TAINTED (book II)

XXXI

A single drop of sweat traced the sharp outline of Ashton's jaw, down to the protruding vein in his neck, only to end in the dip of his collarbone. He sniffed hard, his eyes prickling from tears of pain. His entire body stiffened, aching from having to keep still.

"Almost done," the emergency room nurse muttered under his breath as he meticulously finished the last stitches.

Claire couldn't look away from the bloody mess. Ashton's chest was covered in cuts, some of them superficial, others deep enough to need butterfly stitches. But the one that the nurse was working on right now made her stomach turn. The image of the knife sticking halfway out of the wound was enough to drain the blood from her face.

"Last one," the nurse shot Ashton a quick supporting smile. "You're doing great, kid."

Ashton physically looked away when the needle once again pierced through his skin. He pressed his face against the opposite shoulder, pinching his eyes closed.

Claire bit back a wince when his fingers nearly crushed hers. She folded her free hand over his white knuckles, once again swallowing down the bile rising in her throat at the sight of her own bloody hand. A shiver ran through her body when a hand pulled the curtains back before drawing them back closed.

Cole entered, holding two cups of water. His eyes were glued to the nurse's ministrations as he made his way to his friends.

Claire looked at the cup Cole held up for her. She started lifting her hand when she noticed how hard it was trembling, quickly curling it back around Ashton's hand still gripping her other one.

This didn't go unnoticed by Cole. His brows knitted with concern. "You cold?"

"I'm fine." Despite being only in a tank top – Claire had used her long-sleeved shirt to stop the bleeding – the room was pleasantly warm. And yet she couldn't stop the shivers racking her body.

Cole pulled the zipper down of his jacket and wordlessly draped it around Claire's shoulders. She shot him a tiny grateful smile, he gently squeezed the back of her neck.

"Done," the nurse smiled. He picked up a pair of sterilized scissors to cut the excess thread. Putting down the supplies back on a tray, he grabbed a bandage to cover the wound.

Ashton let out a shaky breath, rubbing his clammy forehead against his shoulder before glancing down at his chest. He counted seven stitches. What an ugly sight, he thought. The stab wound barely missed his left nipple, leaving a nasty gash to the center of his chest.

"There you go." The nurse disposed of the bloody tissues and empty sterilized packaging.

"Thanks," Ashton's voice sounded merely like a breath of air. A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him, he could feel it weigh down on his shoulders. It was getting more difficult to sit straight, even holding up his head seemed too much to ask.

"I used absorbable sutures, they don't require a doctor to remove them. Your body should naturally digest them," the nurse informed, taking off his gloves.

"What about the X-ray?" Cole questioned, leaning against the bedframe.

"Most penetration wounds only need suturing stitches. But when it comes to stabbing wounds around the chest area we usually take an X-ray to determine whether or not organs, nerves or other important structures have been damaged. He got lucky though."

"What about scarring?" Claire asked.

"The big one will definitely leave a scar. I wouldn't worry much about the other cuts, as long as he cleans them regularly to avoid infection." The nurse's lips twitched into a small smile as he caught Ashton's head nodding off. He lightly squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Get some rest. My colleague should be here in a bit to give you something for the pain."