Rachel Caustello (
thecutdiamond) wrote2012-11-15 11:44 pm
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The Saving Blood [For
bbsadique]
The urge to stand up against her uncle is purely instinctual, born of too many years protecting others from bullies and adults alike. She barely has time to register it as a mistake before Shea's knife is forced into her shoulder, before his leg darts out to knock her feet out from other her, before his other hand goes flying towards her face.
She manages, at least, to block the fist, but he just catches at her wrist and twists her arm away with a force she's certain had sprained it at the very least.
The blade in her shoulder is tugged out of it suddenly and drawn across her collarbone before its pressed against her throat. Hands larger than her own-- not Shea's, and not his second-in-command's as she'd expected, but one of the other, older boys-- force her arms to the ground, and one of Shea's knees rests against her ribcage as he bends to capture her eyes in a dark, furious gaze.
The blade descends again, and Rachel lasts only a few moments before she screams.
She manages, at least, to block the fist, but he just catches at her wrist and twists her arm away with a force she's certain had sprained it at the very least.
The blade in her shoulder is tugged out of it suddenly and drawn across her collarbone before its pressed against her throat. Hands larger than her own-- not Shea's, and not his second-in-command's as she'd expected, but one of the other, older boys-- force her arms to the ground, and one of Shea's knees rests against her ribcage as he bends to capture her eyes in a dark, furious gaze.
The blade descends again, and Rachel lasts only a few moments before she screams.
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"STOP! Let me take it for her, please, just STOP!" He can't breathe. He can't think. All he sees is red and Rachel and Shea over her. And he needs to get to her before his father kills her.
"Rachie, Rachie I'm sorry!" he screams.
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"Don't-- don't hurt him--"
All she gets in reply is a brutal kick to the chest that she's certain snaps something, and she jerks, tries to curl in on herself and fails due to the grip on her arms.
Shea hands the knife over to one of the boys as he makes his way over to Pierre. Rachel thinks she hears a slap and a fierce barrage of words, but her thought process is disrupted when the boy handling the knife began to cut at her leg as though he meant to amputate it.
She gasps, feels the tears prickling in the corners of her eyes and dripping down into the cold ground, biting down so hard on her lip that eventually she draws blood there. Somehow-- perhaps because it was the trainee's inexpert hands and not Shea's-- she manages to keep from crying out for the most part.
But once her uncle returns, she isn't able to stop until the pain finally causes her to black out.
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With his bleeding hand, he pulled himself over to her, dragging his leg behind him, and collapsed at her side in tears. "R-Rachie, don't- please..." He cried quietly, shaking against her while he tried to bring her back to consciousness, bleeding all over her.
"Please, wake up. Vous devez vous réveiller, Rachel!"
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That and the trembling form against her side, the crying voice in her ear.
Her eyes flutter when they open, and her initial attempt to grasp his hand is aborted when the movement tugs at the wound in her shoulder-- and the ones all along her arm, really.
"P... P, 'sokay." She squints up at him, eyes full of concern, "'re you... all right?"
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He can't lose her. She's all he has, and he doesn't know what he'd do without her. All he can do is press his face to her neck. "Rachel, please...please, let's go. I promise, it'll be okay, we just...have to get somewhere safe."
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Sees his broken leg and halts in distress.
"Y'can't walk with that, P."
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"I'll be fine. Just as long as we get you somewhere safe, I'll be fine. I promise." Look, he's even going to stand up and prove that he's okay.
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But she can tell from the expression on his face that he's not going to let her do anything else, so she staggers to her feet, deliberately avoiding any hand he may offer even though every part of her is screaming in pain and she wants nothing more than to crumple back down to the ground and never stand again.
It takes her a moment to catch her breath and reply, "...Let's go, then."
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All he can do is wince when he steps wrong and pain radiates in his leg. "Come on. Spade doctor is left, Clubs doctor is right. Pick a direction so we can walk in it."
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So even though she doesn't trust the Spade doctor farther than she can throw him, she still points to the left.
"Spades. 's closer."
And they both need help, and soon.
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Losing her isn't an option. "C'mon. We're close, it's just around this corner. Stay with me, Rachie, please. Almost..."
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Tries to reassure him even though she's just about on the brink of collapse, "...gon' be okay, P, don'... don't worry."
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They do make it, with one of Shea's goons watching from outside. Pierre ignores them in favor of getting Rachel in; she's more important than he is.
"Just. Just sit with the doctor, Rachie. It'll be okay. You gotta be okay." He can't sob anymore. He doesn't have any more tears. He sounds stoic and unconcerned, but really he's just out of tears to cry.
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But then they're separated, and he actually has to go into surgery. His leg has to be screwed back together for all three fractures, and the doctor doesn't even ask. Just does what he needs to do and sends him on his way when he's conscious again.
Alone again.
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She has to go home again by the time everything's fixed, or else have to deal with Edgar and the other's questions far more than she's already going to, what with the bandages and faintly frail expression. Still somehow manages to get a message sent to Pierre.
She's okay. She'll see him soon.
They're both going to be just fine.