Academy Island

Pockets

He didn't turn around. I wondered if he didn't hear me and tugged again, impatient now. The water was getting cold fast and was leaving the hallow in my middle squirming and heavy. He peeked further over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Uh...really?"

I nodded and rested my head against the edge of the tub, fatigued. I could tell by the almost white sun glowing in the window that it was sometime around noon, and I already wanted to go to bed, the day only half over. His shorts slipped from my grasp and then his hands were grabbing under my armpits, lifting me up. Water sloshed around my torso and then around my legs as I was pulled up and out. I shivered as I stood, dripping. It was so tempting to lay back down and escape from the icy air. I hung on to him to keep myself from succumbing and also to tether myself to something solid so the swaying didn't get the better of me. He froze, letting go from under my arms and raising his own up halfway when I leaned forward and grabbed around his middle in a weak bear hug, my ear to his chest. I listened to his heartbeat for a minute, rapid, before I realized I'd just gotten him all wet.

"Sorry."

He laughed dryly. "No, it's fine. Let's get you dried off."

He put an arm down around my waist and turned so he was beside me, waiting for me to lift my legs out of the water and out. The dry grass that had been laid out tickled and itched at my ankles, but was nice and springy, way better than stepping out on the packed dirt. He bent over so he could reach the length of plain cloth he'd brought in with his armful of stuff and grabbed it, fluffing it a few times before throwing it over my shoulders. I let him adjust it, leaning in to him and keeping my arms around his middle. When he pulled away to wrap it around the side I had plastered to him I whimpered, not wanting to break contact with him. He chuckled.

"Oy. You're going to give me the wrong idea if you keep on like that. Here, rub yourself down and I'll get something for you to wear."

He left me standing on the grass mat, dazed and trying to wipe myself dry without shivering while he glanced around the room, finally settling his gaze on a long white jacket hanging on one of the beams by the fireplace. He spoke up, loudly.

"Hey Doc. Do you mind if I wrap her up in your coat until her hair dries?"

The doctor's voice coughed and piped up from under the open window. I wondered if he'd been waiting there ever since he had left. For some reason the thought made me relieved.

"Just don't let her go through the pockets. I have stuff in there that shouldn't be handled."

Punky stopped midway to fetching it, going stiff and eyeing the item with a suspicious glare. He cleared his throat, sounding like he needed a glass of water.

"Fuck. What kind of 'stuff'? Scissors and junk, or something freaky like last time?"

Scraping of shoes in dirt preceded the doctor's face popping up to look in the window. He leaned in, resting his elbows on the frame, his face full of tease.

"I believe these fall under the category 'freaky'. There's probably about, oh, eighty of them, I think. Give or take."

"Of what?"

"Centipede eggs. They may or may not have hatched by now. As long as you don't open or break their jar you should be fine."

Punky swore colorfully and marched over to the door to throw it open, looking around the corner. The Doctor leaned back out from his perch to wave tauntingly at him.

"Get your ass in here and get rid of the little fuckers then!"

The doctor laughed and ambled up off the frame of the window, coming around and in, leaving the door open behind him. He was still chuckling to himself as he pulled a small glass jar out of the pocket of his coat, the bottom covered in what looked like tapioca. He held it up, letting the little balls inside roll around and spill over the top of each other as their environment shifted. Punky grabbed the coat, gingerly checking the pockets, pulling each open with the bare tip of his forefinger so he could look in. The doctor held his jar higher as if making a toast.

"Here's to medical science."

He acted out the drinking of the contents and Punky gagged. All I could do was gape, fascinated at the two. Even though there was an argument, they both had an aura of getting along around each other. It was something I'd never had with my family, everyone too drawn into their own little world to take notice of what everyone else was doing. I had thought that when father had announced the first vacation we'd ever taken together, that that would change somewhat. At least a little. No hope of that now.

A drop splashed over the crease of my nose and my lip, running down the corner of my mouth. My head rocked back, surprised at it. This wasn't the time for grieving. I pressed my palm up against my cheek, wiping away evidence while both men bantered together. It was gone before both threw their attention back on me, suspiciously quiet like they knew what I'd hid. I smiled, aiming for a better deception.

"Can I put it on now, is it safe?"

Neither of them answered me, making nervousness rise, fluttering along with the ache in my chest. I'd already made a bad enough impression, I didn't need to add crying in front of them to the list of reasons for them to be upset with me. I held my hand out, unable to stop the shaking but appearing more confident than I looked, I hoped. I drummed my fingers on the air, trying to deter the identical look they were giving me by feigning impatience.

"Please, it's cold in here."

The doctor shook himself out of his stupor first and set his jar down, his face contrite. "Sorry. What'd you have to go and make her cry for? She just got here and already you've got her in tears."

Punky cuffed him on his shoulder and I dropped my head down into my hand, irked that I'd been caught. The coat was rustled and placed over my shoulders and my wrist was lifted, held firmly between the doctor's thumb and forefinger. He put his other hand over my forehead, lifting gently so he could watch my eyes closely. It was a minute before he was done and stepped back, letting Punky get close. He pulled the arms of the coat out, prompting me to slide my arms in them. I was grateful for the distraction, not used to all the eye contact that these guys kept initiating. Punky pulled the cloth I'd been given as a towel out from under it and off of me, leaving me in just the coat. The doctor watched him and put his hands in his pockets, sober now.

"Sorry about the centipedes, I get carried away sometimes when I'm trying to lift the mood. Feel free to kick me if I go too far."

He smiled softly, still teasing I think, but I shook my head, uncomfortable with the idea. I'd never been a violent person, and I wasn't about to start now, teasing or not. They nodded to each other when I was clothed, moved around me, surrounding me on both sides. They were too close, getting my heartbeat to speed up when both took my arms and pulled them over the top of their heads, lifting me so I could barely reach the floor with my toes. My eyes widened when the coat almost fell open and Punky grabbed at it, making sure it stayed in front as I was lifted off even my toes to hang between the two. He winked at me when I looked up at him in surprise, shivering from the close contact from them both.

"Okay, let's get you outside in the sun so we can dry your hair. You're shivering like a wet chihuahua in here."