Melissa helped lift the man, as she was pretty strong from her metalworking, but she was more careful to avoid the wounds. She glanced at a couple of the soldiers and briefly felt the outside of her pocket. The knife was still there, and it was definitely contraband. Now, she definitely wasn't dumb enough to trust either of these guys right from the get-go--horrifying things tended to happen to girls and women among the Barriers--but after all, she did have her knife to defend herself, and following this new stranger was...probably preferable to the possibility of soldiers catching her. 

As for Hank's mumblings, Melissa couldn't answer. She didn't know if his daughter had seen, and she sincerely hoped not. Instead she whispered, "It's best you don't talk much, not when you're like this."