Chapter Text
Roach really didn't know when it happened. When the grenade went off. When he was blast off and hit the ground harshly.
All he remembered was the smell of blood and gunpowder in the air, tasting something metallic in his mouth. He could feel the concussion, trying to move his arm. He could hear faint, hazy voices calling his name but fell futile through the sound of rubble being pushed aside.
The air smelt of smoke and fire, a black fog of smog still lingering over the sergeant
"I found him!" said Ghost, moving the broken slabs of cement aside, careful not to put his hands on the bent rebarb poles sticking out. A bright ray of light hit his face with a flash, the sun's blinding rays seeping through his cracked goggles.
A huge piece of crumbling tile pinned his left arm and leg down, the sole weight of the concrete crushing his arm.
Ghost noticed the concrete keeping roach down on the ground "Shit.." he cursed lightly under his breath, standing up as Captain MacTavish headed over to the lieutenant.
John assessed roach, sharing a look with ghost "On the count of 3. One...two...three!" Soap curled his fingers around the edges of the piece of concrete, ghost mirroring his action.
The duo lifted with all their strength, groaning and grunting lightly as they lifted the slab off of their teammate, who was still out cold. They let go of the slab as soon as it was off roach, shattering like glass the second it made contact with the floor.
Roach felt a heavy weight being lift off from the left side of his body, giving him little relief but now the cold and striking winds caressed his exposed and vulnerable wounds.
Ghost crouched down to assess roach's condition. In the background embers still burnt from the aforementioned grenade, pieces of the building crumbling and falling off like flaking paint. Gunshots rang out in the distance, they would have to make it quick.
Roach felt his head spinning as he slowly awoke from the disturbance, the world a mix of doubles and blur.
A sharp pain in his arm jolted him awake, it was most likely broken. He felt intense stinging on his back, as if they were a thousand needles stuck in there all at once, raw skin rubbing against his shirt and vest
Dust and soot covered his exposed flesh which would probably cause infections later on but that wasn't to worry about right now.
"We need a medevac, now." Soap ordered, awaiting confirmation.
Simon reached down and picked roach up, careful not to disturb his wounds too much as he kept roach's arm around his shoulder, carrying the man until they could reach the evac point.
"Hang on Roach!" he encouraged, but his words fell to deaf ears as he hauled him through the mess of warfare and destruction. The sound of gunshots and explosions in the distance slowly faded away as Roach felt his vision going sideways until it was completely flipped over, his head hit with a sharp wave of pain before he went under.
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Beep
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Beep
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Beep
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Roach slowly opened his eyes, the bright fluorescents burning his eyes, prompting him to shut them immediately out of reflex.
He forced his eyes open, staring up at hospital ceiling tiles with a few mysterious brown stains he would rather not question.
The steady beep of the heartbeat monitor beside him grounded him a bit, an iv in his arm connected beside the monitor. The air smelled of medicine and sanitizer, unfamiliar and too sterile for his taste.
The entire room was a blinding white which felt like it was burning through his retinas just as he stared at them. It seemed like they were allergic to colour.
His head ached beyond anything he had felt before, it felt like he was taking spins around the whole room despite being laid down in a bed.
Roach tried to lift up his left arm, an intense wave of pain shooting its way up his arm the second he even tried to touch it. The bandages strained and ruffled with every movement.
His arm was neatly wrapped in bandages and tended to, the same done with all of his other burns and injuries.
He was no stranger to getting injured wile on duty, but it still felt unfamiliar whenever it did happen, and he was quite disappointed in himself for not noticing the grenade faster. He was just thankful he survived only with injuries.
He was dressed in a light hospital gown, mask and helmet sitting beside him on the table besides a card left behind by Soap.
Disgruntled, Roach moved to sat up carefully, making sure his arm didn't bend in anyway. The thin bed creaked under his weight, slightly rattling the machines and iv drip next to him.
He took in the room, it was just a regular hospital room, nothing too special. On the table there was a small bouquet of flowers kept in a pot of water with a card attached, 'Get well soon' scribbled on it with a bunch of hearts and a middle finger. Presumably from a certain task force.
On the window sill sat a small money plant, the vines falling over the edges and stopping halfway to the floor with an absence of any support.
He knew he would have to be hospitalized for a few days judging by his injuries, being on medical leave always made him feel like a liability, one of the things he hated most.
Roach looked at the chair besides his bed, stopping at the sight.
Ghost sat slumped in a chair, crossed arms and asleep, his sunglasses discarded on the table. It was clear he had been here a while considering the messed up clothes and such, waiting for roach to wake up patiently.
A warm smile he couldn't hold back adorned his face as he stared at Ghost, reaching over a shaking hand to lightly nudge him, wincing at the pull it caused on his bandages.
He gave his shoulder a small push, quickly retreating to break off the strain. Simon instantly jolted awake, noticing Roach woke up and straightening up.
"Roach!" he exclaimed in shock, holding his hand in his hand as roach stared at him. "Are you okay? You were out for 3 days" Ghost said calmly, eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern. Roach opened his mouth to speak, but only grunts came out in place of words.
Confusion filled his face as he tried to speak, "Don't- the doctors said your vocal cords need to heal." Ghost stopped, roach sighed at that, looking down at his lap in resentment towards the accident.
"I'll go get the nurse" Roach's gaze followed him as he left the room, leaving the soldier alone with his own thoughts.
He knew he had been out for a while but hadn't expected to be out for three whole days, the most he'd ever had. Roach was a quiet person but again it changed depending on who he was with, but the damaged vocal cords still affected him deeply.
Cracking occasional jokes with his team was one of his signatures. He just hoped his throat could heal quickly. Breathing stung a bit as he exhaled and inhaled with slight strain, the flesh inside rough from burns.
He leaned back into the soft cushions, taking in everything as he waited for the lieutenant to be back with the nurse. Healing wouldn't be too hard, at least not too hard with Ghost by his side.