Author's Note: It's Thursday again, so here you go! You guys get another chapter - in which I teach you about frost-related injuries. Really, I had to do some intense research on the subject (well, maybe not intense, but I definitely spent at least half an hour reading about it.) Be prepared for a family "D'AWWW" moment as well. Enjoy!
Their room had been empty, as expected. With determination, she had gone to find him, as expected. Alfred had been out in the cold, as expected. He had been trying to be the hero, as expected. The only thing that had been unexpected was the person who had saved him.
In the hallway, someone had called her name; Someone had called her full name. He had explained that he had just guessed and became flustered. He had broken his perfect Canadian accent by slipping in a hint of a Russian one. She didn't know why, but for some reason, he had offered to help her find her brother. They had gone out into the biting wind and found Alfred crumpled about half-way to the generator shed.
At the sight, she had begun to panic and hyperventilate. Through her tears and frustration, she had watched the tall boy pick Alfred up and place him on his shoulder. In an instant, she had been on her feet again and they had been making their way back to the lodge. As the warmth of the fire washed over her, all she had managed to muster out had been a weak "thank you".
Thank you?
This guy saves my brother's life and all I can think of to say is thank you?
As people with warm blankets and dry facecloths swarmed around her, she let her body relax and tried to do the same for her mind. She could feel the stiffness of her frozen fingers begin to wane as they were dipped into a bowl of lukewarm water by one of the people helping her. She was cradled against a warm body, but even if she opened her eyes, she could not see who they were. The melt-water was wiped from her head and face. A comforting hand caressed her cheek, while another clumsily combed its fingers through her damp hair. Someone shifted her body, removed her snow-soaked coat and wrapped her in a warm blanket. A soft kiss was placed on her forehead, and she attempted to open her eyes.
"I'm so proud of you." Her father's emerald eyes were rimmed with unshed tears, and she let a small noise weakly escape her throat that signified her alertness. His arms tightened his grip on her and pulled her into an embrace.
"I know he would've done the same for me." Maddie rested in the comfort of his hug for several moments before he slowly pulled away.
"I think that's what he was trying to do for everyone," he started. " and his plan might have worked if he thought it through better, or at least put on a proper jacket." His voice was laced with faint pride at the edges, but anyone who didn't know him like she did would only hear his scolding parental tone.
She smiled slightly at her brother's attempted heroics. She supposed that with his determination, he might have pulled it off - only if, like her father had said, he better prepared himself for the raging blizzard outside. She had enough strength then to sit up on her own, and did. Re-adjusting the blanket around her shoulders, she looked at her father, who now sat in front of her. She began to apologize, "Sorry to worry you like that, but I had a feeling he w-" but he cut her off.
"It's fine. If not for you then he would still be outside freezing to death." She nodded in agreement.
"Then Alfred is going to be okay?" She asked hopefully, but her father's presence there was answer enough; If Alfred was in a severe condition, she knew that he wouldn't be there with her, but at his son's side instead.
"Yes, he may have permanently lost feeling in several of his fingers and toes, but they say he is going to be fine. A nice Chinese man is taking care of him; he said he was a doctor." Maddie sighed in relief. "And, the boy who was with you.." A wave of guilt washed over her. Is he seriously injured? Did he get frost bite? Will they have to amputate his fingers? She could not help but feel horrible for whatever misfortune had befallen Ivan, as she felt it was clearly her who was at fault. "They think he has frost bite on his nose, but it may just be the top layer of skin." She felt her face screw up in confusion, and he quickly explained. "If it is just superficial frost bite, then the top layers of skin will slough off and he will be fine. It will be painful, but he will be fine."
She couldn't even begin to imagine what a frost-bitten nose would look like, let alone Ivan's. She remembered the ghostly white tint that covered her brother's face and wondered if that was the beginnings of the so-called 'superficial' frost bite. "Take me to Alfred." She had recovered her strength and her father rose to his feet to help her up. With a quick tug, he brought her to the couch which Alfred had been placed.
Like herself, he was wrapped in a large blanket, but his hands poked out from under the covers, and were resting in a bowl of just-warm water. There was a dry towel hung around his neck to absorb any drip from his hair, and he seemed to be semi-conscious. There was a man on a stool settled next to the couch who kept checking a thermometer that stuck out of the bowl. She rushed to her brother's side and swept her eyes over his face. His blue eyes were dull and half-lidded. The fragile skin that covered his face was tinged a slight red and a layer of ointment was evident upon his cheeks.
"Al, are you okay?" She gently prodded him after getting permission from the small Chinese man next to him. For a moment he was perfectly still, but as she kept poking his shoulder, his eyes began to flutter. A small grunt of pain came from him, and he began to speak.
"Don't keep poking me, you'll give me a bruise." Her face lit up in relief; He was the same old Alfred. As he focused his eyes on her, his face became scrunched in pain. Apparently, the movement of his mouth had disturbed the flesh on his cheeks.
"The boy has a case of frost nip on his cheeks. Once the ointment settles, his face will have to be bandaged up a bit to prevent any irritation or infection." Wow, definitely a doctor, she thought. He excused himself to go fetch more warm water Alfred's hands.
"You mean, this pretty face?" Alfred gestured to himself. "How am I supposed to appeal to the ladies with bandages covering it?" Maddie laughed. She was glad that his sense of humour was still in tact.
"Al, I think the ladies will be more than sympathetic to your condition. Besides, you can always have them "take care" of you, right?" She could see that he was trying desperately to keep a smile from spreading on his face and irritating his frost nip. Instead, he just nodded.
"Would you like anything to drink or eat, lad?" Their father interjected. Alfred again tried to stop his face from twisting with emotion. "The kitchen should be making dinner right about now." She could see that he relaxed visibly at the addition of the last sentence.
"Yeah, water should be fine." He quickly departed towards the kitchen and left the two teens near the warmth of the fireplace. Outside, the world was darkening with approaching night. The wind still ripped violently through the trees, but it was invisible to all the patrons of the resort as the snow had not relinquished its furious downfall. Temperatures would be dropping even further as the night progressed. She was happy that they had already secured a spot by the fire.
"I'm glad you're okay." Maddie dropped her blanket and carefully embraced her brother, trying not to bother his face. He kept his hands in the bowl of cooling water, but feigned the gesture with his shoulders.
"I'm surprised you found me, and managed to get me inside all by yourself. You must be way stronger than I thought." She was glad he could not see her face at that moment, as it was riddled with guilt. She pulled away and smiled sheepishly as she explained.
"Well, I had a little help." His eyes widened skeptically. "I may have found you, but Ivan was the one that carried you back in here. If it was me all by myself, we would probably still be outside in the storm."
"You mean.." She cut his sentence short by nodding. "I didn't know you hung out with giants, Maddie." She continued nodding absent-mindedly. Wait, what? What did he just say?
"Al, what are you talking about?" She was visibly confused, but Alfred chuckled only slightly and chose to ignore her question.
"How did that guy end up helping you find me? I mean it seemed like you were pretty hostile to him when you met." His voice began to reflect his brotherly protective nature.
"I don't know, he just followed me when I left to look for you." She shrugged, as she really had no idea why he had helped. "But, he saved your life, Al. You know that right?" His eyes narrowed as much as his injured cheeks would allow.
"Yeah," he said hesitantly. "I guess I should thank him. Where is the big guy anyway?"
"I have no idea," she thought for a moment before adding, "but, I do know that you have to rest. Dad should be back any second, and so should the doctor." She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. Alfred lifted himself into a sitting position and made room for her on the sofa. She picked up her blanket and sat beside him, curling it around herself to fight off a rising wave of shivers. She felt a slight sting on the top of her right hand and splayed it out on her leg to inspect.
Rough patches of skin marred its back, and a raw redness spread over it. She winced at the sight before picking up the tube of ointment that lay on the stool and squeezed some on her fingertips. She gingerly spread the gel over the patches, inhaling sharply anytime she pressed too hard. Because her hands had been nearly frozen since she had been outside, when they thawed, the pain thawed with them. The afflicted hand was the one she had been using to shield her eyes from the driving snow. As the calming properties of the ointment began to settle, she gently pulled her hand in and cradled it to her body.
"You should probably let the doctor take a look at that," a familiar voice interjected with an air of hostility. A little surprised at the sudden appearance, Maddie lifted her eyes to the tall boy before her. She cringed when she caught sight of the darkened flesh covering his nose. Unfortunately, it looked like Ivan's recovery would be painful indeed. She could feel Alfred shift closer to her instinctively.
A bit intimidated, she began to apologize, "I'm so sorry about your nose, Ivan. I didn't expect.." His condescending eyes narrowed and she stopped to wonder what she did expect to happen, but realized that she never really thought her plan through. "Let me make it up to you somehow," she finished the only way she could think to.
A daunting smile spread across his face. "Well, I suppose I could really use some of that ointment." She handed him the tube and lowered her eyes out of guilt and uncertainty. He seemed so nice earlier, but now he's kind of.. really frightening. She wondered why he had such a sudden change in personality, and Alfred took a moment to speak up while Ivan attempted to spread the gel over his own injured nose.
"Listen.." He always had trouble with saying 'thank-you'. "I guess I should say something.. I mean I would've been a Popsicle by now.." Without changing the expression on his face too much her brother stumbled through his gratitude. "But, thanks for getting me inside.. I guess.." He scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly with one of his numb hands. Before Ivan could reply, two girls appeared behind him, seemingly out of breath and he flinched as if in anguish.
"Brother, why did you run away like that?" Her voice was concerned and breathy. The girl was fairly tall and had chin-length light blonde hair held back with a black headband.
"We told you to stay while we got you something to eat." The shorter girl's voice was low and slightly raspy in direct contrast to her calm and quiet appearance. She held out a plate with brownies on it towards him. He shook his head as the older girl approached him after seeing him struggling to apply the gel.
"I can't," he said simply. "I have ointment all over my hands right now." The smaller girl's eyes darted from his hands to Maddie's face then to Alfred seated next to her; They narrowed in distaste. She pointed warily at Alfred.
"You're the reason brother's nose is scarred, aren't you?" Beside her, Maddie could feel the boy's body tighten defensively.
"I never asked him to-" He started to defend himself, but Maddie felt the need to interrupt.
"Actually, it's my fault," she began. When the sharp eyes shifted from her brother to herself, she immediately regretted speaking up. They felt like daggers upon her conscience, but before she could say anything more, the taller girl spoke.
"Natalya, don't be so hostile. They needed help and Ivan offered. You should be proud of brother, not placing blame on others." Her tone was motherly, and Natalya relented her piercing gaze on the two twins. The girl turned away to her brother to inspect his injured nose. With relief, Maddie settled back into herself. Wiping her hands of ointment on the towel around Alfred's neck, the older girl extended her hand to them. "I am Katyusha and this charming girl is Natalya. We are Ivan's sisters." Alfred eagerly returned the gesture, then Maddie shook her warm hand gingerly, so to not disturb the marred back of her own.
"I'm Maddie and this is my brother Alfred." When she pulled her hand back, Katyusha's eyes widened in dismay. Hastily, Maddie hid the injury under the blanket still draped around her shoulders, not wanting to make a big fuss about it. The other two had worse injuries than she did.
"That hand should be bandaged." All five teenagers spun to face the new voice. The doctor had returned with a bowl of warm water for Alfred's hands and set it on the ground in front of him. People keep popping out of nowhere, she thought. Maybe I'm just not as alert as normal. Hesitantly, she exposed her hand to the small man and he took it lightly. For a moment he inspected it, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of cloth bandage. He wrapped it delicately, then cut the end and secured it. She stretched her fingers and realized the soft cloth felt so much better against the skin than exposing it to the air did.
He turned to Alfred next and studied the patches on his cheeks and forehead. He lightly bandaged the boy's face with adhesive medical tape as Alfred was trying desperately not to wince from the contact. When he finished, Alfred exhaled sharply in relief. By that point, Natalya and Katyusha were seated on the sofa opposite the one Alfred had rested on, and Ivan sat on the stool the man had been using. He was blinking rapidly, apparently trying to comprehend what was coming next.
The doctor turned to him to scrutinize the damage done to the large boy's nose, then made a slight noise of insight. "You will have to wait for the ointment to settle before it can be bandaged." He turned to Katyusha and placed the adhesive medical tape in her hands, "I trust you can help him with it when the time comes." She nodded cautiously. "I'm sorry to leave you all so soon, but I must go back to my family. Now you," he pointed at Alfred. "You have to keep your hands in warm water for a while longer, then they should be bandaged as well." He handed the roll of bandage to Maddie and turned to leave. "You three are lucky you made it back in this storm. Anyone less foolishly determined might have perished in this cold." He left the five of them without another word.
For a moment, no one said anything. Then, breaking the silence, Alfred finally spoke. "Madds, what do you think is taking Dad so long? I'm hungry." His stomach let out a low rumble and he eyed the plate of brownies in front of Ivan.
"I think we're all a bit hungry," Katyusha said brightly. "Natalya, can you take the boys to get some food? Maddie and I will save our spots." The smaller girl jumped up eagerly before realizing she would have to take Alfred as well. Despite that, she latched onto a rigid Ivan's arm and began to pull him away.
"Come on, Alfred," she grumbled as she left. He quickly jumped up, snagging one of the chocolatey treats from the plate before taking off after the two.
When the three of them had vanished from sight, Katyusha turned to her and spoke earnestly. "I have no idea how you managed to get Ivan out in the blizzard; he hates the cold." There was an openness in her voice that soothed Maddie into conversation.
"I don't know, really," she shrugged, and kicked at the worn carpet absently. "He just followed me when I went after Alfred and helped me out when we found him." Katyusha's eyes moved from her hands to Maddie's face and her expression warmed into a smile. She took a moment and breathed in slowly before speaking.
"Do you by any chance know how to bandage a frost-bitten nose?" Maddie jerked at the sudden change in conversation topic. "I would have told the doctor I had no idea how, but I didn't want to bother him any further." She thought for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, I took a first-aid course a while back. I'll get Al's hands bandaged," She cringed internally when she remembered the sight of the darkened flesh that stretched over Ivan's normally handsome nose. His eyes had gleamed with condemnation when she looked into them. "Then I can help you with Ivan." Katyusha beamed in delight.
"Ah, he is lucky to have such a nice new friend like you!" Maddie turned to the excited girl skeptically, but she quickly explained. "You see, brother is not a very social person, so it's great to see that he met some new friends while here. That was part of the reason we came, you know!" Maddie didn't think Ivan counted Alfred and herself as 'new friends', more like annoyances that just-so-happened to need his help and strong back.
"Well, I don't think we're friends-" She was stopped by the shaking of Katyusha's head.
"Vanya would not put himself in those extreme conditions otherwise. I know him well enough to know that." Maddie saw the logic in that, but the memory of his reproachful violet eyes prevented her from believing. "And now we are friends too," she added brightly and Maddie smiled, but stopped herself.
"I don't think Natalya likes us very much though." Katyusha waved it off like nothing.
"Don't worry about her, she's just really protective of brother. She'll warm up to you eventually." Maddie couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive; the girl had eyes like knives and a voice that could narrate your nightmares.
"Ah, back so soon?" The three teens had returned, each with a fair amount of food on a paper plate. Natalya sat down beside Katyusha and Ivan stayed standing. Alfred was chewing something (Maddie had no idea what) and he handed her the plate.
"Eat anything you want," he managed to get out through a full mouth. "Dad is hiding out in kitchen. Some French guy was trying to chat him up, so he's trying to lay low, stay hidden you know?" Alfred laughed heartily and she picked up a strawberry, taking a big bite of it. It obviously wasn't fresh-picked, but the sweet taste flowed over her tongue and she smiled in appreciation.
"Al, we should probably wrap your hands now." She chewed thoughtfully as she spoke and Katyusha nodded in agreement.
"Brother, do you think the ointment is settled enough to bandage your face?" Ivan grimaced readily before replying.
"Yes, I suppose it is." Katyusha straightened in enthusiasm.
"Great, I will clean it up and Maddie can help with the process when Alfred's hands are wrapped." The untrained eye would not have seen the tall man stiffen, nor the change in expression of the smaller girl and the bright-faced boy. Katyusha began to explain upon seeing the change in his posture. "Maddie told me she took first-aid and I would probably mess up and hurt you. So, we'll leave it to the professional." A blush of aversion spread across Maddie's face as she bound her brother's hands in the soft fabric.
"I-I mean, I'm not a professional or anything," she said, denying the compliment. Really, a one-day class is nothing to boast about. "But I do remember some stuff about frostbite," she added hastily after sensing a pair of sharp eyes focusing on her. She finished wrapping Alfred's hands and secured the bandages in place. He sighed in appreciation.
"Thanks, sis. You'd really make a good doctor." Maddie flushed again at the flattery and he went back to eating his food, glancing sideways ever-so-slightly at Ivan through his bites. She moved from her position on the couch and timidly stood behind Katyusha, who was looking over the injury on Ivan's nose.
"Looks ready," she commented. "He's all yours!" She turned to Maddie and handed her the medical tape with a subtle smile. She stood there for a moment and fiddled with the packaging. The lighting in the room had dimmed considerably as nightfall had approached. A few people in the room had found candles and lit them for a light source, but the largest source was from the fireplace. Maddie's mind began to drift to the warmth spreading over her back, which faced the hearth. Ivan cleared his throat and she snapped back to reality. Slowly, she pulled a length of bandage off the roll and ripped it with her teeth as chatter arose between the other three people seated on the sofas. She lifted her eyes to decide where to place the first piece, but had to stop.
With an expression of pure intimidation (though she couldn't tell if it was done purposely or not), Ivan was staring right at her. I can see why this guy doesn't make a lot of friends. The expression on his face was magnified by the flickers of light that washed over him from the fireplace behind her. She fumbled in the dark for a second before awkwardly placing the strip over the bridge of his nose. She whole-heartedly expected him to flinch in pain at her clumsily placed bandage, but he did not so much as move a muscle. All he did was stare straight ahead at her as she continued to cover his afflicted flesh with the tape.
He's not staring at me. He's staring right through me, she shivered and tried very hard to not show her nervousness as she continued to work, bandaging an injury that she, herself was solely responsible for.
Aaand there you go! A (very) minor twist, eh? And you all thought Ivan was being perfectly friendly.. pffttt. Sorry for playing you all like that, but it's only their second day there (incase you've been keeping track: they arrived early Monday afternoon and this is Tuesday evening.) I see this as more of a transitional chapter, really. It's kind of the slight decline following last chapter's "action" per se. So did you enjoy it? Become one with Canada, eh? Or you would prefer to become one with Russia, da? I would love you to death for 36+ reviews, so don't forget! =]
