The Watchers Wake

Chapter 28 - No Satisfaction

CHAPTER 28 - No Satisfaction

The car screeched to a holt.  I looked around confused.  We were at Scott’s place. 

“Why?”

“They know where you live Natalie.  We can’t go back there yet.”

The rear door opened and Scott’s mother appeared, she scooped her son out of my arms and from the car then carried him inside with no signs of struggling under the burden.  I trailed behind her still half conscious, still singing with Jari.  We had moved on from classics like Rawhide, which I have to admit neither of us knew the lyrics for except the some of the chorus, to Bob the Builder’s theme song which we both disturbingly enough knew word for word. Currently we were singing some of the Stone’s songs.  But his voice was fading.

“He’s singing, actually I think they both are.” I heard Aze say and I lifted my eyes to find Samy looking at me concerned.

“He’s tired either that or he doesn’t know the words to ‘I can’t get no satisfaction’, which I doubt.”  Fresh tears came to my eyes. 

I was still standing in the middle of the living room and I suddenly needed Scott.  I found him on his bed.  He was curled up in a ball and his shoulders were shaking. I held him from behind and wrapped my arms around his waist.

Jari, you are going to have to sing solo for a while.  OK?

Thanks my love, I’ll be fine, you make sure he appreciates you.

I smiled gently and then focused on Scott.  With gentle easing I turned him to me then encouraged him out of the bed and half carried him into the bathroom.  I turned the water on hot.  Then without any words I completed the job of undressing him.  What clothes were left on his body were ripped and stained.  I held his eyes with mine, his arms rested on my shoulders as I supported him, then silently I stripped off my own clothes.  He was too weak, he could hardly stand but he needed to be clean and warm again and I didn’t want to smell them on him ever again. 

Together we edged into the cascading waters of the shower. I leaned him against the tiled wall and I washed his body starting at his shoulders and working my way down to his feet then I rotated him so that I could wash his back.

Then I washed his hair.  He smiled a sad sorry smile as I stretched up, leaning into him to reach his crown, but still said nothing.  With nothing left to wash I held him in the water.  I reached up and brought his lips to mine and we kissed each other as the warm water ran over us.  But too soon he pulled away and painfully edged himself out of the shower trying to grab a towel as he did.

I felt the sharp shard of rejection but I helped him out and dried him.  I rummaged in the bathroom cupboard and found a first aid kit.  With no real idea if it would make any difference at all but feeling the need to do something, I applied antiseptic cream to all the bites and dressed the wounds.  He stood silently as I gently tended to him then I took him back to bed. 

He curled up in the ball and pretended to sleep.

He obviously was either too weak to talk or not ready.  Either way I figured that there was nothing I could do but wait.  So I curled up around his back and fell asleep with my face pressed between his shoulder blades.

When I woke my face was resting on his chest.  I was still naked but he was fully dressed in a long sleeved T-shirt and, from the feel of it, some sort of soft trousers. 

“Hey,” I mumbled as I opened my eyes.

He turned his eyes to me but didn’t speak. I could clearly see and felt the pain he was enduring.  He was lying flat on his back and his hands were behind his head, not around me.  His eyes returned to the ceiling.