Blank Slates

Chapter 27

Doc stared at the two of them blankly, clicking the pen in his hand open and closed on repeat. He was out of his normal scrubs and coat and his hair was slightly disheveled, but it seemed like he had been up for a while. For what reason exactly, neither could fathom why, but they weren't complaining. Kairo looked at the doctor with pleading eyes, awaiting a positive response. A bit of annoyance began to build up inside, but he forced himself to shove it away, knowing that this was the only person who could help them. Kairo felt her grip on his jacket tighten, an almost silent whimper escaping her. His heart dropped as he began assuming the worst, and he took a few steps forward, on the verge of forcing himself into the room.

"Doc, please," he begged, growing more and more frantic with each passing second. "She's hurt."

Doc frowned, but after a few seconds, stepped aside to let them in. While he hurried to gather up some materials and supplies, Kairo set her down on the closest bed in a sitting position, keeping a cloth pressed to the back of her head. The wound had stopped bleeding, but he was too panicked to know what else to do. She hadn't lost consciousness, but she still looked rather dazed and her face had grown pale.

"You'll be alright, darling," he assured, both for her and his own sanity. "Just hang in there."

She hummed quietly in response, trying to distract herself from the dull throbbing in her head. "I've been through worse."

Before he could respond, Doc barged back in, dumping his supplies on the edge of the bed. "Move," he ordered gruffly, and Kairo obliged, standing up and moving out of the way. Doc shot him a sharp glance. "Back up more. I don't need you breathing down my neck while I work, you hear?"

Kairo bit back the instinctive urge to retort, but gave them more space, still not taking his eyes off of her. She winced as Doc moved her hair aside and pulled away the blood stained cloth to examine her injury.

"Well, her skull isn't shattered, that's for sure. The cut isn't too deep either, so I'll just disinfect it before bandaging it up. No stitches or staples needed."

"So, she'll be okay?"

"No, she's gonna die. Were you even listening to what I just said?"

Kairo raised his hands. "Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to make sure."

Doc snorted as he got to work patching her up. Though it stung as he cleaned it out, his touch was surprisingly gentle and light. She twisted the edge of her shirt around her fingers and stared off into space while waiting for him to finish.

"So, you want to explain how this happened?" he asked, his voice still retaining its gruff tone.

Her eyes flicked over to Kairo, with him immediately jumping to answer. "She fell off a chair in her room while trying to adjust the clock on the wall."

Doc's eyebrows furrowed, obviously unconvinced. "And this just happened?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing in her cell at nearly 3 in the morning?"

"I...uh just wanted to check up on her."

"...at 3 in the morning?"

"Yeah..."

Doc's frown deepened as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "And? Go on."

"She...she told me that she was having trouble sleeping at night, so I said I would pay her a visit if I could," he explained, his mind racing as he crafted a storyline to cover for what they were really up to.

"And you walked in the exact moment she fell?"

"Well, it was the sound of me opening the door that surprised her and caused her to fall."