“Marcus, it was horrible. Once we got him cleaned up and saw the extent of damage,” she shook her head, “it
was like nothing I have ever seen. The amount of damage Alec took was astonishing. We also took x-rays and looked at his bone structure too.” She shook her head again. “I can’t even fathom the amount of pain he was in. I know I keep repeating that, but my God.”
Webb looked at her, “Do I really want to know?”
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you.”
“Yeah, I need to know.”
“Okay, he was severely dehydrated and had multiple deep lacerations all over his body. It took 128 staples, 38 stitches, and three tubes of surgical glue to close. He has a concussion, along with a fractured skull and a broken left orbital bone. Luckily, he didn’t lose an eye with the damage and swelling involved. Most of his ribs were broken, he had a punctured left lung, lacerated spleen, bruised kidneys, and fractured left collar bone. His knee joints were swollen and bruised like someone was stomping on them.” Izzy stopped and shivered like a frigid breeze just blew across her. Webb just stood there in silence. He knew she was severely affected, and that it was hard seeing someone you cared about in that state.
Webb’s face had a wave of concern flow across it, “We need to quit taking risks like that. We are all we have left. This is our family and we need to protect what we have.” She looked and him with what seemed like relief in her face. Izzy got up and kissed him and went to take a shower.
She stopped and turned around, “We put him in a medically induced coma while he heals. He is not in pain right now. That’s all we can do for him. The rest is up to Alec.”
Webb nodded and put on his clothes. He was making his way toward the infirmary and almost ran into Shaw coming around the corner.
“Whoa, sorry, Captain.”
“No problem, Shaw. Heading to the infirmary?”
“Yeah, I need to see him.”
“Me too.”
They both walked together in silence and entered the infirmary. Priest was lying in bed with multiple wires and tubes. A ventilator machine pumped to help keep his lung inflated. Tons of tubes and wires, monitoring this, measuring that. Lia was there next to his bed, sitting in her wheelchair. She had Priest’s hand clasped between both of hers.
Both Shaw and Webb walked over and kissed her on the top of her head. They glanced up to look at Priest, and he was completely unrecognizable. With all the swelling and bruising, it was tough to make out who it was.
Lia spoke up, “They hurt him, hurt him bad. Fucking human beings…..not even those infected psychos out there, but fucking human beings.” She had tears in her eyes, but there was rage shining in them as well. Lia looked up at Shaw, “They all need to die! Every fucking one of them!”
Shaw just nodded his head with his jaw clinched and this seemed to be all the answer Lia needed. She rotated her head back to look at Priest.
Webb didn’t protest either. The rules had changed, and this was a new reality. The law of reason and negotiation were out the window. They were following their own rules now. Like everyone had been saying, including him. This group, this unit, this family were all that mattered now. Anyone trying to break this family apart or trying to destroy it will pay the price. This was something Webb swore to.
He reached down and put a hand on Lia’s shoulder, “Do you need a break? I can watch over him.” She shook her head no, and he left it at that. Just then the door opened and Doc, along with Neville, walked in. They had cleaned up and came to check on Priest. They all hugged each other.
Shaw looked at Doc with big, wet eyes, “Thanks for patching him up, Doc.”
He smiled, “I did what I could, but I am afraid most of the credit should go to Izzy. Some of this stuff was beyond my expertise. Izzy is a little more advanced than she lets on.”
Shaw took a deep breath, “How long, Doc?”
“Well, he stays in the coma for another three days, then he will be left to wake on his own. He will be the gauge to measure progress based on his pain and what he can tolerate. He will have to work out and do physical therapy, but if I was to take a guess, I would say at least three months. That also was based on his work out level, so he can’t overdo it either.”
“Don’t worry. We will put Lia on his ass and she will straighten him up,” Neville replied.
After some time to joke and talk with each other, the team went to their load out room. They all assembled and looked at each other solemnly.
Webb addressed them, “Great job getting Priest out of there. What we need to discuss is where do we go from here? I want to hear about where your heads are.” He turned to the Big Man, “Shaw.”
Shaw thought for a second, “I want these fuckers dead. I don’t know how many got away, but I want these fuckers dead!” He took a breath, “I know we have no idea where they are but I can’t get past it. As far as us here, this is my family and I will protect what we have here with my life.”
Webb nodded, “Doc?”
“Cap, I have seen nothing like the shape I just saw Priest in. I’m with Shaw, based on that. We need to hunt these scumbags down and eliminate them. I also feel the same way about us. This is our brotherhood and all that matters right now.”
“Ok, Doc. What about you, Neville?”