Chapter 49: Consequences

~ Takyle lightly slapped Andrew on the arm again.

"Seriously." Her lips almost looked pouty. Jaden thought that she'd never seemed so girly. Well, that is, she would have if she hadn't been holding a bloody dagger in one hand. Andrew looked lost and a little peeved. That was obviously not the reaction he'd expected, or perhaps been hoping for.

"What?"

"I was fine! I had him. Then you came rushing in and finished him off!"

"Well you didn't look like you had him! You looked like you were just holding your own and thinking that you were doing well. And besides, I'm not going to put your ego in the way of winning this race."

"My ego?" Takyle demanded. "I was fine! And I'm a better fighter than you'll ever hope to be! At least I could afford real lessons!"

"You were fine? So you never make mistakes do you, Takyle? If you'd slipped he could have killed you while we were all standing back letting you prove your worth to yourself because your daddy never loved you enough!"

Jaden didn't turn around from his watch over Cal and Vin, both sitting propped against the wall now, but he did flinch. Partly because of Andrew's angry tone, mostly because he was imaging the look on Takyle's face right now. It entered Jaden's mind that he hoped they had the sense to be keeping an eye on John whilst they fought it out. Then he decided that he probably shouldn't count on that.

Jaden backed up to where his pack lay on the ground and dug a small bundle of cable ties out of it. Andrew's idea, bless his soul, so prepared. He trussed Cal and Vin's hands behind them, then, as an afterthought, had them sit back to back and secured them to each other as well. As a kindness he checked Vin's wound and found it to be superficial, the bleeding already slowing. And then he set Cal's nose straight again with a quick wrench.

"Sorry," he told the man quietly when he yelped in pain. The he turned to take a look at the real fight scene. John still lay on the floor. Takyle still gripped her knife, but her arm had tensed and her knuckles were white. Jaden had never seen Andrew looking quite that mad. The fact that he was actually shouting said it all.

"We're supposed to be a freaking team here! What is it exactly that you think teams do, Takyle?"

"Apparently they cut each other down and utilize backstabbing as often as possible! At least the teams that you're on do!"

"I didn't do anything wrong! I was trying to help because I didn't want you to get hurt because I frigging love you!" Andrew stood there in front of Takyle, breathing hard. She stared at him in silence.

"I didn't need help," she muttered.

"I don't care. That's not something I can chance," said Andrew, in a much more reasonable tone of voice. "You're the one that kept friggin' telling us to always go with our gut instincts anyway!" Takyle looked down at John, then at her knife, apparently for the first time noticing the blood splattered on her hand.

"I'm...sorry." She turned and stepped over John to walk a short distance down the hall, away from Andrew. Andrew finally looked at Jaden.

"Are you ok?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, I'm fine." Jaden looked hard at Andrew's face. He looked pale. Then Jaden noticed that he was also bleeding profusely through fingers pressed to his stomach.

"Andrew, you're-"

"Yeah, I know. Hurts like hell. I'm just gonna sit down now." Andrew half lowered himself, half slid down the wall to rest on the floor. He looked over as Jaden grabbed his med kit. "I've never been much one for fainting, but I see now that it could have its advantages."

"You'll be ok," assured Jaden, sounding as if he knew what he was talking about. He carefully pulled Andrew's hand away and grabbed his knife to cut off Andrew's shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Andrew demanded. "I only have two sets of clothes you know. Just help me take it off like a normal person." So he was not in enough pain to override his conservatory instincts; Jaden took that as a good sign and helped him take off his jacket and pull the shirt over his head.

Jaden used the sullied shirt to wipe some of the blood off of Andrew's stomach, as carefully as possible. Andrew bit his lip, and barely stifled a groan.

"I'm sorry," apologized Jaden. "I'm trying to be gentle." Andrew let his head fall back and closed his eyes.

"I hope you're at least planning to make me breakfast tomorrow morning, sailor."