Max was airlifted to a nearby military hospital. He realized he didn't even know where he was. He didn't care just now. He just wanted to get to the next tournament and end this thing. The helicopter was landing on the roof. An orderly and six guards were there to greet him, if you could call that a greeting. They placed him on a gurney and rushed him inside. He was in x-ray when he opened his eyes. The ordeal of the past few days had taken its toll, especially the last few hours. Losing Gina like that was killing him. He was almost glad he was wounded, it gave him an excuse to tear up and act unhappy, he was unhappy. He was given a shot to put him out. His leg wasn't in the greatest of shape. The nurses undressed him and put a hospital gown on him. He heard one of them commenting about something and moaning as they pulled his fatigues off. Then the lights went out...
...Gina cried herself to sleep on the cold cement steps. Her safety was of no importance, losing Max was more than she could bare. How could you fall in love with someone only knowing them for three or four days? Was it three or was it four? What day was it? How long had she been here? She woke with these questions racing through her mind. She looked around for Max, hoping it had all been a dream. The sound of an engine roaring down the alley brought her back to reality. She was still in grave danger. She ducked further into the basement steps. The jeep roared by and she popped her head out just a little.
Where would she go, where could she hide? They were sweeping this place and they would be checking everywhere. The tower! Their hideout, their love-nest. She would try and make her way back there...
...Max came too in a clean bed covered with a clean sheet. The rustling of a nurse's starched uniform roused him awake. He was drowsy but alive. His leg ached like crazy. He let out a soft moan as he bent his knee.
"Um, does it hurt honey?" The nurse asked.
Max opened his drugged eyes to see a middle aged attractive lady looking down at him. He sighed and laid his leg back down.
"Umm, yeah it does. What did you people do to me?" He asked.
"What did we do?! What did you do?" She asked and smiled at him.
"What time is it?" He asked sluggishly.
"Two-thirty." The nurse said, turning to look at a clock on the wall just in front of him.
His eyes followed hers and he noticed the clock. He gave her an 'oh, I see' look and closed his eyes. Memories of the last few days flooded back to his mind. He closed his eyes and sighed. She walked to the tray table and returned to his bedside with a paper cup and plastic glass of water.
"Need a pain killer honey?" She offered them to Max.
"Yes, thanks." He took the medicine and laid back down.
His eyes shot open. Was Gina ok? Had they found her? Did she get out alive? He had a million questions that he couldn't ask. He couldn't let on that he knew someone was alive in there. He was supposed to be the last one, he had to keep up the charade. He would find out eventually but it was killing him inside now. The nurse left the room informing Max that she would be right back.
When she returned she had a tub of water, wash cloth, soap and towel. She placed the things on the table and rolled it to the bed. She pulled the sheet down and started to slip his gown off. He took her hand to stop her.
"Honey, you need a bath real bad. Unless you want to try and get in the shower you better just lay back and let me wash you." She told him, her smile was warm.
Max thought she was very pretty for her age. She had salt and pepper hair down to her chin. Her nurse's cap didn't do her any favors. Her eyes were happy and a light shade of amber. She filled her dress nicely, the top button unfastened. The skirt flared out so he wasn't sure what her hips and legs were like, he really didn't care just now. She was probably younger than Max. He was forty-two. (How old was Gina? He didn't know how old she was. He ran the information he had on her through his mind and calculated she must be around twenty-two or three.) The nurse's name plate said 'Captain Reed'. Max studied her as she wet the cloth and began to wipe it across his chest.
"Now doesn't that feel good?" She asked him.
"Reed? Is there a first name with that Capt.?" He asked.
"Allison. You can call me Capt. Reed." She said, smiling.
"Ali, I like that." He said.
"Capt. Reed." She repeated.
"Where am I Allis...Capt. Reed?" He asked.
She smiled at him. "New Detroit. Reagan Airforce Base. In the hospital, anything else you want to know?"
She lifted his arm and washed down it and scrubbed his underarm and down his side. She had laid the towel under him. After she finished washing his chest and stomach she pulled the sheet down to the foot of the bed and took hold of his half removed gown. He took her hand again.
"Honey, I'm a nurse. I have seen these things before. I know you think you are a gift to women but I don't need any presents right now I just need a clean patient." She said pulling the gown out of his hand.
He laid there totally naked exposed to her eyes. She continued washing him with indifference. When she took his nasty filthy penis with the rag, she looked into his eyes and started questioning him about his ordeal. He spread his thighs to allow her to wash him. He was getting excited, he couldn't help it. She kept talking to his eyes acting as if nothing were happening between his legs. She worked her way down his legs. His penis never got fully erect. She would lift a leg and bath the underneath side. She wet the cloth again and washed his feet. When she got to his bandaged calf she took special care not to cause him any discomfort. He had hit the jackpot of nurses. She finished his bath and pulled his gown back up and covered him with the sheet, his half swollen penis bulged under it.
"Now, tell me you don't feel better." She said throwing the cloth in the water and picking it up the pan.
"You're right I do feel better. When will I be able to get out of bed and shower?" He asked her.
"Whenever you feel like it. I will be back in a little while. We need to get you out of bed and standing on that thing. What happened anyway? That wound is the weirdest thing I have ever seen." She told him, she winked at him and patted his 'gift' as she left.
Max laid there for almost an hour. She didn't come back. He slipped out of bed and limped to the door. When he stuck his head out two guards were in his face in a heartbeat. They held their guns across their chest and shook their heads no. He wasn't going out this way and there was no other way out, only a heavily barred window. He went back to bed. Soon Reed was back to check on him. She helped him out of bed and they headed to the hallway. The guards followed them down the hall as Reed helped Max take one step after the other. The hall had guards placed at the elevators and the stairs. If Max had thought about breaking out of this place he forgot about it quickly. Before long Max's leg was hurting so bad he could barely move. She walked him back to his room and put him back to bed...
...Gina was sneaking into the back door of the church before she knew it. She moved from fear more than any other reason. She heard voices in the sanctuary. She crept closer to hear. Two guards sweeping the place were talking. One of them commented on the bodies out front. The other one told him to come look at this guy hanging in the ladder. Gina eased through the door and crawled to the room off the pulpit. She went down the stairs and worked her way to the wine cellar. Now she knew where Max had found the wine. She was as blind as he had been. She huddled into the corner to wait it out. She wondered how many bugs were down here with her? Funny, the thought didn't bother her, she didn't think about the sterilization they had done before the tournament started. There had been nothing alive in this church for days, except Max and Gina.
She heard footsteps coming up into the pulpit above her head. She heard a voice tell the other guy that there was a door up here. Gina froze with fear. She saw the flashlights glow bouncing around the hallway leading to the cellar. He was going to find her, there was no way out, nowhere for her to go! Just as he entered the cellar the other voice cried out. He stopped at the door and answered his partner. They had to get out of there, the drones were about to come in and they didn't want to get caught in there with those things. He washed the light across the cellar above Gina's head. He turned and left. How had he missed seeing her? She took a deep silent breath.
Drones?! She didn't think about them. Robot contraptions that crawled through the place killing any life readings they found. Not a great place for rats right now, but this place wouldn't be habitable for animals for several months. Would the height of the tower protect her from the drones? Only one way to find out. Get up there, pray and be ready to head out across the roof.
She was back in their love-nest in less than a minute. She hugged the blanket that had wrapped them the night before. It still held his sweet fragrance, she pulled it to her face and cried. Soon she heard the dull hum of the drones motor. She fought the urge to look over the wall. If she had she would have seen a drone going nuts trying to read something that was playing with its sensors. It couldn't quite read it but there was something but not enough to act on...the tortured machine continued down the street. Its radar antennae would occasionally turn back toward the tower go a little crazy and return to sweeping the street. Soon it was too far out of range to detect her. She didn't look out for over an hour...
...Max opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was five-thirty. He could smell the aroma of food coming from the hall. Soon a snotty little nurse entered the room with a tray. Max said hello, she ignored him and placed his dinner on the table and left. He ate the typical hospital food, he was hungry; he hadn't eaten for awhile. It wasn't the greatest but he ate without complaint. He worried that his little Gina might be hungry and cold and scared, he cried. The little snot came back and took his tray before he was completely through. She was a blonde cutie. Not much older than Gina he thought. She said nothing.
About six Reed stuck her head in the door and said hello. Max thought 'what a contrast to that other nurse'. Max asked her in, she was off duty and headed home. She just wanted to check on him before she left. He was glad she had. He was feeling extremely lonely, he couldn't tell her why but any company took the edge off being without Gina. It seemed to Max that he and Gina had been together forever when in actuality it had only been a few days; a rough few days though they were. Reed came in and sat on the edge of his bed. She asked how his leg was and if he needed anything. He said he was feeling better and he couldn't think of anything. The snot came in with his scheduled pain killer. He took it. Reed shook her head as the snot left.
"That little girl has got to get a better attitude with her patients." Reed said.
"You got that right." Max replied, smiling at her.
Reed sucked in a deep breath looked down at him. She leaned down and kissed him softly on the side of his mouth. She informed him that she would be back on duty at eight in the morning and she would see him then. She gave his penis a gentle squeeze and asked him to think about anything he might be needing. He could tell her tomorrow. She left, turning at the door and smiling at him...
...Gina hurried down the ladder after dark and commandeered the last three bottles of wine. She returned to the tower and followed Max's directions for opening the wine. She had two bottles sifted and was drunk in no time. The more she thought about Max the more she drank. The more she drank the more she cried. The more she cried the more she thought about Max...she was caught in a drunken cycle and didn't care. She was sound asleep with tears drying in her eyes before the moon was up.
