The Survivor

Chapter 22

  "He's gone now Mace. He can't hurt you anymore," Jackson try's to reassure me. But it does nothing. "So how did you get in here anyway?" He asks. I just shake my head and hang it. How do I tell him the truth? 

  "He- he's, uhh, he's alive," I utter. I look at him and I can see the color of his face drain. "Wha-what do yo-you mean?" He stutters in disbelieve. "He got me," I tell him, now starting to cry. "He he got me and there was nothing I could do. It was li-like reliving my nightmare. He almost broke me. I was so so close to giving in," I say with sorrow filling my voice.

  "Mace?" Jackson breaths out. He then pulls me into a hug and I can't help but cry into his shoulder. I wrap my arms around him and grip onto his shirt, tight. Not wanting to loose him again. Jackson puts his hand on my head and plays with my hair. 

  "Mace, I've never, ever met someone as strong as you. Your 28, ranked as a Sergeant Major, you have four metals of honor, you are the best sniper I have ever met and herd of. You single handedly escaped that forsaken place, while you where bleeding out," he says. He then grabs my face and cups my cheeks. "You are strong, and not just physically. But mentally. I am proud to call you my teammate. And I know the rest of the boys would say the same thing," Jackson says in a sweet and soft voice.

  "But I let them down," I say looking to my hands. "If I told him," I pause. "You did the right thing. Your a leader, our leader. What about that time everyone was captured? It was in some where in Asia. We where all taken as hostages, because we didn't listen to you," Jackson says.

    "You guys didn't think I had it in me. I told you that they set up traps and that there where alarms. But you guys didn't listen. They found you and I hid up in the trees. I fallowed them," I finish for him. "Your a one man army. There had to have been at least three hundred soldiers, but some how you took all of them down."

    "That's when we all decided that you where our leader," Jackson added. "Heh, you where all idiots," I tell him. He cracks a smile and we both just sit there. There's a knock on the door and we both turn and look to the door to see Sarah. Jackson motions her to come in and I smile at her. 

    "Did you tell her yet darling?" Sarah asks. I look to Jackson with a confused look. "Sarah and I found out that we're having a boy. We're going to name him Mace after the one who saved me. And uhh we want you to be the godmother," Jackson tells me. I look at Sarah and she smiles and nods at me. "It would be my honor," I tell the both of them. I congratulate them and eventually they leave. 

    Once they leave a dr. walks in. She's 5'2, Caucasian, brown eyes and brown hair. She ends up changing my band-ads and redoes a couple of stitches. Once she leaves, Tom and Jess come back into the room. "How was seeing your friend?" Tom asks. "It was good to see his face," I reply. 

    "His wife seems like a lovely woman. She was really sweet," Jess comments. I nod my head in agreement and smile. I'm so glad that he gets to go back to his wife and start a family. Something I always wanted, but am to afraid to have. 

    "So, what did you guys talk about?" Jess asks. "Jess, don't patronize her," Tom remarks. I smile at him. "We just, caught up. We talked a little about our time over seas, some of the crazy memories we have together, and," I take a deep breath. "Our family away from family. We talked about going to their family's and breaking the news to them. Together."

    "How did they die?" Jess asks. "Tortured to death. I don't know there exact ways," I tell her. I don't want to know how exactly they went, and I can't imagine their end pain. There's a moment of silence then I ask a question. "When can I go home? I have some very important work to do and it can't wait much longer." 

    "You've only been here for about five days," Tom says. After a while, everyone else comes. Sharon, Felix, Addison, Monica, and John. Oh and Monicas boyfriend. We all sit down and eat the hospital food. Add and John are talking about their day and Monica is talking to her boyfriend. "So," I start. " Who are you?" I ask. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I never did introduce myself to to you. My name is Oliver. I'm a sophomore in collage. We met at Rice University. I'm the starter quarter back for the football team." Well Oliver is definitely a talker. "Where you from? Pa, Jersy?"I ask "Uhh Pa," he answers.  

    We end up finishing our dinner and eventually everyone leaves and goes home so it's just me. I end up going into the bathroom and I start analyzing all the cut, scrapes, and bruises. Along with the other wounds slash injuries. I sigh and walk back to the bed and sit down. Eventually the lady from before comes in and changes my bandage and leaves. Once she leaves, I let sleep consume me.