Ren had to help me out of the coat. I had made it through the inspection, collected the record, and walked back across the academy. A sleeve defeated me at the door.
"Leave the arm still," he said.
"I'm trying."
"You're pulling against me."
I stopped. He eased the cloth past the elbow and lifted it away from the fresh dressing. The coat had a small red mark inside the cuff. I looked at it while he folded the sleeve outward so the stain wouldn't reach the lining.
"Will you need to return to the hall?"
"Tomorrow. They changed the dressing before I left."
Ren glanced at the folder under my good arm.
"The inspection is finished?"
"Yes."
I gave him that answer with more satisfaction than the rest deserved. He took the coat away and left water on the table. For a while, I sat without touching either the pitcher or the papers.
The pain had settled into the hand and beneath the ribs. Two different places. I knew enough now not to expect fixing one to repair the other.
