Gloom (complete)

Almost There

Jacey found his broken splint on the other side of the couch.

After locating Blain mother's snow boots and dressing in another layer of clothes, she also put on Nurse Gila's green coat although she had Blain's mother's black padded warmer one. Then Jacey spent her remaining time creating a new splint for Blain and organizing her items and putting them into her bag.

When she finished, she found her way back downstairs, rackets in one hand, Blain's splint in the other, her bag strapped onto her back. She found Blain in the chaotic and messy kitchen, putting apples and oranges into a large zip-lock bag, packed with snow.

He was wearing what he had been earlier, only now he had a dark gray cotton cap on his head and a black glove over his good hand. She approached him, stepping over fallen containers and pots and pans, she came to a stop next to him.

"I thought you only had a few apples left?"

"Hey, help me get this on my hand..." He finished by zipping the bag with the awkward finger of his good hand, before tugging another glove out of his pocket and set it on the green-granite counter. "I'll let you have another one of the apples if you do."

Jacey sighed. "I would have helped you without the use of a bribe." He glanced at her, his lips parting. "But," the girl quickly said, not wanting Blain to change is mind. Jacey set her snow shoes onto the counter, "since you've already offered, you can't take it back. No take backs."

He groaned unhappily. "Are you going to do it today? Next week?" He asked impatiently.

"I'll do it only if you put this splint back on. You're an idiot for removing it to begin with. What if it had broken again? What if your stitches broke and you're wound became infected? I have no idea what to do if that happened an - "

"Bird... shut up..." Blain interrupted. "You can put it on me. You can put one on my leg if you wanna, just hurry up."

"You cannot take it off again, not until I say so, alright?"

"Yeah," Blain snapped, "yeah."

Jacey smiled innocently up at him. "You'll also give me half of your fruit."

"I was going to anyway," Blain snapped again. "Will you hurry up? Damn..."

Taking hold of his arm with careful hands, she ignored his wince and began reattaching his new splint before also working the glove onto his stiff, red, and slightly swollen fingers. She then placed his arm back at his side.

Blain turned away from her, picking up the zip-lock bag and dumping into the bag at his feet. He turned back, dropping a pair of gray gloves and a white nit-cap onto the counter.

"You're welcome."

Blinking at the items briefly, Jacey glanced back up at Blain. "Are you sure you want to leave today?" Scooping up both gloves, she began tugging them onto her hands before working on pulling the cap over her wild mane of curls.

"Why not?" His shoulders rouse then fell quickly with a shrug. "There's nothing left here and like you said... we need answers."

(O)

Getting the leather straps fastened around her boots was a hard wrestle, but eventually she had her shoes on and stood on top of the white flake hills of snow, legs as unstable and unsure as a baby antelope's first ever steps after birth.

Blain had already confidently marched down the hill in only a few quick steps. He turned around when he was standing on top of the veiled road and she on the hill above him. A smug grin, so humongous she was sure it hurt twisted his pale face.