Thirty two

By the time Graham finished sticking acupuncture needles in my face, I felt a lot better, and my jaw finally unlocked. I don't even know where he got those but I'm pretty sure that he made them magically appear from somewhere around his ass.

" How are you feeling?" Graham leans back in his chair giving my face a cursory look. I probably should speak with pointy things stuck in my face, so I nod gently, making sure that none of the needles fall.

" Good. Good. You should drink your tea," He picks up the mug and once again brings it to my lips. It has gone cold, that thought quickly dissipates when I take a sip of tea through the straw under Graham's watchful gaze.

It tastes all kinds of awful.

I glare, and he laughs," Not all good things taste nice. Not all nice things are good," Great, now he is a philosopher too.

" Jesus," I breathe through tight lips when he pushes the mug under my nose again. It doesn't smell like much but the taste- oh, dear god-, is beyond foul.

" Drink up," He nudges the mug closer and I obey. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he is trying to kill me.

Somehow, between grunts, and pleading whimpers, I manage to finish the tea. If it were up to me, it would have flown out the window a long time ago, but I'm kind of stuck, so I suck it up. Like the big girl, I am. Also a debatable point.

" You did great. It would have been better without the whining but beggars can't be choosers," Graham gets up, " I'll get rid of the cup because I'm not using this ever again. I'll be back to help you out of the bath," He ruffles my hair, my head bobs and one of the needles falls in the water. I think it is the one stuck in my temple. Good riddance.

The water is getting colder by the minute, but my muscles seem to be working, a lot better than they did, anyway. I can flex my hands, and bend my knees, even though I can feel that there is some lingering tightness, throughout my body. Something, I can live with; it could have been a lot worse.

I'm starting to believe Graham when he said that I would be as good as new by morning. I doubted him for a moment there, but the man seems to know his cats and dogs, very well.

Graham appears next to the bathtub holding a bathrobe," Ready," I nod, and on shaky legs, I begin to push myself up," If you need me, I'll help you. But it is for the best to get your muscles moving, even if it hurts. You'll still get cramps, but you should be good. A little side effect," He extends a hand when I struggle to put my foot over the bath edge, and I lean into him fully, before I lose my footing and fall flat on my face. That wouldn't be that bad but currently, I have several needles sticking out of my face, so it's best if I don't.

As soon as I'm out of the bath, I point a finger at my face, because that is a disaster waiting to happen, and Graham laughs at me.

" You look ridiculous," He chuckles wholeheartedly, " You don't need them anymore but I wanted you to see yourself in the mirror before I take them out," He turns me around to face the mirror on the wall behind me. I look like a porcupine with a bad case of alopecia. We both start laughing, at how ridiculous I look.

A sudden change in the air makes our smiles falter, and I know that Mason is somewhere in the vicinity, brooding.

" Feeling better?" He asks solemnly, making both of us turn to him to find him darkening the doorstep.

" What gave it away?" Graham's mood takes a swift turn heading south of broody.

Mason frowns and takes a deep breath. I can tell that he is uncomfortable, not his usual self. Maybe, my dying had sparked something in him, or maybe it was the wake-up call I'd been waiting for, for a long time.

" Can you give us a moment?" Mason looks at Graham, Graham nods tersely and lets go of my shoulders. I don't know why he thinks he needs me to protect me from Mason. There has been tension between us, but Mason would never harm me intentionally.

" I'm sorry that I couldn't help you," He says quietly, while I begin plucking the damn needles out of my face.

" It's alright. I understand," The bath has done wonders to my body and my mood. I've never felt calmer in my life.

He nods, "Then that makes you a better person than I am," He says tucking his hands in his pockets. The muscle in his jaw flutters, while I stay quiet. I'm letting him speak because I really don't know what to say to that. There is a lot to unpack there. Personally, I don't think he is a bad person. I think he is just someone who has made a choice when he has found himself in a dark place. I don't want to judge him, because I'm one of the reasons he has found himself there in the first place.

Neither of us can fully let go of what we had, even though he does likes to pretend otherwise.

" I'm staying the night" He gestures for the window, and I can see that the night has begun to bleed into day, " What's left of it anyway? I'll be heading back tomorrow, " He takes a deep breath and runs his hands through mused-up hair.

" Again, I'm sorry," He nods to himself and turns to leave. I don't know what to say to him, so I let him go.

I need to sleep. I might be calm but I'm also exhausted to the bone. And there is a good chance that we might have a brawl. So, I'd like to keep this peace going for as long as it is possible.