Dog Days

Chapter 38

After my bath, Hela dressed me and changed my bandages. She didn't say much, but I could tell she was uncomfortable. She was turning a bit green.

After that, she reheated my food and put it back in my room. As she sits it down on the side table next to the couch, she asks "Are you tired? You must be tired."

I give her a soft smile, before declaring "I'm going to stay up a little longer, but I'll go to bed, soon."

She nods, before turning towards my bed. She pulls back the covers just on my side and asks "Do you need more pillows, or?"

I give her a tired smile "I would like to know where my laptop is."

She moves around the bed and declares "I put it on charge in your study."

She walks down the tiny passageway, only to return with my laptop. I take it from her and sit it on the couch, before she asks "Anything else?"

I give an exhausted smile "I'm good, Hela. I'm just going to watch some Netflix and try to relax and eat."

She nods, before slowly backing towards the door "I'll be back, in the morning. I'll make you breakfast."

I give her a scoff, before declaring "Go to bed, Hela. I'll be fine."

She nods and looks towards my nightstand, before giving me a stressed smile "Are you sure you don't want me to stay the night?"

I furrow my brow and remind "I'm a newly discharged marine, with some pretty major stressors. The last thing we need is you getting a glass of water in the middle of the night and me thinking a Syrian bomber is breaking into my house."

She gives a short nod, before pausing for a moment and declaring "I'm going to need your gun, before I leave."

I furrow my brow as I realize what she's hinting at. I sigh, before walking over to my nightstand and pulling out the handgun safe, which is roughly the size of a phone book.

I sit it on the bed and order "Come over here." She steps over and I declare "Middle, pointer, pointer, middle, ring, pointer."

She taps her fingers on the lock keys and it unlocks. I furrow my brow and order "Pull out the magazine."

She pulls it out and puts it back, before I clarify "Pull back the barrel and get rid of the bullet in the chamber." She does and I toss the bullet into the safe, before I order "Pull that little black piece." She pulls the pin and I state "Now act like you're clearing the chamber again." She pulls back again and the barrel comes off.

I take the barrel and pin, before putting them back in the safe and closing it. I put it back and declare "Just field stripped it, so I have the important pieces and you have the functional pieces. Can't do shit without all of it."

She gives me a soft smile "Thanks, Thor."

I sigh "Yeah, yeah, now go the fuck to bed."

Once she finally leaves, I take a seat on my couch and open my laptop.

As soon as I sit, pain rips through my shoulder and I sigh to myself. I sit there for a long while, trying to talk the pain away, but ultimately, I stand and retrieve a pain killer.

I sit back down and try to find something to ignore my brain, and finally, I just start playing some adult animation.

As I begin pecking at the food in front of me, I hear a familiar laugh. My brain begins to play tricks on me as I look up to find Loki sits in my bed.

I immediately process that it isn't really him, but I can't help but smile at his charming body language.

He stands on his knees, holding the bottom of the poster bed frame subductively. He smiles at me as he asks "Don't you know you're not supposed to mix pain killers and alcohol?"