Saviour

Louise's POV

The fox snarled at me. A tear trickled down my cold face and plummeted to the ground. I stared at my leg.

Blood trailed down the end of it and soaked my jeans which had been ripped at the bottom. The pain was excruciating.

The fox had bit me hard, yet he refused to leave me. He just glared at me on the floor. I couldn't stand up, my leg was that bad. I was stuck.

Suddenly, I heard something. What was it?

"Louise!" I faintly heard someone yell.

I was afraid to shout. When I shouted for help before, the fucking fox bit me.

The fox's head shot up as the person's voice grew louder and travelled towards us. It was no longer glaring at me.

My heart was hammering hard in my chest, and my hands were shaking uncontrollably.

The fox took a step back. He looked... frightened? Yes! Frightened. This gave me a bit of hope.

"Louise!" The voice echoed.

I shuffled backwards, making my leg hurt even more. If only I could just stand up. Every time I tried, all it brought was pain.

I heard footsteps pounding from behind me. Someone was coming. Someone was coming to save me. Hope filled my whole body.

"Louise!" I recognised the voice instantly. Ed.

He ran as fast as he could towards me, scaring the fox away. The fox scurried off deep in to the forest, howling quietly.

Ed dropped to his knees and looked at me, worry over coming him.

"Are you alright?" He was truly concerned.

I couldn't speak. All I could do was quickly wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly. I squeezed him hard, not wanting to let go. He hugged me back and we just sat there hugging each other.

He smelt of Lynx and his back was cold yet he held me closely sharing his body warmth with me. His touch was so delicate and gentle. The feel of our bodies so close together felt natural and right.

When we finally pulled apart, he gazed at me, still worried but calm and relaxed at the same time.

"Your leg." He gasped. "Can you move it?"

I shook my head trying not to cry.

"Alright." He stood up. "Now I must warn you, I'm not the most fittest of people." What was he going to do?

He placed his ink filled, tatooed arm underneath the top of my back near my neck and his other under my knees. He hauled me up. It was like he was holding me up bridal style.

"Ouch!" I flinched as pain tingled up my leg.

"Sorry," Ed apologised. "Comfortable?"

I nodded my head and sniffled.

                        *******

I sat on my bed, leg outstretched, as Ed tended to my leg. He wiped a cold, wet tissue across it which soaked up all the blood. Two large scratches remained.

"Ah," I tried not to yelp. "Do you think it's infected?"

"Nah, it's fine." He poured a clear liquid on the scratches making my leg sizzle.

"Damn that hurts." I complained.

"It will stop any germs from entering through the cut." He explained. "I'll just put a plaster on them."

Ed looked around in the first aid kit and revealed two plasters. He carefully placed them on the two scratches and smoothed them down gently, being sure not to hurt me.

"There, you're fine." He smiled. "It might hurt for a bit though but you can always take a painkiller."

"Thank you so much." I thanked.

"It's no problem." He told me. "It was nothing."

"It was not nothing. You practically saved me." I said.

"Well..." He blushed.

I moved around so my legs were dangling down the outside of my bed and Ed sat next to me.

"I owe you one." I said. "Is there anything I can do?"

Something glinted in his eyes. What was he thinking?

Ed's POV

This was my chance. If I ask her out now, she has to say yes. Even if she doesn't fancy me now, hopefully she will after the date.

Was it a stupid idea? I was sort of forcing a date on her. I contemplated it for a bit longer.

Just do it.

"Well there is one thing you could do..." I said.

"What?" She smiled.

Say it! Damn it, Ed, ask her!

"Nothing. It's nothing." I said. Of course she was going to say no. She hadn't really known me long, but then again, she did know a lot about me and I know loads about her.

This was so hard.

"No go on, what?" She asked me, her smile warm and inviting.

"I... I don't suppose you would want to... I dunno... go out on a date with me?" I shyly asked.

Louise bit her lip as if she was trying to hold back a smile. This made me feel more confident.

"Yeah, sure." She casually replied.

"Really?!" I was shocked. "I mean... cool, cool."

She just laughed.

"Tomorrow, 8pm? After we finish work for the day." I suggested.

"Fine by me." She smiled.

"Great." I smiled back.

OH. MY. GOSH. WAS I DREAMING?! DID SHE JUST SAY YES?! WOAH!

There was a knock at Louise's door. She looked down to her leg and then back to the door. She didn't want to stand up.

"I'll get it." I said and skipped to answer the door in a bit of a daze.

"Louise, oh my goodness!" Carlos began and then realised it was me. "Have I got the wrong room?"

Then he looked inside and saw Louise sitting on the bed.

"Oooh! Am I interrupting something? I can always come back later." Carlos giggled.

"No, no. We were just chatting. Louise got bitten by a fox." I explained.

"Oh my goodness, poor chica!" Carlos barged passed me and ran towards Louise. He sat in the spot I was sitting in.

"Please, come in." I laughed and shut the door.

I sat on the other side of her so she was in the middle.

"What happened?!" Carlos exclaimed.

And then Louise explained everything. About how she was just wandering and got lost. How she saw the fox and yelled for help. How the fox bit her. How I carried her and took care of her leg.

"Ed! You're a hero!" Carlos stood up and patted my back.

"Well I wouldn't go that far. I did what anyone would've done. No big deal." I tried to live it down.

"No big deal?!" Carlos looked at me.

"Yeah." I replied.

"He was awesome, Carlos. So calm and everything." Louise told him.

"Aww, do I detect a bit of romance?" Carlos elbowed me.

"Um..." I blushed and looked to the ground.

"OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT HAPPENED? TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Carlos beamed.

"Nothing! Nothing happened." I tried not to smile.

"He's lying, right Louise?" Carlos stared at her.

"Nothing happened. But..." Louise trailed off.

"But...?" He looked at her, wide eyed.

"Ed asked me out on a date and I said yes." She looked up and smiled at me and I smiled back.

I'm dead. Okay. I'm dead. I mean... SHE SAID YES!

"Awww! My babies! On a date! Bless you two." Carlos grinned.

"It's just a date." I tried to act cool even though my heart was on fire!

"Yeah." Louise did the same.

"Yeah yeah, 'just a date' blah blah. Whatever." Carlos said. "I'm so happy for you both!"

He was talking as if we were getting married or something.

"Anyway!" Carlos began. "I came over to tell you that there's going to be -oh my gosh- a staff partayyy! On Thursday after everyone goes to sleep- the children I mean."

"Really?" Louise seemed down for that.

"Yeah it's gonna be fabulous darling!" He exclaimed.

"Sick!" I smiled.

This party was going to be epic. Our date was going to be epic. I was feeling epic. But there was one thing I wasn't feeling too epic about just yet...

Where was I going to take Louise on our date?