Work Text:
Everything was burning. White hot fire consuming everything it touched. Cal tried to get away, but he couldn’t move. With a great deal of effort, he pried his eyes open, only to screw them tight immediately. Bright light and ash fell in his face, choking his lungs. He tried to turn his head. The fire burned brighter, his vision going grey at the edges. Or maybe that was just the smoke rising into the sky.
The acrid taste of burning chemicals and blood caught in the back of his throat, sending him into a coughing fit. Agony exploded in his chest with every spasm, but he was helpless to stop it. He couldn’t draw in enough air; his lungs slowly being crushed. Fear finally kicked in, adrenaline flooding his veins. He tried to move his arms, finding his right was completely trapped while the back of his left hand hit something solid only a few centimeters away. There wasn’t enough room for him to wriggle either arm free. He was stuck.
“Help,” he croaked, barely audible even to his own ears. He tried again, only marginally louder. He couldn’t get enough air to make himself heard. It was taking far too much effort to keep breathing with the crushing weight on his chest, let alone shout for help.
Pain pulsed throughout his body in time with his rapid heartbeat. Gingerly, he tried to move his legs to see if they were also trapped. The white hot fire returned, searing the nerves up his back and down his leg. The world went black, static filling his ears. He didn’t know how long it took for the darkness to clear. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d remained conscious. What he did know was that he wouldn’t be trying that again.
Tears ran down his face into his hair. He couldn’t even wipe them away. Every shuddering breath fanned the flames, licking at his surely broken ribs. All he could do was stare up at the grey sky and wait either for someone to find him or die. Consciousness was a slippery thing, sometimes evading his grasp. He couldn’t tell how long he had been lying there, whether it had been minutes or hours. The sun remained hidden behind thick clouds, giving no indication as to the time of day. He couldn’t even see the wreck he’d fallen from, obscured by the debris on top of him. He drifted, letting his mind wander to distract from the fire still raging in his body. He couldn’t tell if it was getting worse or not. He tried not to dwell on it.
The sounds of the shipbreaking yard drifted over him, the same background noise he’d been hearing for the last three years. The ringing of metal, the shouts of other scrappers, the low hum of ship cutters. It all melted together and passed over him. Or at least it did until he realised he could hear a voice cutting through it, louder than everything else. He tried to focus on it. Maybe if they came close enough he could get their attention.
“Over here,” he rasped, struggling to get the words out. There was no way anyone could hear him like that.
The scrapper came closer still and Cal finally recognised his voice. “Cal! Are you out here?” Prauf called. He had come for him. He’d get him out of here. Cal would have sobbed with relief if he had any more tears left.
He took as deep a breath as he could managed and called out to him. “Prauf!” he cried, the name punched out of him as his chest was crushed once more. He wheezed, unable to even cry out properly as the wreckage settled. His vision went hazy and when it cleared Prauf was kneeling above him. “You found me,” he croaked.
“Course I did pal. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said, already assessing the rubble pinning Cal in place. “How bad are you hurt?”
“Can’t move… Everything hurts.”
“Hey, you’ll be alright, you hear me?” He gently placed his large hand on Cal’s head, his thumb moving his hair from where it had stuck to drying blood on his face. With his other hand, he reached for his comm on his belt. “Tabbers, I found him. We’re on the ground below the wreck. Cal’s pinned down. Going to need a small crew to get him out.” Cal didn’t hear the reply that came through, hazy blackness threatening to claim him. Prauf was here, he would get him out and Cal would be fine.
“Hey, keep your eyes open for me, okay?” Prauf said, ruffling his hair.
“’s hard,” Cal said breathlessly.
“I know, but it’s not safe yet. You need to stay awake. Tabbers is bringing backup. We’ll get you out of here in no time.” Despite the reassurances, Cal could tell he was afraid, an edge of desperation lacing the words.
“Am I going to die?”
“No. You’re going to be fine. A little banged up, sure. But you’ll get better. I promise.”
Cal wished he could believe him. “What happened?” he asked, needing a distraction.
“You don’t remember?” Cal only managed to shake his head minutely. “I don’t know the details but a section of one of the upper levels gave out. Crashed right through the rest of the ship and took out the lower decks. Ring any bells?”
Cal shook his head again. The last thing he remembered was finishing his lunch break. Beyond that was a black hole until he woke up here. Prauf sighed. “Probably for the best. Looks like a large chunk landed on top of you. You’re extremely lucky it didn’t crush you.”
“Or unlucky,” he added. “Since it fell on me… in the first place.” He had to pause for breath, the words taking far more effort than they should.
“Yeah, I suppose. But hey, you’re still alive and I plan to keep you that way.” Before he could say anything else, static crackled through his comm. “Are you close?” he said, pausing to listen to the reply. He let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, I’m coming.”
He holstered his comm and turned back to Cal. “I’m sorry pal, Tabbers can’t find us. I have to go get him, but I promise I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t go,” he whimpered.
“If I don’t you’re gonna be stuck here. I’ll be quick. You won’t even know I’m gone, okay?”
Biting his lip, Cal nodded. With that, Prauf set off, disappearing from view. Cal tried not to panic. He would come back. Cal would see him again, and he’d bring Tabbers and the rest of the crew. They’d get him out and to the clinic and everything would be fine. He held onto that thought for dear life even as his mind started to drift again. It was so hard to keep his eyes open, but Prauf had told him it was important so he had to try.
The sound of approaching footsteps gave him the strength to open his eyes, boots thudding on the muddy ground. Cal managed to turn his head enough to see Prauf running over with Tabbers and some of their crew in tow. “You’re back,” he croaked when Prauf knelt by his side.
“Said I would. We’ll get you out of here in no time.” He didn’t linger, joining the rest of the crew while they tried to figure out the best way of getting him free. They got to work shortly after, spreading out around the debris. Tabbers crouched at his side. “You’re doing great Cal, not much longer now,” he said. “Do you think you’ll be able to wriggle out when we lift this?”
“No,” he whimpered. The fire still raged, consuming his limbs. He was afraid of the pain movement would bring, but it was necessary so he’d just have to bear it.
“Alright. I’m going to pull you out. Ready?” Cal gave a determined nod despite the fear pooling in his gut. Tabbers gave the signal to the others to lift.
The fire exploded, blindingly hot and all-consuming. Bright spots danced in his vision and distantly he heard himself scream, finally able to fill his lungs. Panicked words floated in the air above him, but he couldn’t pick out any words. The world faded to black as he lost the battle for consciousness. Pain chased him down into the darkness, flames lighting the way.
Opening his eyes seemed like too much effort. He was exhausted in every sense of the word, a dull ache permeating his entire being. The fire had finally died down to embers, still burning but no longer aflame. Slowly he became aware of his surroundings. He wasn’t lying on the ground anymore, something marginally softer beneath him. Low chatter filled the space, occasionally punctuated by a loud groan or sharp cry. Tentatively, Cal tried to move. Pain lanced up his arms, but much to his relief the fire didn’t reignite.
With no small amount of effort, he managed to pry his sticky eyes open. Blinking several times to clear the gunk from his eyes, he looked around. He appeared to be on a ward in the clinic, the various sounds of distress coming from other patients. There wasn’t anyone else around except for a couple of nurses. Cal was disappointed, if not surprised. He’d hoped Prauf might still be around, but he had no idea how long he’d been out for, and skipping shifts could mean losing the roof over their heads.
For a while Cal idly watched the nurses work, too sore to try sitting up or getting their attention. Eventually one of them came over, a harried Chagrian who was initially too absorbed in his notes to realise Cal was watching him. “Oh, good. You’re awake,” he said when he looked up, scribbling something down. “How are you feeling?”
“Everything hurts,” he rasped, having to clear his throat just to be heard. The Chagrian reached for something out of sight before handing him a small cup with a straw. Cal gratefully took several sips, moisture returning to his mouth.
“I’m not surprised,” he said as he continued his checks. “Your injuries were severe but you’re on the mend now.”
“How long?”
He glanced down at his notes. “Two days. A couple friends of yours have come by a few times, said they’d be back again after today’s shift,” he said off-handedly as he finished his checks. “Is there anything I can get for you?” Cal shook his head. The nurse didn’t linger, heading off to the next patient.
There was no way he was staying awake for the next five minutes, let alone the end of shift. Hopefully he would be awake when Prauf and Tabbers visited. He wanted to thank them properly for saving him. He sipped his water until it was gone, half-wishing he’d asked for more. It wasn’t a problem for much longer as his eyelids became impossibly heavy. This time the darkness was safe and warm, the raging fire nothing but a bad memory.