he could put his jeans on. It felt right to give him this little bit of privacy, though he had to have guessed by now that she undressed him in the first place.
"Thank you. For the clothes. And yesterday, what you did. I don't even know how you did it, but..."
He seemed uncomfortable. He was standing by the bed, shoes and jeans on, watching her. She walked back and moved the chair by the wall, so she'd have enough light to fix the scars. He let her spread the HealX on them, sitting there like a statue, not moving, not breathing either. She could see the muscles working in the side of his jaw. She was somehow hurting him again, only it didn't make her want to cry, it made her want to scream at him for making her feel like this. She didn't. She walked over to the sink and washed the oil from her hands.
She brought the two still hot to the touch containers over to him, "I brought you some soup and tea. I couldn't get anything else quietly enough. I also brought you pain meds, but you should eat first." He turned around in the chair, facing her, nodding. He gulped the soup down, and took a few sips of the tea, not looking at her. He seemed done.
She handed him a half dozen small pills, "These taste awful but they'll make it not hurt anymore. They might make you a little sleepy, at least they did me when I had to take them once." He shook his head at her, not taking the pills. Why wouldn't he take the pills with everything hurting like that? "I'll be okay. It's not so bad anymore, but I can't take these. I have to stay awake, in case I have to run. I can manage now, really. Thank you... For helping me. For everything," the boy said quietly. He wanted her to leave. That's what he was saying. She was being dismissed. She flushed, and hated her face not for the first time today for betraying her like that. Without thinking, she reached into her back pocket, took out the med pad with " Ella" written on it and threw it at him. Now she would leave.
She was only half way to the door when his hands roughly dug into her shoulders. They were shaking too, she could feel that. He spun her around and was staring at her as if he wanted to strangle her, squeezing into her skinny shoulders till it hurt. She held her breath, trying not to cry. She was done crying in front of this boy.
"What have you done?" Quiet, too quiet. So this would be his version of anger or rage then.
She was collecting these tidbits in her head without trying to, drawing a person she could understand out of what little he let her see. He walked her back to the den, not letting go of her shoulders, and sat her down on the edge of his bed, crouching in front of her, and finally let go. Her shoulders burned where he dug in and she really wanted to rub the pain out, but she didn't want him to see that he'd hurt her.
"Please, tell me where you got this. I need to know what happened, need to know where this came from," he was showing her the pad, but not looking at it himself, his voice a little calmer now, not so full of that awful quietness.
"No!"
She didn't even mean to say it. It just came out, but she didn't owe him any more telling, not when she got nothing from him but the name. And if she told him what happened with Ella, she'd have to tell him she gave up his name too, and she no longer wanted to do that. Didn't want his rage or his anger or sadness or whatever it would be this time. She just wanted to leave. She could do that now. Now that she fixed him up as well as she could. Now that he wanted her to go.
She got up, "I'm going, Riley. There is plenty of HealX left in the kit. It'll keep your scars from getting infected." This sounded colder than she wanted it to. He stood up too, looking at her, hurt in the brown eyes, she could read that much now, and then he moved away letting her pass. He turned away from her, from her leaving, hands behind his back, the scars glistening raw pink under the HealX. That's how she'd have to remember this strange boy then.
"Thank you. For the clothes. And yesterday, what you did. I don't even know how you did it, but..."
He seemed uncomfortable. He was standing by the bed, shoes and jeans on, watching her. She walked back and moved the chair by the wall, so she'd have enough light to fix the scars. He let her spread the HealX on them, sitting there like a statue, not moving, not breathing either. She could see the muscles working in the side of his jaw. She was somehow hurting him again, only it didn't make her want to cry, it made her want to scream at him for making her feel like this. She didn't. She walked over to the sink and washed the oil from her hands.
She brought the two still hot to the touch containers over to him, "I brought you some soup and tea. I couldn't get anything else quietly enough. I also brought you pain meds, but you should eat first." He turned around in the chair, facing her, nodding. He gulped the soup down, and took a few sips of the tea, not looking at her. He seemed done.
She handed him a half dozen small pills, "These taste awful but they'll make it not hurt anymore. They might make you a little sleepy, at least they did me when I had to take them once." He shook his head at her, not taking the pills. Why wouldn't he take the pills with everything hurting like that? "I'll be okay. It's not so bad anymore, but I can't take these. I have to stay awake, in case I have to run. I can manage now, really. Thank you... For helping me. For everything," the boy said quietly. He wanted her to leave. That's what he was saying. She was being dismissed. She flushed, and hated her face not for the first time today for betraying her like that. Without thinking, she reached into her back pocket, took out the med pad with " Ella" written on it and threw it at him. Now she would leave.
She was only half way to the door when his hands roughly dug into her shoulders. They were shaking too, she could feel that. He spun her around and was staring at her as if he wanted to strangle her, squeezing into her skinny shoulders till it hurt. She held her breath, trying not to cry. She was done crying in front of this boy.
"What have you done?" Quiet, too quiet. So this would be his version of anger or rage then.
She was collecting these tidbits in her head without trying to, drawing a person she could understand out of what little he let her see. He walked her back to the den, not letting go of her shoulders, and sat her down on the edge of his bed, crouching in front of her, and finally let go. Her shoulders burned where he dug in and she really wanted to rub the pain out, but she didn't want him to see that he'd hurt her.
"Please, tell me where you got this. I need to know what happened, need to know where this came from," he was showing her the pad, but not looking at it himself, his voice a little calmer now, not so full of that awful quietness.
"No!"
She didn't even mean to say it. It just came out, but she didn't owe him any more telling, not when she got nothing from him but the name. And if she told him what happened with Ella, she'd have to tell him she gave up his name too, and she no longer wanted to do that. Didn't want his rage or his anger or sadness or whatever it would be this time. She just wanted to leave. She could do that now. Now that she fixed him up as well as she could. Now that he wanted her to go.
She got up, "I'm going, Riley. There is plenty of HealX left in the kit. It'll keep your scars from getting infected." This sounded colder than she wanted it to. He stood up too, looking at her, hurt in the brown eyes, she could read that much now, and then he moved away letting her pass. He turned away from her, from her leaving, hands behind his back, the scars glistening raw pink under the HealX. That's how she'd have to remember this strange boy then.
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