Someone was looking after him.
Someone was taking care of him.
Jack couldn't believe it. It had been the shock of the realization alone that made him drop his impromptu weapon; it was a good thing too, otherwise he would surely have reacted violently to the touches.
The old lady had partially lifted his shirt and was spreading the dark blend in the places that hurt the most. Biting pain and weak spasms he was unable rein in followed even the lightest brushes against his bruised skin.
Yet as the dark blend settled at the wake of those bony fingers, aching he hadn't noticed was there started to melt away.
…She was taking care of him. She was helping him.
Jack couldn't do anything more than to stare at her in disbelief, mouth hanging open.
She picked dirt and twigs from his clothes and pulled at tiny stones lodged in his skin. She tossed the snow out of his hair. She bandaged his right arm; he hadn't even realized it was bleeding. A gauze was placed against another spot in his waist.
It was when she started to wipe his face with a wet rag that he finally came to life.
"…What are you doing…?" he asked weakly, leaning slightly away. He still didn't think he should trust her completely, but at this point he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to get away from her if his life depended on it.
She was taking care of him. He was sitting in an armchair in front of a fire, and another person was taking care of him. Like the children and their families he spied through frosted windows. It was–
It was impossible to resist.
Jack never relied on other spirits. Experience had taught him to be wary and not expect much. He kept himself away from those who were overly eager to draw him close. When he got into trouble he got himself out as well.
But this– this was too much. It was too late. He was too tired and too hurt and– He just– he just couldn't find the will to get away. He wanted– he needed more.
Oh boy, he hadn't realized how much he needed a gentle touch on his face. Pent-up pressure started to ooze out and he gasped a breath that sounded too much like a sob.
The old woman was cackling. "What am I doing? What do you think I'm doing? I'm cleaning you up. Jackie boy, you must have hit your head pretty hard. I can feel a few bumps," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.
It left traces of pain yet Jack unconsciously leaned into the touch.
"…How do you know me?" he whispered.
The woman smiled wide and Jack shuddered. In the light of the fire, her face seemed less gaunt, less starving, but her mouth was just as terrible as before. "Everyone knows you, my goose. There aren't many homeless flying boys with hair white as snow and an affinity for getting in trouble, you know."
Something stung in that sentence but Jack was unable to pinpoint it. He was too tired to think properly.
"Bit a bit more than you could chew with that troll, eh?" she went on. "Don't worry, you can stay here with me."
"…I need to leave," he interjected, although he knew that if she disagreed he wouldn't have the strength to insist.
"Later. When you get better. You have broken half your ribs and cracked your head. You need to rest."
"…I want my staff…" Jack repeated in a last half-hearted attempt.
"We'll go get it tomorrow," she assured him again. "You're safe here. Don't worry. You don't need it." She smiled and Jack shuddered from head to toe.
"You must be cold," the old woman observed and stood up to throw more wood in the fire. Jack whispered unheard protests but he could soon feel the heat burning more intensely on the back of his neck.
The woman returned to sit by his side. "There, this is better my goose, isn't it?"
Jack hardly had the strength to shake his head. The heat was making him drowsy. Coupled with the exhaustion of the pursuit and the pain of colliding against a plane, Jack suspected he would lose the battle with consciousness very soon.
"You didn't tell me how you came across a troll." The old woman's voice reached him as if from very far away.
His response was slurred. "…Woke it… during… ski…"
"Aw Jackie boy, you have to be more careful. You don't know what sort of spirit you might come across in your games," she snickered. Jack jerked at the pain of fingernails digging into his skin again, but a hand stroking his forehead soothed him.
And how did you hit the plane?
Did she ask that? Or was he imagining things? He couldn't see anything. Were his eyes closed?
Jack started to whisper a reply just in case, but no voice came out of his lips.
His left arm was bent in a strange angle. He could feel it ache and go numb… Jack tried to change position but couldn't really find a comfortable one. He had fallen asleep on a tree branch again; he could feel it rocking in the wind.
There was a soft song in his ear, like a lullaby. Something soft wrapped tight all around him, like a blanket.
A very beautiful dream.
Jack smiled.
A soothing voice and a warm hand caressing his forehead. He wanted to lean into the touch, but was in such deep sleep that he barely had enough self-control to turn his head.
Jack kept trying to relieve his left arm whenever he roused a bit, but after a while, he found that he could not move at all. A bone-deep weakness had consumed him and turned his limbs to lead. Even opening his eyes took a lot more effort than he would expect, and the sight that greeted him was foggy, the shapes indiscernible. Keeping his eyes open was exhausting.
He just relaxed and let himself fall asleep again.
Jack couldn't move even when warm, dripping wet fingernails sank deep. Clenching. Pulling. It hurt, his right arm hurt but it was stretched taut and impossible to stir.
He could only sob weakly at the pain and noises; (just a bad dream, just a bad dream) although, eventually, his breaths became too shallow and he wasn't able to make any more sounds.
And after a while, he couldn't feel anything at all.
I'm not sure if this should be rated M. Is it too graphic?
JFunderburker, thank you for taking the time to write such a long review and offering constructive criticism! :D I don't know if I covered the omissions of the previous chapter in this one... Any introspection and observations are more than welcome! I'm glad you found the whole thing unnerving, heheh!