After declaring they needed sanctuary, Trevor pulled out the map and explained that he knew of a location that was well protected and which everyone believed had been cursed. They'd have the seclusion to heal and plan their next move. It was far more north than they'd originally planned to go, but the benefits outweighed the risks.

It would also take them further from Gresit.

Trevor rested, pillowed upon their bedding. Lisa had insisted he remain out of the saddle until she could remove the head of the bolt. He hadn't been happy, but the doctor had also insisted they take the injured animal with them. He'd tried arguing that they could provide triage and leave it for anyone on the road to take in, but she'd proven as stubborn as him.

In the end, he'd been in too much pain to fight. His insistence for speed had also been proven moot when they'd discovered the bandits' horses further down the trail and they came to a halt. He hovered in and out of consciousness until the cart started moving again.

They stayed on the main road as long as possible before turning to a lesser used road that veered north-east. The cart ride began to jostle painfully, but he knew not to voice such things to the doctor. He had asked her to keep driving well into the night. They had enough quick supplies to make camp with little effort and they could take the next day to recover if need be. He hadn't told her the second part either, but knew she would insist on it.

When the cart finally stopped, he could hardly breathe. Every jerk and jolt of the cart sent stabbing pain into his chest. He laid there, immobile, until Lisa climbed in and gently helped him sit up. With slow movements, he slid to the edge and dropped to his feet. Lisa wrapped an arm under his good shoulder, a hand supporting his chest, and guided him to where she had lit a fire and spread out his bed roll.

"Wait here, love. I need to grab a few things before we begin."

Trevor watched her go, suddenly noticing the additional half dozen horses that had joined them. He allowed a small smirk that she'd become a horse thief in his proximity. Then he saw movement beneath the cart. The wolf laid there, watching him. So it had joined them as well.

Lisa returned with a leather case and her vials of medicines. Trevor stared up at the stars. "Did that animal follow us on its own?"

She glanced toward the cart and bit her lip. "Yes, though I have no idea why. Considering it tried to kill us last night, I can't fathom what's wrong with it... but I didn't want to drive it off after saving you from those..."

She shook her head and spread out her instruments. "Not that I believe it would have left us alone if I had tried. It's a tenacious beastie." She left again and returned with a glass jar of clear liquid. "Let's remove your shirt so I can see the wound."

He did as asked with her assistance, wincing from every motion. Lisa mirrored his pain in her eyes, but remained professional. Filling a metal bowl, she scrubbed her hands and arms to the elbow then rinsed them with fresh water from the jar. "Alright, Trevor, we can begin." She began dictating the events of the day, giving a detailed account of the injuries she identified on his body.

He tried to stay calm, but the last time she'd done anything so invasive he'd been unconscious. Trevor looked away as she prepped a syringe and asked, "Do you have to speak so graphically about it?"

"My apologies, Mr. Belmont. It helps me maintain a level head, but I can keep my thoughts to myself." Then the needle pierced his flesh near the arrowhead and he held his breath. She chastised, "Keep breathing, steady and level, until the local anesthetic takes effect. I don't want to cause any further trauma if I can avoid it." Giving him a disapproving side eye, she muttered, "I wish you had let me deal with this earlier, before the swelling and inflammation reached these levels."

"Do we really need to argue about this again?"

Lisa raised an eyebrow and sighed. "You had as many valid points as I did. That's why I relented and we're dealing with this now. How do you feel?"

Trevor shifted uncomfortably, noticing that the pain had almost entirely vanished and there was a strange buzzing numbness starting in his chest and going partially down his arm. "Like I've slept wrong. I'm waiting for the tingles to start after blood returns to my hand."

"You don't feel this?"

He looked over to see her poking a few inches from the open wound. He shook his head in surprise and watched as she reached for clean fabric swatches with long forceps. He looked away as she started cleaning the wound with her specially formulated saline.

"Let me know if anything changes, love." She worked in silence and he didn't know what to do to break it. When she switched to a silver scalpel, she asked, "Was today the first time... you've been targeted like that?"

He looked into the undergrowth, considering what to say. Would she believe a lie? Was this because of how he'd reacted afterwards? He chewed his cheek, self loathing churning his gut.

"If you don't want to speak of it, I won't pry. I honestly can't say I'd experienced any particularly traumatizing situations before you came into my life-"

"So it's my fault?" His blood ran cold and he glanced at her, alarmed, knowing he was at her mercy.

She instantly froze and met his eyes. Her hand drifted toward his face before hesitating. Pursing her lips, she took a deep breath and shook her head. Resuming her task, she explained, "I would never blame you for my own misfortunes, Trevor. If I wasn't trying to maintain a clean environment, I'd-" She cut herself off and focused on her work. "I only meant, I understand why you react as you do... to strangers... and why you keep your distance. I hope you know that you don't have to do so with me."

He tried not to squirm where he lay. If she could read him so well, what could he possibly do to protect her from himself? Against his will, his eyes welled up with frustrated tears and he looked away, clenching his jaw to end any conversation.

Thirty minutes later, she said, "There we are. You'll have to sit up now." Trevor finally looked back to see she'd placed clean fabric over the wound, secured with some kind of sweet scented sticky tar. She explained, "It's honey. I coated the sutures and surrounding skin with it to promote healing. It will also hold the bandage in place, but I want to wrap your shoulder to prevent attracting insects."

"How long until the stitches come out?"

She raised an eyebrow at his question while she started wrapping his torso and shoulder, ending with a sling to hold his arm to his chest. "I want to see and clean the sutures as needed, but until I see progress, I cannot give a date at this point."

So she intended to trap him with this? Did she not think he'd been self treating for years? Sure, never to the extent of her skills, but he'd kept himself alive! He realized his face gave away his irritation when she cleared her throat and folded her arms.

"Fine." He rolled over onto his good side and added, "I know that I shouldn't move in ways that risk breaking the threads."

"Alright, child. Let me know when the pain returns. The last thing I want is for you to suffer."

Nothing he could say would sound honest, so he simply grunted and went to check out their newly gained herd. Even though he reminded himself to thank her later.

Lisa watched Trevor meander through the horses that approached as curious about him as he seemed to be about them. The wolf continued to watch the two of them, immobile apart from even breaths. She cleaned and packed her surgical kit, keeping out the medicines she expected Trevor would need once the anesthetic wore off.

Taking them to the cart, she flinched when a burst of air hit her ankles. Remembering that the animal had been the only reason Trevor managed to fend off the bandits from earlier, she reached for their rations. She removed a portion of their cured meat and half of the remaining sour dough bread and offered it. To her surprise, the wolf made no motion to take it.

It might not be a domesticated pet, but to have no interest? Taking a closer look, she couldn't see anything obvious. Perhaps it had been injured during the fighting? She dropped the meat and bent to creep closer when the wolf finally moved. It crawled out the back and when she moved to follow, it snuck past and took the meat.

With a little smirk, she muttered, "All right, beastie. I'll respect your space if you respect ours'."

Then she searched through her belongings for her crochet hook and a ball of white string. She settled to begin tatting the edge of what would eventually be added to a dress. Something to keep her mind and hands busy so she could stop worrying about the boy in her care.

She honestly felt drained. Her stomach was still upset from the events of the day. Between the attack and Trevor's fear response after, she'd been starting to doubt whether she could help in a way he needed and would accept. There might be nothing she could offer that would make him feel wanted and secure.

She'd completed two circles before Trevor coughed behind her. Glancing up, she set her needlework down and asked, "Has the anesthetic worn off?"

He nodded, but held out a bowl with bread and hard cheese. "You should eat something." He looked away, almost apologetically. "I have a strong pain tolerance, so you don't have to worry-"

Lisa took the bowl, placing it beside her, and quickly stood. "You're not a bother, Trevor, and you shouldn't suffer needlessly." She put two fingers to his pulse under his jaw and used the back of a hand to check the temperature of his forehead. "You're slightly feverish and showing signs of shock. Sit still while I prepare. Have you eaten anything?"

He did as told and shook his head again. "I feel too nauseous to even try."

She pursed her lips and paused. He really was still trying to hide from her. How could she prove that he could depend on her? The answer was obvious, but the choice would always be his. So she mixed her tinctures and prepared an herbal tea with penicillin and a sleep aid.

Sitting beside Trevor, she gave him the thimble of tincture. He sniffed it and winced. Wrapping a blanket around him, she admitted, "I know the alcohol is strong, but it is the easiest way to make a pure solution. You can chase it with the tea."

"And here I thought doctors were light weights," Trevor murmured before downing the alcoholic infusion. He winced and took the tea, sipping it slowly.

She gently pulled Trevor into her side and placed a kiss on his hair. "Will you allow me to care for you, child? I will never intentionally harm you. Do you know that?"

He didn't answer, but finished the last of the tea. The medicines seemed to start taking effect based on how heavily he leaned on her. Lisa scooted out from beside him, catching his weight to help him lay down comfortably. When he fell asleep, the bruises around his neck were still vividly obvious.

Her eyes started welling and she buried her face in her hands. How could she have allowed this? The damn arrowhead she'd dug out of his living flesh lay within a stone's throw! What could she do?

Hours had passed when Trevor started shifting in his sleep. "Mother?"

Lisa wiped her face and checked his temperature again. "I'm here, sweetheart." He leaned into her touch, but there was no fever. A simple night terror then? Lisa lightly brushed his hair back until he grew still once more.

Then she noticed the wolf stand and walk to the edge of their camp's firelight. It shook out its fur and looked back at her. She got the sense she should understand what was going through its mind. Then it shook its fur and trotted off into the night.

A sense of relief washed over her seeing it leave them. Perhaps now she could sleep. She put her bedroll down alongside Trevor and laid beside her patient. He breathed easy and level, unlike how he'd traveled behind her in the cart. All she could hope for was that he wouldn't be disturbed further.

When she woke the next morning, she noticed immediately that Trevor hadn't moved. She'd reached out with one hand to keep in touch with him during the night, her fingers wrapped lightly around his forearm. Sitting up, she tried not to alert him, only to realize Trevor had already awoken.

Lisa withdrew her hand and apologized, "I'm sorry. How long have you been up?"

Trevor propped himself up on an elbow and rolled to his knees. "A few hours? You seemed like an anxious sleeper... so..."

She stretched and sighed. "Don't worry about myself, Trevor. I only want you to heal." Physically and mentally. Standing, she offered a hand and asked, "How do you feel?"

Taking her hand, he stood and rolled his neck. "Sore, but alive. Though my chest is starting to itch already. I forgot how annoying stitches are."

She giggled and started toward the cart. "Unfortunately, that's just the nature of the beast."

"Speaking of beasts, where did the wolf go?"

They each took hold of the end of a bag of grain for the horses as she explained, "About halfway through the night, it just wandered off."

"Huh. Good riddance, I guess?"

Lisa moved to carry the sack, but Trevor grabbed first. She weakly glared at his back for pushing himself harder than he needed to. Choosing to let that battle go, she started pulling out things for breakfast. "The horses didn't seem alarmed, but I have to admit I'm glad it's gone."

They busied themselves as they'd grown accustomed during the morning hours. Then Trevor took over cooking and noted, "The horse seems mostly unharmed. I'm always impressed by how resilient they are."

She glanced toward where the herd grazed and pursed her lips. "I suppose it's all based on relative size. Large animal, small arrow. I'll see what I can do. Unfortunately, animal medicine isn't my forte, but I hate to see them suffer." She started making more sourdough bread, leaving it to rise. Hesitating, she broached, "We should stay here for a day or so."

Trevor only grunted. She glanced over to see him remained hunched over their cooking pot. Raising an eyebrow at his lack of reaction, she turned to the horses. The injured animal stood with a cocked hip, head low. A quick physical showed Trevor's observation correct. She gave an abbreviated treatment similar to what she'd done for Trevor.

After they'd eaten, he still hadn't commented on their extended stay, but since he seemed content to do so, she didn't want to bring it up again. Then he tested, "If we're now in possession of..." he gestured to the horses, "we should utilize them. We have the extra harness from the wagon we traded and I can probably improvise another. It'll take time though, since..." he gestured to his injured arm.

Lisa nodded in agreement. "I can help with that."

They then started salvaging what they could from the bandits' gear and saddles. Lisa listened carefully as Trevor instructed how to get the most out of them. When he removed a set of leatherworking tools from his pack, she finally grew too curious to remain silent.

"How do you know so much about this?"

Trevor never took his eyes off what he was doing and explained, "There's a reason it's called being piss poor. After a few months... the tannery offered a job. Few months after that, I'd proven useful enough to start an apprenticeship of sorts."

He'd been that desperate? Lisa tried to hide the distress such an offhand statement caused. How long ago had that happened? To her knowledge, only young orphans were recruited to such disgusting labor. Of course, it was important to most societies, but... perhaps it was to further hide his background? Make himself appear lesser than he was?

"Doctor!"

Lisa startled at his alarmed tone and noticed he slowly stood and drew his knife. He faced the woods. It took her a moment to notice all the horses had turned their attention in the same direction. "Trevor, what is it?"

"Something's coming," he hissed. "I heard- There!"

Lisa put a hand on his good shoulder and caught her breath. A figure approached with a satchel strapped across his body with a short sword at his waist. Trevor called out, "Don't come any closer."

The young man stood tall and proud, long blond, almost white, hair blowing gently on the spring breeze. "I mean you no harm, traveler."

"I assure you, your word means shit given our recent history. Who the fuck are you?"

"Adrian," Lisa breathed, her hand clutched shakily on Trevor's tunic. Stumbling into a run, she called louder, "Adrian!"

"Doctor, wait!"

"Mother!"

Lisa ran into her son's arms, holding him to herself. "Adrian, I'm so happy you're alright!" She stepped back and held his face in her hands. "You've grown again. You're almost as tall as your father now."

Adrian smiled at her, before looking back to their camp. "Mother, I think your companion is a little confused."

Lisa turned back where Trevor stood in abandoned shock. She guided Adrian to the fire and explained, "Adrian, this is Trevor Belmont. We've been traveling together for nearly three weeks now. Trevor, this is my son. Adrian."