Jacob Seed x Reader

Thirty-Two

Time inside the office seemed it flow slower than it did outside. There was no clock hanging anywhere and if you tried counting the seconds it was hard to tell how much time was actually passing by.

Jacob had left some time ago. It was hard to say how long he had been gone, a few minutes, maybe hours. He had taken the empty plate and disappeared without a word.
Secretly you had hoped to escape at a suitable moment. But when you tried to push down the door handle, you found that the door was locked.

"Shit.", you cursed, biting your lips.

But maybe it wasn't so bad that you couldn't escape. More and more often you could feel pain spreading through your body at the wrong movement. If it would get worse, the only way to get medical treatment was at this place.

And then there was the knee. It wasn't as bad as before, Jacob must have fixed it. But it still hurt when you tried to walk. Even when you tried to lie back in bed it felt like a thousand needles were poking into the space between bone and flesh.

With a pained look, you sat up in bed and tried to loosen the places around your knee a little. The injury had already darkened, blue and black spots were already shimmering on the surface of the (S/C) skin.

With luck, everything would heal naturally, but it would take a long time for everything to feel like it did before. Maybe it would never be like that again.

In the hospital, many patients had often told of how their legs felt different after a fracture. People with artificial hips or similar had also reported this. You had always thought it was imagination, but now that you felt the same way, you could understand it a little better. Your knee felt really strange, numb and yet uncomfortable.

As if it was no longer a part of you, like a foreign body.
With a sigh you let yourself fall into the soft sheets. A curse was laying on your tongue.

Why had you been so stupid?

At that moment you noticed the smell. Jacob's smell.

A cold shiver crept through your body as his face appeared before your inner eyes.

The air smelled of rain and wet plants. It felt like you were walking through a forest while a warm summer shower fell through the canopy.

Sighing, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, a sharp pain coursing through your chest.

You pulled a face and pressed a hand on the spot to check if there was anything there. The ribs were pressing against the skin already. Probably your lungs had been weakened by the weight loss.

A few times you inhaled and exhaled, with each time the twinge became less until it finally disappeared and breathing felt natural again.

Jacob had left painkillers on the edge of the desk. Nothing hurt you, at least not enough for the need to use any. But the certainty that there were some in reach awakened in you the desire to numb the many unfamiliar feelings and reactions of the prison that you called your own body. Just for a moment you wanted to feel again as if every part of your body belonged to you completely.

Your hand was already reaching for the capsules when suddenly the door swung open and Jacob was standing in the room.

His sudden appearance surprised you so much that you flinched and dropped the pills. With a soft clink, they fell to the floor and slid under the bed.

Jacob looked at you skeptically from top to bottom before closing the door behind him and setting the bottle of water down in its place. Then he bent down and reached under the bed to pull out the pills. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at you.

You shivered and immediately lowered your gaze, fearing he was in a bad mood.

But Jacob slid a hand under your chin and forced you to look at him with gentle strength.

"Pup.", gently he stroked your cheek with his thumb. "Look at me."

Slowly you raised your eyes. As his eyes locked with yours your heart suddenly began to beat faster. Heat spread in your cheeks.

He noticed it and had to smirk.

"You've become calmer.", he murmured with a hint of disappointment. "Where is the fire from before? Are you afraid of me now?"

You shook your head.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

For a moment you pressed your lips together into a line.

"I'm not sure how much longer you'll be calm.", you murmured with a sarcastic expression. "I'm not afraid. Just cautious."

Surprised, his lips opened, he wanted to say something, but couldn't and just nodded. Wordlessly his eyes wandered over your face before he lifted the tablets in his hand and wiggled them in the air.

"Are you in pain?", he asked and held them out to you.

Again you shook your head.

"Not really. Just a little."

"Then why did you want to take some?"

You shrugged.

"It feels strange. My body, I mean.", you admitted. "My legs feel hollow and weak. My back hurts, but my lungs are numb when I breathe."

Understanding, he nodded, threw the painkillers on the table and grabbed the bottle of water instead to pour you some into a glass.

"Have some. It will help you.", he stroked through your (H/C) hair.

With a grateful nod, you took the glass and poured the water down your throat without swallowing.

"Jacob?", you put the empty glass down on the table.

"Hm?", he turned his gaze to you, but his attention was still focused on the events that were playing on his screen.

"Can I go out?", you asked.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You want to go back into the cage?"

A laugh escaped you.

"No, absolutely not. But... I want to get some fresh air. Move around."

Now he turned all the way to you.

"How's your knee? Will you be able to walk?"

"I'm not sure. It could get stiff with too much strain."

"And with too little movement?"

"Then too."

"Hm...", with a thoughtful look, he nodded his head. "You won't be able to walk alone... Can you hunt?"

Confused, you frowned.

"Hunt?", you asked. "Animals? With a gun?"

He nodded.

You shook your head.

"I see.", with a grin he stood up. "Then I will teach you."