Page 97 of Encounter

“Galen!” His voice snapped me back. Blinking, I found his eyes fixated on me as he looked over his shoulder. “Where is it? How bad?”

I gulped and locked my lips together, hoping to not throw up, while attempting to force myself to touch his crimson-drenched back. “There’s a w-wound almost in the middle,” I stuttered, slowly losing control of my body. I wasn’t the one hurt, but it felt like I was going to pass out any second. “I’m pretty sure it m... missed your kidney, otherwise you’d know. Right?” The words I was saying didn’t make sense. None of it made sense.

It’s all too real. Too bloody, too scary, too much.

“Ugh, fuck!” Leaning forward, Chast propped his arm against his knee and let out another prolonged groan. “There’s gonna be blood all over my damn car.” Wasthathis worry? Seriously?! “Listen to me.” He changed his tone, like turning on a switch, and reached for my hand to pull me in front of him again. My legs trembled as I stumbled around to face him, and witnessing his sickly, pale face made it all worse.

There was one singular thought in my mind:he’s going to die.He’s going to die, and it will be all my fault.

“Let me call an ambulance!” I yelled, using the remnant of my reason to try and fix it. When I wanted to run off to grab my phone from the couch, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back.

“No!” He ordered, staring right at me. “Listen... Listen to me. I just l-lost some blood,” he paused between words to catch his breath and seemingly stay awake. “No hospital. All I need is some stitches. You can do that.” The supportive, trusting look he gave me made my heart flutter, but right away, my brain protested.

Me? Stitching?

“N-No! No!” I snapped out of his grip. Stepping away, I held my hand over my chest to try and calm my close-to-hyperventilating breathing. “Youneeda hospital! Are you out of your mind?! L-Look at you, you need to—”

“I can’t reach it myself, Galen!” His gaze followed me, becoming more and more firm and needy, no matter his condition. “I would do it if I could—like I’ve done itplentyof times before!”

But I am not you!

“I can’t do it,” I said, shaking my head.He’s going to die if he leaves this in my hands. And he’s going to die if he doesn’t get help.“Please. I’m begging you, please—” I met his eyes again, tearing up and pursing my lips in a desperate attempt for him to understand. I couldn’t be there to see it.

“Galen.” His voice softened, turned more tired. “Gale, listen to me. Listen!”

I came in today expecting to seduce him. To move our relationship further. Instead, he was going to bleed out in front of my eyes. “I can’t take this. I can’t d-deal with this,” I kept repeating while shaking my head. The world was going to collapse on me. Chast’s blood was on my hands, it filled the apartment, it was all I could see.

“Galen.”

“No, stop! Please, why can’t you listen to me and go to the hospital?! I can’t be around to see you—”

Chast leapt out of his chair and gripped my hand again, pulling me toward him. I wanted to protest, but somehow ended up in his lap. His other hand grabbed the back of my neck to pull me in further until our lips locked.

The sharp rattling within my chest softened.

My mind—buzzing with static noise that obstructed my thoughts—cleared out as I realized what was happening. Chast, his lips, pressing into mine; his tongue lightly pressing into my mouth.

I didn’t pull away like my body told me to. Instead, against all reason, I leaned in, hoping for everything else to disappear. Everything but this moment. Frozen in time, captured in its perfection like a photograph, forever.

When Chast pulled back, I gasped. With his face still inches from mine and his hot, irregular breath hitting my skin, he ran his thumb over my cheek. “Listen to my voice. Youcando this. I need you to help me, Galen. Can you do that?”

I would do anything.

Nodding, I sniffled to push back tears and opened my eyes. “Wh-what do I do?”

“Bathroom. There's a first aid kit in the cupboard to the left.” His forehead, pressed against mine, was clammy and so wet. Even his usually firm and strong voice shook. Leaving a gap for me to agree, he let go when I nodded, and tiredly leaned back into the chair.

I noticed blood dripping down the seat and on the ground, but turned around and rushed into the bathroom. With my shaky hands, I opened the cabinet and I saw the large, white box with a red cross on it. Exhaling deeply, I grabbed it and plopped it on the kitchen table.

Chast looked horrible. He looked sick, and it was driving me out of my mind to see him like that.

“Good,” he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment. Pushing my hands away, he opened it and started rifling through the items. All of them were grim—nothing like patting my scars with some cotton and putting a plaster on it. This was alien compared to that.No way in hell I can sew him up without passing out or messing Chast up even more.“T-The cabinet above the microwave,” he said without even looking at me and briefly pointed in that direction. “There’s a bottle of vodka—bring it.”

“I really don’t think you—” I shut myself up before finishing the thought and followed his instruction.This is no time to argue. The man’s going to fucking die!

When I put the half empty bottle on the table, everything was already spread out and ready in front of me. Gauze, disinfectant, latex gloves, and scary-looking suturing equipment.

I’m going to be sick.

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