A Pirate in Time (Completed)

12

After the children were fed and properly tucked away in bed, I quietly crept out of the room and closed the door behind me.

I balanced the dirty dishes in my hand as I turned around.

"They're asleep," I whisper to Jay. I haven't really looked at him yet, just happened to spot him out of the corner of my eye.

"Can you help me with something?" Jay asked with a soft chuckle.

I turned my head and my heart almost skipped a beat. He was shirtless, totally shirtless, and it took me a moment to realize he was trying to dress his wounds.

I suddenly remembered I was supposed to reply, "Uh, yes. What do you need?"

He turned a bit and showed me a red slice on his shoulder blade, "I can't quite reach it. Could you clean it for me?"

I gulped a little before nodding my head and moving closer. He handed me a damp towel and a bottle of what I could only assume was alcohol.

Turning to face his back, I noticed that the majority of the surface was covered in grayish and pink scars. This definitely wasn't his first rodeo. It looks like some of the scars could be from lashings.

"Uh, I'm kind of new at this," I stated nervously. I never really was one for blood and medical stuff. Frankly, it kind of scared me.

Jay's shoulders shook as he chuckled, "Don't worry, there's not much to it. First you need to clean away the dried blood and dirt around and on the wound with the cloth."

I gulped as I brought the cloth up to his shoulder blade. I gently cleaned the skin around the wound. Once I felt it was clean enough, I turned to Jay for more instructions.

He cleared his throat, "Now you use the spirits to disinfect the wound."

I picked up the bottle he had handed me and dribbled the liquid over the wound. His shoulder blade involuntarily jerked back a little, which was a good indicator that it stung. I wiped up the few drops that ran down his back.

"Now you need to cover the wound," he handed me a roll of cloth that would've been similar to gauze in my time. After wrapping it up, Jay turned back to me and thanked me.

Then his eyes landed on my neck, "You're hurt too. Have you had it cleaned yet?"

"No."

"Come here then, I'll do it."

I gulped and reluctantly handed him the supplies. He dropped the cloth back into a bucket at his feet. After swirling it around and letting it soak up a little more water, he squeezed it out.

"Look up," he commanded. I did as he said and flinched a little as the cloth touched my skin. Jay put a hand on my shoulder to steady me as he brushed away dried blood and whatever else had ended up on my skin. After a while, he dropped the cloth back in the bucket and picked up the alcohol.

"This'll sting a bit."

I clenched my jaw and waited for him to pour the liquid. When he did, I flinched a little. It inflamed the pain substantially, but died down faster than I expected.

"It's not very deep," he observed, "It won't need to be covered up. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

I didn't have to answer. The substantial amount of blood on my arm pulled his gaze there. He reached out and pulled the ripped cloth away from my wound. It stuck to my skin, but he was able to peel it off.

I watched as his lips drew into a thin line. His eyes were unwavering as he studied the gash.

After a long moment he sighed, "It'll need stitches."