Jack shuddered as the cold water washed over his bruised skin, he was excited at the thought of being clean again so he didn't dwell on the pain. The men hosed him down after stripping him from the filthy clothing, snipping the trouser leg away to save his foot the effort. He was appreciative of their efforts as he stayed slumped on the trolley; he was unable to stand up unassisted, if his foot weren't so injured he still doubted he'd have the strength to walk.
The younger man had eyed the watch as he helped strip him but Jack had violently pulled away when he reached out for it. The men had talked hurriedly to one another, the younger man clearly angry that he couldn't steal the valuable. Once they finished arguing the leader smiled at Jack before pointing to the watch in a non threatening way. They would leave it.
The two carefully scrubbed Jack down before taking him across the room and through a pair of double doors. It was bright and Jack had to shield his eyes due to the sting it caused - he'd not seen any light since his arrival. Once his vision cleared he saw they had taken him to a shower. He was helped to lean against the wall wobbling on one foot under the metal head before they moved away turning it on for him.
Despite the sting it caused in the cuts and scratches on his body he savoured the feeling of the dirt and blood being washed away from his skin. He kept a hand on the wall to balance himself and used the other to clean himself, washing away the soapy substance the men had covered him in to get rid of the grime.
He ran a hand through his hair and savoured the feeling of the fine strands between his fingers, no dirt or grease or blood mixed in with it. It was incredible. As he cleaned himself off he tilted his head back and drank the cold water greedily, the men watched him amused as he gulped down the water as it ran over his sore face. His throat was sore and the freezing cold water seemed to heal it at once, taking the pain away as he swallowed the liquid in a dream like trance.
After five minutes the water switched off, but he didn't care. He allowed the men to take him back into the next room as he sat on the trolley exhausted. Tired but clean, he felt better than he thought he ever could. He sat in a dream like state strapped to a wooden chair as the men carefully shaved away the weeks growth from his face. Jack sat still ignoring the pain in his bruised face as they worked; at least it took his thoughts away from the continuous thud pounding in his foot.
As they had carefully helped him settle into the chair the man had shown him the blade and tried to make the captive understand what it is they were doing.
"Beard hide," he had said, before rolling his eyes in a comical gesture. Jack couldn't help but smile, despite the agony and misery that surrounded him he felt safer, or at least less likely to be hurt again around the elder man. He seemed almost sympathetic and he hadn't hurt him yet - he was even careful to make sure he didn't hurt the damaged foot.
He stared ahead at the wall as they worked, muttering to one another quietly. He didn't know why they were in a rush to clean him up so much but he would never complain. For a moment he could forget he was strapped down to a chair in a Chinese prison, beaten within an inch of his life and half starved. If he closed his eyes and blocked out the sound he was in LA again, shaving before work with Terri rushing Kim through breakfast so she could drop her off at school. If he tried he could see their faces as they rummaged through the kitchen; he'd often watched them as they danced through the morning struggle to stay awake and get where they need to be.
He was snapped from his thoughts when he felt the shaving stop; the men were watching him now curiously as they waited for him to dress himself in the clean jumpsuit they had dropped on his lap without his knowing. He struggled to pull it on, his leg causing unbearable pain as he tried to slide it through the cloth - he couldn't suppress a quiet moan or two as he pulled the clothing on. No underwear or shoes were given, but then, what would he do with shoes when he couldn't even get his trousers over the bad foot?
He watched cautiously as the elder man pulled out a radio and began to speak to somebody in it. The fear was slowly creeping back inside. They had cleaned him and made him more comfortable; why give him a moment of rest and relief? There had to be a reason for it, or maybe it was just another tactic in breaking him down. Give him a rest so he think the pain will subside, then start right back in again. He nodded to himself, certain that was the tactic. The defences were slowly drawn back up around himself as he watched the men suspiciously, what would they do to him now?