Learning together (Closed for Led Astray)

[Asa]

Moments later she walked down and out the door to a transport climbing in as soon as it stopped. The transport echoed with irate words then took off leaving one guard left behind walking over to him.

Miss Raveena has called someone named Helena who has sent the message of tell the spoiled brat to call me or man up and listen someone knows about abandoning fathers before that know it all mouth gets him in trouble.

He then held out a phone Helena's voice can still be heard complianing about her youngest and him being far too much like his father for his own good.

 

[Led_Astray]

"Hey, mum..." said Adam into the phone. He winced at the tirade that burst from the speaker.

"No... no... look, she's the one that got angry last night, she's the one that decided to start shouting this morning, and she is the one that just walked straight past me in the lobby without a word and took off without me."

He listened carefully and sighed.

"No... no I'm, sorry, but she was out of line.... yes she bloody was... no, I'm not going to apologise - I was quite happy to work with her on a professional basis but that wasn't good enough for her.... she can tell me what do do on the job, but she doesn't get to tell me how to think."

He shook his head, exasperated.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go to the shoot. I had every intention of doing so before she took off without me. They wouldn't have left this guy here without transport, I'll hitch a lift... yeah, bye mum. love you too."

Handing the phone back to the soldier, Adam nodded at him.

"I hope you can give me a lift. Do you think we can catch up with the convoy?"

He followed the man out to the waiting escort vehicle, one of the same elderly Landrover Series Twos that seemed so ubiquitous. Climbing inside, he sat on one of the rear bench seats, wishing these models came with seatbelts as the driver drove through the streets at speed, intent on catching up with the convoy. The 3 soldiers with whom he shared the space gave him blank looks, and he sighed.

 

[Asa]

The morning went in silence she had turned to Helena just to talk and had forgotten how the dear woman wanted to fix everything. Must be where he gets his stubborn streak only he can be right mentality. She was pulled from her thoughts and work... gunfire...

She heard it before the soldiers clearly they were buying the safe hype.

 

[Led_Astray]

Clearly, Raveena was in no mood to back down, and there was no way Adam was going to - he felt very much like she was in the wrong, and her threats to fire him had certainly not helped.

He simply got on with his work, getting plenty of photos, able to tell what Raveena wanted photographed by the way she stood back from the scene whenever she had arranged it to her satisfaction.

A distant rattle of gunfire made him look up - although he didn't recognise the sound, only that it was not a natural one.

The soldiers didn;t seem bothered, so he carried on snapping.

 

[Asa]

She watched the treelines all around them till the Prince asked her if she was alright.

GET DOWN NOW!!!!

Raveena growled as she literally walked over to a guard and grabbing him by the collar and pointing to the treeline the shots came from

SO much for your pathetic shroud of peace Hand me a gun and get the Royals out of here NOW!

Cold... deadly... clearly had been in situations like this before and while she did not like them clearly knew what to do.

 

[Led_Astray]

"What the hell?" exclaimed Adam as Raveena accosted the guard.

Her actions seemed crazy, but he could tell she was genuine in her intent. So cold, so calm.

He headed over to the royals.

"Sir? Ma'am? I think we should listen to her..."

 

[Asa]

Soldiers finally began moving and drawing weapons the commanding officer looked to the prince at the request of a gun by the American and the young man nodded. Give her her gun NOW thats an order.

With that the soldier ushered the prince and princess over to the transport and then opening up a case in the truck ha turned handing Raveena two guns in holsters mumbling something about being careful and that she should be more obedient and get in the truck too.

I will remain till the royals are safe if something happens that they can return we will resume... for now GET THEM TO SAFETY!

 

[Led_Astray]

Adam's eyes widened as he saw Ravvena take the guns.

"Raveena? What the hell is going on? We should get out of here, let the guards do their job!"

 

[Asa]

We will be... but more weapons are better than trusting our lives to other people... I have been through stuff like this... we are the last of their concern... now lets get to the other transports... MOVE IT

She was running towards another truck when a few rebels broke the treeline. Shoving her young camera man into the transport then leaping in behind him she roared for them to get going as the other trucks and soldiers were breaking formation and many taking on the rebels and the one they were in as well as a cover vehicle took off in the direction that the Royals had gone.

 

[Led_Astray]

Adam followed Raveena's orders, since they were pretty much what he had intended doing himself. He clambered into the transport, turned to help her but she was already over the tailgate before he could offer a hand.

He looked with regret at the several thousand pounds worth of photographic equipment being left behind as they roared away, but then looked at Raveena and, in spite of the seriousness of the situation, he laughed.

 

[Asa]

The royal family will replace it or get you better and Phillipe will answer to me if he says word one about it. Beyond that whats so funny?

She was ready to return fire if needed as the transport blazed down the road.

 

[Led_Astray]

"Oh, I don;t dout the gear will be replaced, one way or the other." grinned Adam, holding tight to the grab-bar above his seat as the vehicle sped along the bumby unmade track, threatening to toss its occupants in all directions.

"I was just laughing at just how extreme things had to get for you to start talking to me again."

The transport hit a particularly large bump , straining the arm he was holding on with and causing his teeth to clash together, only just missing his tongue. "I wish this thing had seatbelts in the back..."

 

[Asa]

I will explain my defensive nature about your father later if your mother didn't already. Calling her if we clashed over something like that were her orders... in writing.

She fell silent feeling a burning in the front of her shoulder. Next thing she knew the transport lurched and flipped sliding down an embankment.

HANG ON!!!!

She could see the driver flopping around and knew he was already gone.

 

[Led_Astray]

Adam had no idea what was happening, but hearing Raveena shout and feeling the transport going wildly out of control he hung on for all he was worth.

As the vehicle flipped, Raveena fell against him and he grabbed her desperately around the upper body, hanging on to her and the grab bar, feeling his shoulder wrench painfully but at least preventing them both from being hurled around the inside of the vehicle.

With a sickening crunch the vehicle came to a halt, its engine cutting out. Adam, lying on his back with his boss on top of him, could hear shouting and gunfire.

"Oh shit... are you OK? What the hell is going on?"

 

[Asa]

I'll be fine now shut up and play dead they will pass by soon enough.

She growled out trying to ignore the pain as best she couldw while carefully listening to everything.g around them.

 

[Led_Astray]

"Yes boss..." murmured Adam in her ear, before falling utterly silent. She could feel his chest rising and falling beneath her, and feel his heart racing.

It was an uncomfortable position, he felt covered in bruises, his shoulder was surely strained, and he felt in genuine fear for his life - but somehow the feeling of Raveena's body pressed against him was a comfort, keeping panic at bay. Slowly, unconsciously, he sought her hand with his own.

Outside he could hear footsteps, guttural speech in the local language, and then a gunshot at close range, with the sound of a bullet striking flesh following so closely behind it as to be one single sound.

 

[Asa]

She laid there the blood from her shoulder enough to make them both look badly damaged and dead. Her hair over her eyes so she could barely have her eyes open and see when the face looked in and when the rebels walked away.

Waiting for a good long while she then moved and sat up cradling her arm close to her so not to move her shoulder too much. All she could think was great I have to talk him through getting the bullet out of my shoulder.

 

[Led_Astray]

As they lay there, waiting for the rebels to leave, Adam could feel a hot sticky liquid trickling downwards, soaking his t-shirt...

Oh Jesus... she's been shot... he thought to himself, but he didn't dare move, he knew the gunmen were still nearby, he could hear them.

Eventually, the sounds of footsteps and of angry voices receded into the distance, and he felt Raveena sit up with a groan.

"You are hurt..." said Adam, scrambling to his knees with genuine concern, and a depth of feeling that surprised himself. "Let me take a look..."

 

[Asa]

Yeah...

She looked over at him motioning to her shoulder.

You ever removed a bullet... with a boot knife?

Her tone dead serious hoping that he could remove it but if not she knew other ways to get rid of the bullet just alot more pain.

 

[Led_Astray]

Adam shook his head. Just as at other times when he was dealing with a subject he knew, the young photographer's voice and demeaner were suddenly confident.

"Don't be ridiculous... you've been watching too much Rambo..." He moved to kneel behind her, running his hands over her shoulders.

Check for other wounds

"No exit wound, so you are right, it is still in there. You were very lucky... now lay back."

Gently but forcefully he pulled her back so that she was laying on his knees. Then he removed his jacket and peeled off his T-shirt, revealing his smooth chest and flat stomach - not that Raveena could see much, from her position.

 

[Asa]

Lucky... I have a bullet sitting just a little left of the rotator cuff having ground itself in right against the bone... You really need to analyze your definition of lucky.

She did not fight him her body was in too much pain to let her argue too much. Growling a little as he started taking over the situation.

So whats the deal "Doc"

 

[Led_Astray]

"Yes, lucky. The exit wound is usually 3 times the size of the entry wound..." responded Adam, trying to maintain his confident tone. "It must have been a ricochet..." he added. otherwise it would have damn near taken your arm clean off. he continued to himself, silently. Now, what's next? Oh yes...

Reassure the casualty

"I'm a trained first aider, you are going to be fine..." he murmured. "You might feel cold, and light headed, those are symptoms of shock. You need to lie down and stay still and as calm as you can... this may hurt a little"

He wadded up his T-Shirt and pushed it against the wound, hard. Then he took Raveena's shapely hand and pressed it onto the cloth, his fingers lying on top of hers. "I need you to hold that there, can you do that for me? Press it as hard as you can."

He looked down into her eyes, finding it hard to break away from her gaze.

 

[Asa]

She nodded holding the cloth with her other arm cross body as she laid there.

Some peaceful nation huh.

She laughed a little...

I am really going to love telling that general I told ya so...

 

[Led_Astray]

Adam smiled down at her.

"Mmmhmmm, don't you ever get tired of being right all the time? Well... almost all the time..."

Elevate the casualties legs

He rolled his jacket up into a ball and then parted his knees, lowered Raveena's head to the floor with the makeshift pillow beneath. Then he stood, and grabbed a discarded backpack which he pushed under her feet.

"I'm going to find some proper dressings... I'll be back in a moment."

So saying, he climbed carefully through the communicating window in the front of the transports load-bed, into the cab. For the moment, he ignored the gory remains of the driver as he sought the first aid kit that he knew must be there.

 

[Asa]

Closing her eyes she just listened waiting for him to find whatever he was looking for and get back. Taking a deep breath she grumbled.

We need to hurry I smell gas.