The Obstreperous

Chapter 4

I am shocked by the condition he was in, but only for a moment. I quickly get out of the cell and look at the door. I could make it out probably. I could get out of the DFS building and run away. See my family and friends again. I looked at the door and then at Kyle. He was struggling to sit up. He was on his side with his good arm supporting his weight. I made up my mind. I bent down onto my knees, right next to Kyle. He looked up at me and looked shocked. Then he started coughing like he was about to vomit. I grab his side as careful as I can be, not to hurt him. But when I do grab his side he makes a hissing noise.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I let go really fast. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“No. I know you didn’t. Here let’s try this again.”
I finally got him to sit up. He wasn’t standing, but at least he was sitting upright. I ran to the chair he was sitting in just a moment ago. I grab the first aid kit underneath it and then run back to Kyle. I looked up at the security camera that Kyle covered up and then pay my attention back to Kyle. His breathing has not returned to normal yet, but was slowing down.
“You should probably go see the nurse or doctor,” I say as if it weren’t obvious. I realize how stupid that sounds as it leaves my mouth.
“No! I can’t. That’s part of the punishment,” he says.
What punishment! What did he do that’s so wrong that he deserves this. I realized that now may not be the best time to ask. I open up the first aid kit and it has so many stuff in it that I don’t know what to get first.
“I don’t really know much about medical stuff,” I say nervously. I look down at my hands and see them shaking. I try to sturdy them, but was unsuccessful.
“It’s okay Raquel. Do you see a small white tube with red letters on it? Grab that.”

I see it and take it out of the first aid kit. It’s almost empty though. I try to pronounce the name, but its so big and strange its hard to. Not to mention that its also in a different language. I am trying to pay attention to what Kyle is saying, but its hard not get distracted by his cuts. Some so big I thought it might be life threatening, some so small I didn’t even pay much attention to them. I show him that I found the tube.
“Okay, now you just need to put a little on me. Only the big cuts. We don’t have enough left for any small ones. Put a small amount on your finger and then gently smudge it onto the cuts.”
I started reading the warnings and directions on the back.
“It says here that it stings. Are you sure?” I asked him that like it was a question, but if he refused it then there would be some problems. He nods and I put a little on my finger. I look at the wound that most concerns me. The one on his head. He grabs my hand right before I put it on.
“We need something stronger for my head.”
So I put it on his right arm instead. Although his right arm is his good arm, there are still bad cuts on it. I slowly rub it in while he’s biting his lip to keep from screaming. I want to hold his hand, but am too afraid he’ll crush my hand. There really wasn’t enough in the tube. All I was able to do was three wounds on one arm. The stings must have worn off because he wasn’t biting his lip anymore. He was slowly falling asleep now.
“Kyle, stay with me. You can go to sleep in a bit. I may not know much about medical stuff, but I’m pretty sure you don’t let the person with blood running down his cheek go to sleep,” I say. Kyle gives a weak laugh.
“I’ll stay awake. Just let me rest my eyes awhile.”
“Hey, no. No resting your eyes and no sleeping. What do I do next?”
“You… Um… You…” He was having trouble concentrating. I go back into my jail cell and open up the loose brick, where I hid the food and stuff. I take out the water I had left.
“Here, drink this.” There is a water fountain outside the jail cell. I was going to refill it when Kyle was done drinking it. I leaned his head back into my hands and then tipped the water bottle back so he could get a drink. He coughed some up. Water was spilling down his cheeks and onto his shirt. I finally realized that Kyle was too tired to concentrate on the task at hand, so I would use the little knowledge I had. I knew that I needed some kind of cloth, so I thought Kyle shirt would be perfect. But I didn’t want to take it off because it would hurt his arm and side. Instead I find a napkin on the desk and use it. I dip it in the water fountain and get it soaked. I go over to Kyle. By then I realized Kyle was stupid for not telling me to help his head wound first; the most critical wound on him.
I use that wet napkin and gently touch his head. He flinches, but nothing more. I start to get some of the blood off and then look through the first aid kit. I find a cloth bandage and disinfectant stuff. After I rub it on his head gently, but firmly, I wrap the bandage around his head. I use a clothes pins to keep it together. Then I start treating some of his other wounds. I found out why he was limping. His leg didn’t look right, it was facing the wrong direction. I almost fainted when I saw it, but didn’t. Kyle needed me now more than ever. I’ve seen what some doctors have done before, but don’t know how I’m going to do it. They grab the leg and twist it back to the right position. Then put a cast on it.
“Kyle, this is going to hurt really badly. I want you to know that I’m doing this not only for payback,” I try to say encouragingly. “But also because I care about your health.”