ACRO

The Real Us

Sam entered her apartment, heading straight to the bathroom. She bent towards the basin, splashing her face with water several times.

She looked into the mirror, to see her face flushed red. Her eyes closed and she sighed, in embarrassment mixed with disappointment in herself.

"You had to. You fucking had to." she muttered to herself.

She rested her head against her palms for a few minutes, until she heard a knock at the door. Wiping her face with a hand towel, she headed towards the door.

As soon as she swung it open, a wounded and bleeding Matt fell forward. She immediately caught hold of him, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa." she exclaimed, yanking his arm around her shoulder as her arm held his back, firmly.

She laid him on her couch, taking off his jacket. A line of blood trickled down his head and his hand clutched the side of his stomach, which bled uncontrollably.

His eyes were half closed, his breathing heavy and slow, his cheek tinted with a bluish-purple bruise. She lifted his shirt slowly, to see a large gash at the side of his stomach, spluttering with blood.
"You're stabbed." she said, taking his hand and pressing it against the wound, to prevent bleeding.

"Who did this to you?" she asked, hurriedly running into the kitchen.

"It was him." murmured Matt, his voice hoarse and his speech slow.

"The last one."

She knelt beside him, placing a steel case on the floor, that contained materials for suturing a wound. She placed a piece of gauze against the wound, pressing his hand against it.
"Hold it, firmly." she said, and he followed.

"I'll have to stitch you up, right now. Be still." she said, taking out a needle, a pair of scissors, a needle driver, tissue forceps and a roll of thread. She took out a lighter from her pocket, and placed the end of the needle in the flame, until it flowed red.

"Alright, Matt? This is gonna hurt, but you have to stay still, okay?" she said, putting on a pair of gloves.

"Just do it." he groaned.

*

The sky was a few minutes away from sunrise. Matt's eyes opened, and as his vision cleared, he saw Sam wiping blood off the floor.

"Mornin'." he croaked.

She looked up, at him, weariness and the lack of sleep showing in her features.
"How you feeling?" she asked.

"Amazing." he said, sarcastically.

"You passed out a few minutes after I started sewing you up." she said.

He nodded, slowly.
"How much blood did I spill?"

"Enough to keep me cleaning all night."

His eyebrows raised, slightly.
"Thank you, Royce." he said, sincerity in his tone.

She put the mop aside and washed her hands.
"Tell me about him." she said, handing him a plate of bacon and eggs.