Wren

Part 39

Wren stood with his arms wrapped around himself defensively. 

Today was one of the bad days. Wren's mind had retreated into itself, and he was terrified of the world around him. They were trying to bathe him, but he refused to cooperate. His eyes were wild and roved around frantically, not seeming to recognize their faces.

"Wren, it's me, puppy. Can you please just come here?" Matteo coaxed as he gestured to the setup in the bathroom floor. He and Leo had laid down a thick layer of towels, filled buckets with warm water, and gathered soap and clothes. They knew they wouldn't be able to get him into the shower yet, but they had to bathe him. Leo didn't want the wounds to get infected; they were already slow to heal. 

"Won't go." Wren mumbled under his breath for about the tenth time, his eyes scanning over the four corners of the room. 

Matteo followed his gaze around the dark room, realization slowly creeping over him. Was Wren subconsciously reminded of the room they'd found him in? It was the same square shape, cold, and fairly empty; just like the cinderblock room. 

"Wren, puppy, you're safe. It's just a bath, okay? Look." Matteo dipped his hand into one of the buckets, scooping up the water and letting it fall back down. Then he picked up a bottle of soap and took a few steps toward Wren, stopping in his track when Wren teetered backwards.

"Wren, do you want to watch something?" Leo tried, holding up his phone.

Wren hesitated, and Matteo took two steps back to his spot to give him space. Wren mirrored the steps, coming closer. He took a few moments to glance around the room again, then slowly settled to his knees. Leo made sure the volume was all the way down before he played the video, handing the phone to Wren.

Wren's mindstate was hard to understand-- he seemed to slip between a fearful, almost childlike state and his usual self, but even when he was more normal he always remained wary and fragile. He jumped at the slightest sound, didn't like to be touched even when he was 'present', and kept his eyes closed a lot. He still had the feeding tube taped to his cheek; he'd tried to eat but vomited. 

They'd moved back into their room, and had Sophie move to Vivian's rooms for the time being. Leo and Dace were never far, and Vincenzo was busy trying to bring down the Herrera family. 

Matteo moved slowly as he sat down behind Wren, careful not to disturb him now that he was distracted. He and Leo started to bathe him, dipping the washrags into the water and squirting soap onto them, then gingerly scrubbing every inch of skin they could. Matteo squeezed a rag over Wren's head, wetting his hair, then pumped some soap into it. He gently massaged and rubbed, smiling a little as he felt Wren's head start to lean more and more into his hands. 

They got him rinsed and stood him up, and Leo left so Matteo could slip off the wet boxers Wren wore and dry him. Wren held onto Matteo's shoulder with one hand as he stepped into the new pair, using the other to hold the phone. He was watching a craft video, the volume on mute and the screen dimmed. As Matteo stood and started to towel off his hair, Wren looked up from the phone with wide eyes and took a few fumbling steps backwards, startled that someone was so close. 

"Wren, it's okay. I'm just trying to dry your hair." 

Wren eyed him, but didn't back away when Matteo tried to approach again. 

Leo came back in with a stack of folded clothes in his hands, and helped Matteo dress Wren. After they'd gotten him into the pajamas, Leo tried to get his phone.

"Wren, can I have that back now?" Leo's tone was sweet, like how he talked to Sophie.

Wren shook his head and clutched the phone to his chest. "Want it." He said quietly, a hint of fear in his wide eyes.

"I know you want it, but I have to leave now, and I need my phone. Please?" He held out his hand, and Wren flinched back.

"Okay, it's okay. Can you set in on the counter for me?" 

Wren gave a longing look towards the phone, but then set it on the counter and moved away to the corner. Leo smiled at him. 

"Thank you." He picked up his phone and slipped it into his pocket. "I'm going now, goodbye Wren." He waved at him, then nodded at Matteo. He left the bathroom, and Matteo heard the door to bedroom open and close a few moments later. 

"Alright, puppy. It's just us now. You wanna go to bed?" Matteo reached out and held his hand in place.

Wren took it after a moment, then nodded. "I'm tired." He mumbled.

Matteo smiled and led him out of the bathroom, guiding him to their bed and helping him up. He pulled the covers up and tucked Wren in. "Okay, puppy. You sleep for a while, okay? I have to go do some things."

Wren was already half-asleep by the time Matteo was shutting the door behind him. Even small activities like taking a bath tired him out quickly, and Matteo knew it wasn't just physical exhaustion. Wren's mind was trying to relearn everything about his environment, and the lack of food caused him to have an ever-depleted energy level.

Matteo prayed that Wren would heal soon. He didn't know how much longer he could keep Sophie away, take care of such a fragile Wren, and get his work done all at the same time. 

Wren wasn't the only one suffering.

                Part Forty Coming Soon

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I'm so sorry guys. I feel like the last few parts have been very low quality, and repetitive. I'm trying to figure out my next plot points, and I've been a bit distracted with my upcoming stories. 

I also have some health issues and family things going on, so it's just been hard. 

Again, so sorry, I'll try to do better.

Have a great day, and thanks for reading thus far!