Xiao carefully pulled the Private across the damp dirt and mossy ground, laying him down a few yards from the transport ship, Xiao checked the Private's leg wound again, the bleeding a little less severe.
'Alright, just keep pressure on that a little longer, we'll see about patching you up' Xiao spoke calmly, feeling his hands under the Private's shirt, searching for further injury, 'Your breathing is too short, you may have a broken rib or two, can you tell me my name?'
'X-Xiao, Colonel Xiao...sir...' the private gasped,
'Very good, are you in a lot of pain?' Xiao gently ran his fingertips over the Private's ribs, barely touching the skin,
The private nodded, wincing as Xiao removed his hands.
'The bad news is, there is a fuel leak in the wreck, with the electrical equipment playing up from the crash, it's too dangerous to stay in there for shelter' Xiao rummaged through a little bag he had brought from the wreck, looking for medical supplies, 'The good news is, I'm going to work on getting you some painkillers'
Without much choice, Xiao stood up and rushed back to the wreck, leaving the Private alone, leaning uncomfortably against a rock.
Xiao stumbled into the wreck once again, wincing in pain; he lifted his make-shift sling off his shoulder, wrapping it around the handle of one of the emergency survival crates, he tied it tightly around his upper right arm, allowing him to drag it along without putting any pressure on the injured, lower arm.
With his left hand, he grabbed a second, unmarked case, lugging it out of the side-door of the ship; he dumped both of the boxes beside the private, ready to return for more soon.
'Alright...' Xiao mumbled, opening the emergency crate, he fumbled through the provisions and pulled a small medkit, popping a couple of pills and handing them to the Private, 'Take these, the first is Naproxen, it'll help with your chest pain, the second is Cheridex, it'll thicken your blood enough to stem some of this bleeding without causing any problems'
'O-okay...' Adams voice was quiet, fear gripping him,
'I need you to relax a little, you're going to be fine' Xiao spoke, looking the Private directly in the eyes as he rolled up inspected the nasty gash in his leg, 'I won't let you die under my watch, understood?'
'Yeah-Y-yes Sir'
'Alright, this looks clean enough, but it'll need stitches and a dressing' the Colonel spoke with experience, unscrewing the cap on a bottle of clear liquid, he poured it generously on the wound, causing the Private to recoil in pain, 'Sorry, that'll help fight infection and keep it clean'
Xiao unwound a length of sterile thread, being careful not to touch it too much, or to let it touch the environment around him, he threaded it through a little hooked needle. He tore a bigger hole in the Private's combats, threading the needle through the flesh around the wound.
Within a few minutes, he was able to tie off the end, leaving clean and neat stitching, holding the wound closed.
The Colonel placed some gauze on the stitching, wrapping a bandage neatly around it, being sure to keep it tight and neat.
“Okay, that’ll hold for a while, until we can get you to a real doctor with better medical supplies” Xiao sighed, sparingly rinsing his hands in the clear liquid.
“Colonel...” Private Adams paused, pondering his next words,
Before he could speak, there was a loud explosion followed by some light and Xiao using his body to protect Adams, shielding him from potential fire and shrapnel.
“If we’re lucky, someone, somewhere saw that, and will send help” Xiao stated, trying to remain optimistic,
“Yeah... uh... thank you sir” Adams whimpered, wincing at a sharp pain in his chest,
“Any time soldier, you hold in there, I’m going to build us a shelter, gather whatever supplies I can, and build us a fire, and it’ll be dark soon”
“You’re not going to go get help?”
“No, if I leave you here, you will die” Xiao smiled reassuringly, “And besides, you never leave the crash-site unless you know where you’re going. You could die out here if you get lost, and there’s a better chance someone will find the site and rescue you”
“Oh...” Adams dropped the tone in his voice, glad that he wasn't alone.