Beautiful Disaster - Chapter 4
Rated: T
Suture
Chapter Summary: Johnny agrees to let Ash wrap up his injuries but is he willing to tell her exactly what happened?
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Ash felt somewhat relieved when Johnny took her hand. The gentle grasp of the smooth skin of his fingers pressing into her short fur and sensitive fingertips gave her a strange sense of alleviation she hadn't felt in awhile.
It wasn't much…but it was a start.
Silence was deafening as Johnny released her hand to begin making his way to his feet; needing to hold onto a nearby sink to get enough bearings to make it up without causing further damage to his stab wound. Ash watched with bated breath and an utter feeling of helplessness as Johnny finally struggled to stand; desperately wanting to help him up but knew with her fragile strength, she simply couldn't. Eyes slipping to his right side, Ash noticed his free trembling hand was covering the wound and keeping it from her eyes but she knew it was there…
Once he'd gained his balance, another question suddenly plagued her - just how the hell was she going to help him?
Ash wasn't a doctor by the stretch of anyone's imagination and the most she'd ever done was applied a band-aid to a cut or an Ace bandage to Lance's ankle the one time he idiotically twisted it by jumping off the table while drunkly performing with his buddies. This was a fucking stab wound! She wasn't even aware of a first aid kit or even a clean place to try and patch Johnny up…w-what was she supposed to do?
Luckily, Johnny spoke up for her and put those doubts to rest.
"I-I have some stuff in my locker we could use - first-aid kit and whatnot."
"You use the lockers here?" she asked; the four upright lockers (which she scarcely knew existed) nearby hadn't been touched but when Ash flitted her eyes toward Johnny and what he was doing, she was shocked by what she seen.
Inside the locker he hastily opened was a medium-sized pile of nicely folded clothes, a rolled-up blanket, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other items such as soap and a few washcloths as you would use if you were taking a shower…but why would Johnny need those items here?
Slowly, it began dawning on her as she saw so many of his essential items here and perhaps why he had come here tonight…
"Y-You've been staying here." Ash muttered out more like a statement than a question; her voice was calm and quiet but it still froze Johnny's hands anyway. Hands that now gripped a rather large first-aid kit he kept hidden behind the rolled up blanket near the back of the gray metal locker.
"...Yeah." he answered truthfully when he pulled out the first-aid kit before closing the locker with a soft clink of metal on metal.
There was a million and one questions Ash still had lingering in the back of her mind but it wasn't the time nor the place to get them answered. Johnny was badly hurt and right now, they didn't matter as much as getting him the help he so desperately needed.
Ash felt a bit strange when she followed a limping Johnny from the bathrooms to the foyer where she first seen him when he approached a door hidden beside some metal file cabinets. Upon opening it, she saw a rather small room that had nothing more than a burnished gray couch, worn wooden coffee table placed in front of it, and a desk on the far side with a small blue lamp sitting atop it. Yet, instead of any light coming from said lamp, most of the light filtering inside was from massive windows to the right of the couch. The illuminating glow from the moon and city gave off a beautiful rich bluish-white glow into the rather quaint room.
It was strange to realize she was now just finding out this room existed.
"I uh, was falling asleep one day during practice and Mr. Moon apparently had enough of me nodding off so he took me to this room and told me to take a nap and come back when I was useful again." Johnny said with a shrug; walking over and placing the first-aid kit upon the scratched wooden surface of the coffee table. "I never seen the room before then - H-He told me he doesn't use it much…and said I was welcome to use it when I needed to, so…yeah…" his voice trailed off slowly.
Ash wanted to ask him about his reasoning for staying here and just how long it had been going on but those questions faded when a slight motion from him caught her attention. Ever so gingerly, Johnny began pulling off his leather jacket; careful not to move his arms more than necessary, he slipped his arms out of the leather until the garment puddled behind him with a soft whoosh of the leather hitting the carpet.
Now that the blockage of black was gone, Ash became all too aware of how big the blood stain was; drenching his signature green jumper. Ash silently approached the couch and waited for him to remove his shirt. Averting her eyes to give some semblance of privacy even if she'd be seeing him shirtless regardless.
It was the principle of it she supposed…
"I can't really lift up my arms - it pulls too much." Johnny grunted a moment later, dropping the fabric back at his waist.
Ash wanted to ask how he was able to climb into the window of the Moon Theater in such a state but much could be said for sheer adrenaline. Adrenaline that would have well worn-off by now as it had for her even. Ash saw the predicament he was in with his limited mobility and knew what had to be done.
"Here. Come sit in front of me." she guided, having him sit on the couch as she stood up behind him. He seemed rather confused but said nothing as he gently placed himself down.
"You think lifting your arms is bad to try and get a shirt off, try dealing with a back full of spikes your whole life." she chuckled a bit as she lifted up his shirt. Heart beating for reasons she really didn't want to think about when she felt the combination of hardened muscle and soft fur of his back brushing along her palms and wrists. Ever so gently, she pulled his shirt up over his back until the green jumper bunched up around his broad shoulders.
"Well, that's as far as my arms can go," she shrugged, his height a bit daunting even as he was sitting down but it was enough to where he could grab the fabric and pull it off of his head with very little effort.
"Thank you." he replied; looking over at her across the expanse of his broad shoulder; a soft smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Yeah…Now," Ash muttered as she pulled up her sleeves til the fabric folded near her elbow, "Let's see how bad this is."
Johnny flinched a bit but nodded, scooting a bit to try and present his side to her but the angle was far too uncomfortable to stay in this position relatively long for either of them.
"This isn't working," she sighed, "Listen, I-I'll think of something but first, I need to get those washcloths in your locker. It would make this much easier for me to clean you up a bit first."
"Oi, sorry. I should have thought of that…"
"It's okay. I'll be right back." she quickly reassured before leaving the room for a moment.
Heart hammering a million miles an hour without any guarantee of slowing. The painful situation was finally sinking in and taking its toll on her already battered heart; she hated seeing Johnny in this way. He'd normally been always so handsome and happy and seeing his face so bruised and bloody, his spirit broken really hit hard.
Feet dragging a bit as she made her way back in front of the lockers; taking only a moment to grab the white washcloths from his locker before turning and finding a sink meant for someone more her height. First thing she did then was wash her hands; tensing at the pink color that blended with the soap and slipped down the drain. Once her hands were thoroughly clean, she ran the cloths underneath the tap with hot water knowing she would have to be wiping away a lot of dried blood and the warmer, the better.
Once that task was complete, she quickly returned to the room where Johnny waited quietly. Noticing how he had stood up in the meantime; placing his cell phone, wallet and keys upon the wooden table. The first-aid kit splayed open and a few items already taken out and scattered upon the surface. Why he even had that in his locker was concerning (the whole damn situation was) but she didn't want to push it now.
"I think to make this easier, you need to be laying down…Uh, here, let me go first." Ash said, climbing on the couch and sitting toward one headrest.
"Um…J-Just lay in front of me." She tried to play coy but seeing him in nothing but low-rise jeans, black belt, and shoes was different to say the least. Ash had never seen him shirtless before and he was not built like Lance was. All hardened muscle, fur, and the gray skin of his chest was very distracting but nothing compared to the darkened bruises that now lay upon it; disrupting what would have normally been a very appealing sight. His stab wound stood out way too much; the fur surrounding a dark reddish black that didn't belong on his once flawless complexion.
Johnny hesitated; hands rubbing together before he finally approached her and sat down one seat beside her before he began reclining to lay down. The weight of his body a bit heavy as he rested his shoulder-blades atop her thighs; adjusting a bit to give her the best working conditions she could; his wound now level with her chest and in all of its horrible reality.
"Is that alright?" he asked, shifting his weight off her much he could and to ease his mind, she slipped a bit from under him so he could be less tense.
"Y-Yeah, uh, it's fine." she swallowed thickly, eyes scarcely leaving the horrific wound - it all seemed that much more alarming now that she was staring at it without the barrier of his clothing.
Ash gingerly touched the fur surrounding; hating the dampness her fingertips encountered. As gently as possible, she moved closer to where his fur was now stained with red.
"C-Can you hand me a rag?" she asked and he did a moment later. As gently as she possible could, she wiped around the wound until most of the crimson blood had been removed and was now staining the once-white rag.
Ash was silent, eyes blurring as fresh tears rose without her consent.
Wiping away the moisture sticking to her eyelashes before she continued on the task at hand. If this was any other circumstance and Johnny was shirtless, her face would have been flushed, but seeing the wound now just made her sick to her stomach. It was covered mostly by his thick black fur but the more she cleaned it and brushed the thick fur back, the puncture wound became far too obvious in the light the moon steadily provided.
Ash grew silent as she stared at the parting of gray flesh hidden beneath his fur; the interior dark red along the little more than one-inch gash. Feeling gently around, she felt the obvious sensation of his hard rib right underneath the wound…
…that's what saved him…
To think if it had been one inch off and slipped between his ribs; how he could have gotten a punctured lung, liver, or even depending on the length of the knife, could have meant instant death if they'd severed a main artery…
"Ouch!" Johnny flinched when she probed at his rib. "S'rry, it's a bit tender."
"I bet it's been nicked." she thought aloud, still focused on her task even if she felt her hands starting to shake a bit from her plaguing anxiety.
"Yeah... I felt it." Johnny let out a soft chuckle and she suddenly felt sick how he could be joking about such a thing but said nothing. "So…is it bad?"
"Well, I can't just fucking put a band-aid on it." she chuckled mirthlessly; the overwhelming feeling of anxiousness burrowed deep under her skin and prickled along every nerve with little hope of alleviation. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she was more surprised when Johnny handed her a small suture set from the first-aid kit.
"...Why do you have all this stuff?"
"My dad always told me to be prepared and with all his heists, it was always helpful to have one around and I guess I never grew out of it." his answer was vague at best but it was one she would have to accept for now.
Ash gingerly took the kit from his hands and read the short instructions printed out on the side. Looking back down at his wound, she knew it was the only option she had. With a deep sigh, she set to work.
"Hand me the alcohol first. I need to clean it."
Johnny did as she asked and lay still again.
Ever so gently, Ash ripped open the small package of alcohol wipes and began dabbing them along the fur surrounding and finally along the broken skin. Johnny flinched at the burn but for the most part, remained still; clenching his fists and teeth at whatever pain it caused.
Ash noticed his reaction to the alcohol but said nothing; just continued dabbing it lightly among the red slit; making sure the area was clean before she could start on the next step. A few moments later, she pulled back the alcohol wipes now smeared with blood but leaving the wound as clean as she could hope for in this situation. Once she placed it aside, she took one more glance at the instructions of the sutures and began her work.
Unsteady hands working at the stitch material for minutes that seemed to go on for years; the material annoyingly kept getting stuck to the fur on her fingers making it seem that much longer. Ever so gently, she swallowed down her more squeamish side and pushed the parted skin together before gingerly pushing the thin needle through his skin and essentially sewing him back together.
All the while, Johnny trembled and flinched at the pain of putting pressure on it and the sensation of the needle piercing his skin, and the last thing she expected was him to speak during this...
"...It was an old rival gang of my fathers..." Johnny suddenly muttered out after a silence that seemed to encompass the whole room in a cloud of smoke and Ash's hands froze above her work.
