Chapter 93: Wounded

A table cleared as the man was deposited on it. People gathered around.
Liam pushed through the crowd to the table. "Granite, what happened?"
"The Grange is pushing back," said one of the orcs that just came in.
I slid off the chair and limped forward. Brothers parted for me as I walked through them towards the injured man.
"On 54th, they were attacking a flower shop under our protection. We took them on, but they had something new. It was so cold and dark. Like a huge cloud. It took Trio."
"What do you mean, took him?" Liam asked.
"It just swallowed him up. He was on the floor, not moving. Five of our men fled. I couldn't move. I was frozen on the spot. The cloud disappeared with him in it. Then people were firing, and I don't know. It was like time skipped forward, and we were under fire." Granite grabbed his head and shook it. "I just don't know."
I reached the table. A man lay stretched out. His breath was shallow. Blood streaked down from his mouth. His torso was a bloody mess. The brothers around him were holding bullet wounds in various parts of his body to slow the bleeding.
"They were at a flower shop?" Liam asked.
Granite nodded. "The place was all shot up. We came in to protect the owners and defend our territory. That's when the dark cloud came."
I grabbed up the man's bloodied hand. I had never tried to heal anyone other than myself, but I would do my best to give back to the brotherhood. I sent the fresh energy bubbling inside of me to the man's wounds.
"The bullets are still in there," I interrupted.
The crowd looked at me.
"Get them out," I said.
They looked at Liam.
"Do it," Liam said.
Cherry stepped forward with a pair of tongs. She handed them to another woman that leaned over the dying man. She stabbed the tongs into the bullet wounds quickly and pulled them out one by one.
I squeezed the man's hand and sent energy into him. My pink energy circled each of the wounds. I directed it down into them with a command that whispered off my lips. "Heal."
I couldn't feel the mending like I could when I used it on myself, but I imagined the skin knitting together.
The woman playing doctor finished with the last one and backed off. Cherry stepped forward. Her face was drawn. She mopped up the blood oozing from the wounds. I pushed more energy into him, using up as much of the reserves I had so I could speed the healing process.
The man coughed.
"Turn him over," I ordered.
The brothers around us eased him up on his side. He coughed blood. It splattered across the floor. Cherry's eyebrow twitched at the mess. I held onto his hand while he coughed, sending more energy into him to mend the most life-threatening of the wounds. When he finished emptying his lungs, he rolled back to his back and breathed with deep breaths.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Castor," he said hoarsely.
"Are you feeling any better, Castor?"
"Yes, Beloved. Thank you." He breathed another deep sigh. "Do you think... I could get... the touch?"
I low laugh escaped my lips. They really were junkies. "I can't do that. You need all your energy right now to heal. Maybe after you heal fully."
"Okay." He shifted uncomfortably as the skin knitted together on his chest. "I'll hold you to that."
"Of course." I ran my fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes at the touch. "You're going to be okay. You fought hard today, thank you."
"I do it for you, Beloved."
I frowned. He did it for the touch, not for me. I had to earn that right. I had to step up and gain their loyalty, so it wasn't just for my power. I didn't want to be like Mr. Kline with a bunch of puppets on a string. I wanted a real connection to them, whether I was their leader or not.
I lifted my eyes. Castor was going to live. I had stitched enough of him together to hold steady. "Who else needs healing?"
Three of the warriors stepped forward, two men and a giant. I directed them to sit on chairs at a table. I went to each and healed their wounds. There were so many slices and bullet wounds. And so much blood. It didn't really bother me. Both Kira and Lanie had been exposed to enough blood growing up that it was just natural. But my heart did ache for their wounds. I wanted to patch them up as fast as I could. Cherry came around after me offering them food and drink.
When I finished, I collapsed in the bar stool. I was completely exhausted. My ankle was hot and swollen. I had drained myself completely, and I had nothing left. I sipped at a warm drink set in front of me. I was so tired that it was hard to swallow. The liquid kept escaping out the corners of my mouth.
"What time is it?" I whispered.
"Four AM," Cherry said, sounding as exhausted as I was. She was cleaning off the counter and equipment like she was packing things up for the night.
My head drooped down on my shoulders. Strong arms lifted me. I couldn't even muster enough strength to look to see who carried me. We ascended the stairs all the way up to my room. I was deposited in my bed and wrapped in a blanket. I was pulled against an iron steel body. The fingers played in my hair.
My eyes flickered open just a little to see Liam looking down at me. Worry lines creased his face.
I managed a small smile. "Why do you look so concerned?"
"You did a good thing today. You'll be a good leader soon."
"I'm not a leader, Liam. You are."
"Orcs are not leaders. We're warriors."
My eyes closed even though I fought it. "You're both."
"So are you."
The words "But I'm not" died on my lips as I passed out.