later I could see two human shapes appear, one supporting the other as they approached the door.
At that point, I turned and ran, hurrying down the stairs and racing to the front door, which I threw open just as both the guys came staggering it, Max holding up Jake. And as soon as I got a good look at Jake, I nearly fainted. “Oh my god, what happened?” I gasped.
Whatever had gotten its claws on him had gotten him good. He was bleeding from several cuts across his body, with bruises and scratches all over. One particular gash along his thigh was especially gruesome, and was probably the reason he needed Max to hold him up.
“Big fight.” Max said. “Real nasty. Happened so fast.” He didn’t look in such stellar shape himself, either, but at least he was still on his feet.
“Get him on the table!” I ordered, immediately shoving aside everything that was currently on the coffee table, and helping Max lower Jake onto it. As soon as Jake was on his back, I dashed for the hall closet to grab the first aid kit.
“What attacked you?” I asked, tossing towels off the shelf to dig for the kit. “Was it the wolves?”
Max was silent to that question for longer than he should have been. “Couldn’t see.” He said at last. “Happened too quick.”
I didn’t deign to press him for more than that. I found the kit and came rushing back into the room. I knelt down beside Jake and threw the kit open, digging through the supplies.
“Hold him down.” I commanded Max as I pulled up the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. “I gotta disinfect the wound.”
Max held down Jake’s shoulders, while I pinned down his leg. “Jake, look at me,” I said. Jake wearily lifted his head, blinking at me. “Try to hold still,” I told him. “This is gonna sting.”
With that I carefully tipped over the bottle above the gash on his leg. As soon as the bubbling liquid poured hissing over his wound, Jake’s body tensed all over, clenching his teeth and grunting loudly in pain. I struggled to hold down his squirming leg, but the fact remained that I was, quite literally in a sense, wrestling a bear. If I hadn’t been holding on as tightly as I was, he very likely would have kicked me clear across the room.
As the bubbling dissipated and Jake stopped thrashing, I grabbed some gauze and held it to his wound as I waited for him to calm down. Jake breathed hard several times, and then started to relax. And then I dug into the kit for the needle and thread.
Jake was much calmer as I stitched up his gash, as if he’d already thrashed himself out. In any event, it made my job a lot easier. I finished sewing up the wound, and then moved up toward his head. By now he was mostly unconscious, just grunting slightly and rolling his head to the side when I said his name.
I sighed and caressed his hair, and looked up from him to Max, to find he had left the room. “Max?” I called.
I could see his shadow moving in the room upstairs. But he didn’t answer me.
I sighed again, and laid my head down on Jake’s chest.
I dozed off for a while, being eventually awakened by Jake’s hand running through my hair. I lifted my head and blinked awake. “Hey,” I said when I saw him looking at me. “How you feeling?”
“I think Dr. Billie did me good,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Always,” I grinned. And then I kissed him.
“So what did happen out there?” I asked. “Max didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”
Jake frowned. “I don’t blame him. Truth is, we didn’t really do much… ‘checking the territory.’”
“What did you do then?”
“We argued. About you.”
Now it was my turn to frown. “Like the one you had earlier today?”
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“I overheard you from the bathroom.”
He sighed. “Yeah, pretty much like that. Max still wants to do whatever he can to avoid a confrontation. I
At that point, I turned and ran, hurrying down the stairs and racing to the front door, which I threw open just as both the guys came staggering it, Max holding up Jake. And as soon as I got a good look at Jake, I nearly fainted. “Oh my god, what happened?” I gasped.
Whatever had gotten its claws on him had gotten him good. He was bleeding from several cuts across his body, with bruises and scratches all over. One particular gash along his thigh was especially gruesome, and was probably the reason he needed Max to hold him up.
“Big fight.” Max said. “Real nasty. Happened so fast.” He didn’t look in such stellar shape himself, either, but at least he was still on his feet.
“Get him on the table!” I ordered, immediately shoving aside everything that was currently on the coffee table, and helping Max lower Jake onto it. As soon as Jake was on his back, I dashed for the hall closet to grab the first aid kit.
“What attacked you?” I asked, tossing towels off the shelf to dig for the kit. “Was it the wolves?”
Max was silent to that question for longer than he should have been. “Couldn’t see.” He said at last. “Happened too quick.”
I didn’t deign to press him for more than that. I found the kit and came rushing back into the room. I knelt down beside Jake and threw the kit open, digging through the supplies.
“Hold him down.” I commanded Max as I pulled up the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. “I gotta disinfect the wound.”
Max held down Jake’s shoulders, while I pinned down his leg. “Jake, look at me,” I said. Jake wearily lifted his head, blinking at me. “Try to hold still,” I told him. “This is gonna sting.”
With that I carefully tipped over the bottle above the gash on his leg. As soon as the bubbling liquid poured hissing over his wound, Jake’s body tensed all over, clenching his teeth and grunting loudly in pain. I struggled to hold down his squirming leg, but the fact remained that I was, quite literally in a sense, wrestling a bear. If I hadn’t been holding on as tightly as I was, he very likely would have kicked me clear across the room.
As the bubbling dissipated and Jake stopped thrashing, I grabbed some gauze and held it to his wound as I waited for him to calm down. Jake breathed hard several times, and then started to relax. And then I dug into the kit for the needle and thread.
Jake was much calmer as I stitched up his gash, as if he’d already thrashed himself out. In any event, it made my job a lot easier. I finished sewing up the wound, and then moved up toward his head. By now he was mostly unconscious, just grunting slightly and rolling his head to the side when I said his name.
I sighed and caressed his hair, and looked up from him to Max, to find he had left the room. “Max?” I called.
I could see his shadow moving in the room upstairs. But he didn’t answer me.
I sighed again, and laid my head down on Jake’s chest.
I dozed off for a while, being eventually awakened by Jake’s hand running through my hair. I lifted my head and blinked awake. “Hey,” I said when I saw him looking at me. “How you feeling?”
“I think Dr. Billie did me good,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Always,” I grinned. And then I kissed him.
“So what did happen out there?” I asked. “Max didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”
Jake frowned. “I don’t blame him. Truth is, we didn’t really do much… ‘checking the territory.’”
“What did you do then?”
“We argued. About you.”
Now it was my turn to frown. “Like the one you had earlier today?”
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“I overheard you from the bathroom.”
He sighed. “Yeah, pretty much like that. Max still wants to do whatever he can to avoid a confrontation. I
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