𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒓 ᖭི༏ᖫྀ 𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖𝚜

chapter twenty two : sword and shield

[XXII]

"YOU FUCKING asshole, Ellie!"

My fingers shook, hovering over her battered body as it lay before me. Her breaths were uneven and I could hear her chest whistle from obstruction upon her respiration. It tore my heart apart. But I knew she hated me. She probably hated me even more, now that she had been beaten to a pulp because of me.

But she had made a quip. She was severely injured, I had been kidnapped, and last time I saw her she said she'd kill me on sight. But she had made a quip.

It was too much. My eyes welled, and my hands finally rested on her arm, gently testing whether she minded. Her shoulders visibly relaxed, her tense body, stiff as a board, curling into me slightly.

"Oh, Ellie..." I said between tears, smudging the blood that covered her arm to one side. "I'm so sorry."

And I meant it. Ellie would have saved herself a lot of pain and suffering, had she simply left me in the woods where she'd found me. She needed nursing, and though I couldn't do much tied up, I would do whatever I could.

Pulling her into my lap, I scanned over her body for the first time without stopping myself. Upon her legs were mostly bruises, which would hurt like a bitch, but they would heal well. My fingers brushed up to her vest, which was caked in half-dry, half-fresh blood. Most certainly her own. I peeled it back gently and revealed myriads of shallow cuts littered over her torso, as well as some bruising on her chest. I felt so powerless; there wasn't much I could help with being stuck where I was, without provisions, so in an attempt to provide her perhaps some comfort, I gently stroked her hair, playing with the strands lightly, and dragging my fingers through her brown waves.

The door swung open. Before I even saw who it was, I scooped up her body and clutched it close to me, shouting to the intruder,

"Come anywhere near her and I'll fucking end you!"

My voice was shrill, the tell-tale sign that I was more afraid than angry. But as I looked at whose head had peeked round the door, it was only Lev. I still watched him with narrowed eyes as he put his hands up in defeat and reassured me,

"Hey, hey. I won't touch her unless you give me permission. But she needs medical attention, asap."

"Where's Finn?" I sniffed, still holding Ellie close.

"Abby put him on fucking probation because he's trying to save you. He's not having it..."

He paused to think, as if still deciding, but concluded,

"...And neither am I."

If they had hurt Finn I would fucking slit their throats, but 'probation' sounded pretty harmless.

I didn't want to trust him. But I needed to trust him.

I allowed myself to have him gently take a look at Ellie. He had a few little boxes and pills and a fucking needle in a zip tie bag he had brought him. A pretty serious set of equipment.

He examined her, and I made sure that he didn't do anything to hurt her, fighting the urge to pull her back to me every time he pressed a tender spot that made her hiss or squirm in her sleep.

"Most of her injuries are fairly minor, only requiring rest. I'll dose her with penicillin just in case..."

His speech gave way into nothingness as his eyes fell on Ellie's tattoo, covering the chemical burn that still had the trace of a bite mark scar underneath it. He seemed awestruck, like he was looking at an ancient artefact or some fossil from a million years ago. It was a little endearing.