Guardian

Something was holding her down, she couldn’t move, the panic began, her heart began to race and her breathing became faster. Forcing herself to open her eyes, Kenna’s grey eyes saw Alex’s sleeping face. Letting out a slow sigh of relief she began searching her memory, she remembered offering her bed to him after puking her guts out. Taking his arm off her waist and squeezing free of his leg that was over hers she got out of the bed. Alex immediately sprawled out across the entire bed as she walked to the bathroom. Kenna used the bathroom and brushed her teeth “I feel almost human” she laughed at her reflection in the mirror. Mutt padded in and looked at her with an indignant look on his face as if to say do you know where I slept last night? Looking at the clock it read 330 in the morning; she walked to her desk and fired up her computer. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to remember what day it was. The computer screen showed it has been almost two days have gone by, cursing she was suppose to hear from one of her informants yesterday. Logging in to her email that she uses for her “special projects” she searched through several emails finding the one she was looking for. The informant was giving her information on a shipment that would be leaving a safe house in less than 12 hours. The informant goes on to say that the goods will be traveling by tractor trailer and moving to a new location, her gut clenches shut tightly and she gets hit with a wave of nausea. Stretching her arms over her head trying to work the stiffness out of her muscles, pain shoots across her ribs. Already her mind is in overdrive, she starts looking at the address and thinking about the location planning already begins. “I am too sore to fight them” she mumbles to herself.
Kenna is thinking of the children, trying to figure out how to take on the men and get them out without getting herself killed. Lost deep in thought she doesn’t hear Alex coming out into her living room, he walks up behind her asking “How are you feeling?”
Quickly closing the laptop she whips around too fast and gets a twinge of pain in her side saying “I am fine” she snaps, cringing at her tone she softly continues “I am sorry I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, because I am grateful.”
“What are you doing up?” he asked “You should get more sleep and heal.”
“I don’t sleep much or long.” She answered “Why are you awake? You looked really peaceful when I left”
“Yeah, I think I offended the brown bodyguard.” Alex chuckled rubbing a hand against the back of his neck.
“Sorry about him, Mutt kind of thinks the bed is his and has a hard time sharing” Kenna explained, thinking could this conversation be anymore awkward.
Taking a step closer Alex suggested that he change the dressing on her side so he could see how it was healing. Kenna shifted uncomfortably in the chair, but quashed those feelings quickly. He spent the past twenty four hours here and took care of you she reprimanded herself. He needs to leave so you can get back to work she continued thinking to herself.
Alex walked over and grabbed his bag, soap and water and fresh bandages as Kenna raised her shirt to expose the big white bandage on her side. Kneeling beside her, Alex gently removed her dressing looking closely at the big red gash on her side he saw that it was getting better but still needed to be cleaned and covered again. Kenna sat still through his poking and prodding barely wincing with pain. Alex finished with a new white bandage then sat back on his heels explaining “It will feel a little tender but wash it and change the dressing every day. I will leave more supplies on the counter and bring you some more tonight when I come back to check on you.” He continued with “I would stay to keep an eye on you today but you seem to be feeling better and I have to get back to the clinic, I have been away too long”
“Hey I understand. Don’t worry about me I will be fine.” Kenna stated “I always am” came out quietly.
Packing up his bag Alex looked up at that last statement making eye contact with her and not saying a word he walked over to her. He knelt down in front of her placing his hands the arms of her chair “I am here if you ever need me.” He offered “I mean it” with that he stood up and walked out the door.
Kenna sat there staring at the door for what felt like forever, going over his offer in her head and the look in his eyes. Her mind started racing with thoughts about trust, friendship and everything she remembers him telling her while she was in the hospital. He doesn’t know that she heard him, and remembers everything he told her. Why she remembers she will never know because she doesn’t remember everything else told to her. She knows that he has felt pain and what it feels like to be all alone in the world. A ping behind her told her that she had a new email, turning her attention back to her computer and the problem at hand Kenna opened it to see that the movement has been changed to later tonight. Relief passed through her I can do more at night she thought.
In strategy mode Kenna started to stretch in her living room trying to loosen her stiff muscles, it hurt but it had to be done. Tonight counted and it had to go off cleanly, by doing this she would be getting more than fifty kids off the market. That was a lot of innocence. Going through several martial art movements Kenna felt her body begin to loosen and fall in to the flow, always a quick study she learned enough while with her former “protector” occasionally on very rare occasions she would be able to talk him in to getting a lesson of some form of martial art wherever they were living at the time, with the excuse that it would keep her small and thin, just the way he liked her. The lessons always stopped quickly but she had been able to learn enough and combine into a fighting style that was hers, and it worked for her. Feeling her body flow from one movement to another thoughts of Alex flashed through her mind, she remembered the story he told her of finding a young girl that had be brutalized by other soldiers when he was at war and the feeling of helplessness because he couldn’t fix her. The child died in his arms the same night he found her, he was never the same after that.
Those nights when the nightmares got too bad and she didn’t want to be alone she would go and sit at his little clinic while he did paperwork, inventory or clean because with him she felt safe. She never understood that but then again she didn’t try to figure it out either why she felt the way she did. On those nights she would watch him, they would barely say five words to each other, and it was almost as if just being with each other made the demons go away. Kenna did have to admit that she did like him, who he was not just how he looked; he was sarcastic, patient and gentle. Shaking her head she cleared her head of Alex and focused on the task at hand, the kids. Pushing herself hard she worked until she was sore and headed for the shower, after removing the dressing she climbed in to the shower. Hissing as the hot water hit her open wound Kenna washed her hair and her body and soon she enjoyed the feel of the tension leaving her body. Grabbing her robe she crawled into bed to get some sleep, tonight was going to be busy she thought. Mutt crawled up beside her and stretched out purring thankful he had his bed back.
The night was cold and dark that was good, the broker’s helpers tended to be careless when they were cold that was a good thing for her and bad for them. A smirk crossed her lips as she watched them load the children in to the back of the truck, the little ones were so afraid she could see them tremble. She loved this part, reaching up she grabbed the fire escape ladder and began to pull herself up. She bound her chest tightly before leaving to help manage the pain. Kenna felt the twinge of pain but worked through it and made it up to the third floor window. Silently she opened the window and looked inside; reaching behind her she felt the cold comfort of her gun at her belt line and her knife in its sheath by her ankle. The smell hit her the horrible smell of death, covering her nose with her hand she looked in and saw the small body laying the corner barely covered with a tarp. Fighting back the tears she followed the wall over there and she pulled back the tarp. The little boy no more than five years old lay bruised with his neck at an odd angle from the look of the state he had been there for a few days. Fury boiled in her blood, making sure the little one was covered she said a silent prayer and promised to come back him she straighten up and walked towards the door. Leaning close to the door she listened for movement on the other side, hearing nothing she opened the door and moved into the dim hallway.