Nightmare

Ow

Rowan and I head out of the gas station and into the woods behind it, the roll of bandages in his hand.

"How's life?" I ask him to break the tense silence as we walk into the trees.

"You have a knife stuck in your hand  and you're going to ask me how life is?"

"Well, why not? It's so quiet here," I point out.

Rowan steps on a branch, and it snaps. "Happy?"

"Yes, thanks."

"The amount of sarcasm in those two words were overwhelming."

"Thanks." I'm not being sarcastic this time.

"Hold out your hand," Rowan says nervously as we stop walking.

I do, and it hurts. A lot. I wince, but he hasn't even touched my hand yet.

I hold the palm of my hand up higher. "Please do it fast," I plead.

"Okay," he says, gently but also firmly taking hold of the hilt.

He takes out a water bottle that he got from the store as well, and places it on the ground next to him.

(So I just did my research and you're NEVER supposed to take out a knife that is embedded in you because of a long explanation about blood vessels and stuff, so uh... just ignore that fact while they take the knife out of her hand, which they're not supposed to do. Thanks.)

Then Rowan shifts the knife, making me gasp, and then he pulls the blade out in one swift motion.

Pain shoots through my hand, and I'm pretty sure people all the way in Antarctica heard my scream.

I wince. "Sorry." But then I let out a quieter scream when Rowan pours water over the wound which is now yeeting blood out.

It... hurts more than I'd expected it to.

Like I could rip my hand off and it would hurt less.

He opens the roll of bandages and yanks at the fabric until he has a long line of it, and then uses the scissors that come with it to cut it off.

Then he begins wrapping it around my hand, and I wince again.

"Tell me if it's too tight or loose," he instructs me, continuing to wrap it around the wound.

I feel like the bandage will fall off when I move my hand around, so I tell him it's too loose.

He begins wrapping it tighter, and it feels a little better.

"Thank you," I say when he's finished. I don't dare bend the hand, but it feels a little better. I'll still have to get it looked at when we get to the SHIELD base, though.

"You're welcome, but you shouldn't have taken the knife for me. I could have handled it," Rowan says. "Thank you."

Ow.

Rowan and I go back into the gas station, where we don't see anyone waiting to use the men's bathroom, but someone's inside it.