Chapter 6 – Help:
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Thor had quickly left Loki to run to the infirmary. He had a vague idea in mind of what medicine Loki was in need of to help him in his recovery. As he half-walked-half-ran, he was mentally kicking himself for not checking on Loki sooner. If he had checked a few days ago, Loki may have been in a better state to receive Thors help. The God wasn't entirely sure Loki was going to be alive when he got back to his brothers' cell. When Thor had left in a panic to find some kind of help, Loki had become deathly pale and his breathing had almost stopped all together.
Thor could only think of his brother as he rounded the corner of the infirmary unit, quickly ducking behind a column to avoid the attending's leaving the infirmary. They chattered as they walked past unaware of the Gods presence. What Thor was doing wasn't exactly legal.
When he was sure there weren't any more attending's around, Thor quickly darted into the infirmary towards the cabinet where he knew they kept the small selection of medication in. Since the infirmary was upgraded a few years ago, the use for tablets had become almost unnecessary. Thor was glad it was only almost.
He stuffed his pockets with the strongest medication he could find, carefully but quickly reading the back of the boxes and bottles to make sure they would actually help Loki. When he was sure he had enough to last Loki the duration recovery, he turned to leave and return to his needy brother immediately.
It was when he exited the infirmary that he was met with the gold-coloured staff hitting his chest as it protruded from behind the same column that he hid behind. He huffed dejectedly as his father stepped out from behind the column. He had been caught.
"What do you think you are doing, my son?" Odin's voice was calm but he was hiding rage as he spoke. Thor was at a loss for words as he looked down to the handful of medication he was currently holding inside of his pocket.
"Loki is sick." Was all Thor could say as he looked from his pocket back up at the Allfather. A guilty feeling took over him; he should have been more careful.
"I am aware of Loki's state." Odin simply spoke, putting Gungnir back on the floor next to him. "I asked what you were doing." Odin repeated his initial question, holding Thors gaze.
Odin obviously knew what Thor was doing, watching him intently as Thor pulled a box of medication from his pocket showing it to his father. Odin's face, however, never changed.
"Loki needs these." Thor emphasised as he motioned to the box in his hand.
"He does not." Odin took the box from Thor and handed it to a female attending who appeared suddenly behind him. "He will heal on his own."
"He is dying father." Thor pleaded the Allfather. "We need to help him."
"No, we do not." Odin's anger over came him. In his eyes, Loki deserved everything he was going though. It was a befitting punishment. Odin turned to face the female attending, whispering something to her as she nodded.
"His infection will kill him." Thor said defiantly and Odin turned to face Thor sharply, looking Thor in the eyes.
"Put everything back and leave him. This is an order."
Odin excused himself without another word as Thor stood there, irritation radiating from his body at his fathers words.
Thor angrily stormed towards the cabinet putting the medication back where he found it while being watched by the female attending. Once she was satisfied and sure he had returned everything she retreated away from Thor and back to the small desk in which the attending's all worked from.
Thor, not satisfied that Loki would recover on his own approached the attending, towering over her form.
"Wash the wounds thoroughly," Came the attending's tiny voice before she looked behind her. "Make sure to pat them dry and keep them clean while his body fights the infection."
This was more than Thor needed to know and he was surely relieved that she would give him such words of advice despite the Allfather's orders.
With this Thor returned to Loki after he gathered everything he needed.
The guards let him past without any issues as he rushed to his brother's side.
Loki was shivering more violently than before and his eyes now had become darker and more sunken in as his mouth opened and closed as he breathed lightly. Thor set to work, wasting no time.
Thor cautiously peeled back the blanket that the God of mischief had protectively wrapped himself up in, careful not to wake him up as he tried to cause as little pain to his brother as possible. Under the blanket revealed a black, blue and red Loki, his body completely littered in busies and cuts. Thor was expecting some damage but the more he looked the more he discovered.
In Loki's position Thor could see the extensive amount of gashed that ran along his back in a deep, criss cross pattern that looked incredibly painful. Along Loki's ribs were dark purple bruises and a few of his bones stuck out indicating they were broken in multiple places. Asgardians can usually heal broken bones by themselves but it looked like the damage was too far gone to be healed naturally.
Thor rolled Loki onto his back, careful not to agitate his gashes too much as he began to wash Loki cautiously. The soft Asgardian flannel coming in use as it gently ran over Loki's delicate skin. Once Thor was sure all the wounds on his front and sides had been cleaned, he rung out the flannel and dipped it back into the bowl of crystal-clear water making sure it was saturated enough to wash his face.
Thor had noticed the burns and cuts on Loki's face had already begun to heal despite the infection coursing thought his body, healthy scabs had formed over his face promoting the healing process which Thor did not want to disturb. He only let the flannel graze over Loki's face to remove the sweat and grime that had accumulated before placing the flannel back into the bowl of water.
Thor had managed to painstakingly roll Loki onto his stomach gasping as he took in the full extent of the wounds. He was confused as to how he had managed to roll his brother without waking him from his unconscious state. However, as soon as the first droplet of water hit the deepest cut on Loki's spine he awoke screaming in agony.
Thor tried to work quickly but delicately while also trying to sooth his brother as he worked. Loki could only weep and howl in pain as his brother cleaned the hefty lesions. His hands would occasionally come up to scratch at Thor, twisting his arms at awkward angles to swipe at the God of Thunder to try and get him to stop what felt like an assault on his body.
Thor tried his best to ignore his brothers pleads of pain as he worked to clean the gashes from infection. Without anything for the pain, Loki was clutching the sheets beneath him so tight that his knuckles were turning white.
As Thor gently dried the last sore, he saw Loki's body relax as he gave out an exhausted sigh; it was finally over. With Loki's help this time, Thor rolled him onto his back after covering the entirety of Loki's spine in soft fresh linen to try and keep the wounds closed and clean. When Thor saw Loki's tear-stained face, he couldn't help feel his heart break again. He would have never wished this for him.
Footsteps broke Thor from his daze as he spotted a guard walking towards the cell with a plate of food. He just put it at Thors feet before leaving without a word. Loki's dinner consisted of Asgardian pork, new potatoes, green beans and a small tub of yoghurt usually given to the younger Asgardians as a treat. Thor smiled knowing it was his mother who had influenced this decision as prisoners do not usually get such things. Strawberry yoghurt always made Loki feel better when he was ill as a child.
Thor knew Loki would not be able to chew anything so he tried his best to cut the pork into small childlike chunks while squashing the potatoes, mashing them with the fork as best he could so that Loki wouldn't have to chew anything.
Loki's tired eyes shot open and he swiped Thors hand away just as he was bringing some of the pork to Loki's lips. Thor was quick to react as Loki gagged and heaved but nothing came up. His stomach, not having food for days, wasn't reacting well to the thought of finally eating. Neither the less, Thor tried again to get Loki to take even a mouthful of potatoes which, with a hard swallow, Loki reluctantly accepted. He struggled to swallow through gags but Thor gave him words of encouragement as he worked the half-mashed potatoes down his throat. The God of Thunder brought the glass of water up to Loki's parched lips as he helped him drink a few mouthfuls to help the food go down. After another three mouthfuls Loki refused to accept anymore but Thor, having missed dinner, happily ate Loki's leftovers.
"Come on Loki," Thor said reassuringly, peeling the foil lid from the Yoghurt "Mother sent this down so you absolutely must eat it." Loki's eyes read the packaging and he tried to muster a smile as he realised what it was.
Again, Loki could only handle a few spoonful's before feeling very sick and tired letting Thor know he needed his rest. Thor wiped a stray tear from Loki's eyes as he let out a small yawn before closing his eyes slowly. His body finally feeling the full force of the exhaustion he had been holding back.
Thor watched his brother relax before he stood up to leave. He was taken by surprise when something grabbed his sleeve gently; it was Loki. His eyes were pleading Thor as he just looked up at his brother. Thor could tell what Loki was asking of him so he sat back down on the edge of the bed, letting his brother relax fully for the first time in a while. Thor stayed by his brother's side until he drifted into sleep and the pain melted from his shattered face.
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