Tyler clung to Brittany tight but neglected to bury his face into her side for fear he needed to keep an eye on Gordon. Unlike his mother, he was weary of Gordon and after his experiences with the other men couldn’t come to trust a stranger, especially one who seemed troubled.
“You okay?” Brittany asked Gordon.
“Ahh, yeah, I’m fine, bad dream,” Gordon replied looking slightly embarrassed to find they were watching him when he woke. The yellow glow from a propane lantern bounced their shadows off the walls.
Brittany smiled.
Gordon wiped his brow and tried to return with a grin but his face was racked with pain. He grimaced and clenched his fist in anger.
Brittany noticed this subtle move and asked, “You sure you’re okay?”
“It’s just my face, it hurts really bad. I’ve had one injury after another. I can’t catch a damn…” he paused then continued, “Darn break.”
Tussling Tyler’s hair, Brittany laughed, “He’s heard those words before. Unfortunately my husband liked to curse. He’d spend so much time alone and speaking only to guys that when he’d return from long runs it would take him a day to adjust to family life. So, Tyler here would get an earful of f-bombs, d-bombs and s-bombs.”
“Men can have real potty mouths, that’s for sure,” Gordon said grinning out of one side of his mouth.
“Where’s your family?” Tyler asked abruptly.
The question hit Gordon between the eyes. He recoiled and decided not to go there.
Brittany squeezed Tyler and admonished him, “Hey.”
“Sorry, it’s just that…” Tyler said.
“If he wants to share anything, let him,” Brittany scolded.
Gordon gave them an awkward look and shifted off the question by asking another, “You have some Advil, don’t you?”
Brittany got up and walked over to a small bag. She opened it and pulled out a bottle of Advil capsules. “Here,” she said tossing it at him.
“Thanks,” Gordon replied catching it and quickly opening it. He poured six into his hand and swallowed them with a large drink of water. He reached up and gently touched his face.
Brittany walked over and squatted in front of him.
He pulled back but she leaned in further. “Just hold still, I want to look at your wound.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not, your entire cheek, heck, the entire side of your face is swollen,” she said and reached towards the bandage.
He pulled back again.
She cocked her head, smiled and softly said, “It’s okay, Gordon, I won’t bite. I’m here to help you.”
Gordon looked into her blue eyes and could see truth there. He had already spent two days with them but after each nightmare, it would take him a bit of time to become trustworthy again. It was his choice to save them and their brief time together had only shown them to be nothing but nice people. Relenting to her request, he leaned towards her.
Using her fingernails, she pulled up the edges of the tape and began to pull it away from his face.
Days of sweat and grime made the adhesive gooey. As she pulled it pulled his swollen cheek with it.
Gordon grunted in pain but held steadfast so she could remove the soiled bandage.
It took her one quick glance at the first exposed stitching to see if was infected and badly.
The stitches were stretched taunt on the swollen skin.
When she removed it completely she bit her lip and flatly said, “As I thought, it’s infected.”
Gordon took notice of the lip biting and now knew it was some sort of unconscious habit she’d do when focusing on something intently. “Do we have anything?” he asked.
“Yeah, one second,” she said and went for her bag. She dug through and pulled out a small first aid kit.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I have to remove these stitches, clean the wound, and stitch it back up,” she answered.
Tyler grew curious about the small medical procedure and sat up. He scooted a few feet closer.
Gordon understood the boy’s curiosity and if he was going to learn the ways of the new world, he’d have to see just how to do what she was proposing. The question for him was she able to do what she proposed?
“Ah, have you done this sort of stuff before?”
She pulled out the suture kit and opened it. Wanting to display confidence she stopped what she was doing, looked at him squarely and replied, “Yes, I’ve done this before. Not a wound the size of that, but I stitched up my husband’s leg before on a hiking trip.”
“So, just that one time?” Gordon asked.
“Yep, that’s it, I’m not an expert but it needs to be done.”
Resigned to the fact she was right and that he could feel the swelling and the intense pain caused from the infection he gave in and stopped asking questions. “Do what you need to do.”
“Do you want anything for the pain besides the ibuprofen?”
“A whiskey would work,” Gordon cracked.
“Sorry.”
“Just do it, I’ll suck it up.”
She prepped the wound and talked as she went. “If it gives any consolation, I do sew and know how to croquet. Oh, and I’m fast, within reason and did I mention considerate.”
“Just get it over with.”
Taking a pair of scissors and tweezers she went for the knot at the bottom of the cut. Stopping just before clipping the tip she hesitated, “Now you’re not going to punch me or anything if this hurts?”
“No.”
“I’m not joking by the way, I’ve seen you thrashing and after trying to wake you before I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of your punches.”
“I don’t hit women.”
She winked at him and joked, “Never said you did, but sometimes people react differently to pain than others.”
A bit irritated, Gordon said, “Can you please just get this over with. My face hurts and I need this cleaned up.”
“Okie dokie, here I go and it’s best you don’t talk anymore,” Brittany suggested.
He nodded with his eyes.
Tyler crept over until he was an arm’s length away.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gordon watched him look at his mother remove the old scab crusted stitches. When one would tug at the skin or thick scab he’d flinch or blink heavily, but for the most part he took it all in like a first year med student.
With precision and care, she removed the old stitches, cleaned the festering wound, applied antibacterial ointments and sewed it back up.
Gordon closed his eyes shortly after she began and drifted into a meditative state with the hopes of finding comfort from the physical pain. It worked for the most part, but his mind quickly replayed the images of Hunter. For him there was no escape from the emotional pain of losing Hunter, but the anger sat just below it and it too festered. The hatred and anger ate away at him and when he was awake and able to control his thoughts, he’d consciously push Hunter’s face away and bring Rahab’s forward. He could not allow himself to forget Rahab. He needed to remember each detail until he found him and then only after he destroyed him could he move past and forget.
“All done,” Brittany said, a smile etched across her freckled face. She was proud of herself for taking care of Gordon. She had done one small stitch years ago but this was different. Someone needed her for their possible survival and she had been there for them.
After losing her husband she feared she may not survive but that all changed when they ran into Gordon and he handed her that pistol. Right then her destiny changed. She used that simple weapon to make herself equal with someone who was much bigger and stronger. She had leveled the playing field a little that day and now she was mending large wounds. Not getting to cocky but she was beginning to feel like a survivor.
Tyler didn’t look away the entire time and even asked questions. He wanted to learn and for Brittany that was important. Gone for
him were the days of innocence, birthday parties and video games. He’d be forced to grow up fast and if he was to survive he needed skills.
She cleaned the scissors, tweezers and needle as well as her hands then put everything back in the precise spot of the suture kit and put it back in the bag.
“Well, how do you feel?”
“Better, but I still feel like crap,” Gordon replied honestly. He raised his hand and touched the fresh white bandage. His cheek was still swollen but it did feel better than before she cleaned it.
“Lay back, get some rest,” Brittany said.
He looked outside and saw the morning sun was making its appearance. Ignoring what she said he made his way towards the back of the house. He hadn’t relieved himself yet and the urge was strong. On his way he caught his reflection on a hall mirror. He stopped and looked at himself. The circles under his eyes were deep and dark. His face looked lean and the skin not covered by the bandage looked tanned and weathered. His face was covered with thick brown and gray stubble, with the gray more prominent than ever before. When his cut finally healed it would complement the other scars that graced his face. In fact his body was becoming a showcase of scars. It seemed the second he would heal, he’d get injured again. He wondered how much his body could take before it would finally break. Before the lights went out he would joke with Samantha that he felt old because his joints creaked and cracked just simply walking down the stairwell of their two story house. Now his body was in a permanent state of pain or injury, but his will to survive was strong. The only thing stronger was his will to avenge Hunter.
Back inside, Gordon strode into the room and said, “We should hit the road.” He then noticed they both were sleeping and deeply by the heavy sounds of their breath.
Brittany was lying on her side cradling Tyler in her arms.
Gordon at first wanted to wake them but stopped short of doing so. There wasn’t any doubt that his restless sleep was impacting them and if they were going to be good traveling companions he needed them tan, rested and ready as he used to say in the Marine Corps. Resigned to the fact he wasn’t leaving just then, he grabbed his rifle and took up a position near a large window that overlooked the front yard.
Looking out his thoughts drifted to Samantha and Haley. He wondered where they were and prayed Nelson was keeping them safe. Regret about his decision to leave swept over him but he pushed it away. It wasn’t that he believed they would be okay without him; he knew the risk but still did it. He stubbornly left his family in the hands of another man so he could go out and avenge another part of his family. Was it an easy decision? No, but one that had to be made he convinced himself. He knew how persuasive Samantha was, she was the master at communication and without any doubt she could talk him into doing most things. If he had returned he’d never be able to leave and the regret of leaving Rahab alive would haunt him forever. It had to be done the way he did it he thought. There was no time to wait. If he was going to catch Rahab before he vanished into the tapestry of the new world, he needed to go for him now. Each time his pragmatic side deemed his mission righteous his sentimental side would counter with one question, would his family be there when he returned? It was that simple question that struck him every time like a dagger to his heart.
READ THE REST OF EXIT: THE VAN ZANDT CHRONICLES HERE
Nemesis: Inception Page 17
