Don pulled up at the base.
"We are here." He told the woman while releasing the handlebars.
The woman looked around for a moment to see they were in a rural area. Her eyes were closed the entire time tightly, primarily out of fear. "Here?" The woman muttered mostly to herself.
"Get off. We need to go inside." Don stated, waiting for her to get off the bike so he could get off. She sighed softly and removed herself from the bike. "Quite the gentleman, aren't we?" The woman commented with sarcasm in her voice. Don shook his head and kicked up the stand before getting off the bike and heading toward the front door. The woman followed in toe.
When they arrived, Don rang the bell before giving his name. A few moments later, the steel plating rose, and the door was opened. John was the one who opened the door. He looked from Don towards the woman. "She the doctor?" John asked, and Don nodded. The woman's brow rose curiously. "Hello my--" The woman was interrupted.
"You can introduce yourself later. Right now, I need you to save April." Don butted in.
The woman slid back for a moment with an 'ugh' expression.
"And if I decide not to? After all, you are rather rude." The woman remarked while crossing her arms under her chest. Don swiftly pulled out his combat knife and spun on his heel. He placed the knife's edge to the woman's throat, which caused her eyes to go wide with both surprise and fear.
"Then I'll slit your fucking throat here and now. I didn't waste soo many rounds just so you can play 'Treat me like a pretty fucking princess.' So what will it be, will you save my girl, or will you die?" Don's tone of voice was suddenly heavy.
The look in his eyes was void of emotion. It was clear as day that he was reaching his limit in patience. John could see this and placed a hand on Don's shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Don. We all want April to survive, but if you kill this woman now, then who will save April?" John asked.
Don tightened his grasp around the hilt of his knife. "I'll drag another doctor here, by the hair if I have to." Don remarked with a chill in his voice. It was clear as day that he would do it.
"I see... but do you have enough gas to get there and back?" John asked as calmly as possible.
John knew not to push any of Don's buttons right now. So he kept his questions short and logical. Don bit the inside of his cheek in silence before turning away from the woman and sheathing his combat knife into the vest pocket. "I'll be with April. "Don remarked as he moved into the house. John moved to let Don inside before looking at the woman.
"I may not know who you are, but I would be grateful if you could look over April. If you decide not to, that is entirely up to you. Just know this, Don will come after you. I am not saying this to threaten you. I am saying this because I know just how important April is to Don. Without her, no one can hold him back." John moved to let the woman inside.
He certainly seemed to know a thing or two about Don and April for that comment to leave his lips. She listened to John in silence. She was taking some time to come to the realization that her throat wasn't slit and that her life had been in the hands of someone who had saved her a couple of hours ago.
"Noted."
Before making her way into the house, the woman would remark, "Can you lead me to her?" She asked, and John nodded.
He closed the door, locked it, and shut the steel-plating door with a push of a button before leading the woman to the master bedroom, where April was lying on the bed. Don was standing against the wall with his arms crossed over one another and his eyes shut. His head tilted downward. His finger was tapping impatiently against his forearm. Rebecca was wiping sweat from April's forehead.
"If you need anything, let us know, okay, Don." John stated.
Rebecca shifted her attention from April to Don but saw no response from him. "We will." Rebecca answered John, and he nodded before rushing off to the garage.
"So... this is the patient?" The woman inquired as she looked over April.
She removed the blanket to glance over her nude figure and see that parts of her were patched up. "What happened to her?" The woman inquired.
"Bullet wounds grazed her body. She hit her head pretty hard on the pavement." Rebecca remarked while pointing to the specific areas. The woman would nod. "So concussion and blood loss." The woman pieced it together quite quickly.
"Can you save her?" Rebecca asked.
Don's eyes opened, and he looked at the woman without speaking. The woman saw Don's eyes and gulped heavily. "I can. I just need the proper equipment. I will have to set up some IV bags and do a blood transfusion. Do you have the proper equipment?" The woman asked.
Don shifted his glance towards Rebecca. "We do. Although it may be makeshift, Don, can you go to the garage and grab the stuff. Noah should be there with John, Josh, Jake, and Tyrone. They should have everything ready." Rebecca remarked, and Don pushed off the wall and walked with haste to the garage to gather everything.
A few moments later, Don returned with everything.
The woman was surprised by the equipment. Even if it was something that Rebecca called makeshift, it looked damn near like something one would find in a hospital.
"Okay... but do you know the girl's blood type?" The woman asked as she started setting everything up. "I do, and we have the same blood type. So just use me." Don remarked as he sat down on the bed beside April.
Rebecca was a bit surprised that Don had this information but decided not to question such since they were on a time crunch. "Alright. Lay back and let me do the rest." The woman commented, and Don laid down beside April. He looked at her sleeping face with compassion and worry. He took one of her hands into his hand and laced their fingers before relaxing his head and closing his eyes.
The woman finished setting up the IV bags and started with the operation. Rebecca was still sitting in a chair that had been brought into the room. "Is there anything I can do?" Rebecca asked. "No. If you want, you can just sit there." The woman replied, and Rebecca sat back in the chair.
Once the woman finished, she turned towards Rebecca. "She will be fine now. Just let the process do its work. I would like to talk with you. So can we go outside?" The woman asked, and Rebecca nodded.
She rose from the chair and left the room with the woman. Once they exited the room, they were greeted by Josh, John, Jake, Noah, and Tyrone. The woman was surprised to see so many people but decided not to comment. She went to the living room area they passed through, and everyone followed her. Once everyone was seated, herself included, she would begin speaking. "Alright, first off, the information you are all wanting. The girl will be fine. All we have to do is let time pass. The process will take care of itself. I'll keep an eye on them to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Everyone released a breath of relief at the woman's words. The woman even smiled a little seeing how relieved they were. "Now then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Natalie." The woman stated, and everyone nodded in silence. "I am a Doctor as you may all now be aware of. I was stationed in Austin. If you don't mind me asking, why are all of you here in San Antonio?" Natalie inquired curiously.
"No real reason. We were all brought into this world at different times but managed to meet up." Rebecca answered.
"Indeed." Josh added, and everyone else nodded in silence.
"I see... And that man is your leader?" Natalie asked while referring to Don.
"He is. We all know him, some more than others." Rebecca replied.
"True." Josh agreed.
Natalie nodded once again. "One more question, you are aware of the outpost in Austin, correct?" Natalie asked.
"We are." Rebecca answered. Josh shifted his eyes towards Rebecca, seeing how she withheld some information. It made sense; this woman wasn't someone they knew.
"I see." Natalie remarked softly before releasing a soft breath.
"Well, that about does it for my questions. Is there anyone who can take me back to Austin?" The woman inquired. Everyone looked at each other before Rebecca pointed towards the room. Natalie blinked rapidly in confusion before connecting the dots. "Wait..." She muttered.
"He's the only one who knows how to drive that bike. Besides, it is his." John remarked.
"Yup, he'd kill us if we tried to take his baby out for a spin." Josh added, and Jake nodded in agreement. A wry smile curved across Natalie's lips before she sighed heavily. "Great... another ride on that damn thing." Natalie grumbled.
"Well, regardless. You should also get some rest. I bet Don has put you through the wringer." Rebecca commented, which caused Natalie's brow to rise. Surprised that Rebecca was showing some concern for her. "Ummm, okay." Natalie responded.
"I'll stay here. The rest of you go on ahead." Rebecca added, and the guys decided to leave Rebecca to it. Rebecca picked up the shotgun from the side of the comfortable chair and rested it on her lap; meanwhile, Natalie watched the others leave. "Umm..." Natalie muttered when she saw Rebecca had the shotgun in her lap.
"For protection. Normally we take shelter elsewhere, but you and I will be up here for everyone's safety and mental security. Besides, it would be best for us to be here in case something happens. Just rest up and don't mind me." Rebecca answered with a smile. Natalie sighed heavily once again, 'What is up with these people?' She muttered internally before deciding to layout on the sofa she was on.
Both of them fell asleep rather quickly, and the day broke in.
Natalie was the last to wake up. She woke up to some chatter here and there and saw someone she did not see last night. "Oh, finally awake, huh? Come eat. I just finished preparing breakfast." John's mother commented as she saw Natalie sitting up with a stretch and a yawn. "Oh... umm... "Natalie murmured in confusion as to what was going on.
This caused John's Mother to chuckle softly. "Don't worry. Just come and eat." She smiled gracefully before moving back into the kitchen. Natalie made her way into the kitchen only to notice the dining area. She saw several more people that she had not seen last night. One of them was even a child who was happily partaking in pancakes.
Catalina, sitting beside Sofia, looked up at her and smiled softly before returning to her stack of pancakes. "Umm..." Natalie began to speak but was shushed when John's mother told her to take a seat. Shortly after, she was brought a plate of pancakes with a glass of orange juice. Natalie was star-struck. She had not eaten this kind of food in what felt like forever. It almost felt like a dream to her.
Emotion was starting to overwhelm her, but when she finally took the first bite, the emotion would overflow, and tears would begin to pour from her eyes. "Mommy, is she okay?" Sofia saw Natalie crying and asked her mother, Catalina, if Natalie was okay.
"Of course she is. She is just happy. Don't worry and finish your food, okay, hunnie?" Catalina replied, and Sofia nodded before turning to Natalie and smiling brightly at her. "It's good!" She exclaimed before returning to her food.
Natalie could only nod in agreement while trying to wipe her tears. Everyone at the table smiled softly at Natalie. Everyone was Alice, Sarah, Catalina, Juan, Susan, Ryan, and Dillian. They could understand what she was feeling now because they also felt the same when they first ate the pancakes that John's mother had prepared.
A good bit of time passed before everyone went off to do their own thing. Natalie finished her food and beverage. She was about to get up and take the plate to the kitchen when John's mother came into the dining area to take the plate and glass from her. "I'll take that. You go ahead and check on April, okay?" John's Mother remarked, and Natalie nodded politely.
As soon as she got up, she was met with Rebecca, who looked over her before smiling softly. "If her pancakes brought tears to your eyes, then I suppose you aren't terrible. I just had to be sure." Rebecca commented, and Natalie nodded softly. "Going to check on April?" Rebecca asked, and Natalie nodded again, "Yeah."
"Let's go then." Rebecca stated, and they made their way toward the master bedroom. When they entered, they noticed both Don and April were still asleep. Both of them held each other's hands. April had a smile on her face; meanwhile, Don seemed content and at peace. This was a first for Natalie. Compared to the look Don had before, this one seemed.... unreal.
"He really does care for her, doesn't he?" Natalie commented bluntly, as if those words sprung up without her knowing.
"He does." Rebecca replied softly. "After all, she is his only light." Rebecca added a moment after.
She also noticed how peaceful Don seemed. Natalie shifted her attention towards Rebecca. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously.
"I am sure you are aware of it. I highly doubt nothing happened on your way here. Don isn't like us. His insight into the world around him is different. While most people would turn away from the darkness of society, Don faces it head-on. He refuses to believe everyone is pure or innocent, but it was different with April."
"Maybe it was because he knew April at a young age and grew up with her. Maybe it was because she continued to follow him even when he tried to push her away. I don't really know, but what I know is that April is the one thing that Don knows deep down is pure and innocent. Without April..." Rebecca paused for a moment in silence. She did not want to think about what would happen to Don if April died.
"Anyways. Just remember that April is important to Don. I am sure we all are, but April holds a special place in his heart. Everyone knows it. If it wasn't made clear before, it was made clear last night when he raced out the door to go find you." Rebecca would finish.
Natalie gulped softly before looking back over Don and April. "I see..." Natalie muttered before taking a moment or two and then began looking over them.
She changed out any empty bags and made sure everything was going smoothly. Rebecca decided to take sit in the chair and watch over them. After all, they held a special place in her heart. She had known them since they were children. In fact, to her, they were family. As she relaxed, she would slowly seep into a soft slumber.
"Heya Becca!" A cute girly voice caused Rebecca's eyes to open. She was sitting in a lawn chair on her porch. She had dozed off for a moment, it seemed. A small child was standing before her with a cheery smile.
"Oh, hello, April." Rebecca replied with a smile of her own. "Is Don here?" April asked innocently.
"He is. He is inside right now. Doing his homework. Did you come to play with him?" Rebecca asked softly.
"Of course!" April exclaimed happily, which caused Rebecca to chuckle. "Alright, but remember to wait until Don finishes his homework. Go on inside. I'll prepare some snacks for you two." Rebecca commented, and April shouted, "Yay!" Before skipping happily up the porch and into the house.
Rebecca chuckled lightly and stood up with a stretch. She yawned softly while looking out at the field around her. It was a bright and sunny morning—a beautiful day.
"Thank you, April. For being Don's friend. I know it is hard for Don to make friends, but you still stayed... So thank you." Rebecca commented softly with a gentle smile. She headed inside afterward to prepare snacks for April and Don. When she delivered them, Don had been trying to finish his homework; however, April was pestering and poking him playfully, asking him to play with her. This caused Rebecca to chuckle softly before getting their attention and handing them the snacks and beverages.