Chapter 30 - Bravery

KIM'S POINT OF VIEW

You hear as screams start to fill the camp followed by what you think is gunshots. You've haven't heard gunshots before accept for that one time your dad tried to get rid of the foxes on the ranch but he used his old shotgun he got from his dad. The shots you heard that day were maybe four.

The gunshots you hear today are rapid and followed by intense, severe screaming. You're in mid-surgery on Mark's leg. Fear starts raising inside you and you know that you've got a choice to make. You can either run like hell and find a place to hide or you can stand firm and finish the surgery that could potentially save Mark's leg. You know that if you stop now, Mark will surely lose his leg.

You look at the open cavity with the femoral artery of his leg exposed in front of you and know that you won't be able to just leave him like that. You look around the room and see everyone's faces filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

"Listen to me, get yourselves to safety, I'll stay and finish"

They all just stare at you as if you didn't say a word. "GO!" You shout at them and make sure they know what you said. Then it's as if a veil has been lifted and they quickly start getting out of the tent to save their lives. Tracy lingers next to you.

"I...I…..I can't leave you…"

You turn so that your eyes are looking straight into hers.

"You need to go, Tracy. I'll be fine. Help the others get the sick out of the tent and to safety"

"But-"

"There's no time, Tracy. Dammit, just go!"

She looks at you once more and then hugs you, running out to save the rest of the patients. You stand all alone with Mark open on the table. You feel anxiety creeping up on you but you know that you can't leave him alone. Suddenly you hear a gunshot right next to the tent and you jump with fright backward. You take a deep breath and swallow hard.

"Get a hold of yourself, goddammit!"

You step closer to Mark's leg and tell yourself to only focus on what you're doing right now. You tell yourself to take one step at a time and if that means to only focus on this surgery, then you're going to do it and do it well. Your mind starts racing through everything you've learned and experienced in your career as a doctor, trying to find a quick solution to repair Mark's leg in almost no time.

Finally, you remembered a theory you once heard from a professor in one of the classes you had to take when you studied to be a doctor. It's only a theory but you decide to use this theory on Mark's leg to save it now and later repair it completely. You send up a quick prayer hoping that you're doing the right thing.

You hear how the tent starting to grow quiet and you know that now, you're all alone. Just you and Mark. You're nearing the end of your surgery and quickly closes the open cavity. You just got the last stitch in when you hear footsteps pressing into the soft sea sand and getting very close to you. You feel your heart racing uncontrollably as if you find yourself in what seems like a horror movie.

You remove your cloves and covers Mark's leg with a blanket. You look around the room and know there's no way out.

(Oh god!)

You stand next to Mark and know that this moment right here, right now, could very well be your last moment. You close your eyes and thoughts start to rush through your mind. You think of Nick and the moments you spend together. You remember the first time you saw him and how handsome he looked standing against his car busy playing on his phone with his sunglasses on. He looked so hot but that was nothing compared to when you got to know him a bit more.

Now you wish that you took your chance to pull him in close to you and feel his lips against yours. You wish you could've felt his big chiseled arms enveloping your body and that you could lay your head against his chest just listening to his heartbeat.

Your thoughts are interrupted by a man's voice.

"انزل!!"

You jump back with your hands in the air. The man stands at the opening of the curtain with a gun pointed at you. "I….I…don't understand…I'm sorry"

"انزل!! انزل!!"

Panic starts to kick in and the feeling in your face is non-existent. You feel tears stinging in your eyes as you've got no idea what he wants you to do. "I don't understand, please"

The man rushes closer to you, pointing his gun in your face making you fall on the ground. Shouting even louder. "GET DOWN BITCH!!" You make sure to bury your face into the ground doing exactly as he says. You remember the training you went through on the boat and how they said to always do what your attacker wants until there's someone that can help you. They also said not to try to be a hero but then you see him walking to Mark laying lifeless and helpless on the table. He looks at him and then smiles putting his gun to his head. You can't help the words that escape your mouth.

"NO!!!"

The man instantly jerks his head towards you and you realize you made a mistake. You hold your hands up once more into surrender. "Please, I'm sorry!" The words bearly flow out of your mouth. You feel as tears start to stream down your cheeks, looking in his eyes. He bends down to your level and uses his gun to take a lost strain of hair out of your face. He tilts his head and then speaks.

"You sorry…I don't care!!"

He laughs and hits you against your head with his gun then he hears footsteps coming closer. He quickly holds you up against his chest pointing his gun to your head, holding you as his defense. He slowly walks toward the opening of the curtain. Then he stops dead in his tracks as a man enters the room.

(Nick!!!)

"Put the gun down!!!" Nick points his gun at the attacker.

NICK'S POINT OF VIEW

He sees you with a gun against your head and he feels the anger starting to burst through its seams. He looks you up and down doing a quick survey if you're hurt anywhere. He sees the blood dripping from your head where the attacker hit you with his gun. Then he sees the attacker's arm holding you firmly around your waist and he struggles to control the anger trying to escape.

He holds his one hand in the air in surrender "Okay, okay, just don't hurt her!"

The attacker suddenly smiles as he sees that you're Nick's weakness and holds you even closer to him. Nick moves closer to the attacker as he sees that his attention is now on you and not on him.

KIM'S POINT OF VIEW

You see Nick standing in surrender in front of you and you realize that there's no way out of this. But then you see Nick getting your attention with his eyes and then move his eyes to the side. You know exactly what he means and in a slipt second move your head away from the attacker's face. The attacker sees your quick movement and draws his gun on Nick but Nick's faster and quicker. With one quick action, he shoots his gun, and the bullet lands right in the middle of the attacker's head. He drops down like a sack of potatoes, dead on the floor.