Chapter 83: Cold compress
Miles’s eyes opened to face a dimly illuminated ceiling. He lay outstretched on the cold ground. There was a dull ringing somewhere in his head, yet he shook it off to focus more on his condition.
He still wasn’t wearing a shirt, yet he could feel something firmly wrapped around his back and abdomen.
’Gauze.’
The chill of the ground still pierced through the wrapped gauze, numbing the dull aches on his back. Just like that, he slowly recalled how he’d gotten to this point in the first place.
That bifurcated ghoul had used him as a ragdoll. It wasn’t just his back that hurt; almost everywhere did. Just not as much as it.
There was a tightness around his head. Carefully lifting his hands towards it, he felt another strip of gauze wrapped around it, pulling some of his hair strands down with it.
’Right, the table fell on me too.’
The thought came dryly to him, and he lowered his hand again. He closed his eyes, savoring the numbing effects of the ground on his back.
Of course, such peace didn’t last long. Brandon’s petulant voice sounded somewhere near him.
"Are you sure he’s going to eat his can? I mean he is still unconscious, and the can is open already. It would be such a waste to just let it spoil like this."
Ryan retorted.
"For the second time, no. We both just saw him raise his hand. Besides, I thought you didn’t like beans."
"Not like I have much of a choice."
Brandon grumbled under his breath.
’It was nice while it lasted, I guess.’
Miles sighed before opening his eyes again. He pushed himself up, trying to get into a sitting position, only for a hand to firmly push him back down.
"Just stay there. Doctor’s orders."
Mia had somehow approached without him knowing, her bandaged hand now pressing onto his wrapped chest.
"What sort of doctor lets their patients lie bareback on the ground?"
Brandon snarked as he approached. She shot back.
"It’s called a cold compress, dumbass."
"Language."
Ryan interjected.
"Oh, shut up. Don’t even try defending him."
She shut him down too. Watching it all unfold from her perch nearby, Chloe shut the book she’d been reading, then adjusted her glasses before approaching.
The girl scratched her chin as she stood over him.
"I haven’t ever seen anything like this before, though."
Mia just rolled her eyes.
"Don’t join them. I’ve taken first aid classes before; I know what I’m doing, trust me."
"Says the brute,"
Brandon mumbled in reply.
"What was that, Brandon? I didn’t catch you the first time, mind repeating yourself again?"
"Don’t feel like it."
The boy just shrugged. Before the girl could go off on him again, Miles cleared his throat.
"Guys."
"Right."
She turned back to him.
"You’ll have to stay like this for a bit longer at least; your back was heavily bruised. I don’t think anything broke though, so that’s some good news."
He nodded slowly.
"Thanks."
"See, at least someone’s grateful around here."
The others ignored her antics. Chloe, now standing beside the self-proclaimed doctor, looked down at him with concern.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine, I guess."
She furrowed her brows as her expression wrinkled into a frown, prompting him to very quickly revise his self-assessment.
"Right, sorry, I feel terrible. Everywhere hurts."
Her face softened a bit at that, before she rubbed her forehead in frustration, then sighed.
"Seriously, what were you even thinking?"
Mia joined her.
"Same question, what the hell were you thinking taking that thing on all by yourself!?"
They all stared at him in silence, waiting for a reply. Under the collective weight of their gazes, Miles had no choice but to reply.
"The fire went out before it died, it would’ve survived if I didn’t take it down."
Brandon replied almost instantly, keeping his voice calm.
"Was it weakened after my flames died?"
"Yeah, I wouldn’t have attempted anything otherwise."
The boy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
"Then why the hell didn’t you wait for us to come out, or hell, you could’ve thrown something at the door to alert us. This brute could’ve probably taken it out with a single punch."
"Oh."
That wasn’t a bad idea, not at all. Miles’s brows furrowed.
’Why didn’t I think of that?’
With everything that had been going on back then, and the danger of the monster spotting him, the thought of alerting them hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Chloe pressed.
"Oh!? That’s all you have to say? You could’ve died out there."
"Yeah, but I didn’t."
She looked at him as though he was speaking a completely different language.
"You can’t-"
"Alright, alright. We should give him some space, guys. He’s just waking up, we can scold him for his recklessness later."
Ryan tapped Chloe’s shoulder before pivoting, trying to ease the tension in the room.
"You’ve been out cold for hours, Miles. It’s already evening now. We’ll see how things are tomorrow, and if we can go out again then. But for now, you’ve got to eat. Mia, please."
The girl nodded before picking up a nearby can. Its lid was already open, showing a glistening mix of red and white beans all bathing in some brownish sauce.
She brought it close to his face and began tipping the can towards his mouth, when Ryan stopped her.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I’m doing? I’m giving him some beans."
"He’s going to choke on those."
"No, he is not."
Ryan rubbed his forehead.
"Not everyone can eat while lying down, Mia."
"What do you mean? I do it all the time. Plus, he needs to lie down for the cold compress."
Brandon interjected.
"What he is trying to say is not everyone is a freak like you."
Mia glanced at the can shaking in her hand for a moment. Fortunately, the more responsible parts of her mind stopped her from throwing it in Brandon’s face.
Miles forced himself up again, quickly snatching the can out of her bandaged hands before she could react.
"I’ll just eat it quickly, then lie back down."
The girl half-opened her mouth to reply, when a shaky voice interrupted her.
"T-thank you, Miles. Thanks for saving me."
Sarah.