章 47: Chapter 47

“Shit, shit, shit!” he hisses, guiding Alex to a kitchen chair and slamming the back door, suddenly mindless of his Nan sleeping in the next room. He yanks open the drawers to find a clean kitchen towel, and when he does, presses it to the wound until Alex actually hisses in pain. “Keep it there. Hold it!”

When Alex doesn’t move, Ryan seizes one bony hand and presses it to the towel for him. After a moment, Alex takes over, and Ryan crouches to look him in the visible eye.

“What happened?” he breathes.

Alex says nothing. He is sheet-white and breathing too deeply and too hard. He is trembling, and the pupil of his eye, despite the bright light of the kitchen, is blown up until the grey of the iris is almost completely obscured.

“Alex,” Ryan coaxes. “Alex, Alex, please. What happened? Did he hit you?”

Alex blinks, hazily, and nods.

“Okay,” Ryan says, brushing his hand over the clean, blood-free side of Alex’s hair. “Okay. He hit you. Why the cut?”