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This should be a good distance... Orah collapsed against the side of a coffee shop as she pulled out her cell phone, trying to stop her hands from shaking as she licked swollen lips and dialed a familiar number. Please pick up... please be there... She hit the call button as she lifted it to her ear, her free hand pressed to the wound in her side even as blood ran between her fingers. There was not going to be any good way to explain this to her family... this might need to be the time she actually owned up to having been attacked on the street... but all she could think about was finding help and there was only one person she could think of to call.

The phone in her hand rang and rang as she clutched it, trying to ignore the people walking by and the weird looks they were giving her. At least she kept her side angled away, so the blood was less obvious.

Xander had been sleeping, though only just so having only been home for maybe an hour himself. He was woken after a moment or two but the sound of his phone. He picked it up trying to make himself more alert and answering it without looking to see who called. "Hello," his slightly sleepy voice came through the phone, as Xander moved to sit up and make his way out of bed. He thought for sure it would be his job and that he was going to be headed into work well before he was due for his afternoon shift. The hospital was short staffed, but had always been that way as long as he could remember.

Orah sagged as the phone clicked and a welcome voice came over the line, relief rushing through her. Oh, thank god...

"Xander, its me." The young woman said, sounding tired and pained despite her attempts to normalize her voice. Her eyes slid closed as she took a deep breath, her side twinge in pain. "I... I got into a fight. Its bad. I'm sorry... you were the first person I thought of to call. I need... help." She felt bad... he'd been sleeping, she could tell by the thickness of his voice. Last time this had happened, Chaonis had been the one to rescue her, but it had been instinct and maybe the fact he was a doctor that had brought up Xander's number over Nate's. She probably should have called 911, but it was too late now.

Her voice had him very awake, fully awake in an instant. He knew she hadn't been sleeping very well and he worried for her, but her voice put him on red alert, he knew that tone all to well. A tone of trying to talk through pain. Orah would be able to here him shuffling around, knocking something over, as he pulled on pants and slipped his feet into his shoes. He was decent before she had gotten to say she needed help. Xander knew he needed to stay calm still his heart was hammering, he didn't even other trying to stay quiet so as not to wake his sister as he came out his room and headed down the hall.

"I'm coming," came his shakey voice throught the phone as he made his way down the stairs grabbing keys and runinng out the door, slamming it shut, "where are you Orah? I'm coming just tell me where you are?"

He was already getting into his car, feeling slightly panicked and wanting to get to Orah as quickly as possible.

His voice was shaking and it sent a stab through her heart. She was worrying him... she never wanted to do that. She knew that feeling all too well and wouldn't wish it on anyone, let alone one of her closest friends. When he asked, she slid her glance to the side before she gave him the cross streets and nearby businesses.

"I'm behind the Good Morning coffee shop. I'm sorry." Orah couldn't help apologizing, hating that she was the cause of his distress. "I should have called for an ambulance maybe, I'm loosing a lot of blood. It was one of them. She broke off her spear and stabbed me. I left her behind though, think I broke her ribs." Names were left off, the young woman knowing he would know what she was talking about. There was no way to tell who was listening right now and she was in no shape to defend herself if someone decided to attack her again.

He was in he car driving fast, as fast as he could, currently not caring for if he might be pulled over. Truthfull that might likely benefit him, "It's okay don't be sorry. I'm coming. Im coming as fast as I can. I'll be there soon ... I ..." He stopped when she started to explain what had happened, his eyes going slightly wide and feeling speechless. She said it was bad, but he hadn't imagined it was that bad. Orah needed to call an ambulance, but he knew she wasn't terribly close to it it and he was scared for her a few reasons.

Orah clearly wouldn't be able to defend herself again and her attacker might be closer than he was comfortable with something the dispatchers were likely not capable of. Still he thought it would be be best if she or he called 911. Right now however another thought came to mind, "How long? How long have you bleeding? Can you tell me how long, where and how much?"

In the background horns honked as Xander, but he didn't care. He was getting closer, he had to get there faster.

Dark hair caught in the roughness of bricks as Orah let her head rest against the wall, eyes closed as she let the soothing sound of his voice wash over her. He was coming... she was going to be okay.

"I had her on the ground and she got me in the side. I don't... I don't think its as deep as it could have been, it was the broken handle, not the spear head. I don't know... there's a lot. I've got... pressure on it, but its still running... Maybe ten minutes? I ran pretty fast." It hurt like hell, but he didn't need to know that. She had to stay strong for a little longer, even as her head spun. "I'm breathing... okay. No gurgle." Hopefully the shaft had missed anything vital, but she knew he'd take care of her. She just had to stay awake until he got here.

Xander listened to her speak as he drove. It eased his panic even though she was bleeding for maybe 10 minutes, she applied pressure and she was concious and lucid, all good signs. She was talking and he could hear her, so she was alive. He told himself, she was hurt, but she would be okay, he just had to get to her. He could try his best to stop the bleeding and et her to the hospital. "I'm almost there Orah I'm at the first street now, just looking for ... no wait I see the shop I'm here. I'm coming I will be there in just a minute.

He parked, rather haphazardly, barely remembering to pull the keys from the ignition more concerned with grabbing the first aid kit he had been keeping in his car for months and ran around back to get to Orah. "I'm here," he said into the phone and just out in general as he rounded the building.

The young woman nodded as she listened on the phone, even though the motion would be lost on him. She heard him mention the shop and then his voice was echoing and she tiredly hit the end call button, her hand falling to her side.

"Xander!" She called, her eyes sliding open to find the red head as he rushed to her side, something clutched in his hand. A med kit? Good... he could probably do something about the bleeding then, slow it down until they got to the hospital. He had been the right person to call, even if her reasons for it had more to do with him than with his skills. She looked scuffed up when he found her, her lip swollen and cut, but not bleeding. Blood had soaked through the tank top she had been wearing and run down her leg, turning her skirt and the hand holding the wound red, though the darkness of the morning made it more black than anything.

She hung up, but he didn't matter because he heard her as she called out and was at her side in a second. "I'm here Orah," he said kneeling down beside her and touching her face lightly noting the split lip. He frowned but looked to her hand and her shirt which only made him frown more deeply. He opened the kit he grabbed pulling out wipes, gauze pads, rolled gauze and tape. "This may hurt a bit," he said softly, "I need try to stop the bleeding before I try to move you and I want to get a look at it."

Momentarily he wished for Acrucis and her healing magic, but that wasn't possible at this time of the morning, instead he tried to slow his racing thoughts and focus on the task at hand. This war had dealt him an awful hand this night. Seeing his friend like this, he hadn't enjoyed it the last time and most assuredly this time was worse.

He gently moved her hand and pushed up her shirt needing it out of the way, before trying to wipe some of the blood away gently and look at the wound. Orah was right, it wasn't as bad as it could have been but that certainly didn't make it look any less angry. He pressed a few gauze pads to the wound and took the roll to wrap it around her. "I have to do it tight, but I'll try not to make it too tight. Bare with me."

It was a bit of maneuvering not wanted to hurt or injure Orah further but he wrapped and taped the gauze well enough for now. Enough to get her to the hospital, it needed to be removed anyway. The wound needed to be cleaned, checked for internal damage again and she would likely need stitched. "Alright I'm going to take you to the car now. You'll be at the hospital soon. You're going to be okay."

Orah’s head lifted when she felt Xander’s hands on her skin, blinking owlishly at him as he inspected her cut lip.

“Its okay…” She said as she let her head lean back against the wall again, glad of its support. She suspected standing upright would have made her dizzy at this point, so. The young woman felt a smidge of concern when Xander pushed her shirt up, pushing her hand out of the way, but it didn’t last long. She trusted him, if not because he was a doctor, then because it was him, and she mutely tugged the bloody cloth up around her ribs and wrapped her arm over her chest to keep herself decent. She really needed to start wearing a bra more often… then she wouldn’t have to worry when things like this happened.

Having the wound manipulated and the gauze packed into it was painful, making her breathing unsteady, but she bore through it. It needed to be done and there was no getting around it. When it was done though, she sagged a little, closing her eyes to steady herself. The ride in a car was not a pleasant prospect, but again, it was something that needed to be done.

“I’m ready.” Orah murmured as she braced a hand against the wall and moved to push herself upright, free hand pressing to her side again as she winced.

Thankfully for Orah, Xander didn’t notice her lack of a bra, and even if he had he was professional. A lack of clothing or an exposed body part even that he felt belonged clothed was a non factor. The only thing on his mind was making sure his friend was okay. He had finished as quickly as he could, but right now quickly felt like a millenia.

Orah was trying to stand after Xander said he was taking her to the car and from his mouth came a firm no. She was in no condition to be trying to move about, and he didn’t want to see her injure herself further. He moved, arms and hands gentle in the motions, but quick as well, and picked Orah up, pulling her close and trying very hard not to jostle her. He was very aware of how he was holding, making sure to be careful.



He rounded the building and headed to his car, parked still haphazardly, back and front driver side doors still open. Xander frowned deeply at that, even though it made things a bit easier. “The back door is already open, so I will put you there. You can lie down if you need to. I will try not to jostle you to much while I drive.” He said all these things as he reached the car and did them, talking through it, wanting to make sure she stayed awake. She was still bleeding and that worried him.

With Orah in the car, he got in himself, pulling out his phone and smashing his fingers across the screen before turning on the car and listening as the phone rang out on speaker. Someone answered, a male voice likely older, “Xander, is everything okay?”

“I’m coming in with a stabbing victim, I will be walking right into the emergency room with her. She has bled out a lot and needs immediate attention.”

The voice, responded, “Okay. I will see you when you get here and something will be waiting for you.” Direction could be heard in the background before there was silence and Xander sped on through the streets.

He looked back, “We’ll be there soon. We aren’t to far, just stay awake a little while longer.”

The young woman found herself tiredly startled when the world shifted and she was suddenly being carried, her feet dangling in the air. A brown hand closed around a fistful of Xander’s shirt as she pressed the other to her side. Even bound, she felt like she needed to hold it, like somehow it would help, block the pain or the bleeding or something… and then the car was there and she was being lowered onto the seat, settled into the soft upholstery. Her first thought was that she was going to stain it, but her friend’s voice chased those thoughts away with the need to focus on him instead.

Orah nodded mutely as he closed the door behind her, letting herself slump against it. She’d had to let go of him when he put her down and her hand curled in her skirt instead, brown eyes slits that stared at nothing. He was a good man… dependable. She knew he’d do this for anyone who was hurt, but it was good that she could count on him when she needed to. This trip would have been so much more… stressful if there had been no one she knew to tend to her. With everything that was happening lately, she just wanted to know someone was there.

Fighting Painite had been supremely stupid. She knew that… had known it going into it, and yet she’d done it anyway. What was wrong with her judgement lately? Everything she did seemed to be falling apart… slipping between her fingers until she had no control over anything. She didn’t like it… but she felt helpless as she listened to Xander call someone she assumed was from the hospital. They were talking about blood loss and surgery… she needed to call her father, let him know why she wasn’t safely at home in her bed…

“Xander…” Orah said, clearing her throat before she spoke up louder. “Xander, will you call my Da? I need… to tell him what happened. He’s going to worry.” Now might not be the best time to worry about such things, but weird thoughts were running through her head, disjointed fragments of things she couldn’t piece together. Matthew was going to be insufferable for probably weeks over this… she was going to be late to school… there was homework on her desk that needed to be turned in… someone needed to feed Lola… she was going to have to explain to her team again that she had gone out and gotten hurt without them… she was going to have another scar now, to match the others. Her body was slowly turning into a timeline of war, notches made for events, tracing back through all this time as a senshi… and she would never be able to truly explain them to any lover she ever had, unless they too had their own scars of war… if anyone would even want her any more…

The dark head nodded as she struggled to stay awake, despite the pain blazing in her side. Soon… soon she’d be able to lose herself to oblivion, let the healing take place. Just a little further.

Xander was speeding, he didn’t really care, he needed to get to the hospital fast at this time of the morning there weren’t really many people around for him to worry about causing an accident. Orah words floated into his ears making him look at her through the rear view mirror, trying it seemed to stay awake.

He looked down at his phone, briefly squeezing it in his hand. Those sort of calls were a stressful sort of thing for both involved parties, but finding Orah gone in the morning and not knowing as opposed to getting a call now. He looked in the rear view mirror again, “yeah … I can call him. Can you tell me the number?”

He had to slow down briefly to dial because focusing on driving and dialing was particularly dangerous especially when you were already speeding. He would dial and give the phone to Orah, so he could focus on driving, they were almost there. Just a few more streets.

He tried not to groan frustrated as he hit a red light, feeling tempted to go through it, but stopping and waiting impatiently.

Orah roused herself when Xander asked for the number and gave it to him, reaching for the phone when he handed it back. The ringing took forever as she let her head lean back and held the phone to her ear. Her Da was probably still asleep… the voice that eventually came over the phone sounded rusty with it, bleary. It was so hard to think of what to say… what she needed to tell him.

“Da… Da, its me.” The young girl said, knowing this number wouldn’t be one her father was familiar with. “I… had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk but… this woman attacked me… No, Da, calm down… I’m… I’m going to be okay. I called Xander, he’s taking me to the hospital. Yeah, I’m going to be okay… he’ll take care of me…. Okay Da. Yeah, I’ll see you there…” The one sided conversation was awkward and stilted, and there was a voice coming very loudly out of the phone. Ugh… she was too tired to argue with him right now. He had too many questions she was just in no shape to answer. “This is Xander’s number, he’ll know where I am when you get to the hospital. Okay Da… I love you too.”

The line clicked closed as she dropped the phone to her lap, her eyes sliding closed. She hated those calls… last time had been bad enough, claiming to have hurt herself when she had her wrist broken. This time was so much worse… there would be no way to hide that someone else had done this to her. No doubt she would get quite an earful later, but at least he wouldn’t be at home, freaking out because she was missing.

“I’m sorry to make you deal with them, Xander.” She said softly, her eyes still closed. “Maybe you can… pass them off on a nurse… or something.”

Xander drove as Orah called her dad, he was getting closer to the hospital. He figured as familiar buildings were passed that he would be there in just a few minutes. Orah’s conversation, how much he could hear floated into his ears and he felt a bit sadden for her father having this sort of call. It wasn’t the first time, either, but Xander hoped most assuredly it would be the last, sadly he worried that wouldn’t be the case.

Orah was apologizing to him after she’d finished speaking with her dad and Xander found himself shaking his head. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. I can talk to your dad when he gets to the hospital. I’m sure it will help to see a familiar face. I will do my best to calm him down and reassure him.”

Xander wasn’t sure if they would allow him to stay back in the emergency room or not. He figured though it would be best to wait for her father to come, to explain what he could to him. He would have to tell the man she had been stabbed, there was no getting around that. He was relieved at least that Orah had told him she had been attacked.

He pulled up right in front of the emergency room, stopping, pulling his keys out of the ignition and hopping out. “Were here, hang on I’ll get you out. I’m going straight back with you, they should be waiting for us. You’re going to be okay, Orah. You’re going to be okay.”

He opened her door and reached into lift her into his arms, he was as gentle as possible, but tried to move quickly. He didn’t want to waste precious time.

The rocking of the car as it came to a stop woke Orah from the pain-filled doze she had fallen into and she started a little, straightening up with a wince. The lights of the hospital felt harsh, but the fuzziness around the edges of her vision made it hard to focus on anything anyway. A soft sound escaped as Xander gathered her into his arms and she relaxed into it, knowing she was safe here. All she had to do was let them do their work… she could deal with the fall out later.