We Are Better Together!

Chapter 12 - Some Wounds to Heal

Karasuma's Pov:

I was sitting on the bed thinking about everything and about nothing at the same time, for the first time not understanding my emotions at all, but one thing I knew that I have to focus on taking care of Irina, that was the most important thing. I heard a knock on the bathroom door and my head shot up in the direction. I quickly ran to the door, but before I could speak she spoke in a quiet voice,

"Y-you're there, right?..."

"Yes! I am right here... do you need anything?" I immediately replied.

"No... I am done...."

She said quietly and the door opened and stood there looking at me like she was relieved. I held her shoulders and she winced, I quickly removed my hand,
"Does it hurt?" I asked cautiously.

She hesitantly nodded and I helped her out of the bathroom to the bed and sat her down, then I sat on the floor with her eye level.

"Did you bandage yourself?"

"n-no..."

"Then, can I treat your wounds? should I ask a nurse to come and do it?"

"You...you can do it... n-no need to bother someone...NO! no... you... you don't need t-to worry about me....I-I can do it m-myself..."
She started breathing heavily, panicking as she was not able to form words and I quickly told her to calm down, but she was not listening to me now. Her breathing was getting uneven as she was getting a panic attack. I quickly pulled her in my arms hugging her tightly and she stiffened in response.

"Shhhh.... It's alright...calm down, Irina...." 
I quietly said and she seemed to calm down, only clutching to my shirt harder and started breathing normally. 

I started petting her head and she seemed to relax more, loosening her grip on my shirt. 
I started to break the hug slowly, but she did not made a move to break the hug so I assumed she would want to be like this a little longer and I hugged her more tightly this time, being careful of her injuries.
My hand touched her shoulder blade and she flinched and this time I broke the hug and looked directly into her eyes, but she seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

"Irina....It hurts, right? your wounds? Let me take care of it, please?" I spoke quietly hoping she would agree.

"Y-you don't have to do it..." She spoke quietly still avoiding the eye contact. I sighed and held her hand in mine wanting to reassure her, even just a little.

"Irina....You know I won't do anything you don't like, right?" I spoke silently expecting her to agree, but she still seemed hesitant.

"You don't need to--"

"I'm your husband... please let me take care of you...I won't want to hurt you, I won't want to see you hurt either... Irina...please..." I said quietly.

She finally looked at me, giving me a small pitiable look that said 'I'm sorry, I'm just scared'. She held my hand tightly this time as if seeing the helplessness in my eyes before speaking,

"O-okay..."

I sat on the bed and made her face me, then going to the bathroom closet to bring a first-aid kit, I started by taking some disinfectant on a cotton gauze and slowly, but gently cleaning her wounds one by one.

"It might hurt a bit...I'm sorry about it..."

She hissed every once in a while, but told me she was ok. After I was done cleaning her wounds, I put the cotton bandages on them and applied some cream on the light bruises.

"Is there any wound anywhere else?"

"N-no, nowhere...." She said looking away again this time.

"Irina?" I asked her with a questioning tone and she sighed, giving in and hesitantly pointing at her back.

"Ok, can you turn around?"
I asked and she stiffened in response. I realized what I asked, regretting my choice of words.
She still looked uncomfortable so I decided not to push it and ask a nurse to do it either.

"It's ok, you don't have to...I'll ask a nurse to treat your wounds"
I started to get up and take the box away when she held the back of my shirt and I paused, looking behind to see Irina giving a sad and desperate look, as if asking me not to go.

"W-wait... can y-you turn around?....p-please..."

I looked at her and understood what she was saying, keeping the box on the bed and turning around to give her some privacy.

"Y-you...can look h-here..."
She said after a while and I turned around to see Irina facing the other side with her shirt removed so I'll be able to put medicine on her back. She covered her front with the shirt, Her hair were open so I couldn't see the back either. I sat slowly on the bed, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

I lightly touched her shoulder wanting to ask her to slide her hair to the front, but she flinched from the touch and her shoulders tensed up.

"Irina, you ok? it's me, you know that, right?"

"Y-yes..." She said, her voice coming out shaky and wavering.

I slowly pushed her hair aside, sliding them to the front and she helped me in it, but as soon as I saw her back my brows furrowed, knitted in a frown and my shoulder tensed. Her back was covered in bruised that were still not healed, whiplashes and other painful looking, some burn marks and some were blue and black. She unknowingly pulled her hair forward as if to give me more space to apply medicine, that's when I saw the back of her neck and my jaw clenched with anger, gripping the first-aid box in a hard grip, so much that my knuckles went white. Her neck had hickies, painful looking bite marks and other bruises. Her shoulder had some bruises, some were even of a handprint shaped, but very light.

I cleaned her wounds and she sat there quietly, whimpering sometimes from the pain. I started to apply some antiseptic cream and she flinched from the coldness of it. I held her shoulder in a reassuring way and she seemed to relax.

"Ok! done... I'll bring an icepack for your shoulder....relax, okay?"

She nodded and I got up kissing her forehead and then going downstairs to the kitchen to bring the icepack.

When I got back I found Irina fast asleep on the bed, but the look of discomfort never went from her face as if she was still in pain. I tucked her up and kissed her forehead and cheek, for some reason smiling that I had Irina with me safe and sound. That was not what I was supposed to think, she was safe, but was still traumatized and scared.

My brows furrowed at the thought of it. I caressed her cheek and she leaned into it, I smiled and got up to leave the room, letting her sleep. I had some paperwork to do for hiring a nurse and a caretaker from our agency for Irina, trustworthy people, because I'm taking no chance with her safety.

I called Ichika-san, Sasaki-san's wife, who's a psychiatrist for Irina's check up. I hope everything goes well with it...

Yo! what's up?

My writing style is changing day by day and I'm frustrated coz of that🙂

See y'll😛