SAW

A quiet, rhythmic beeping filled his consciousness first, followed by the sharp scent of antiseptics. Cracking an eye open, he blearily observed his surroundings. Durasteel walls, just comfortable enough mattress, blue curtains shielding the rest of the room from his view, a vast array of beeping machinery. He'd seen all this enough times to know it instantly. Medbay.

But how did he get here?

He shifted on the lightly padded mattress trying to discern what injuries brought him here. No sharp stabs or dull aches of pain greeted him; he figured the IV next to him must have some pretty good painkillers. Just as he was gathering the strength to lift his head and do a visual check, he heard a soft feminine voice off to his side.

"Cody?" He rolled his head to the side and Jordan came into view, dressed in standard issue GAR medical fatigues. In one hand she held an opaque plastoid cup, a spoon in the other, a mask of calm anxiety on her face. Her expression relaxed a bit as their eyes met. "You're finally awake."

Throat too dry to respond, he merely nodded. Sensing his predicament, Jordan leaned forward, gesturing with the cup and spoon. "Ice chips?"

Again he nodded, and using the spoon she gently slid a small amount of ice into his parched mouth. Eyes closed, he settled back into the somewhat comfortable pillow, letting the ice melt on his tongue and slide melted water down his aching throat.

"We're on the Valiant." She gathered one of his hands in hers, brushing a thumb in soothing circles over his knuckles. "You've been out for three days since...since we got you out of there."

Eyes still closed, Cody swallowed the last of the melted ice. Unbidden memories of a dilapidated bathroom and cold metal clamped around his ankle came flooding back, along with a surge of icy fear. "How'd...?" he managed to rasp out.

"We found you Cody, it's all right. It's over now," she reassured him, pressing a palm to his cheek. "We'll take good care of you."

He frowned. Something was not right. He shifted again, trying to pull his head up to see the damage his body had taken. His arms felt heavy and leaden, they wouldn't respond to his demands to prop himself up.

"Relax, Cody, it's over now." Jordan placed a restraining hand on his chest. "The damage is done. Now settle down while I change the bandages." Placing the cup and spoon on the bedside table, she stood up and moved to the foot of the bed.

Adrenaline flooded him at her words. What damage? What needed to be bandaged? Finally he got enough strength into his arms to prop himself up just in time to watch her pull the blankets back to uncover his legs.

Or where his legs should have been.

Instead, his thighs ended midway, stumps wrapped in bloody bandages. He stared at them in a mute shock as she slowly unwound the bandaging, her voice professionally calm and unperturbed during her explanation. "You tried to saw them off yourself to get out of the restraints, and by the time we got to you the infection was too much, so we had to remove both legs."

Bile rose in his throat as the final scrap of bandage was removed to reveal the cleanly cut limb. Tremors began throughout his numb body.

"Hmmm, looks like I may need to do a bit more on this one." She gave the wound a clinical gaze, then reached for a sinister looking instrument with several glinting blades. "Just a bit of a trim then." She picked up a mask from a tray. She brought it up to cover her face, and Cody stared in horror at the red swirls on the white mask.

"This might hurt a bit," she said in an incongruently cheerful voice from behind the mask, lowering the bladed instrument towards his thigh.

Cody yelped, bolting upright in the dark, chest heaving, hands clenched around his thigh, which was whole and undamaged. Frantically he ran his hands down the length of both legs, wiggling toes and flexing muscles to ensure everything was working properly. He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes in relief.

Beside him, Jordan stirred and placed a hand at the small of his back. "Cody? 'Smatter?" she mumbled.

He wiped a shaky hand across his sweat-drenched face. Adrenaline still pumped in his veins as he recalled the events of his dream. "You cut my legs off."

There was a click and soft light flooded the room. Jordan stared at him in sleepy confusion. "I did what now?"

"I-nevermind," he mumbled. The horrors of his nightmare seemed foolish in the light of reality. "Just a dream."

Glancing at the clock, she heaved out a sigh. "What about?" Irritation laced her otherwise patient voice as she pulled him down to the pillows.

Breathing in her scent, he relaxed, the absence of adrenaline making him drowsy again as he murmured into her neck. "I had to saw my foot off to escape, then got an infection and you amputated both legs while wearing that puppet mask."

Another sigh. "This is the fourth time in two weeks you've woken up like this." She snuggled deeper into his arms. "No more horror movies before bed, 'kay?" A yawn punctuated her words.

"But I like those movies," he pouted.

"Of course you do. No more." Her order was muffled by the pillow.

He made a noise of assent, and began drifting back to sleep, before a random thought occurred to his sleepy mind. "Jordan?" A mumble into his shoulder was the reply. "Wouldyou cut off my legs?"

"In a heartbeat. Now go to sleep." Within a moment her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep.

Not quite sure if he was reassured by her response, he gave a mental shrug, deciding to ponder it in the morning. Wrapping his arms tighter around her, Cody let himself relax into a dreamless sleep.