Chapter 78
“Try to relax Cole. You can close your eyes if that helps but it’s important that you still listen.”
I try to reassure him as I place my hand over his eyes forcing him to close them. He’s stiff but silent as I speak again.
“This is going to be a medicated bath.”
He gives a single, short but soft whine to the idea.
“Which is why it’s important that you follow my directions. I want you to wait until the tub is filled enough for the water to hit the cuts on your shins. Step in but do not sit. Give yourself a minute to feel the water. If it’s too hot, adjust the water. If it causes the cuts on your legs to sting or burn, you need to get out so I can put more medication in it.”
He takes a deep breath as I move my hand away from his eyes.
“This is not a lie or a trick. This bath is supposed to be comforting, soothing to your skin and body. Just like the soap and cloth I’m going to use. Do you understand your instructions?”
“Yes sir.”
“And you will follow them?”
I put the emphasis on ‘will’ since he struggled with some of my instructions yesterday.
“Yes sir.”
His response is quiet and meek but it’s there. I point to the bathroom as I see the light turn on and the water start running before stepping away from Cole.
I draw the curtain around the bed giving him even more privacy as he strips off his clothes. I enter the brightly lit room to find a bag filled with the same five bottles of medications that we use when a warrior ends up with multiple internal and external wounds from battle. The two largest bottles neutralize the minerals in the water leaving just the natural salts that come from the underground spring we draw our water from. The other three bottles are the actual medication, a mix of an antiseptic, a mild local anesthetic, and essential oils that aid in relaxing the mind and body. It’s as I’m disposing of the empty bottles that I find a sterile cup with a note underneath.
‘STI testing. Not a clean catch.’
I hear Cole enter the room as I pick up the cup and toss the note in the trash. I turn slowly to face him and hand him the cup.
“Have you urinated since I took you up to the other room?” He nods before speaking.
“Just before I laid down. I didn’t intend to fall asleep.”
“It’s okay that you slept. Sleeping while sedated isn’t as restful as most people think. I imagine you’re fairly exhausted. Do you know what time that was?”
“Seven maybe?”
“Okay that’s a long enough time frame and I imagine you need to go so, I need you to start in the cup to the line the rest in the toilet.”
“I thought drug tests had to be a clean catch?”
“I’m already running several drug tests on the urine I collected when I had to catheterize you yesterday. This is looking for sexually transmitted infections. In order to perform STI testing using urine we require that a urine sample be taken two hours after the last time you’ve gone and that you start in the cup, finish in the toilet. It’s the easiest, cheapest and painless way to test for diseases in males. Females are allowed to opt out of the STI urine test but are still brought in for the interview. We started handing out appointment times and instructions to your pack mates yesterday and have started bringing them in today for their sexual history interviews and testing. I’m going to step out of the room. It’s going to take me a few minutes to print out the physical form and sexual behavior questionnaire. I need to go through the physical to figure out what’s missing. We’ve been filling it out as we’ve found things out about you. Yours is going to take some time to go through before sending it to the council so I’m trying to get everything covered with you before I have to review the other physicals.”
He nods silently as he opens the cup and steps over to the toilet. I exit the bathroom through the opposite door that we entered, finding Angela on the other side.
“Thank you for coming down at this later hour.”
“You’re welcome, Dem. I think we both knew we hadn’t found everything. The fact that it has opened up again is quite concerning though.”
“I told him that I would use surgical glue to close it but that I would also use the shots to numb the area.”
She shakes her head as she continues gathering supplies.
“When did it happen?”
“Saturday, before the rest of the beating. He said his head was slammed into the counter.”
“So it’s not a direct result of the beating but it’s just as old as everything else we’ve found. I’m going to take a combination approach. I’m going to do at least one layer of stitches that will dissolve. I may add more layers depending on the depth and close with the glue.”
I roll a chair over to the computer and sit down as I log in.
“We need to get an X-ray.”
“That’s what I’m looking at now Ange. I’m not immediately seeing anything but I’d like you to verify behind me. Radiology wasn’t my best subject.”
“I’ll take a look before sending it to Dr. Fawn, the radiologist at General. He’s the one that found the two rib fractures.”
I move onto the folder we started on Cole and open up the file with the physical form all packs that join the warrior program are given. I scroll over to the printer icon and click on it starting the printing process before finding the sexual behavior interview file in a separate folder and doing the same to it. I stop by the cabinet and grab another bag filled with the same five bottles I have already dumped into the tub as well as the soap and cloth I’m going to use on him. I grab the papers off the printer and secure them onto a clipboard with a pen attached to it.
“I’ll link you to let you know that he’s ready.”
Angela nods as I lightly knock on the bathroom door. I give him a moment to respond before slowly opening the door. My heart drops as I see the young man pacing slowly beside the tub, his distress is evident in his posture and face.
“Cole.” I speak gently as I cross the room, putting the bag of supplies down on the counter.
“Have you tried getting into the water yet?”
He stops and slowly turns to face me.
“No sir. I’m sorry. I’ve been trying. I just…. I just.”
He sighs as he runs his hand through his hair.
“It’s okay Cole. It seems that telling you it’s a medicated bath has psyched you out a little. You’ve only been here two days and a lot has happened. I realize this is going to be awkward but I’m going to help you. Take your robe off, you can hang it on the door.”
I point to the door that leads back into the procedure room about three feet from where I stand. He walks slowly, watching me with caution as he gingerly takes the robe off and hangs it on the hook. I look over his naked body at the various marks and bruises. I’m hoping that this bath will help him heal as the last time I’ve seen a wolf so badly injured, outside of war, was when I was a teenager and my father had interrupted a brutal hazing at a pack we were visiting.
The damage done to the young he-wolf resulted in my dad removing him from the pack and advocating for changes in the laws. He’s the reason hazing is now considered assault and battery punishable by five years in prison for the first offense. It’s easy to notice his shaking hands as he walks back over to the tub.
I strip my own sweatpants off leaving me clad in only my boxers and t-shirt, the classic sleep attire for most he-wolves before crawling into bed. I fold them and place them on the counter before making my way over to the tub.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
