scars

Chapter 2: No Rest for the Wicked

Mama and I had scoured the house gathering the necessary supplies for Grandpa. I returned with the supplies in my arms. I had almost not noticed that Mama was trying to covertly sneak in behind me. "Mama...” I admonished as I began to kick open the door.

"I just wanna see that he's okay." She pleaded. I always felt myself melt when she used those big eyes on me.

"Eve! Get yer ass outta here the boy's got work ta do! Beat it!" Grandpa had saved the day. "R.J., get in here! If this nasty sonabitch comes awake he'll cut my balls off."

I closed the door not looking at Mama. The looks that she could give to me could make my blood run cold. I handed grandpa the towels and bedding finally handing him the pot of water. I gently lifted Otis into my arms. "Is he doing okay?" I asked as I gazed at his glassy eyes.

"I think that he might be havin’ a reaction to the drugs but he's fine." Grandpa stopped his preparations and looked at me. "Are you sure that you want to be that close to him when he wakes up? I've seen him gut a person for sheer principle. Let alone trying to coddle him."

I rested his head against my chest. "I'll take my chances."

I watched for over an hour as Grandpa worked to heal Otis. I watched with fascination as he massaged the infection out of his thigh. I kept finding myself looking over Otis's sharp features. He was so beautiful but yet haggard and road worn, in a way. Older but yet youthful and virile. His soft skin was as white as a ghost and his hair shone like the moon. I broke away from my contemplation to watch Grandpa suturing the pale skin of his thigh. I wondered if all of the rumors of Grandpa having been Doctor Satan were not true. Even at his age, his grace with surgery was second to none. As he clipped the last of the thread his voice traveled out to me. "So you like him, huh?"

"Uh..." The question caught me completely by surprise and scrambling for an answer.

"Oh, R.J…" Grandpa shook his head while massaging the wound with some kind of ointment. "Okay, roll him over onto his belly; let's get a good look at that nasty fucker on his back." I gently rolled Otis's limp body onto his stomach. I absently stroked his hair as Grandpa pulled away the towel. "Oh Jesus fucking Christ..." I felt panic rising in my gut. "R.J., I don't know if this is going to go well or not." I felt my heart fall away; I wanted to cover my ears, to avoid the next words I would hear. "If Otis is paralyzed, I will end it quick for him. He would want it that way."

"While I was holding him down I saw him move his legs." I had hoped for some reason, any reason, that would be enough for Grandpa to stop thinking about injecting Otis with enough morphine to put him out permanently.

"That's actually pretty good. Let's get this slug outta him."
I watched Grandpa work the slug out of his flesh, clearing bone and damaged flesh away. "R.J." I looked up at him as he was working at the wound attentively. "You can breathe now, boy." I exhaled heavily; embarrassed that I had been so wound up that I had not noticed I was holding my breath. "He's going to be okay, although..." He carefully put the back of his hand across the younger man’s alabaster forehead. "He does seem to be running a fever. You want to stay with him and keep him company for the night. Jus' the two of you?" Grandpa had a half smirk on his face.

"Yeah I will stay with him." I ignored the old man’s innuendo.

Grandpa laughed. “You’ve got balls, boy. I jus’ don’t know if you’ll have ‘em when he wakes up.”

Hugo took his leave as I pulled Otis’s body more tightly into my arms. I carefully wrapped the blanket around him and suddenly found myself drawn to that white hair again. I looked around the room before taking a long moment to nuzzle in it. Otis wasn’t the cleanest creature but he never smelled bad. He smelled earthy and spicy, like autumn leaves. He startled me with a sigh that sounded almost…contented. I began to drift off to sleep but long before I got there I was already in a dream.

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Author's note: Finals are done, time for fanfiction! Again no characters featured here belongs to me, which makes me lament.