Chapter 15
Nikki hated, hated, hated Gunter being injured.
But along with that emotion came true worry about Gunter’s health.
He hadn’t been feeling all that well to begin with, and here he was injured on top of it all.
Nikki didn’t have much experience with wounds or bandages so wasn’t sure how to gauge Gunter’s injury.
But they didn’t think just slapping a field dressing over it was sufficient. Nikki had many words for Gunter about that field dressing. None of them were clean. And they kept thinking those words even as they put a plan of action together.
The child in Nikki still didn’t trust mages all that much or want to do anything with them, despite the Burkhard mages’ efforts in showing them wrong. But right now, Nikki needed to trust them because they had no clue what to do to help Gunter.
Finally reaching Lisette’s workroom, they knocked urgently on the door.
“Enter!”
Nikki put a hand on the knob and pushed strongly, ready for a fight, words poised on the tip of their tongue if even one person gave them trouble.
Nikki was here for Gunter. And they wouldn’t back down until they got the help they needed.
Not that they expected trouble, it was more Nikki getting the request out.
It wasn’t just Lisette in the room. Sora stood at the table as well, and the two mages were conferring over a book laid out between them. They paused at Nikki’s entrance, Sora looking intrigued, Lisette both delighted and surprised.
Alright, fine, Nikki had made no secret of the fact they didn’t like mages. But still, their reactions were rather insulting, like they’d never in a million years expected Nikki to come to this room.
And screw them.
“Gunter’s hurt. He won’t do more than put gauze on it, but it’s still bleeding and I…someone needs to look at it.”
“Sounds like I’m up.” Sora immediately turned from the table, heading toward them. “I’ll fetch my black bag and be there in a moment. Where is Gunter? Dungeon?”
“No, his rooms.”
“Where’s he hurt?”
“Back, shoulder, and upper arm. He keeps saying it’s just bad road rash, but I don’t know what that means.”
“Ah.” A funny sort of smile crossed over Sora’s mouth. “Well, road rash isn’t serious in and of itself. But I’m glad you fetched me. Just putting gauze over it is not sufficient, you’re right on that.”
Nikki felt vindicated. See! They’d known they were right.
Sora’s workroom was across from Lisette’s, so it took only a moment of effort for him to fetch a black bag that looked suspiciously like the one old timey doctors used to use.
Nikki recognized the type from the old black-and-white movies.
Odd choice for a modern doctor, but whatever. Nikki really didn’t care at the moment.
Sora’s pace was quick, no doubt because of his long legs, leaving both Nikki and Lisette powerwalking behind him. Nikki didn’t complain; they wanted that kind of speed right now.
Gunter, however, had all the complaints when Sora entered his room.
“Nikki,” he groaned, flopping dramatically about in his armchair. “I told you this wasn’t serious.”
Nikki glared at him. Stubborn, disobedient dragon. He was supposed to be in bed, not sitting in front of his computer!
“I think Nikki’s justified in being worried if you just slapped a Band-Aid over it and didn’t clean anything out right,” Sora retorted mildly.
Gunter’s ice-blue eyes rolled toward the ceiling. “I took a shower. With soap. It’s fine.”
“Not if you’re still bleeding, it isn’t. And I can see the blood dotting your arm bandage from here. Take the shirt off, Gunter.”
“Surely an Abe doctor has better things to do with his time than to deal with my boo-boos.” Gunter did take his shirt off, though.
Nikki came in closer, darting around Sora in order to help. Gunter wouldn’t say it, but he’d tweaked his shoulder somehow, too, and it was obviously painful to lift up his arm very far. Gunter accepted the help, at least; he wasn’t being stubborn about that.
Lisette took one look at the road rash that spread from his shoulder to his elbow and hissed. “That looks so painful. You idiot, you could have stopped by Sora’s workroom and gotten a proper salve, at least.”
“I’ve got a salve,” Gunter grumbled.
“That you clearly didn’t use. Tell me, how was the salve supposed to be helpful if it wasn’t applied? Through wishful thinking?”
Nikki gave her an approving nod. Tell him, Lisette.
“You all are making a mountain out of a molehill,” Gunter said on a sigh, but he sounded resigned.
“You worried Nikki,” she retorted. “Worried them enough they came straight to us for help. Step one of being in a relationship, Gunter: don’t worry your partner.”
“Yes, yes.”
Nikki startled, head snapping around to stare at her. She knew Gunter had kissed them yesterday? Did the whole castle know? Well, probably. Cassie had been filming the entire thing, and she had no compunctions about sharing. Oh. Wait, she’d filmed their steaming hot kiss too, hadn’t she?
Nikki felt their face flush. Oh. Well, yeah, anyone who saw that would assume Gunter and Nikki were dating, at the very least.
The thought made them absurdly happy. Especially since Gunter hadn’t denied it.
The non-denial of their relationship put to bed a lot of Nikki’s fears in one fell swoop.
Oh, the two of them were so going to talk once the mages left.
Sora opened his bag, poking about inside until he brought out a wand. “Now, Nikki, what I’ll do first is lay a diagnostic spell over Gunter’s skin. Just in case this goes further than skin deep.”
“Wait,” Gunter objected, “why are you telling them that and not me?”
“First of all, because Nikki has more common sense than you. Secondly, because they’re the one worried and I don’t want to make that worse by throwing magic at you that they don’t understand.”
Nikki suddenly liked Sora a lot better. They could maybe see now why Ravi had chosen him as a mate.
“The way you accommodated his arm didn’t look right to me,” Sora said as an aside to Nikki before speaking the spell.
Lines of red spread over Gunter’s pale skin in vivid contrast, numbers and symbols appearing that Nikki couldn’t decipher.
Sora’s mouth pursed in thought as he studied them.
“Hmm. Seems you’ve managed to jam your shoulder a little into the socket with the impact.
Not badly—your dragon physique took the brunt of it—but no wonder that shoulder is sore and doesn’t want to move.
Nikki, I’ve got a particular salve of witch hazel, untouched snowflake, and reflected snow I want you to put on that shoulder after I’m done.
As often as Gunter likes. It’ll calm the inflammation around the joint and give him some pain relief. ”
Nikki nodded seriously. Those sounded like good, calming elements, and they appreciated Sora explaining what was in there. Not that they didn’t trust Sora after all the man had done, but they felt more confident now about applying it to Gunter.
“I give up,” Gunter muttered, head lolling in the other direction.
“Now, the road rash isn’t serious,” Sora continued, entirely ignoring his grouchy patient’s attitude.
“But he definitely didn’t clean this out right.
The reason why it’s still bleeding a little is because the body is trying to shed the grit still stuck under the skin.
It’s a foreign invader, and the body knows it, but it’s having a hard time repelling it on its own.
Left to its own devices, this very well could have gotten infected, so I’m glad you fetched me. ”
Gunter glared at Sora. “You’re married to Ravi. I don’t know why I expected better from you.”
Sora lifted a slim, dark eyebrow. “Indeed.”
“You are such a troll. I don’t know why I’m friends with you.”
“It is a question of the ages,” Sora agreed equably. “Nikki, this is a cleansing agent, mostly augmented honey, as that will draw everything out and give the skin some needed moisture. Once applied, I’ll lift the rest with a spell, and we can wipe it clean before properly dressing the arm.”
Nikki paid very strict attention in case they needed to do this again later. “Will I need to change out the bandages and clean it again tomorrow?”
“Every morning and every night, for about three days. It’ll heal quickly now that things are properly addressed. Don’t let him lift anything with his left arm for a while; let that mend.”
“Okay.”
Gunter gave a weary sigh, as if everyone was exhausting.
Sora did precisely what he’d outlined—cleaned the area and put a salve on it—and it looked better already. Not as puffy and red. He taped gauze over the wound to protect it, gave Nikki the salve, and for some reason winked at Gunter before drawling, “I’ll check on you tomorrow.”
Gunter glared at him. “Without Ravi.”
“I make no promises. Nikki, if he has any issues, you know where to find me.”
Nikki gave him a shy smile. They were glad Sora had turned out to be trustworthy, and a nice enough person to silently forgive Nikki their caution against him. “Thanks, Sora.”
With a little wave, Sora let himself out.
Lisette lingered another moment to warn Gunter, “Be good.”
“Be good or be nice?” Gunter retorted.
“Both. You’re a terrible patient.” Lisette shook her head before leaving as well, shutting the door behind her.
While they’d both been helpful, Nikki was just as glad they were gone. They wanted more time with Gunter without an audience.
Gunter studied them for a moment. There was a recognition in his face, a tautness Nikki couldn’t place. “I really did worry you.”
“You’re in pain. I don’t like seeing you in pain. And bleeding.” Nikki didn’t know what else to say to get that message through.
Gunter held out a hand, encouraging them closer, then brought them to sit sideways on his lap. Nikki was extremely pleased with the offer to cuddle and promptly took advantage, although they were careful not to put a hand anywhere along the injured side.
“Dragons are far sturdier than humans,” Gunter finally said.
His fingers came up, carding through Nikki’s long hair, the touch gentle and soothing.
“It’s why I wasn’t worried about it. Sora was happy you finally trusted him enough to come for help, otherwise he might have just given me the supplies to treat myself. ”
Nikki frowned a little. “That’s not what he said.”
“No, he was enjoying himself immensely. Well, alright, he probably would have bandaged me himself. He’s thorough about medical matters that way.” Gunter’s head cocked a little. “What surprises me is when Lisette talked about dating, you seemed surprised she knew?”
“I was until I remembered Cassie recording everything.”
“Ah. True. She probably uploaded it, and the entire castle knew before dawn.” Gunter snorted, eyes crinkling up in amusement.
“And to think I used to complain sometimes the castle was too quiet. It certainly hasn’t been since the Noh twins descended.
But it robbed me of the chance to say this properly. Nikki.”
Nikki perked up hopefully. Would he finally say something? Make things official between them?
“I like you.” Gunter’s words were a soft caress. “I’m not quite sure where I stand with you, though. What do you want from me? Is the relationship between us something you’re just experimenting with—”
Nikki shook their head firmly no. Oh hell no, and where had that thought even sprouted from? Nikki wanted it firmly rooted out of Gunter’s head. Pronto.
Gunter’s tension eased and he looked relieved. “Then, would you like to court?””
They’d already been courting for weeks, in Nikki’s mind. But they were glad Gunter said those words and made things official between them. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”
Gunter relaxed further. “Thank you. I’m really happy we’re on the same page.”
Silly dragon. He had nothing to worry about. Nikki pressed in for a kiss, taking their time with it, because Gunter was sweet to kiss and there was no reason to ever rush that.
Gunter kissed back, good hand in Nikki’s hair, bad hand resting on their hip, keeping Nikki precisely where he wanted them.
Not that Nikki had any plans of going anywhere.
Ever.