Page 197 of Only Fools Rush

“Whatever you have in that kit, give him,” Willow instructed. “He’s going to need something so we can pull out the knife and stitch up the wound.”

Leona handed him a set of pills, and Ciel swallowed them without complaint. “Should we wait for them to kick in?”

“Just do it,” Ciel commanded. “Pull it out and get going. If I pass out, I pass out.”

Willow sighed. “Okay. Wynn, give the phone to Leona.” I passed it over. “Now, you two go wash your hands. Really good, with lots of soap.” Obi and I did as she asked, not touching anything else. “Wynn, you’re going to pull out the knife, while Obi keeps Ciel’s hand steady. Keep his hand above his heart to help with the blood. Then, Obi, you’re going to press bandages over the wound immediately. Keep pressure, but not too hard.”

Ciel held his hand out to me. His jaw clenched. “Do it, Wynn.”

I gingerly held his hand, looking to Willow on the screen.

“Gentle,” she encouraged. “He should really be in surgery for this.”

“No surgery,” Ciel with the shake of his head.

“If it’s damaged the bone, you might not have a choice, Ciel,” Willow responded. “Wynn, as steady as you can.” I grabbed the knife’s hilt and moved cautiously. “Don’t damage any of the surrounding tissue. Pull it straight out. Tell me what you feel.”

I took a deep breath, allowing myself to sink into my training to calm my nerves. I did exactly as she instructed, pulling the blade out the same way it went in. I might not be a doctor, but I knew what it felt like to stab someone and hit bone. I sighed as I realized this was clean.

The knife slipped out, and Obi rushed to cover the wound with bandages, keeping Ciel’s hand raised.

“It’s out,” I said. “It didn’t feel like it scraped bone.”

Ciel gritted his teeth. “God-fucking-damnit. Fuck. Shit.”

Every one of his groans was another pound of guilt that sat on my shoulders.

Willow squinted. “Leona, can you help me see it? Without an x-ray or CT, it’s hard to know.”

Leona moved the phone closer while Obi lifted the bandage. I watched Ciel as his breath hissed through his teeth and he squeezed his eyes shut.

This was my mistake. He was in pain because of me.

“Wynn, show me the knife.”

I held it in front of the camera.

“It’s not as big as I thought it was,” Willow said. “That’s good at least. The placement of the wound looks like it might have slipped through his bones, but still, we have no way of truly knowing if there are any bone fragments in there or what the damage is without imaging. Let’s stitch it up.”

Obi followed her instructions to clean the wound with the antiseptic iodine we had in the kit and closed it. He was the best at stitching out of all of us, so his sutures were tight and small. After he was done on both sides of Ciel’s hand, he followed Willow’s instructions to wrap the wound in bandages.

“That’s the best we can do for now unless you either take him to a hospital or you bring him to me,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

“No hospitals,” Ciel said. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back to sink into his chair. “We left my blood at the park where we cornered Lucia. I’m going to be in the system.”

Willow held up the list she made earlier. “You need to get some antibiotics, as well. If you can’t find them, I’ll have one of our guys bring them up.”

Obi exhaled heavily. “We will get them, but if we need to make a trip to Philadelphia, we will. Keep a careful eye on it, Ciel. Wynn, I’m putting you in charge of pain management, antibiotics, and bandage changes. He cannot do it by himself. Make sure it stays clean.”

“I will.”

“Don’t hesitate, understood?” Willow added. “If there’s any sign of infection or instability in the hand, bring him right to me. And take the full course of antibiotics.”

“We will.” I locked eyes with Leona. Her mouth pressed together in a thin line, and I knew Ciel’s pain was hurting her just as much as it was hurting me.

“Last thing. Ciel, you should know you might have permanent nerve damage. We just have to wait and see while it heals. Keep your hand and your fingers stable.”

Ciel nodded. “I understand.”