near the front doors of the emergency room. Alan and Awinita were carrying their rucksacks on their backs and Awinita carried Rose’s while Alan helped Rose to walk. She had been given a Darvocet and was very groggy. “Now what?”Awinita asked. “Alan, go over there and ask the receptionist to give you the number for a cab,” Rose murmured. “We’ll take one to a hotel and check in for the night.” Alan nodded. He helped her to sit and kissed her on the cheek before walking over to the front desk. They found a Day’s Inn nearby. Alan paid the fare with the money Rose had given him and helped her inside the building. They checked in for two nights and walked back outside to their ground floor room. Awinita unlocked the door, laid Rose’s rucksack just inside the room and led her over to the bed. Rose, who was barely awake, leaned against Alan while Awinita drew back the covers and helped her to sit. They took off her shoes and socks and Rose lay down. Alan covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead. “Go to sleep now. You’re safe,” he said. “Thank you both for saving me,” she murmured. “You’re welcome,” they said in unison. Rose gave them a sleepy smile before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Once she was asleep, Alan groaned and looked at Awinita. “You can have the shower first. I need to rest a moment,” he said. She nodded. “Alan, what was that thing? That really couldn’t have been the Jersey Devil, could it?” “I don’t know,” Alan said, truthfully. “I’m just glad Rose is safe.” “Yeah, me too.” She shook her head. “You know, Native American tribes have stories about this kind of thing. Until tonight, that’s all I thought they were, just stories. I don’t think anyone will believe me if I tell them I probably saw the Jersey Devil.” “You might be surprise,” Alan said. “The universe is a lot stranger than you think.” “You talk like you’ve had experience dealing with this kind of thing.” He smiled and said nothing. Awinita sighed. “I suppose if you have, there’ll be plenty of time to talk about it in the morning.” She yawned. “Right now, a hot shower sounds like heaven to me.” She grabbed her rucksack and went into the bathroom. Alan got up and sat back down beside Rose when the water began to run He gently ran his finger down her cheek. “I made the mistake of not listening to you, Amo’tiri. I won’t make that mistake again.” He gently brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her temple. “My life, my precious Rose,” he murmured. “Sweet dreams and don’t be afraid. I’m always at your side, guarding you until the day I die.” He kissed her cheek and stared at her quietly while he waited for Awinita to finish her shower.
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