Beyond The Barrier [COMPLETED]

Chapter 4 - "Now if you will stand and remove your shirt."

Louie worked deftly as she wrapped her patient's wrist in a tight split. A sheen of sweat had a appeared on the boy's face and his mouth was a tight line. His back was rigid as he controlled his vocal cords. Finishing off the split with one last knot, Louie stood

"Stay here and I'll get you something for the pain," Louie said.

As she wound her way through the Med Wing to the far end, she made quick work of redoing her bun, snatching up the stray hairs that had fallen out of place in the last few hours of hurried work. She was heading back to the cot containing her patient when Peyton stepped inside, his pack slung over his shoulder.

He didn't notice Louie as he made his way to the back of the Med Wing, stopping to sit on the cot beside the doctor. Louie crouched beside the boy and handed him a cup of water and two small pills.

"Take these, they will help the pain and rest here for awhile, your body is still in shock from the break and you need to let yourself rebalance. Someone will check on you in half an hour, if you're still in pain, let them know and we can give you something stronger," Louie said.

The boy nodded, popping the pills into his mouth with his uninjured hand and then taking the cup from Louie. The boy rested back on the cot, his body seeming to relax as his eyes fell shut. The woman, who had been waiting off to the side, moved forward as Louie stepped away, settling on the edge of the cot and stroking the boy's forehead. Louie walked over to where Peyton sat, leaning forward over his knees. He looked up as he heard her footsteps.

"How is he doing?" Peyton asked.

Louie folded her hands behind her.

"He's recovering. His head wound is almost completely healed. He should wake up in the next few days."

Peyton stood, giving the man one final look before turning to Louie. He opened his mouth to say something but a small voice called his name. Instinctively both Louie and Peyton turned to the source of the voice, finding the girl that had woken that morning. The girl had been moved to a more central cot and was sitting up, eyes trained on Peyton. He walked over to her bed and knelt beside her.

"Hey, you're awake. How are you doing?" Peyton asked, his voice low and calming.

Every muscle in the girl's tight body seemed to soften at the sound, her arms unwrapping themselves from her bent knees.

"Alright. Peyton, where are we?" the girl asked, a hint of fear caught in her words.

"We're at the Compound I told you about. You're safe. This is your new home and these people are going to take care of you. You'll like it here. I already saw some kids about your age and they were reading books."

The girl's face lit up.

"Real books?"

Peyton nodded, giving the girl a warm smile. Louie felt her lips twitch at his tone of voice but forced the smile from her face.

"Now you have to rest and get better so you can read them. Alright?"

"Okay. Peyton you're not leaving are you?" the girl asked, already laying down.

Peyton lifted the blanket over the girl.

"No, I'm not leaving yet."

"Good."

Peyton stood as the girl curled her arms around the pillow, the lines of worry and shock erased from her delicate face. Peyton's gaze moved to Louie and her face shifted back into a calm neutral expression.

"Have you been looked at today?" Louie asked.

Peyton shook his head. Louie gestured to an empty cot on the opposite side of the Wing.