Cylvia cleaned the wound on the top of his head. He’d taken a direct hit. She stitched the skin together and Valek tried not to pass out. His vision blurred with each stab of the needle. And he avoided contemplating what it’d feel like if he hadn’t downed that drink. It took forever.
“Hold still. It’s a large gash. If you’d kept your hair short, this would be much easier,” she said. After an eternity, she sat back on her heels. “Done. You’ll need to see a medic in seven to ten days to get the stitches removed. Now, for the fun part.”
“Why do I get the sense that your idea of fun isn’t going to match mine?”
“Do you even know what fun is?” she countered.
His thoughts went immediately to Yelena. “I…”
“Thought so. Please sit up.”
He bit back a groan and sat. At least this time his stomach didn’t heave. Progress. Cylvia crouched behind him. Her fingers probed the base of his skull, traced his spine, pushed on his shoulder blades, then jabbed into his ribs. Each touch hurt like she was pressing on very sore muscles.
She lifted his shirt and whistled. “Very colorful bruising. Looks like a child’s watercolor painting.” Then she came around and repeated the process, trailing down his neck, testing his clavicle, ribs, and examining his skin. “Any sharp, stabbing pain?”
“Not sharp or stabbing.”
“Good.”
“My pain is good?”
“Yes. It means no broken bones. Which, considering the size of that branch, I’m surprised. Looks like your head took the brunt of the impact. Good thing you have a hard head.” She gave him a wry smile. “Symptoms of a concussion are dizziness, headaches, inability to focus, nausea, and a lack of coordination.”
“So, you’re saying my dancing days are over?”
“Another symptom is thinking your jokes are funny.”
“Ouch.”
She set a pouch down next to him. “This is pain powder, your new best friend. Keep it with you at all times, you might have symptoms for a couple weeks, maybe a month or more.”
Valek groaned. He didn’t have time to be injured.
Cylvia packed up her kit. “You should rest, but I know you won’t. If you feel like you’re going to pass out, please lie down so you don’t crack your head open. You used up most of my sutures.”
“Your concern is heartwarming.”
“You don’t get any sympathy when you don’t listen to medical advice.” With that, she grabbed her bag and left.
He shouldn’t get any sympathy as this was his own stupid fault, but he wasn’t planning on wallowing in his misery. Instead, he gathered his energy, shoved the pouch of pain powder into his pocket, and stood. The forest spun around him. The ground undulated under his boots. Valek staggered to a nearby tree and held on. When the world stopped moving, he straightened and scanned the camp. A few tents had been wedged between trees. Not an ideal location, and probably a significant detour from their planned route, adding at least a day to their trip. The Commander wasn’t going to be happy.
Janco was taking his new job seriously. The captain walked the perimeter, stopping every few feet to spread his arms wide for a few moments before moving on. Ari scowled into the woods as if daring anyone to attack his partner. Valek headed toward them, angling so he’d catch up with a minimum of steps because each of his strides increased the thudding in his head by an order of magnitude.
“Feel anything?” Valek asked.
“Nope, but we still have half the camp to test,” Janco said.
“Even after you finish the sweep, I want you to let me know anytime you feel twitchy. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And when we get moving again, I want both of you on horses.”
“We’re not scouting?” Ari asked.
“No. I want you close for the rest of the trip.”
“Yes, sir.”
