He led her to his room again, which he had neatened up. He sat her down on his bed and bumbled around, pulling bandages and cleaning alcohol from cabinets. He approached her carefully, his smile gone and replaced with a serious, focused look.
“I’m gonna have to take the glass out of your hand, okay?”
Her gaze was on her lap, her hand outstretched, palm up. She didn't answer him, just nodded. At the least, her cries has turned into soft whimpers, but that wouldn't last long.
He pulled a small pair of pliers from the first-aid box and gently kneaded at her skin. He pulled out a couple of the larger shreds, then kneaded for the smaller ones.
Sage hissed and winced as he dug for shards of glass. She bit her lip til blood surfaced, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks.
He looked up at her, sighing softly. “I know it hurts now. But if you don’t take them out when the wound if fresh you’ll risk infection. Plus, I’m almost done.”
She gave him another nod, fearing that if she opened her mouth, she'd scream. She licked the blood from her lips and cursed herself mentally.
Look at the mess you're in….
He kneaded the swollen skin a couple more times for glass shards. When he didn’t find any he set down the pliers and grabbed out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a soft rag. He poured some on it and gently rubbed down the wound to clean it.
She gritted her teeth and whined like a wounded dog. Several times she tried to yank her hand away, but his grip was strong. But the time he was done, Sage was sobbing like a child once more,
He gently patted off her hand with a drier rag and carefully bandaged up her hand. He let her go slowly, looking up at her.
“Would you like a tissue?”
Letting her hand fall to her lap, she looked up at him, eyes red and puffy. 'Yes,' she croaked. "Please."
He nodded and rose to his feet, crossing the room and taking down a box of tissues from a shelf. He sat down next to her and handed them to her.
“There you are.”
Sage took the box and spent the next 5 minutes silently putting herself back together.
You're alright, Sage, she told herself. This is just a minor thing. Maybe not tonight but soon you'll be back home with Homer and Mom and Dad… And everything will be alright. You won't even remember this happened.
Sage took a deep breath and then another, her face dry. She looked down at her bandaged hand and sighed. Just a minor thing. ..
The scientist kept his gaze on the floor. He looked tired, and felt equally aa such. Hr just wanted to pass out on his temptingly comfy bed. But he had a guest to look after…
Sage invited herself to the bed, her despair sapling her energy so efficiently. She curled up into a tight ball and stilled, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't trust the man but she definitely was going to seep in another room by herself.
He glanced down at her with a faint sigh and slowly laid back. Hopefully she’d sleep, then want to go away. He just really wanted to be alone.
After moments of silence where neither one of them moved or spoke, Sage cleared her throat. "What's your name?" she asked. The silence ate away at her in a way she didn't like, so she tried to make conversation. At least, she'd know his name if he did decide to murder her in her sleep.
The scientist stirred to look at her. “My name is Dr. Wery. People call me Werry. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
"No it hasn't. " Sage corrected him. "My name is Sage Middleton. I read an article about you the other day." her voice took on a sleepy tone as her green eyes became unfocused and drowsy.
“Oh right. It’s a thing called being polite, you know,” He said with a chuckle, settinf his head down.
Sage gave a small shrug. "I thought you were being sarcastic." she replied. A yawn broke through her and she shivered.
Werry glanced down at her when she shivered, poking her gently. “Do you want a blanket?”
She glared at him, tempted to tell him just where he could put that blanket. But then she thought, If I upset him, I may never get out of here…
"Yes, please.."
Werry stood up with a sigh, crossed the room to a closet and opened it up, grabbing out a fuzzy quilt. He layed it across her and laid down again, sighing.
Sage let sleep cover her, well mostly. She no longer open her eyes, but underneath she was completely awake, despite her desire to sleep. She couldn't calm, not with Werry right next to her. But she tried.
Werry slept with his back to her, curled up in a tight ball under his sheets. He dropped off into sleep easily, snoring softly into his relaxed arms and long blond hair.
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