He blinked and rushed out of the room to get what she needed.
When Graverobber returned with the biggest bucket he could find filled with steaming water, Shilo immediately got up and took the bowl and washcloth from where it was tucked under his other arm.
"Set that on the floor towards her head." She instructed. Graverobber was confused to the point where he couldn't do anything other than what Shilo said to do. As he set the bucket down, Graverobber noticed that Shilo had tied the girl, Mally's, hair back and removed the basin full of vomit. Now she lay there on the coffee table, groaning and occasionally twitching.
Shilo set the bowl down beside the bucket along with a large, black, medical bag. It looked old and heavy, it even made a loud "thud" when she set it down.
"What are you going to do?" He asked, the girl was half dead already.
"Shh!" Shilo said curtly while opening the bag. She pulled a syringe out along with a bottle of clear liquid. Graverobber couldn't see the label but it wasn't blue and it didn't glow.
Once Shilo had the syringe full, she moved automatically, injecting the medicine into Mally's forearm. Straight into the vein. Next she took the washcloth and soaked it in the warm water, then Shilo began cleaning out the wound.
Silently, he watched as Shilo became a medical machine and rinsed away the gore. Soaking the cloth, lightly scrubbing Mally's wound, and wringing the towel over the empty bowl. She didn't even flinch as the big chunks of scab fell away or the flaps of skin curled over her fingers.
When the cut was clean, Graverobber could see that it went from the inside of her bicep to almost the back of her shoulder. Like something sharp caught her and she twisted to get away.
The water bucket was half empty. Shilo pushed the bowl of bloody water aside, then turned to the medical bag again. Graverobber stepped around to pick up the bowl.
"Should I dump this?"
Shilo looked up, almost like she was surprised to see him there. She nodded quickly.
"Outside. Thanks" And gave him a half smile before unscrewing the cap on a thick, brown bottle, soaking a cotton with the potent contents.
Graverobber took the bowl to the bathroom and washed the smell of salt and rust down the drain.
When he went back to the living room, Shilo was already in the process of sewing Mally's arm back together. She didn't even seem to feel it. The girl's eyes were shut hard, her head turned away, like if she looked at Shilo's hands, the cut would be real.
Shilo spoke softly to her too. Things like "Nearly there" "only the epidermis" "you're doing good" "breathe now, it's okay"
Graverobber watched. Hypnotized by Shilo.
The wound wasn't what shocked him. He'd seen people with far worse out in the streets. But he never thought to do anything for them.
That's when Graverobber realized. Mally had crawled to Shilo's door. She'd used every last bit of strength she had to get there. Which meant that Mally knew Shilo could help her and trusted that she'd be safe there.
Did that mean Shilo did this sort of thing on the regular?
The way people sought him out in the dumpsters and alleys to get their nightly fix. Did those same people end up at Shilo's front door when they had a stitch too many?
Shilo finished sewing the cut shut, neat and tiny X's snaking up Mally's shoulder. It was thin enough that Graverobber could almost mistake it for a tattoo were it not for the pinkish, red line beneath it.
Shilo used the rest of the water to rinse off Mally's face, chest, and arms. Then she draped a thick blanket over her, so that only her head was exposed.
"Try to sleep okay? Just try and relax." Shilo said, pushing Mally's hair back in a soothing gesture.
"it...hurts. still." She forced out in a slur. "...some more. please." Mally began fidgeting, her gaze going to the medical bag.
"No, no, no," Shilo said, gently putting a the warm cloth on Mally's head and pressing down. "You have all you need. Just breathe through the pain. It'll fade. After a while, it always fades. I promise. You have all you need."
Then she started packing up the supplies and put them away.
Graverobber had to turn and go back to the kitchen. Watching Shilo work like that suddenly made him feel uneasy. Like he was dancing on a line between being panicked and awestruck.
He'd watched her read through her father's old medical journals for weeks, knowing that it was how she passed her time. Learning, discovering, but not fixing, not mending.
This was a city where everything fell apart and no one took the time to put them back together.
But, of course, Shilo would be the one to change that.
"hey." He spun around at the sound of Shilo in the doorway. Arms folded over her chest. "what was your problem back there? You looked… like you were judging me or something."
Graverobber's face tightened, had his expression been cold? He didn't mean for it to be.
"I wasn't." He said, not sure if Shilo was mad or worried. It was too soon to tell.
"You wanted to leave her there." Shilo said, salt in her tone. "You wanted to throw her out."
Graverobber shook his head, raising his hands in submission.
"I was only confused. I didn't know…" He gestured widely towards the living room, "I didn't know she had a reason to be there."
Shilo didn't seem satisfied.
"You weren't even going to try to help her? She was dying Graves." Her eyes were wild, like she might cry. At that moment, Graverobber recognized the tone of her voice. What it meant.
She was disappointed in him.
He immediately felt abashed.
Graverobber put his palms up in surrender.
"I'm sorry, I … misinterpreted the situation." He tried to look innocent.
Shilo's eyes burned like she had more to say but she bit her lip instead. She dragged her hands down the sides of her face, exhaling slowly.
Graverobber thought she still looked upset. He didn't know what to say other than to apologize a third time. It wasn't like he had much experience with long term relationships or arguing with women in the first place. Was he just supposed to be quiet and let her yell at him? Or should he keep apologizing?
Shilo's gaze drifted around the kitchen until it came to rest on the table. Her eyes widened. The breakfast Graverobber had slaved over still sat there. Unnoticed until now. The toast was most definitely cold and the syrup had developed a thin skin across the top. But there it sat, making him look even more stupid than he already felt.
Shilo was mad at him.
The breakfast was cold.
His happiness was over.
He opened his mouth to apologize again but stopped when he saw Shilo had tears in her eyes. Immediately Graverobber was across the room, arms around her.
"Hey, what is it? What's wrong? Is it the toast? Did I mess it up? I thought it would make you happy." He kissed her forehead and pat her hair while Shilo sniffed against his chest.
"No. No." Shilo finally said, "It's just...it's sweet. It's really nice. I just didn't expect you to be so nice, especially when I… I'm sorry." Shilo wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said again.
Graverobber took a half step back, keeping a hold on her shoulders.
"You think I don't care about you?" He asked. Almost offended that after everything they'd gone through together, all he'd told her, how she could possibly doubt him.
"No that's not it," Shilo protested, weaving her fingers into his long hair. "I didn't know how you cared. People care in different ways. Sometimes it doesn't come out so nice."
Like her father. Graverobber thought. He went crazy with caring. Graverobber cupped Shilo's face in his hands.
"I care about you in every way I know how." He assured her. And Graverobber didn't even know how many ways he could love her yet, all he knew was that he wanted to. More than anything in life, he wanted to prove he was good enough for her.
Shilo pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. A serious kiss, the kind where you almost don't want to open your eyes because it could ruin the whole thing.
Shilo broke them apart with a short laugh. Then let out another at Graverobber's questioning look.
"It's just sort of funny," Shilo said, the tears now drying on her cheeks.
"It is?"
Shilo sniffed and her eyes took on that familiar seriousness that made her look wise beyond her years.
"It's funny because," their eyes locked, "I didn't know I'd love you so much."