Chapter 69 : Let Me Check Your Back
Allison stood barefoot on the carpet, picked up her scarf, and checked it carefully. “Good thing it’s not damaged. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to return it.”
Jareth interrupted her, “You don’t need to return it.”
Allison looked at him. She was about to ask why, but then she remembered something more important.
“Let me check your back,” she said.
I still remember how pale he had looked before I fell asleep. It must have been because of the wound.
Jareth sat up without resisting, and Allison reached out to unbutton his shirt.
She had grown up around medicine with her father, so she had seen both men and women. To her, there was nothing taboo about it. Undressing someone for treatment didn't feel inappropriate at all.
But when her knuckle accidentally brushed against Jareth’s Adam’s apple, a strange tremor ran through her.
Something flashed across her mind. Her cheeks blushed, but she forced herself to remain calm. “Thank you for saving me today.”
Jareth corrected her. “Not today. It was yesterday. You’ve been asleep for seven hours.”
It had just passed midnight, so technically, it was the day before.
Normally, that wouldn't have mattered. But when he spoke, the vibration of his voice traveled through his throat, and Allison felt it against her fingers.
She felt nervous again. “How did you even find me?”
Allison had thought to herself; No one would notice my disappearance, let alone come to rescue me.
So when someone actually came for me, I was stunned. My nose stung, and tears welled up in my eyes.
It had been so long since anyone cared for me.
People said those who grow up unloved are the easiest to sway with even the smallest act of kindness. I didn't want to let my guard down in front of Jareth.
She quickly undid the buttons on his shirt, then moved behind him. Her hands slid beneath his collar, pulling the fabric apart across his shoulders.
His back was wrapped in gauze, and a large bloodstain had soaked through it. Just looking at it made her frown.
“It was Ronan. He thought you were with me,” Jareth explained shortly.
Allison touched the gauze lightly. It was unbearable. She immediately moved to undo it, wanting to clean the wound properly.
Just then, Jareth turned his head slightly and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “I heard Ronan is seriously injured and in the hospital. You should go see him. Forget about me.”
“Injured?” Allison’s expression changed. Her hand froze mid-air. “How bad? Is he dead?”
Jareth’s eyes darkened.
“No.”
“Oh.” Allison gave a short reply and went back to unwrapping the gauze. “With an injury this large, keeping it wrapped only slows healing. The constant friction makes it worse.”
Jareth was momentarily stunned. I thought Allison would rush to Ronan first.
They had nearly twenty years of history. How could she just walk away?
He frowned again. She might just want to deal with me first before heading over to him.
Allison continued working on the gauze.
Because of the blood and fluid, parts of the gauze had stuck to his wound. Peeling it off felt like tearing through stitches. It hurt.
Even though she was as gentle as she could be, some pain was unavoidable. She glanced up at Jareth and saw his cold expression. He stayed silent and endured it without a sound.
So Allison decided to stop holding back. She thought it would be better to finish it quickly.
She peeled the gauze in one swift motion, then reached around his chest to pull the last strip away, and passed it into her other hand.
Jareth had broad shoulders and a solid build. Besides Allison’s smaller frame, the contrast was striking.
The way she handled the gauze forced her to reach around him, almost like she was hugging him. Each time her hands passed in front of him, her body leaned a little closer.
Her breath brushed over his raw skin, making him feel uncomfortable in ways he hadn't expected.
Sensing his body tense, Jareth suddenly grabbed the hand resting on his chest.
“If you’re in such a hurry to see Ronan, just go,” he said. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Allison blinked, confused about what she had done wrong. She mumbled, “Who said I wanted to see him?”
She pulled her hand back and continued unwrapping the gauze. “Plenty of people will visit him. He doesn’t need me.”
Only Jareth and I were the kind no one cared about. Even if we died, no one would notice.
Thinking that, Allison felt a strange sense of kinship with Jareth.
He reminded me of a stray dog, mistreated for so long that any bit of kindness would make him bare his teeth first, not wag his tail.
The image of a muddy, rain-soaked dog flashed through her mind. Instead of feeling afraid, Allison found it oddly amusing.
Jareth had no idea what she was laughing at. He frowned and muttered, “Can’t you be gentler? I swear Ronan must have sent you to torture me.”
Allison finally realized what he meant and asked, “You can feel pain?”
Jareth turned and glared at her. “Can’t you?”
Allison fell silent.
Seeing that she still didn't understand, Jareth added, “You could at least do what you did last time when you gave me the shot. Distracting me is better than pulling it out like this.”
Allison glanced at him and thought about the time at the Berry residence. When I had to give him an injection, I lightly scratched near the injection site to keep him calm. Even then, he still snapped at me afterward.
Now he wanted me to use the same trick again. His temper was really bad.
But Allison had long been used to patients being moody.
She patiently said, “Your wound is too large. That trick won’t work, but you could ask Dr. Joe to give you some anesthesia for the pain.”
Speak of the devil. Joe pushed the door open with a stethoscope around his neck, just in time to hear Allison mention anesthesia.
“Anesthesia?” he said. “Mr. Taylor never takes that stuff. He says it dulls the brain.”
Allison was surprised. “No anesthesia? Then how do you deal with the pain?”