Page 74 of Assassin

This was a dangerous territory, and he was going to have to not leave him alone for a second.

The man was a danger to himself.

Clearly.

On top of that, he wasn’t sure where he got that lighter. Then, realization dawned.

Someone had some sticky fingers since it looked like his from the kitchen.

“I have to clean this wound up, and get it wrapped up. You can’t do things like this. This could get infected, and you could die.”

Gamble stared at him. Only, with each day, he felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper.

“I don’t feel anything anymore,” he said softly. “What does it matter? Just let me go. I’m in so much pain,” he whispered.

Poe couldn’t do that.

He’d never lost a patient, and he wasn’t starting now. He began fighting for the man’s life.

“It matters, Gamble. You matter. We can do this, and I know you’re in pain. Let me fight for you while you’re not strong enough. I’ll be your advocate, and I will get you through this.”

Gamble stared into his eyes.

“I need to know. Can you really save me from this?” he asked.

Poe had no doubt that he could.

“If you listen and let me help, I absolutely can fix this, and make you strong again. I just need your faith and trust.”

Slowly, he nodded.

Well, that was a start.

“Now, let’s get to the bathroom. I’ll help you there,” he offered. “A shave and shower would make a world of difference.”

Gamble didn’t say anything, but he was going to give the man a shot.

As he stood, he was wobbly on his feet.

That made Poe wonder if he could stand up in a shower. They might have to rethink that part.

Walking into the bathroom was an adventure, but finally, he got him there.

Sitting him on the toilet lid, he took care of the wound on his arm, cleaning it with a washcloth, and putting a heavy-duty burn cream on it.

The whole time, he didn’t move.

As he was sealing it under some waterproof bandages, that’s when Gamble spoke again.

“I need her gone.”

He got down and stared into Gamble’s eyes.

“Hey. We’ll get her removed or covered. You can’t burn her off. I’ll call someone to help you when it heals. Okay? Until then, we can just cover it with bandages and not look at her.”

“You’ll help me get it removed?”

Poe promised.

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