Chapter 12 assessing her bruises

Chapter 12 assessing her bruises
No one’s P.O.V.

Fred was anxious when he knocked on the door of Madelyn’s apartment. He was glad that none of her neighbors were outside.
He became more anxious when no one opened the door, nor did Madelyn make any sound. He grabbed the knob and twisted it to check if the door if closed or not.
To his surprise, the door was opened. He assumed that Madelyn left the door open for him.
Still, it unsettled him.
The security was good there, but leaving the main door open like this can be dangerous for a girl who lives alone.
He slowly opened the door and peeked inside.
“Maddie?” he called her name anxiously.
“Come in," he heard a hoarse voice, definitely of a girl, but not familiar.
“Maddie? Are you inside?” Fred asked anxiously; still, only his head was inside the apartment. The rest of the body was leaning on the door.
“Come in.” Madelyn spoke again, but the pain in her throat made her voice a bit more hoarse, filled with pain.
Fred took a few deep breaths before entering the apartment but left the door open.
He blinked in relief when he saw Madelyn sitting on the couch with a cushion on her lap.
She was looking sick.
Paler than she looked after they bullied her in the past.
She had worn a close-neck t-shirt, and her face was a bit down. So, he can’t see the bruises on her neck.
“Hi.” He waved his hand nervously while walking inside at a very slow pace.
Madelyn didn’t move. She just stared at him with a blank gaze.
Fred smiled awkwardly and stopped near a side table between the long couch and the single couch.
He took out a packet from the backpack he had.
“Gr…. Grandma said th… that you need to apply the ointment thrice a day, a…. and the small pouches….. you need to take one before bed, b… but not empty stomach.” He told her while stammering a little.
Madelyn watched him taking out the packet, instructing her, and putting that packet on the table. He looked anxious and scared.
He put the packet on the table and looked at her anxiously.
Madelyn didn’t want to speak, but she felt that he still had something to say.
She was still sitting in the same posture, looking at him with a blank gaze.
“Umm… Grandma also said th… that you should have warm water to drink for a couple of days, a….. and if your throat still hurts tomorrow morning after taking the pouch at night, she …. She suggested you go and see her at her clinic.” Fred spoke in a very low tone, but it was important.
Madelyn knitted her brows while looking at him in confusion.
“I…I told her th… that you got choked by a piece of cloth wrapped around your neck, an… and you couldn’t breathe for a while after we removed that cloth from you neck.” Fred explained, looking guilty, but Madelyn knew it wasn’t his fault.
“Why are you helping me?” she asked calmly; her voice was still hoarse and sounded painful.
“Because making you an outlet to vent his anger is wrong?” Fred answered, shrugging his shoulders lightly, but he knew what he was saying.
Madelyn scoffed a little but decided not to say anything else.
“If…. If you don’t mind…. Le… let me put the ointment on your neck. This way, you will know the right way to rub the ointment on the bruise.” Fred suggested anxiously while looking at Madelyn hopefully.
He only wanted to see those bruises on her neck. The bruises were already blackish purple when they left her in the room.
He didn’t know that Madelyn had already applied for the leave. So, he was afraid that the bruises will be worse by tomorrow morning and people in the school can see them.
They all had been constantly bullying Madelyn for a long time. So, they will be the first suspect.
And also, he wanted to check if she has any internal injury or not.
Her voice shouldn’t be this hoarse by now.
He has been learning traditional medicine and massaging techniques from her grandma and her apprentices for a long time.
So, he knew a thing or two.
“You want to check the damage, right?” Madelyn exposed her thoughts without any hesitation.
Fred pursed his lips in guilt but nodded in response.
Madelyn didn’t go to the hospital because the doctor would have filed a police complaint after seeing the bruises.
But it was still painful, and she knew how skilled Fred was.
She took a deep breath and slowly straightened her body.
Fred took the hint and immediately put his backpack on the couch and opened the packet.
“Are you feeling dizzy and have a headache?” he asked her concernedly while taking the ointment out. He noticed her movements intently and got the conclusion.
“Yeah. I have taken the painkiller.” She replied but winced in pain in the end.
He hurriedly approached her with the ointment and bent his waist to her level so that he could see the bruises.
His heart sank when he saw that the bruises had turned black completely. They were looking so much worse on her pale skin that he felt her pain in his throat.
“May I?” he asked in a very low voice, his eyes still assessing the bruises, but his hand stopped from touching them, making him wait for her approval.
They were alone here, and her approval was important.
She nodded, but now making any movement through her neck was hurting her.
He was about to open the tube when he realized that he didn’t wash his hands.
“I forgot to wash my hands.” He mumbled and put the ointment on her lap before spinning on his heel to find the bathroom.
He found a washbasin near the kitchen area.
He immediately ran there and washed his hands properly. Madelyn took the ointment and read the composition.
She didn’t have interest in medicines, but she learned a few things during her grandma’s treatment. A few of those contents had pain-suppressing properties that she knew about.
Fred came back soon after drying his hands.
He took the ointment from her and opened it.
“Stella will be back soon.” She told him when he was putting some ointment on his fingers. He paused, and his heart skipped a beat, but he couldn’t run now.
Not when he had doubts about Madelyn's internal injuries. He needed to ensure that she wasn't hurt more than what it was looking at on the surface.
“It’s okay. I did nothing wrong. So, I don’t need to be scared, right?” he replied gently and bent his waist a little again.
Madelyn just hummed in agreement. He didn't even touch her at that time.
So, yeah.... in one way... he did nothing wrong this time. So, he didn't need to be scared.
He was taller by half a foot than Madelyn. So, he had to lean more to be at her level.
“Lift your neck a little higher." He instructed while inspecting the bruises again intently.