At first, Klaus was angry. That emotion was swiftly snuffed out, however, whenever he saw how badly off the kid was.

Jesper was a battered mess. His left eye was swollen and his cheekbone was a deep crimson red. There was a cut on his cheek, and his upper lip was split open. The kid was grasping his left shoulder in absolute agony, and his knuckles were bruised and bloody. Even from where Klaus stood, a few yards away, he could make out how badly the young man trembled against the cold. The old woodsman rushed forward, worry filling his blood.

"H-hey, kid," he called gently, not wanting to startle the postman. He made his way onto the porch, kneeling down in front of Jesper's feeble form. The postman's eyes grew wide, and he sucked in a breath. The kid opened his mouth, and Klaus thought he was about to hear the kid speak for the first time in eleven months. Instead, Jesper choked back whatever words he was going to say, and instead threw himself into a coughing frenzy, his eyes slamming shut as he doubled over, almost hitting the floor. Klaus put a huge hand on the postman's back, offering him some form of support. "It's Jesper, right? What are you doing here?"

Jesper shook his head weakly between coughs, finally sniffling and looking back up. His eyes filled with tears and his lips twisted in agony. The boy looked as if he were about to choke.

"Alright, alright, okay," Klaus started. "Don't strain yourself. Hold on."

Before the kid could protest, Klaus was running back to his horse, unhooking the creature from Jesper's mail cart and guiding her to an old, worn-down stable the woodsman had on the side of his cabin. Afterward, Klaus made his way back to the young man, slipping the kid into his arms and lifting him from the ground. He was surprised just how light the kid really was as he made his way inside. Jesper seemed absolutely flabbergasted, as anyone would've been, but still, no words escaped his lips. He simply whined a little whenever his left shoulder was pressed up against Klaus' chest.

The woodsman felt extremely ill-prepared, but it wasn't as if he ever had company, to begin with. The only thing situated in his living room was a single armchair that rested in front of a fireplace that was currently vacant of any warmth or flames. Still, he did what he could. Klaus rested Jesper on the chair before setting to work stoking a fire. He made sure to close the front door so that the wind no longer attacked the poor kid, who was now shaking as if the earth were crumbling beneath him. Once a fire had started, Klaus turned back to the postman, kneeling to look him in the face.

"What happened, kid? C'mon, I need something, here."

Jesper sniffled, wiping the tears out of his eyes with his right hand, still refusing to move his left arm at all. The kid opened his mouth once again, this time snapping it shut and looking back down at his trembling palm. He moved his fingers to make it look like he was holding an imaginary pen, and began making writing motions in the air. It didn't take Klaus long to figure out what the kid wanted.

"O-oh, some paper? Y-yeah, kid, hold on."

That's strange, the old woodsman thought. I thought Alva said he wasn't mute.

Still, that didn't stop the old woodsman from looking through his cabinets for a spare pen and sheet of paper. He found both and grabbed an old book to act as a hard surface. Bringing the items back to Jesper, the postman nodded his head once as a sign of gratitude and then set to work. Klaus could tell that the postman was having a relatively difficult time writing for a number of reasons, the violent shivers, and the bloodied knuckles being the first things that came to mind. Finally, the kid sniffed, pushing the paper back towards Klaus. The woodsman looked down at the words that read:

I'm sorry... Some Ellingboe guys came and jumped me out of nowhere. Seemed like the only safe place to go.

Before Klaus could even attempt to stomach his surprise, Jesper burst into a fit of coughing, instantly throwing his face into his elbow. The poor kid seemed miserable, and Klaus figured he should wait to question him further until he was better-taken care of. He placed a gentle hand on Jesper's shoulder, which caused the young man to jolt out of his fit.

"You're fine, just wait here. I'm gonna help ya."

The postman didn't seem to understand what Klaus meant, but he had no time to try and interpret his words before the older man was off, going from the kitchen to his bedroom, gathering as many things as he possibly could. He made sure to ready some warm water in a large bowl and grab a clean rag for the kid's wounds. He also grabbed a couple of extra blankets from his bedroom, as well as a completely new change of clothes. Obviously, the woodsman knew his clothes would be enormous on the young postman, but he didn't have any other choice. Just from barely touching the kid, he could tell that his clothes and uniform were practically soaked with melted snow. After Klaus placed the blankets and new outfit on the armrest of the chair back in the living room, he quickly returned to the kitchen, grabbing the bowl of warm water and rag. He placed the bowl on the floor next to Jesper's feet, taking a quick detour into the bathroom to grab some gauze and bandages. Finally set with everything he needed, Klaus made his way back to the postman's side, kneeling in front of the chair once again.

Klaus was just about to set to work cleaning the postman's cuts whenever he noticed, once again, just how fiercely he was clutching his left shoulder. Puzzled, the woodsman looked into Jesper's face for an explanation. The kid knew exactly what he was concerned about, and his eyes grew almost comically wide. He shook his head, pressing himself further into the seat.

"Jesper, I need to know where you're hurt."

Again, the postman shook his head, tears brimming his eyes. He bit the inside of his lip nervously. Klaus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Please, kid. Let me help you."

The genuine care in his voice made Jesper loosen up. The kid glanced down towards his shoulder, then back at Klaus, then back to his shoulder again. Finally, he shifted a little so that his feet were both resting on the floor, holding his shoulder all the while. He sucked in a shaky breath, turning so that the apparently injured shoulder was closer to Klaus. The woodsman nodded his thanks, his large hands pressing around the area lightly. Jesper was clearly terrified. He'd broken out into a cold sweat and his eyes were shot. It didn't take Klaus long to realize that Jesper's left shoulder had been dislocated and that it needed to be set back. Luckily, Klaus knew how to do that. He cleared his throat.

"Alright, Jesp, um... your shoulder is dislocated. I can set it back, but it'll hurt," he explained gently, searching the kid's face for any sign of approval. While it was horrified at first, something behind the postman's eyes told Klaus it was necessary to continue, and that he had permission to do what he needed. Klaus nodded once again, standing back to his feet and helping to situate the young postman on the hardwood floor. "This'll be the quickest way, alright? Just work with me, and you'll be fine."

Jesper nodded, though his eyes were still wide and frightened.

Klaus began by grabbing Jesper's left wrist in both of his hands, rotating it slightly as if giving the young man a handshake. Slowly, over the course of a minute, Klaus repeated the motion until Jesper's arm was at a complete 90-degree angle. The postman would huff and grunt sometimes out of pain, but otherwise uttered no grievances. Klaus continued to rotate the kid's arm in place for a few moments before finally starting to move it upwards until it was at a 120-degree angle. There was a slight pop, and Jesper whimpered, a few stray tears falling down his cheek. Slowly, Klaus bent the postman's arm at the elbow, securing the arm back in place, and finally releasing his hold. He sighed inwardly, thankful that the technique worked in the first place. He knew he didn't have time to waste, however.

"Alright, kid, is it okay if we use your cloak as a sling? Just for now. We'll get you changed first, and then I can situate your arm."

Jesper coughed again, his body thudding lightly against the floor, but he nodded. Klaus smiled, though it went unseen by the postman, and slipped a hand behind his back to help sit the kid back up. Slowly, the woodsman brought the young man back up onto the chair and started unbuttoning his cloak. He swung it away from Jesper's shoulders and then started working on the clasps of his uniform. That was whenever Jesper intervened, grabbing the man's wrist with his good hand. He shook his head before pointing back at himself.

"You got it?" Klaus questioned, not entirely confident in the kid's ability to control his physical tremors. Despite this, Jesper nodded his head earnestly and began unclasping the hooks that held his vest open. He pulled himself out of his shirt, unhooking his belt and then removing his pants. Fortunately, the kid had half a mind to wear a thermal underlayer beneath his uniform, so he wasn't completely exposed. Klaus took his wet clothes and set them aside, slowly helping Jesper into a pair of baggy brown pants that fell past his feet. The woodsman also assisted Jesper while slipping his arms into the sleeves of his extremely worn-down flannel shirt. Finally, Klaus was able to take the kid's cloak, wrap it securely around his body, and create a sling for his newly relocated arm. If the woodsman hadn't known any better, he would've thought that for the first time since he got here, Jesper finally seemed relatively at peace. Again, Klaus smiled. This time, Jesper caught it.

The postman's smile was hesitant as if he were testing the waters, but it was ultimately genuine. Klaus chuckled.

"Alright, Jesper. Let me see what I can do."