A Slow Recovery

I anxiously watched as one of the nurses removed the badges from around Jim's stomach. The scar etched across his belly was beginning to fade, but the purple surrounding the scar was still visible.

"It doesn't look as bad as when you came in," she noted, smiling at Jim, who kept his gaze on the scar, running a finger along the scab. "The purple around it should fade within time, probably long after the scar has healed."

Jim's gaze was distant, he didn't even blink, it was like he was in another world.

"Okay, let's check how your other injuries are going. Okay?" she regained her feet, seeking Jim's approval before going any further.

He blinked, glancing up at her as if seeing her for the first time, even though she'd been here for the past 10 minutes. "Uh, yeah. Sure." He shrugged.

Carefully, she undid the badge from around Jim's head. Instinctively, he flinched at her touch, making me wonder just what Edward did to him. No doubt he abused the boy. That thought caused my blood to boil. If I ever saw Edward again, I would punch the living daylights out of him for harming my little pup.

"It's healing, slowly. Does it still hurt?" she asked, carefully tracing the scar, but instantly jerking back as Jim visibly flinched at the pain.

"A little," Jim said, his voice hoarse.

"As long as you keep the scar clean, it will be healed up in no time. I'll go get some clean bandages. You just sit tight."

I bit back a smile at the obvious annoyance on Jim's face for talking to him as if he were a five year old. As she hurried over to the cabinet, I heard Jim huffed in annoyance, glancing at him to see him scowling at the floor. I stopped the nurse from returning to Jim with the bandage. "Ah, 'ow 'bout yer let me do it? Yer must 'ave a load more patient ta tend too," I said politely, extending my organic hand towards the roll of bandage she held.

She raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You know how to dress a wound?"

"Wit' t'is troublesome lad, I had ta learn."

Sighing, she dropped the bandages into my waiting hand. "Just be carefully, the skin on his forward is still tender."

"Don't yer worry 'bout a t'ing, I've got t'is." As soon as she shut the door behind her, I returned to Jimbo, and stole her spot beside the lad.

"Thanks." Jim gratefully smiled at me.

"I figured yer suffered enough aboard Edward's ship," I said, never looking up from the bandages as I tried to find the end of it.

Jim laughed. I smiled in return, briefly glancing up from my work.

After successfully finding the end of the bandage, I placed my mechanical hand on his shoulder to keep him in place and carefully wrapped the bandage around his forehead, making sure to keep a close eye on his expression for any sign of pain. He didn't show any, so I kept going.

After I wrapped the bandage around his head 4 times, I snipped the end and tightly secured it.

"Does that feel comfortable enough for ya?" I asked, retracting my hand from his shoulder.

Jim lightly touched his temples, nodding in approval. "Yeah, it feels fine."

"Maybe I should take on a career as a doctor?"

"Something tells me that wouldn't turn out to well..." Jim said, narrowing his eyes unsurely, but that playful smile never leaving his face.

"I didn't ask for yer opinion," I joked, lightly shoving him.

Jim laughed.

Out of habit, I got up and stood in front of the only window in Jim's room, the curtains were almost always pulled to the sides. Jim preferred it this way because it lets fresh air in, gave him a little taste of freedom, instead of feeling trapped in a tiny hospital room. Or so he said.

As for me, I liked it better when the curtains were drawn, giving us both more privacy. Whenever Jimbo drifted off to sleep, my first thought was to close the curtains, but whenever I returned to the room, the curtains were pulled opened. I understood Jim's reason for wanting them open, I knew how much he hated being stuck in a stiff room, but it was risky because anybody could jump through the opened window.

My breathe caught in my throat as I met a man's eyes, he wore a black coat wrapped around his figure. Using my cyborg eye, I zoomed in on the stranger's face. Yes, this man was definitely watching me, but why? No doubt an ally of Edward's. Maybe Ashley was telling the truth. That'd be a first. Ashley was a lot of things, and honest was not one of them. Jimbo was safe in hospital, but once he left, he'd be attacked and mugged by the thousands of allies Edward had recruited.

"Silver?" a small voice brought me back to reality.

Blinking several times to adjust my vision, I glanced at the confused boy watching me from his bed, awaiting an explanation for my spaciness.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his gaze flickering to the window.

instinctively, I pulled the curtains closed in one swift movement. "No, Jimbo. It's nothing yer need ta worry about."

"Somebody was watching you outside the window, weren't they?"

"Yer let me handle this, okay lad? Yer just focus on getting better so we can leave this place."

"Why won't you just tell me?" Jim asked, anger and annoyance spiked his tone, but I kept my tone natural and calm.

"Yer get some sleep, Jimbo. I've got a few things I need ta take care of." I didn't wait for him to reply before slipping out the door. I felt bad for always leaving him out of the loop, but I didn't want to worry him while he was in serious pain. I needed to find out more about these allies and the only person who could help me right now was Ashley.

Walking through the front door, I spotted Ashley at the counter, tending to a customer. Her gaze flickered to me, smiling sweetly that I felt sick just looking at her. She directed a finger to the left as he said something to the young lady that I couldn't hear. Once the child scampered off, she approached me, a knowing smile ran across her face.

"Silver, it's nice of you to pay me a visit," she said.

"I wouldn't be 'ere unless I had a valid reason," I said, my tone dry and unkind, different from how I talked to Jim compared to her.

"And that would be?" she asked with fake innocence , acting oblivious to the reason why I tracked her down.

"I t'ink yer already know the reason."

She raised an eyebrow, that smile never leaving her face.

"The allies. W'at can yer tell me 'bout 'em?"

"So you actually believe me? What made you change your mind?"

"I saw one of them outside Jimbo's hospital window..." I mumbled, not wanting to admit I'd been wrong.

"How is the boy of yours?" she asked, interested.

"He's recovering, slowly..." I sighed, remembering how I just walked out in mid-discussion, not bothering to explain my strange behavior or reason for my over protectiveness. The boy just wouldn't understand. Everything I'd done had been to keep him safe, and, unfortunately, keeping him in the dark was the best way to do that.

"Edward has allies on every planet, searching for that child. He's in danger the second he leaves that hospital. If I were you, I'd consider breaking his leg to keep him there longer," she dryly joked, awkwardly coughing when she noticed my unamused expression.

"Is t'ere no other way ta keep him safe?" I desperately tried to keep the worry from showing on my face, even though my stomach was doing back-flips.

"If you can figure out a way to disguise him, then that might throw the allies off. Though, if they recognize you, they'll most likely guess the boy you're with is Jim," she explained, crashing any hope I had of keeping Jimbo safe. The fear must had shown on my face because she hurriedly added, "However, if the boy wore a disguise when he's with me, the allies wouldn't give him a second glance."

"Yer willin' ta help me?"

"For a price of course."

"O' course, w'at's yer price?" I should've known she wouldn't help me for free

"Get me a signed picture of Edward!" In that moment, she acted as a fangirl, eager to meet her ideal. I still had no idea what she saw in Edward.

"Sure. I'll get him to sign a picture before I kill him."

Smiling, she said, "Bring the boy by my shop when he's recovered and I'll see what I can do."

"Yer got yerself a deal." I briefly shook her hand before her attention was drawn towards a troubled customer asking for assistant.

After bidding farewell, I exited the small clothes shop, breathing in the fresh winter air, the dark clouds above promised a thunderstorm later today. I continued down the pathway at a slow and cautious walk, switching to a jog as rain sprinkled down on me from above, then broke out into a full run when the rain grew heavy, soaking my body and clothes. I kept a firm grip on my hat, afraid the wind would snatch it from my head. Vision blurred by the rain, I still managed to catch sight of several people running through the rain while others struggled to keep their umbrellas from blowing inside out.

I slowed to a stop outside the hospital, panting as I struggled to regain my breathe. I glanced up, using my cyborg eye to scan the many windows, searching for Jim, but it was impossible from the ground. They all looked alike. I sighed as I shrugged out of my soaking wet coat, draining out the extra water.

All this to keep the lad safe. He better appreciate this.

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