Train Wreck

six

ALICE POV

Relief is such a funny word.

It always comes up when life appears normal or relaxed.  I'm relieved when I see my paycheck hit before another bill comes out of our bank account. I feel a sense of relief when I think about how lucky we were that I had connections to smart lawyers and could keep us in limbo until I turned eighteen.

I was relieved to get the rental house I wanted, within walking and biking distance to everything we needed in our new town.

When I felt Remington wrap his arms around us as the explosion echoed, I wasn't relieved.

I felt nothing.

Thankfully Remington pulled us to the forest, a smattering of trees with moss and lush grass scattered as far as the eye could see.  It was a harsh difference in the atmosphere after the heat of an uncontrolled inferno, diesel, and polyester, and steel burning without any hope of an end.  My back felt charred from flames I could hear echoing in the static while my lungs inhaled cool mist as we slowly made our way through a bank of trees toward safety.

Remington helped me brace against a tall tree, his hands gently guiding my shoulders a moment so I could try to assess what limbs were still working properly.

"How does it feel?" His scratchy whisper was far closer than I expected, breath warm on my cheek while he watched my shoulder muscles flex. 

I gasped, probably because I enjoyed how close he was and not because of the pain, but responded, "Not great.  My hip feels wrong, also... "  It was not a complete lie, as it would be fair to assume our bodies had been through more than most people ever suffer, but I also had to come up with a good reason for my dramatic reaction.

He offered a shy smile, "May I? I can kind of brace you a little before you sit if you want..."

Let.  Him.  Help.

The voice in my head was screaming to allow this amazingly sweet man to help me any way he could, so I agreed.  Much like earlier, it took just a few seconds to get settled, a quick flash and wave of fresh pain.  He swept me into his arms then suddenly I was seated with our bags nearby.

I let out a cry of pain as I landed, squeezing my eyes shut and gripping Remington's bicep more tightly than I intended.  He grunted but stayed right at my side, "Are you okay?"

A whimper and nod were all I could manage as I bit my bottom lip, slowly opening my eyes.

He was staring at me, midnight blue eyes boring into mine as I released a long breath before finally saying, "Hi."

"Hey.  You good?"  The deep baritone voice was something I could easily get used to, especially considering how Remington also hummed and seemed to take in my presence when he spoke.  This was not a man who was only seeing me as some child to be cared for then disposed of like so many others I had been in contact with throughout my life.

I let out a light chuckle then braced my ribs, buckling over in pain.  "Whoops.  Nope.  Can't do that."

"Yeah, laughing is a bad idea now, Alice."  He rubbed my shoulder and the light contact sent a shockwave through my entire body.

Benji chuckled, "That sucks.  We love laughing."

Remington pulled Benji aside a moment after mentioning that he needed to find a place to pee so I took the opportunity to grab pain medication from my backpack.  We kept regular over-the-counter stuff on hand, so I quickly swallowed two Extra Strength Rapid Release Tylenol and hoped they worked in fifteen minutes as advertised.