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CHAPTER 5: HEALING ROSE
As he had promised, Animal let Gabriel tend to Rose's wounds that night. At Gabriel's direction Rose lay nervously on the couch, trembling. Just as Animal had intimated, her cuts were not as deep nor nearly as dangerous as Gabriel had thought, and, as the Bearer had remarked, except for same faded scars her skin was unmarked.
"I'll need clean cotton cloth," he said. Animal looked at him blankly for a minute, then gave a flashing grin and hastily strode through a door opposite the entrance they had come in. When he left, Rose shrunk down to even an even smaller size and looked at Gabriel fearfully. Gabriel tried to reach for words that might comfort her, but could think only of what he had said to Griley a lifetime ago, and regretted.
Animal came back into the room carrying three folded tunics before him as if they were trays. He thrust them at Gabriel, and stood back gruffly.
The shirts looked clean enough, although certainly not sterile. Gabriel set aside one dyed a deep purple with a concoction he could not guess, and tore the white one and the cream-colored one into strips with a practiced hand. At each tear of the cloth Rose gave a stifled gasp.
When he had made the bandages, Gabriel looked at Rose's back dispassionately. The cuts had mostly clotted already, and the bleeding had slowed to an ooze. Bandages and salve for a day or so would stop any infection, and then fresh air would do the rest.
Gabriel sat on the floor next to the couch and slowly raised an ointment-soaked bandage to put on the deepest cut. Rose breathed sharply and closed her eyes. "I won't hurt you, Rose," Gabriel said to her softly, hoping again he would not regret these words. He could feel Animal's heavy presence behind him. Rose opened her eyes, looked at Gabriel fleetingly, and gave him a smile so tiny Gabriel wondered if he had imagined it. Carefully he lay the bandages on her back. The blood oozed through the first layer but not the second.
He turned to Animal, who still hovered beside him. "Can you bring a cup of hot water?" he requested. Animal looked confused and a little offended. Rose moved as if she would get up, and Gabriel quickly put a warning hand on her shoulder, holding her down. "You need to lay still, or you'll open the wounds and spoil my pretty bandages," he said. For an instant Rose looked as if he had told her he was made of goat cheese, and then her face was carefully blank again.
Animal clanged and banged in the kitchen area, cursing more than once, but eventually carried from there, carefully, as if it were precious, a mug of hot water. Gabriel took it with barely a nod of thanks, fishing through his medicine pouch for the proper herbs. The miniscule amount of relaxants Gabriel put in the tea he concocted for Rose had a stronger effect on her than he expected, and she fell fast asleep on the couch a few minutes after fearfully sipping it down.
Animal looked at Rose's sleeping figure bemusedly, then shrugged and pressed a button by the door to the hallway. A runner appeared a few minutes later, and Animal told him to bring supper.
When the runner brought the food, a savory meat stew that made Gabriel's mouth water, Animal unceremoniously put it on the table and banged around in the kitchen, looking for plates and utensils. He brought them in and sat down at the table with another sour look to Gabriel. Gabriel felt suddenly uncouth and embarrassed by his filthy clothes. Animal, oblivious, piled more meat on Gabriel's plate than he had ever seen not on a feast day, and a goodly helping of tender broccoli and cauliflower and baby potatoes.
Gabriel was suddenly ravenous. However, after a few forkfuls he found it increasingly difficult to lift his fork or to keep his eyes open. Animal, who had been eating unconcernedly, gave a soft snort when he looked up and saw Gabriel's chin in his chest. He carried Rose from the couch to his bed, and helped Gabriel to the couch. It took him a while to find a blanket for Gabriel but when his task done, he sat down again and finished his meal.
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