The Bloodshed Killing

Chapter Seventeen

That's the great paradox of living on this earth, that in the midst of great pain you can have great joy as well. If we didn't have those things we'd just be numb.

 ―  Kate Mattea

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Oldman Eldon's house smells like sugar cookies and hot cocoa. It's a safe haven in this war zone, and the scent reminds me of home. God, I wish I was home.

"Here, drink this." The old man smiles at me with kind eyes and pushes a short, stout glass in front of me.

I eye the glass, unsure if I should trust the amber liquid. "What is it?"

"A pain killer," he comically states and tilts his head back as a hearty laugh erupts from him. "It's bourbon. It's good for you. It's made from corn."

"No, thank you. I think I'm good." I kindly refuse his offer.

If this man turns out to be a serial killer, I don't want to be partially drunk as I try to fend him off. I have to be at my best, even if I am in my worst state. Without the alcohol, I can barely stand on my own and my head keeps on slipping in and out of consciousness. I think I imagined Haris coming over to visit me and holding a gun to my head multiple times. I know I imagined my mother and her sweet, delicate voice telling me to join her in whatever afterlife she's been dragged into. I'm bad enough without any alcohol in my system. I can't afford to make any more mistakes.

"Alright. Suit yourself, but when I get to the shoulder it's gonna hurt like hell." He eyes my bullet wound.

When he dragged me into his house, he asked me to strip down so he could see my wounds. I think it's the fastest a boy's ever ripped off my pants before getting to know me. He laid me on his dinner table and examined my severe lacerations, before he introduced himself.

"Do you know what you're doing?" My mouth speaks for me before I can think about what I'm saying.

Oldman Eldon chuckles. "I should. I was a doctor for forty years."

"Oh... Why aren't you a doctor anymore?" I flinched as he poured alcohol all over my rain burns on my leg, and bit my bottom lip trying to hold in the screams of agony.

"I retired when my wife, Inese, passed. I figured that I should move on." He shifted his eyes from my leg to my face. "You look a lot like her."

"She must have been beautiful, then." I crack the small joke, hoping that a little bit of lightheartedness will take my mind away from all the pain.

"She was a real looker. All the boys were after her when I met her."

"How'd you get her, then?"

"I was a doctor! Smart girls love a guy that can take care of them and make lots of money while they're at it!" He sends an innocent wink in my direction as he tightly wraps my leg with gauze. "You're leg's infected. You're gonna need to be on a lot of antibiotics, and clean it at least twice a day."

I reluctantly nod to his doctoral advice.

"You sure you don't want that drink? I'm moving up to the shoulder." He offers me the bourbon once more.

"I'm sure. Just do it." I tightly close my eyes when I feel the pincers go into the bullet hole and begin looking for the alleged pieces of steel lodged somewhere in my shoulder. I bite my bottom lip with so much force that it breaks the top layer of skin and starts to drip blood into my mouth and down my chin.

Doctor Eldon tries to use his bedside manner, but doesn't really get me feeling any better about the situation. "I know it hurts. I just gotta make sure there aren't any bullet pieces laying around in there."

I thrash my legs and ball my fists as his pincers continue to search around the inside of my shoulder. Shit! I internally scream and cuss at Oldman Eldon, because I don't really have anyone else to blame in the room right now. As his search continues, my vision gets hazy and the chandelier above me starts to spin at unlikely speeds. Why is everything spinning? I try to look at the old doctor, but he's no longer there. Instead, there is just darkness and emptiness.

After minutes of complete darkness, my body jolts up and is met with a bright light.

"Good, you're up again. You passed out," the voice next to me says. I slightly turn my head and recognize Oldman Eldon.

"Huh?" I ask, still a little dazed.

"I think the pain was too much for you." He lightly laughs. "I'm still trying to stitch you up."

"Can I have that drink, now?" I eye the dark amber liquid sitting on the kitchen counter, and forget about the small promise I made myself to not make anymore mistakes. I never want to feel that type of pain again, and alcohol seems like the only solution. What I would give to have a blunt right now.

Doctor Eldon passes me the glass and helps me sit up so that I can drown the harsh alcohol. I grimace as the drink leaves a burning trail down my throat.

"Better?" Eldon smiles.

"More," I demand.

"Coming right up." He feeds me cup after cup of whiskey, until my entire body is buzzing with alcohol.

He continues with the stitching as I lay on the table, listening to his lovable stories about his beautiful wife and the amazing times they had together when she was still alive. His wife, Inese, sounds like a real charmer. She was a biologist for NASA and was even recruited to go into space, but their mission was canceled due to insufficient funds. It would have been cool for Eldon to be able to introduce his deceased wife as an astronaut.

After what felt like hours of small talk and stories about Inese, Eldon finally speaks up. "Here, take these." He holds two white-and-red capsules up to my face.

"What are they?" I slur.

"They'll help fight the infection on your leg and prevent you from getting one on your shoulder."

"Do they taste good?" I ask the stupid question in my drunken state.

Doctor Eldon laughs at my question, but decides to play along. "Yes, Althea. They're cherry flavored!"

As a child, I loved anything cherry-flavored, so I jump at the chance of tasting it once again. I quickly down the antibiotic capsules with water and lay on the table, until sleep finally takes me under its wings. 

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Hello, loves!    

I waited until the last minute to start this chapter. Lol. I usually post around the middle of the day, but it's 4:25 pm right now where I'm at. I'd blame it on school, but I honestly just procrastinated. Lol. But I really did start school. This is my second week and I'm lowkey already overwhelmed. 

Anyways, what do you guys think about Oldman Eldon? I thought he was pretty nice and seems trustworthy. 

XOXO, Patty