Just a Flesh Wound

A drabble from based on Aiode Falls rpg.

There was a loud yelp of pain, before the bathroom became quiet again. Katie had stepped away during the sudden outburst afraid it was her fault. Well it was, in a round about way, but she couldn't help it. She sucked in her lower lip before returning to what she had been doing: stitching up the gaping slashes across Finn's back.

"You have to hold still. I'm trying, I'm really trying.." She begged to him softly, as she finished off the last stitch on the first one of his deep scratches.

Katie brought the warm wash cloth to his back again, wiping at the blood that had been covering his back. The washcloth, once a fluffy white, now was a reddish orange color from being wrung over numerous times into the sink. Normally she would feel awful about ruining something, but considering who this hotel belonged to..

Straddling the seat, Finn had propped his arms and his head on the backside of the toilet. It was obvious he was holding back much more then the few shrieks of pain he was letting out; apparent by how white his knuckles got as they balled into fists every time Katie put the slightest of pressure to his back. His leg twitched up and down impatiently, waiting for her to be finished. It looked just as bad as it felt, and Katie had to do it the old fashioned way: needle, thread, hot water and a lot of patience. She took no joy in this; if she could have done it quickly she would have, but she was horribly inexperienced. She wished Alicia were here, she would do this better.

Her movements were gentle as she wiped at the handful of deep wounds across his back. She could trace the apparent claw marks of the beast that had ambushed him -- three digits on each hand; they had come down on a marring criss cross action down Finn's back. How he could still manage himself somewhat upright was beyond her. The shirt he had on was nothing more than scraps, so he had no complaints about cutting off him when they made it back to the room.

The most grueling part was pulling the bits of cloth that were stuck in his wounds, whilst cleaning them. The noises he had made then were much more piercing for Katie to listen too. She had shied away from touching him, until Finn, through gritted teeth, coaxed her into it. There was so much blood -- the floor now was evident of what had once been. It may have looked gruesome now, but the initial inspection had been far worse.

Wringing out the washcloth again, she held it under the running tap in the sink letting the warm water saturate it before bringing to back to clean up more area on his back. He had tensed at the contact.

Frowning, she brought the washcloth to his shoulder, around the back of his neck to the other side. It wasn't in treatment but for relaxation. She couldn't do this if he was wound as tight as a wire. He turned slightly to look at her, before tilting his head down to kiss her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."