Meek's Whumptober

Tears dripped down her cheeks as she held the man to her chest. His back was soaked and rough to the touch, and she could just barely make out muscle and tissue. His back... It was so gnarly, so wet and mangled. 

Flashes of blood splatter and agonized cries flickered through her memory, but she didn't recollect doing anything to this man. Surely, this couldn't have been her own doing... Unless it was Jessie's. 

Jessie, the other woman, a woman she knew was on the side of heroes but seemed to exact justice differently. More... mercilessly. She was known for lacking an enemy, because instead of fighting them...

She'd kill them instead. To rid the world of their evil. While many found it right and convenient, the heroes league, for the most part, disapproved. 

But she still lingered, Lady Majesty, and still did things in the shadows with the strange powers she possessed. 

The thought worried Swan, but as much as she wanted to dwell on it, she needed to focus on the task at hand, at the man in her arms. 

He needed desperate medical attention, and yet she knew most, if not all, hospitals in Degaldo would not take a villain patient. 

Well... She'd have to call on someone. Someone she knew worked in the medical field. 

Who better to call than her boyfriend?

She pulled out the phone from her pocket and pressed speed-dial.

-----

He came as quickly as he could, complete in his hero suit. Gator came to his Swan's beckon call. 

It was obvious to see by the look on his face that he wasn't at all expecting to see the sight before him. 

Swan held his own nemesis, Quantum, in her arms. The man was a bloody heap against her near perfect form. His jaw dropped. 

"Nellie? What in the heck happened?" He blurted suddenly. "He's... Why is he here?" 

"I don't know, Albert! I just woke up and he was tied to my dining room chair, a bloody mess! And he told me I did this to him!" She exclaimed, clearly panicking. "He passed out and he's been that way since. I'm scared, Al. I... Is he dead?" 

Gator quickly wandered over and placed a hand on the villain's neck, frowning shortly after. 

"There's a pulse. It's faint, but there... But I'm not sure if I'll be able to help him on my own. He's..." He trailed off as he looked over the floor. "He's  lost an awful amount of blood." He almost sounded breathless, as if the sight wasn't enough.

"I've never... Seen anything quite like this." 

She shivered at his words. 

"How are we going to help him?" She asked, barely a whisper now. Gator sighed. 

"Well, the way I see it, we've got two options, maybe three. TRy to patch him up ourselves and hope for the best, try and find him an actual hospital that will take him or..."

"Or?"

"Or we leave him to die." He said grimly. 

"No! We can't let him die, Albert!" 

"He's just a villain, Nellie."

"And we're heroes, Al!" 

"Exactly. If he was just out of the way, the people of Degaldo would be all the safer for it."

His words hit her like a slap in the face. He had a point... but did Quantum really jeopardize the people to begin with? 

"I... I'm not leaving him to die."

"Sure, you aren't," came a raspy voice. She looked to her shoulder to find that he was awake. Quantum was awake!

"A hero's life is to rid the world of its villains. I already know my fate... Just... Just bring me back home. Let me die in peace and comfort."

His words stung, so much so that she winced as she held him close. Yet she could feel his body try to move away from her, like he had somehow gained some energy back. 

"Wait, please--"

"Don't... Don't touch me." He huffed bitterly, dangerously. "You've done enough... Just take me home." 

Nellie looked to Albert, who only shrugged before nodding. 

"I'll help you take him home." Gator commented. 

She could only wonder, as Quantum rasped every breath, how much he heard. How much had he heard? And how much more damage had they unknowingly done to him? It was hard to tell... She wouldn't know with the fascade he had up again. Feigning awakeness and energy his body clearly lacked. 

They had no other choice, though. He had made up his mind. 

So they took him home. 

--To be continued--