Chapter 41
After about a minute of losing control and crying in my arms, Nicolas finally pushed me away and I knew better than to fight against that push so instead I unwrapped my arms and drew back away from him. He wiped the remaining tears away from his cheeks while avoiding my gaze and staring at the door blankly.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
I promise you those people are going to pay for what they did to you.
I said to Nicolas in my head as I pushed off the bed and stood tall before his huddled posture on the bed.
“Wanna take that shower now?” I asked once again. Nicolas said nothing for a few seconds before finally nodding his head once and glancing away again.
“Cool.” I paused before continuing, “Want me to assist you?”
“No. I can’t bathe myself just fine.” Nicolas replied immediately. I knew he was going to refuse the offer before I made it but I still offered anyway.
He stood up and I winced a little on seeing the small wince that marred his face which lingered there for a few seconds before it finally disappeared like it never appeared there before. I quickly looked away the moment he caught me staring.
A scowl covered his face this time, “What? I’m not broken or anything, just roughened up a little.”
I nodded my head immediately, glad that he was at least being his snappy self again, I knew there was more to it that he was admitting but I didn’t push it.
“So, what am I going to wear after taking a shower?” Nicolas inquired while glancing around the room slowly like he was just noticing the dim lights situated on the roof and on the walls.
The moment Nicolas’s question sank in, I muttered a quiet ‘shit’ under my breath, I haven’t even think that far yet. Of course we were all going to need a couple of clothes since we are planning on spending up to a week here until all the chaos around us settles.
“We honestly haven’t thought of that yet, Tris and the guys would go get what we all need in the morning.” I replied to Nicolas who shrugged his shoulders a little before asking. “So, I’m sleeping in these clothes tonight?”
“No, no. There’s gonna be robes in the bathroom, I’ll draw one for you when we get to the bathroom.”
“You’re going into the bathroom with me? I can do my stuff myself.” Nicolas argued while glaring at me.
This is one of the times where the fact that Nicolas still isn’t a full adult pokes out, of course he’s going to be more concerned about getting naked before me than falling on his ass due to how weak he obviously was, and let’s not forget the injuries that still need to be checked out.
“I’m only helping you get there, then I’ll wait for you to come out so we can check out your injuries.” I replied to him just as I grasped his elbow and started tugging him towards the bathroom. The scowl on his face remained on the same spot until after we’ve taken a few more steps before a pained wince replaced that expression. I bit on my lips to stop myself from asking if he was alright when he obviously wasn’t because I knew he’d only be embarrassed about it.
We finally got to the bathroom and I left him leaning against the counter while I quickly checked the drawers and dug out a black robe from the collection of robes folded and arranged neatly in one of the drawers in the bathroom. Dropping it on the counter beside him, I handed him a white, fluffy towel before nodding towards the shower door while glancing at him.
He grabbed the towel from my hand and limped him way into the bathroom before closing the door behind him. I pulled open all the drawers in the bathroom until I thankfully found a first aid kit. Settling it on the counter, I dug my phone out of my pocket and checked the time.
03:01am.
Something tells me Tristan was still very much awake and has still not moved an inch from his spot opposite the fireplace. A part of me wanted to quickly go check up on him, but that other part that understands that Nicolas might slip in the bathroom and need my help made me plant my ass on the cold counter and wait.
Nicolas finally pushed open the door after spending ages in the bathroom and walked out tentatively after shutting the door softly behind him. The towel was wrapped around his waist and the first thing I noticed was the holes in his neck which I remember noticing when we were still at the warehouse but then it escaped my mind again.
“What did you get injected with?” I asked quietly. Nicolas grimaced a little as he ran a finger over the spots before mumbling, “I dunno, it’s y’know, to make me almost unconscious and really weak, so they could, you know…” Nicolas trailed off and I nodded my head immediately to show him I perfectly understood what he was trying to say and got the picture without even trying.
His face looked a lot more relaxed than it was before he had a shower which I was thankful about. The cut on his lips wasn’t that swollen and likewise the swell on his face. I dabbed the cuts with the antiseptic soaked cotton wool and massaged the lump on his face a little with a menthol. His wet hair laid slicked back on his head and I noticed his natural blond hair peeking out in the roots of his hair, in a few more days and it would be more obvious. On a normal day, he’d bleach his hair out again before their natural color starts to peak out.
The wound on the side of his hair was more obvious now due the hair staying slick back on it and outlining the wound more prominently. I cleaned out the wound with iodine which made him wince hard without screaming out in pain. I knew just how bad iodine hurts like a bitch on a fresh wound but since Nicolas only winced, it made it more obvious that he tolerated pain a lot more than other emotions.
I’d have given him an antibiotic shot against infections but there was only so much a penthouse could have in their bathrooms, I promised myself to remember to get it tomorrow so we can give him a shot.