What is a Toaster? | Sabriel

I'm Coming Home

Sam's POV

The next week went by rather quickly. What free time Gabriel had was spent with Sam; he even sometimes took care of him while he was working. Sam, being the clever one he was, picked up almost everything new to him that he hadn't relearned quite yet, such as working the remote or counting to fifty.

The absolute hardest thing that Sam had to learn was to shower. It was just so difficult for him, especially with his fluffy hair and shampoo. He finally gathered the courage to ask Gabriel for help, after several minutes of trying to get the gooey soap covering his head.

He stuck his head out of the bathroom, watching as Gabriel searched for some clean hospital gowns. He pouted, letting out a soft sigh. "Gabriel....." He whispered, the nurse turning around and looking at Sam, a small blink of surprise crossing his face.

"What is it Sammo? Are you finished?" He asked, walking over to him. He frowned when he got close enough to see the shampoo in his hair, tipping his head. "You do realize you've still got shampoo in your hair, and that's it's not even lathered?"

Sam had ducked his head, blushing as he felt a thin trail of shampoo slide down his temple and cheek. "I don't know how to take a....shower." He said, having to pause a minute to remember the word. He had to do that sometimes. It was something that he was slowly coming out of though.

Gabriel's eyes softened gently and he set the hospital gown on the chair outside the bathroom door before looking at Sam. "I'll help you" He offered, making Sam smile in relief. Sam opened the door to let Gabriel in, the water still running and fogging up the bathroom in a thin layer of steam.

"Come here." Gabriel said, patting the edge of the bathtub. Sam was a bit confused, but complied, sitting down on the edge and shifting until it didn't dig into his legs. Gabriel stood in front of him, running his hands under the stream of water to get them wet before running through Sam's hair, his fingers threading through the locks.

"You want to be sure to get all over your head and make sure everything is clean. You usually on squeeze a little shampoo in your hand and go from there, okay?" Gabriel said, keeping his voice light but detailed. He had figured out the way Sam learned the most, and that was seeing, or in this case feeling, and hearing at the same time. Sam let out a grunt in response, telling Gabriel to continue.

"After you finish, it'll be very soapy, like this." He said, showing Sam his sud-covered hand. He motioned for Sam to get in the shower, moving the spray so it fell on his hair. "Then you rinse it off and do it again. You try this time." Gabriel was patient as he helped Sam rinse the suds out, showing him how his hair felt when they were gone. He then showed how much to squueeze into Sam's hand.

Sam slowly moved the shampoo to his head, sliding it over the top layer of his hair before he began trying to copy Gabriel's movements as he remembered them, which he got for the most part. When he thought he was finished, he let Gabriel check, making sure he got everywhere. With the nurse's approval, he rinsed out his hair before looking at Gabriel again.

"What now?" He asked, his gaze getting distracted as Gabriel grabbed another bottle and squeezed a small amount into his hand. The liquid much thicker and a milky gold color. He leaned his head down so the smaller male could reach his head.