"No, get down!"
The explosion was still somehow ringing in her ears, still so loud and enough to wake her from whatever medically-induced sleep she was in. The sitting up was abrupt and far too quick, pain racking through her abdomen and chest as she pulled and stretched still too-new stitches, head throbbing at the too-quick movements. Aurora could hardly catch her breath, the nightmare still lingering along with the dizzying pain. She was drenched in sweat, felt like she'd been swimming, and she swore rapidly as she struggled to calm herself down.
It seemed being commander wasn't without its cons, which she somehow hadn't seen when she'd been promoted. She'd been distracted by the uniform and title, by the power and everything else. She somehow didn't think of the responsibility, of how it was her job to lead and make sure that things went right. That if someone were to get hurt, it was her responsibility to protect them, and if possible, prevent it. Even if that meant throwing herself into the crossfire.
She hadn't even thought about it, and in hindsight it was strange how things had come full circle. From wounded rookie soldier being far too reckless, to being protected by her commanding officer, to now being the one doing the protecting. It felt so strange (and technically was, considering her age, but being a commander at fifteen came with its risks), and yet she was less focused on herself. After the explosion and raining gunfire things had gone black for a while, and she still didn't know how her soldiers had fared.
She was still shaking as she slowly laid herself back down, fingers searching for a call button. Begging for drugs sounded like the best idea - morphling would be ideal, but she'd just settle for going back to sleep. With the drugs things were black, the nightmares wouldn't come, and that was better than nothing.
