Mending Wounds

Tolvin sat on the table as the medic re-wrapped his ribs. Thankfully the x-rays showed that the damage was not to severe, even with the extensive bruising along his side. He was chatting idly with the medic as the man worked. The medic finished his work, applying the last strips.



He heard someone coming down the hall, but did not recognize the walking pace.

Rajat had showed her how far in the game he had gotten. While he ate, she drank and smiled as she listened to his day. John was no where to be found and that wasn't surprising. He was waiting for some grand confession of love...well, that wasn't happening. After she read Rajat a bedtime story, she refilled her glass since the tingling effects from the previous two were wearing off. Alcohol didn't stay in her system long, but she had never gone over board like John did last night and never would. At least, she didn't plan to. After a day like today...this was welcomed.

She moved inside of the medic room, narrowing her eyes when she saw him. She downed the remainder of her second glass and pointed a finger at the medic. "You...out. NOW!" He saw her face and looked over at Tolvin. "Did I STUTTER?" She rose her voice. Moving forward, the medic cleared his throat and stepped around her, leaving the room.

She looked over at Tolvin and tsked with a shake of her head. "You just couldn't keep it between us, could you? So, who'd you tell? Does John know? I'm sure he's reeling in the fact that I had a nightmare because I wasn't curled up next to him." She scoffed and moved closer to Tolvin, her eyes narrowed. "Why...why? Just WHY!?"

He blinked, surprised, when she kicked the medic out and started screaming at him. He let her continue for a bit until she paused for a breath. He stayed where he was and spoke softly.

"Miss Sevti, I have lied to my employer, I even lied to Rochelle for you. She saw through the lie you told her because she has seen me deal with a vampire before. I did not tell her anything, so what she knows is guesswork and from you."

He took a breath, wincing at the ache in his ribs.

"As for Mr. Quinn, I did not tell him anything and he did me the courtesy of not pressing me for information. Thanks to my promise to you, I am relegated to watching camera screens for the foreseeable future, so you can sod the fuck off."

She listened with narrowed eyes, barely believing him. "I'm so sure she did. Protect her all you like, but you know what...I don't give a shit." She held out her arms and laughed, shrugging. "I...don't....care."

When he insulted her, she pinched her lips together and stepped forward to slap him across the face then pointed at him. "You will not speak to me that way. Have you forgotten just who the hell you are?"

He grinned when she stepped closer.

"You will not speak to me that way. Have you forgotten just who the hell you are?"

He chuckled and looked back at her.

"No, I know very well who I am, Miss Sevti, and your status in this house is the only reason I have kept my mouth shut about what you did. You have a lot of stones to come yell at me when I am getting treated for the wounds I received..."

He locked eyes with her.

"....at your hands."

She grabbed him by the shirt that he had recently pulled on and used her strength to shove him against the wall, getting into his face. "You got hurt, boohoo...cry me a fucking river. I apologized for it and will not repent every day. What the hell is it with men expecting me to bow to them?" She released his shirt and ran her hands through her hair. She was slowly crumbling....

He winced and grunted from his own pain, she saw it written all over his face. Stepping back, she met his eyes. "This is not who I am...I'm not some savage vampire who attacks any and everyone. It...was an accident." She said slowly. "One of which won't happen again. I'm counting on you to keep your word, Richter." She pointed at him again. "Or this pain will be childs play."

His eyes were watering from the pain, but he kept to his feet. He looked her in the eye defiantly.

"I have no intent to break my promise, Miss Sevti, but it would be good to remember your place as well. I couldn't give a rat's ass who you do or don't bow to. I know what I heard last night and will not tell anyone of it, not even Rochelle, but we both know you have demons to fight. They are a far greater problem than I could ever be. Remember that you are a guest in this home and we ask that guests not abuse the staff without permission. After this moment, I will never speak of last night again, but remember this. You owe me for going against my codes and keeping your secret from Mr. Quinn. Idle threats serve no purpose. More than anyone here, I can relate to what you go through. I...I once attacked one of my own men in a nightmare. Did some significant damage, and it took a long time to get over that. Don't let it eat at you. Deal with your Demons and move on."

She scoffed, shaking her head. "I have no place in this household, Tolvin. You and I both know I don't belong here." She rubbed her temples and continued to listen to him, taking a seat in the corner of the room. Her head was pounding and her hand throbbing. She listened as she lowered her hand and began to unwrap it slowly. She had healed slightly but the burn of the area made her hiss. She rolled her eyes at him and looked up. "Face my demons and move on...yeah, yeah, of course it's that simple."

"HE killed my mother...used me as some sort of prized collection to beat and drink from when he wished." She blurted out and then pressed her mouth closed, closing her eyes as she inhaled slowly. "Just forget it."

He listened but did not speak. He walked over and shut the door, then moved to the supply cabinet and got out gauze wraps, alcohol and a suture kit, setting them on a tray and walking over to her. He set the tray on the table and smiled, holding out his hand for hers.

Reluctantly giving him her hand, she watched as he cleaned it and cursed when it burned. There was silence as he worked on removing a small shard of glass she had somehow missed. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and against her better judgement, spoke.

"I was sixteen, my mother told me to run...and I did. I didn't know creatures like them existed, not in our parts at least. One of them found me...took me to him" Her brows knit together as she spoke softly, the painful memories coming back. "Two years...two very long years I served as his personal buffet. Poked, prodded, studied, beaten, all to get me to reveal my true form. This blood thirsty creature wanted me to call him master, to be his prized collection. I was different back then. Much like Rochelle is now...I was...her. Until he told me he killed my mother." She opened her eyes slowly and looked down at her hand, seeing he was almost finished. "There's nothing to tell...I got away from the collector. Why he haunts my dreams...I'm not sure. It doesn't matter...it just is. I have to deal with it and be strong.." She nodded to convince herself. "She always said to be strong, to lead the pack and continue the line...she told me....she told me to be strong." She swallowed the hard lump in her throat and wasn't sure why she had just told this complete stranger about something she refused to tell anyone, even John.

And then she remembered....because it made her weak.

He listened as he worked, looking carefully at the glass shard before setting it in a tray. As he worked on her hand, she continued to talk and he listened. He blinked when she hissed from the pain as he stitched her wound closed. He set the supplies aside and grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cloth. He turned her hand and slowly cleaned the blood from her hand, dabbing the sutures to get the last of it. She fell silent as he finished. He looked up at her and nodded, releasing her hand.

"Give it a few days and come to me. I'll have a kit in my room so we can be discreet. We will take these out and and close it with melting stitches. You need this first stitching to let it clean out. Try to keep this dry until we switch things out. As long as we do things well, you should not have much of a mark."

He put everything away and opened a small fridge, lifting two small bottles out and setting them on top. He pulled needles out of a drawer, setting them on top as well. Seeing her eyes go to his actions, he explained.

"Antibiotics and painkiller. Do you want me to do it or do you want to do it yourself?"

She felt a bit better when he didn't dwell on what she had just said. It felt a bit good to say it, to get it out there. Swallowing and clenching her teeth, she looked down to watch him finish cleaning her wounds and blood off her hand. John would surely notice it, but at this point, she didn't care. Pinching the bridge of her nose as he explained about going to see him for melting stitches she nodded. It will make shifting hurt a bit but she would fight through that pain. It was definitely time for a run. Most definitely.

She looked up to see him holding syringes and cocked a brow. She shook her head and grinned, snatching them out of his hands. "I'm sure I'll manage. You uh...can go if you need to. I'll be fine, really. Sorry about your ribs." She sat back and looked at the syringes, tilting them different ways as she watched the liquid.

He grinned when she took the needles. He set the vial of painkiller next to her and smiled.

"For use as needed. Keep the doses fairly small. It's strong stuff. Let me know if you need more. This room is usually locked...and no alcohol until after the stitches are changed."

He smiled when she basically dismissed him. He shook his head and laughed softly.

"You remind me so much of him sometimes. It is no wonder you two click so well..."

She nodded, barely listening. "Yeah, yeah I got it. I'll be fine. Go." She crossed her leg over the other and thought about what he said. She looked up when he mentioned clicking and reminding him of John. Her eyes narrowed and she spoke slowly. "You really should go now..." She looked away from him and twirled the needles in her fingers as she thought.

Did she want to shift or just call it a night and go shower? Maybe the pain killers would help her to sleep...sleep soundly. It gave her a thought and she waited until he had left the room to add a CC more to the syringe. She was a weretigress, she could handle it. Her body temperature would burn it off quickly anyway.

Lifting her skirt more, she put the syringe tip in between her teeth and yanked it free from the cover. Quickly sliding the needle into her thigh, she pushed the liquid into her body and tossed the used needle away. Pulling her skirt down, she stood and felt a head rush, clutching her head. Blinking rapidly, she slowly and carefully made her way down the hall, holding onto the wall as she walked. It worked quickly apparently.

Quinn was just leaving his office, walking to go to the kitchen when he saw her stumbling down the hallway. He could smell the drying blood and antiseptic but was not sure she would accept his help. He went into the kitchen and got a beer, popping it and drinking it down quickly. He tossed the bottle and headed toward the residential hall. He knew they needed to talk so he headed for her rooms, hoping to catch her in a good mood.

She made it to her room, undressed and left a trail to her bathroom. Turning on the water, she let the hot water fall onto her body. She moaned a bit and relaxed even more, her eyes becoming more and more heavy by the minute. She hadn't expected the medication to work so fast. Running her fingers through her hair, she stumbled and reached out to touch the wall. Her eyes fluttered a bit and she whispered an incoherent name. Her back hit the shower wall as she tried to reach the handle. The room felt like it was spinning. Slowly, she let herself slide down the wall to sit and closed her eyes as the water fell on her.

Resting her head against the wall, she relaxed even more and began to drift off to sleep.

Quinn knocked lightly on her door and it swung open, revealing she was not in the room. He could hear the shower and he smiled remembering the fun they once had in there. He slipped in, shutting the door behind him and slowly opened the bathroom door. He looked through the frosted glass and could see her sitting on the floor of the shower. He paused for a moment trying to decide what he should do...

She attempted to stand again, shaking her head to clear her mind. But it was very hazy. had the alcohol counteracted with the pain meds? she gripped the wall, only for her hand to slid down the wet wall. The hot water was comfort enough for her, as she began to whisper his name as she fell back asleep.

"John..."

He watched her rise a moment, thinking she saw him. He watched as she pressed a hand to the shower wall and slid back down, whispering his name.

"John..."

He smiled as he stepped closer. He opened the door and saw her sleeping in the shower. He reached in, turning off the water and smiled. He lifted her from the floor and cradled her in his arms. He used his hand to grab the towel off the rack as he brought her into the bedroom. He threw the towel on the bed and laid her out on it. He went back in and grabbed another towel. He slowly and tenderly dried her body and hair. He smiled down at her, kissing her lips as she slept. He leaned close as she whispered softly.

"...John....I'm sorry..."

He stepped back, shocked for a moment, then returned to drying her carefully. Once he was done, he pulled back her blankets and slipped her into bed. He pulled the blanket up over her body. He pulled off his drenched shirt, laying it out on the chair. He then climbed onto the bed, curling against her. He kissed her cheek and laid there for quite some time, just enjoying the closeness. Once is a while he would hear her whisper again...always the same words...

"...John....I'm sorry..."

As he felt the now familiar sting in his mind from dawn's approach, he kissed her cheek again and slipped from the bed, careful not to wake her. He walked to the door, taking his shirt with him. He looked back at her and smiled again.

"I love you Sevti Tijgerian. Nothing is going to change that, and I don't care how long it takes. You will admit you love me too..."

She turned over and hugged the pillow tightly to her body, her brows furrowing slightly. She moaned a bit and shifted in bed. "John...." Her voice was soft, she appeared to be dreaming. Not a nightmare, but a restful sleep.

"I love......you." Her voice was sleepy, soft and barely audible as she let his name roll from her tongue one more time.

He listened as she said what he had been waiting to hear.
"John....I love......you."

He knew he would have a long wait in the waking world, but for some reason, that whispered admission hit home in him. He felt tears falling as she proved he was right, calling his name again.

"John..."

He grinned even as the tears fell. He looked at her sleeping form and whispered to her.

"I'll remember you said that..."

He quietly pulled the door closed and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for Ragat. He knew his son would be up soon and wanted to let her rest.