Page 41 of It Varies
“Do you want me to go first?”
“Sure.I don’t like waiting while damp.Call me provincial.”
He chuckled and unwrapped his top, folding it and setting it on a shelf that seemed to be there for that purpose.The wide trousers were untied and dropped, and she tilted her head as she looked him over.
She cocked her head and looked at his groin.It appeared to scale with the rest of him.
He looked down and grinned as he looked up.“Questions?”
“Yes.”
“Go ahead.”He walked to the wall and washed in the shower.
“Well, I asked my friend about sex this morning, but she said it varies.How does it vary?”
He paused and blinked.“Vary how?”
“See, that is the thing, I don’t know.The last time I was close to that situation, I wasn’t really conscious.I was told about it after the fact by a very nice nurse with a police officer.”
He blinked.“So, you were...”
“It was just one contribution to the very painful few weeks.”
He was staring at her.
She looked at his groin again and sighed.“I broke it.”
He glanced down and chuckled weakly.“Not quite.”
He finished scrubbing quickly, sluiced a bucket of water over his head, and pulled on a loose robe that went transparent as it stuck to his midnight skin.
She looked at him.“My turn?”
“Please.”
She put her purse with her phone on the little shelf and unbuttoned her blouse.The blouse came off, then her bra came off, her trousers, and finally her panties were folded and put on the shelf.
He took her by the hand and pinned her hair up before washing her back for her.The whip marks left by the shadow realm were there.When he finished her back and turned her, he looked at the rest of her, calculating.
He said softly, “This is going to take a few sessions.”
She nodded.“Expected.Over what kind of time period?”
His hands moved over the lumps and ridges of her shins.
“I should be able to work on you every other day, but how you react today will determine how many sessions are needed.You know why.”
“Because you have to compress and splint and heal all at the same time.”
He smiled sadly.“Correct.What happened to your back?”
“Oh, my pain drew the attention of the shadows, and they pulled me over there.It was right after the crush injuries, and that took my focus.”
“They beat you.”
“I didn’t feel that either.”She smiled.“It all just added up to more and more years for those who abducted me.I couldn’t really explain where I had been for a moment in time that was actually months.”
He guided her to rinse her off.“Well, you are remarkably healthy considering the damage.”
