Page 84 of Resurgent

“Annalise!” Matt’s on me before I can even answer—Hunter right behind him. “What happened?”

“I’m fine.”

“Where are you hurt?”

“It barely—”

“Where?” Korr demands, his abrasive military tone in full effect.

Pointing to my side, Matt's face changes instantly.

“Oscar!” Korr barks, his face contorted like he’s seconds away from killing the recruit.

Oscar, the recruit who fired the shot, looks horrified. “It ricocheted—I—”

“Get the medics,” Korr snaps.

“They’re already coming.”

Sure enough, Theo is sprinting toward us with Ian behind him, both carrying medical packs.

“How bad is it?” Theo asks as Ian drops down beside me.

“It's barely a graze,” I say.

Theo looks at me. Then at the blood. Then back at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You’re bleeding.”

“Yup. Bullets will do that.”

“Don’t move,” Ian commands, rummaging through the med pack.

Turning my body, I grip the closest tree for balance and start to lift. “It's fine, I can stand."

“I said don’t fucking move!”

One second I'm looking at my friends annoyed face, the next I'm watching my furious roommate snarling in his face. "Don't yell at her! She's clearly in shock and not thinking properly!" he growls, the last part emphasized as he shoots me a look of warning.

Matt quickly crouches and helps me back into a sitting position while Korr takes up a sentinel position behind him, jaw clenched and his expression dark enough to scare away any would-be onlookers.

Theo kneels awkwardly in front of me. “Let me see,” he says, his hands moving toward my side. Every muscle in my body locks before I can stop it.

My breath catches hard as my fingers curl into the dirt. Theo pauses, aware I’ve gone rigid but oblivious to what caused it.

“Sorry,” he says quickly. “I need to clean it.”

I nod as Matt's eyes flick to mine. “Do you want me—”

“What? Don’t think we’re capable?” Theo pushes back, tensions clearly high. Thankfully, Korr’s scolding look shuts both men up before they can get into it.

“She doesn’t need a pissing match after getting shot by a bullet that shouldn’t have been real!” he shouts loud enough for Oscar to hear over Renwick and Kael, who are currently questioning him on what the fuck he was thinking when he loaded real bullets during a “shoot blanks only” exercise.

I don’t hear his response; all my attention is focused on the breathing techniques my counselor and I have been working on as Theo lifts the edge of my shirt carefully, exposing the shallow cut along my ribs.

The scrape is ugly, but superficial.

I know that and they know that, but apparently, neither of them are going to behave like it.

Ian pulls out antiseptic. “I'm going to clean around it first, then we'll cover it. Okay?”