POV shift time! Yeah, this will happen sometimes. Probably.

(POV - COCKTEASE)

Michael collapsed to the floor. A pool of blood quickly grew on the floor.

Of course, I didn’t know Michael. My name is ANDRE, AKA COCKTEASE (DO NOT ASK, I DON’T LIKE MY NICKNAME)!

I CAME FROM AN ARMY FAMILY! I WAS A NAVY SEAL! I KILLED OBAMA JOHN LADEN, THE LESSER KNOWN BROTHER OF OSAMA BIN LADEN! THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT THE REAL SHIT AT YOUR PANSY PUBLIC SCHOOLS! YOU ARE A PUSSY!

I CAME BACK FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND WAS TOLD THAT I COMMITTED VARIOUS WAR CRIMES, AND I WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A WAR HERO!

THAT’S WHEN I REALIZED I NEEDED TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE WORLD, OF MY DESTINY, OF MY LIFE… OR IT WILL FUCK YOU TO ****!

I GOT MY OLD ARMY BUDDIES BROWN, INSANEFUCK, AND SHITDUNG AND TOLD THEM MY PLAN: WE PRACTICE A ROBBERY ON MY FAVORITE PIZZA PLACE TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF ROBBERY, AND ONCE WE DO THAT… WE GO FOR FORT KNOX!

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WASN’T GOING WELL!

“Cocktease, dude, the cops are here! We need to surrender, man… we shouldn’t have done this. I have a family, bro; I should have nev-“ SHITDUNG CALLED TO ME! I TURNED JUST IN TIME TO SEE HIS HEAD BLOWN CLEAN OFF HIS SHOULDERS! HOT DAMN!

YOU SEE, THE PIZZA PLACE HAD GLASS WINDOWS ALL AROUND! ALSO, WE WERE THE ONLY ONES STANDING IN THE BUILDING, AND WE WERE TALL! THE POLICE HAD EASY SHOTS, AND I HAD JUST SHOT A GUY! WHOOPS!

BEFORE I KNEW IT, MY FRIENDS WERE DEAD!

AND SO WAS I!

ARGH!

-

(POV- AVA)

Michael was bleeding. A lot. It was a miracle he made it to the hospital. The bullet had grazed his heart, and he didn’t have long.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital, and Michael burst inside, strapped onto a stretcher with IV bags and an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. He’d yet to regain consciousness, and he likely never would.

I did know Michael. He’d recently moved into my apartment. He also came off as untrustworthy and insanely suspicious. After his first morning there I’d caught him covered in deep scratches all along his chest. The second I’d caught him vomiting what looked like the sun in liquid form. That was this morning.

Now, hours later, I was leaving work. Let me emphasize, I was leaving work. The moment I recognized someone being pulled in on a stretcher, I went back inside. I walked alongside the stretcher, looking him up and down. No one batted an eye, I was still in my scrubs.

“What happened to this guy?” I asked, playing it calmly. I didn’t want to let anyone know I knew the patient, just in case they try and ask me to leave.

“Robbery gone south. Police heard what sounded like a couple dozen gunshots, this guy’s lucky he only got hit once. It’s bad, he’s lost a lot of blood.” The guy pushing the gurney told me as he made his way to emergency surgery.

Michael looked bad. Really bad. I sensed he didn’t have long. He was pale from blood loss.

This kind of emergency surgery only went to one doctor.

Dr. Adams.

Lucky for me, Adams is my friend; he knew about me. I shot him a vague text saying ‘i know this one’. I knew I’d need to be there for this one.

Before long, Michael was prepped for surgery. Dr. Adams pulled up his gloves and looked at me.

Adams was the best doctor in the city. Even ignoring me being by his side, he was the best by far. With me? He hadn’t lost a patient in years.

Adams looked at me. “Ava... I’ll be honest. Considering his state, I don’t think we have time for me to faux-work on him.”

I groaned. I’d seen it coming, but I still hated it. Good thing I’d had a big lunch. Sara had told me Michael’d be cooking tonight, and I had a feeling he wasn’t much of a chef.

Adams pulled back Michael’s coverings. The hole in his chest gushed. You’d think the blood would slow down at some point, but it didn’t appear so.

Before I got to work, I took notice of his chest. There were bruises all over. It looked like small circles had punched his chest all over. Weird. I’m sure this is one of many weird secrets he’d keep.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The inscribed words came to my mind, and I felt myself begin to glow.

I opened my eyes, but I saw things differently. I knew from the third-person perspective my eyes were glowing a soft white light, same with my hands. I looked to Michael and pressed my hands to the wound.

I had to fight back the pain. I’d felt worse, but taking over the pain of a gunshot wound still didn’t feel good. I felt myself lose weight (great, just as I’d started to be able to hide my ribs).

How my ability worked was I could heal people. I couldn’t revive the dead, but I could save people from most things. Adams was one of the few people who knew, and he used my ability sparingly. He knew the toll it took on me.

My body had to give up mass to heal others. That’s why I was a twig; I’ve spent gods-knows how many pounds to save others. It felt good to save people, but an additional cost was I had to feel the pain of whatever wound I was healing. I’d experienced it all; stabbings, shootings, beatings, you name it.

I’d developed my powers to the point where I could pick-and-choose what I’m healing. Michael would have to deal with those bruises, they didn’t seem life-threatening.

As my hands lay on his chest, I watched as a white light shot out of Michael’s chest before it began closing on its own.

My job was done. I needed to eat.

Adams pointed to a meatball sub he’d had ready for me on the table across the room. We’d done this enough that he knew what to do.

The only bad part about my power was the cover-up; Michael’s wound was healed, but it had to be believable to that we’d done surgery. Adams stitched the healed wound. It seems dumb to stitch someone that is okay, but it was necessary.

I didn’t need anyone discovering me. Not again.

-

Hey! Do you guys like messing with POVs? I don’t imagine I’ll do it too often, but it’ll likely happen at times like when Michael is incapacitated.