Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 18: Drawing Closer

Clara woke up the next morning sore and stiff. Her hand and knee were both swollen and aching. She got up from her bed carefully and limped to the bathroom. Once there, she unwrapped her injured hand to inspect it. The punctures had scabbed over, but it was now a bruised mess. She grabbed a wash cloth from the cabinet and wet it, gently wiping off the dried from around the scabs. Once it was clean, she got the first aid kit out from under her vanity sink and grabbed some ointment, gently smearing it over the scabs to keep them from getting infected. She tried wrapping fresh gauze around it, but couldn't quite get it tight enough. Sighing, she realized she was going to need help. 

She walked to the door of her bedroom and peaked out. Seeing no one, she walked down the hallway, stopping at Eli's door. She knocked on it gently, but received no answer. She cracked open the door and peaked in. A large form lay on the bed, unmoving. He was still asleep. She stood at the door, hesitating. She didn't want to wake him up.

"Dr. Hayes?" Clara jumped at the voice, whirling around. It was Connor. He'd come up the stairs, too quiet for her to notice. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She turned back around to close Eli's door before answering. "I was going to see if Eli was awake," she whispered. "I needed help wrapping my hand back up, but he's still sleeping."

The android glanced at her hand, which she held tightly against her chest. "I can help," he offered hesitantly.

Clara's eyes flickered back to her cousin's door. It wasn't worth waking him up over, she decided. "Alright," she said, looking back at the android. "Come on. There's a first aid kit in my room."

*****

Connor followed Dr. Hayes back down the hallway and into her bedroom. She opened the door and went in, not waiting for him to follow. He entered cautiously behind, hesitating briefly before stepping in. The room was messier than the last time he'd been there. The bed was a disheveled mess of tangled sheets, blankets, and pillows, and several cardigans lay draped over various pieces of furniture. A few pairs of shoes lay on the floor in front of the open closet, with several more piled haphazardly inside. He noticed an open book on her nightstand. Closer inspection revealed it as the fairy tale anthology that he'd seen in the living room. It was opened to the story of the goose girl. 

"Consider this your one free pass for being in here," the doctor called from the bathroom, where she was waiting for him.

"Noted," Connor replied, entering the bathroom behind her. It was a big open space with a glass shower in one corner and a large tub in the other. The opposite wall held a long vanity with various bottles and containers lined up under the mirror. The open first aid kit lay there as well. 

Dr. Hayes snagged the roll from the kit. "Here," she said, offering it to him. She leaned against the vanity, still holding her injured hand close.

The android took the gauze in one hand and held out the other for hers. She gently place her hand on his open palm. He leaned in a little closer, quickly analyzing the injury. The deviant had stabbed her hand several times, leaving four shallow punctures and lots of bruising. "You were fortunate that no bones were broken," he said aloud.