The metallic scent continued to thicken, curling through the room. Samantha lowered her gaze,refusing to look directly at the bed or at me.
"I'll wait outside, Young Master," she said quietly, each word measured as though speaking too quickly would shatter the restraint she was clinging to.
I simply reached for a bottle of antiseptic, soaked a fresh pad of gauze from the first aid kit , and carefully cleaned the gravel embedded in Jennie's palms. Tiny stones loosened one by one beneath my hand.
Even unconscious, she flinched in pain.
A faint whimper escaped her lips.
My movements slowed.
"Easy"
The word was barely audible.
I wrapped her palms with clean bandages before moving to the deep scrapes covering both knees. The antiseptic hissed softly against the raw flesh.
Outside the suite, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. A sharp knock followed.
"Young Master!"
Mark's voice.
"I've brought the doctor."
My eyes never left Jennie.
"Come in."
The door swung open.
A middle-aged man carrying a black medical case stepped inside, followed closely by Mark and Samantha. He had barely taken two steps before the sight of the blood-stained bed made him stop.
"My goodness…"
His eyes darted to Jennie's injuries.
"What happened?"
"She fell onto gravel," Mark answered shortly.
The doctor hurried to the bedside, snapping open his case with practiced hands and examined the wound above Jennie's ear first, gently parting her blood-matted hair.
"Hm…mmm"
He frowned.
He carefully irrigated the wound above Jennie's ear, washing away the blood matted into her dark hair before examining the gash beneath.
"It always looks worse than it is."
He said,reaching for a penlight then gently lifted one eyelid, watching the pupil contract before repeating the examination on the other eye.
"Her pupils are responding normally."
He looked toward Jacob.
"Did she lose consciousness immediately after the fall?"
"Within seconds."
"Any vomiting? Seizures?"
"No."
"Good."
The doctor set the penlight aside and opened another sterile package.
"She's likely suffered a concussion, but I don't see any obvious signs of a skull fracture. I'll close the wound first, then continue examining the rest of her injuries."
Jacob stepped back just enough to give him room.
The needle pierced her skin.
Her brow tightened.
A faint crease formed between her eyebrows, and her head shifted weakly against the pillow.The doctor paused for only a second before continuing.
Jennie's lips parted.
A barely audible sound escaped them.
"…No…"
The word was so soft that Mark almost wondered if he'd imagined it.
Another stitch.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her fingers curled slightly against the white sheets before relaxing again.
"No…"
This time the whisper carried just enough strength for everyone in the room to hear.
The doctor glanced briefly at Jacob but continued his work, his hands remaining steady.
"It's an involuntary response," he said.
Jennie's head turned weakly from side to side.
Her expression changed.
The woman lying on the bed had long disappeared, leaving behind only a frightened little girl.
"…Please…"
The word trembled from her lips.
"Don't…"
Samantha and Mark seemed to forget the scent of blood surrounding her. A single tear slipped from beneath Jennie's closed lashes. It rolled slowly down her temple before disappearing into her hair.
Another followed.
Neither of them opened their eyes.
The doctor slowed, his gaze lingering on her face for a brief moment before returning to his work.
"Poor girl," he murmured almost to himself.
Jennie's breathing hitched.
"…Mama…"
Instinctively Samantha lowered The scent of blood was still there… yet somehow it no longer seemed like the strongest thing in the room.Samantha instinctively lowered her head,Mark's jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
"…Please don't go…"
Her voice had changed.
It was softer now.
Smaller.
Almost like the voice of a child pleading with someone she couldn't hold on to.
"I'll be good…"
"I wouldn't cry when they touch me"
Another tear escaped, tracing the same path as the first.
" I wouldn't scream anymore "
"I promise…"
"…Please don't leave me "
Her body trembled faintly beneath the sheets before growing still once more.The doctor finished the last stitch and carefully placed a clean dressing over the wound. As he removed his gloves, he let out a quiet sigh.
"Trauma has a strange way of surfacing when the mind loses its guard," he said.
"I've treated soldiers who called for comrades they'd lost years ago. Children who've reached for parents who should never be parents. Sometimes the body sleeps…" His eyes settled briefly on Jennie's tear-stained face. "…but the heart remembers."
No one replied.
Jacob stood motionless beside the bed.His gaze remained fixed on the unconscious girl as another silent tear escaped from beneath her closed eyelids.
Without thinking, I reached out my thumb brushed lightly across her cheek, wiping the tear away before it could disappear into her hair.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the uneven rhythm of Jennie's breathing and the distant hum of the city beyond the balcony doors. My hand lingered beside her face for a heartbeat longer before i slowly drew it away.