Spooky

Chapter 26

-Scourge's POV-

The first thing I feel is a dull, aching pain in my back, and I growl softly, easing my eyes open. I rolled over onto my back at some point last night, and now I am filled with regret. The room is bright; I hear some shuffling behind me, and then a soft, "Scourge?"

"Nyeah?" I reply, trying to force my dried-out vocal cords to function. I turn my head slightly, looking over at Shadow, who is now hovering over me.

"How do you feel?" He reaches out to gently run a hand through my hair, and I purr slightly.

"Better now that you're here," I answer, grinning.

"I meant your back, but thank you," he snorts, and I laugh a little, trying to sit up. He helps me, gentle hands carefully lifting me into a seated position on the bed.

I yawn and say, "Better than last night." He moves to examine my back, gently prodding the stitched-up wound. Air hisses through my teeth as I bite back a gasp, stiffening when a terrible pain lances through me. It's so intense I feel like my heart stops for a moment.

Shadow frowns. "I think we should take you to the hospital..." he mumbles, looking anxious.

"No way!" I yelp, terrified, and he looks at me in shock; paranoid, I lower my voice before continuing. "They'll tell the school, and we'll get in trouble for sure—they'll kick me out for gang violence!"

"But Scourge," Shadow pleads, ever reasonable, "what if it gets infected? What if you're worse-off than we thought? I'm no doctor... there's no way I did a good enough job."

"No hospitals," I insist, and he sighs.

"Okay, okay—no hospitals, but what if I took you to a local clinic? They can't tell the school, right? Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that..." he trails off, looking pensive. "Or maybe that's just therapists and psychologists..." he shakes his head, leaving that thought behind. "Regardless, you really need your nose looked at. I don't know how to set a broken nose, but you need to get it seen-to." His eyes bore into me, pleading, "Please, Scourge. Just let me take you to the doctor. To someone who knows what they're doing."

I gingerly rub my eyes, still tired, and let out a yawn. "Alright..." I relent, "I'll go to a doctor." Looking back up, I let my hand drop back into my lap, and he gives me a relieved look.

"Good," he replies, turning to go, but I grab his arm and tug him back, pulling him down suddenly. He lets out a surprised yelp before sitting down a bit heavily on my bed, and I wrap my arms around him, pulling him close with a happy hum. His fur smells a bit sweaty, but the faint traces of his shampoo from yesterday remain, as well as a vague smell of blood; he's warm and soft, and I nuzzle into his spines, purring gently. When he laughs, seeming a bit baffled, I feel it shake me a little, and the deep rumble of his voice vibrates in his chest as he asks, "What are you doing?" before cautiously wrapping his arms around me as well.

It's a bit awkward, since I'm entirely on the bed while he's sitting perpendicularly to me, with his legs hanging off, but I pull him close as best I can. "Thank you," I murmur, "both for patching me up and kicking those guy's asses with me."

Shadow shifts position, now sitting entirely on the bed with me, and he gently runs his fingers through one of my spines. "Anytime," he answers, amusement in his tone.