Chapter 290 I Can't Do It
Alexander had started to fear water.
Caroline crouched by the bathtub, filled it with water, and tested the temperature with her hand.
When she turned around, she saw Alexander standing in the bathroom doorway. He was leaning against the door frame, his eyes fixed on the water in the tub, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"The water's ready," Caroline stood up, deliberately softening her voice. "It's not hot, I checked. Take off your clothes first."
Alexander didn't move. One hand gripped the door frame, his knuckles white.
"I... don't want... don't want..."
Caroline froze. She'd always thought Alexander was steady, that few things could make him lose control. She'd never seen him this scared before.
"Alexander, give me your hand," Caroline reached out to him, her tone like she was trying to calm someone who'd been frightened.
Alexander still didn't move.
Caroline walked up to him, hesitated, then gently grasped his wrist. He was terribly thin—his wrist so narrow she could wrap one hand around it. The moment she held it, her fingertips trembled beyond her control.
She took a breath, pushed down that wave of ache, and carefully led him toward the bathtub.
Alexander followed for two steps.
On the third step, he suddenly stopped.
Steam from the bathtub drifted over, settling on his face and the back of his hand. His breathing immediately became rapid and shallow. Caroline could feel his wrist shaking violently in her palm.
"I won't bathe!" His voice suddenly rose. "I won't bathe! Let go of me!"
Alexander jerked his hand away.
Caroline was pulled backward a step and nearly hit the shelf behind her. She steadied herself against the wall, and when she looked up again, Alexander had retreated to the doorway, crouching on the floor, curling himself into a ball, his back pressed tight against the door frame.
"Alexander..."
Caroline slowed her movements as she approached, crouching in front of him and gently touching his hair.
"Okay, then you don't have to bathe," she said.
Alexander looked up at her trembling, as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.
"We'll just wipe you down, okay? I'll only use a towel. I'll wet the towel with warm water, then gently wipe your body. Your skin won't have to touch the water in the tub," Caroline asked him in a low voice.
Then she stood up, took a clean towel from the hook, dampened it with warm water, and crouched back down in front of him.
"Look," she held up the towel for him to see. "I'll wipe your hand first, okay?"
Caroline gently pressed the towel against the back of his hand.
Alexander's fingers immediately curled.
Caroline stopped, not pushing him. She waited quietly for him to calm down, and only after a few seconds did she continue moving the towel with very light pressure.
"It's not hot," she reassured him softly. "We'll take it slow, okay?"
Caroline wiped the back of his hand bit by bit. Alexander's fingers remained tightly curled.
"Just like this," Caroline told him in a steady voice as she wiped. "It won't hurt, and nothing else will happen. Just feel it."
After a long time, Alexander seemed to finally confirm he was safe. His curled fingers unclenched one by one.
Caroline noticed him relaxing and turned his hand over, gently wiping away the dirt on his palm.
"It's okay," she said.
She cleaned each of his fingers before looking up.
"Can you give me your other hand?"
Alexander hesitated for a long time before pulling his other hand out from under the towel and placing it in front of her.
Caroline took that hand and wiped it inch by inch, just like before.
After finishing both hands, Caroline turned the towel to a clean side, refolded it, and looked at him.
"You need to take off your clothes," she said softly. "If you don't, I can't wipe your body."
Alexander tilted his head, as if processing her words. After a while, he slowly pinched the hem of his shirt.
The fabric lifted from his waist, revealing a patch of purple bruises on his lower abdomen.
When he pulled the shirt up to his chest, his movement suddenly froze. His entire arm was shaking.
He gritted his teeth and pulled it up a bit more, but his arm seemed to suddenly lose strength. The shirt slipped from his fingers and fell back down, covering those wounds again.
"I can't..." he said. "My arm... I can't lift it."
Caroline didn't rush him. She crouched quietly in front of him, giving him time to adjust his breathing.
After a long time, Alexander pinched the hem again, trying to roll the shirt up bit by bit. When it reached his chest, his arm started shaking again.
Caroline gently covered his hand with hers.
"Let me help you."
Alexander didn't answer, just let go.
Caroline carefully pulled the shirt off him. When the fabric brushed his skin, Alexander's shoulders tensed sharply. Caroline immediately stopped, waited a few seconds, and only continued removing the shirt after she felt his shoulders slowly relax.
The shirt finally came off completely.
Caroline saw Alexander's bare upper body for the first time. She almost didn't dare let her gaze linger and instinctively looked away, but in that instant she still clearly saw the layers of wounds on his body—blue and purple, one overlapping another.
Some were already turning yellow, starting to fade. Others were fresh, with bruises settled under the skin, so purple they were almost black.
Caroline's eyes immediately reddened. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
Caroline quickly turned her head away, picked up the towel, and started wiping his shoulders. Her hands were shaking badly, and the towel nearly slipped from her fingers several times.
"Turn around," she suppressed her choking voice and indicated softly.
Alexander obediently turned around.
There were wounds on his back too.
When Caroline saw those terrible scars, tears finally fell.
It took her a long time to clean his upper body, and then she got stuck.
Caroline knew that to treat the wounds on his lower body, she'd have to help him take off his pants first. The thought made her so nervous she could barely hold the towel.
But she also knew that Alexander had been gone so long, there might be more wounds she hadn't seen. She could only force herself not to think too much.
Caroline tried not to look at his body and quickly helped him pull down his pants.
Fortunately, the wounds on his legs weren't as severe, and she finished treating them quickly.
But to apply medicine to wounds near more private areas, Caroline's gaze inevitably swept across his body.
By the time she was done, her face was burning red.
Caroline quickly dressed Alexander in clean clothes, helped him back to the bedroom, then fled to the kitchen.
When Irene arrived, she saw Caroline with a flushed face, the potato in her hand already peeled into a lumpy mess.