A New Perspective

Cuts and Reflections: Part One

          "That's what I've been sayin' the whole time. Give me a minute." Sammy wasn't looking forward to this reaction.

           Henry tried not to look at Sammy while he poured the peroxide out - onto a ink stained towel this time - and failed. This was going to hurt.
          
      
             "Okay Henry, give me your arm." Henry stretched it out. Sammy grabbed it, and looked it over, glad the Demon hadn't cut through any veins. "Just promise not to hit me, or scream or something." 

        Henry smiled, then gasped when Sammy put the peroxide covered towel on the first cut. Sammy keeps ahold of his hand though, and hates the feeling of it shaking in his own.

        "Hey, when we're done with this, you'll be immune to pain won't ya?" He tries to make the other laugh, or even smile again, but stops when he hears Henry whimper in pain, a sound that doesn't suit him.

        "Are you okay?" Sammy hates seeing any of his friends in pain.

        "Can- can we do them all at once? It hurts too much to do them o-one at a time." He feels like his arm is on fire.
        
        "Are you sure Henry? You might pass out again."
   
         "If I do, slap me."
  
          Sammy can tell by the dark look in his friends eyes that he isn't joking.

          "Okay." Sammy covers the towel in the liquid again, and grabs Henry's hand tightly. "One, two, three."

           The noise of absolute pain that he hears sends a pang of guilt through him hurts, but he doesn't remove the towel or let go of the hand, even as Henry tries to pull away. Sammy sits there holding the towel down until Henry suddenly tips over sideways. Sammy lifts his hand, and the towel falls in the process. 

           I told ya. Should I wake him up or? He decides to listen to Henry's earlier words. After all, he told him to slap him if he passed out.

         "Okay Henry, don't get mad at me." With that, he leaned down and slaps his best friend across the face.
  
           "Ow! What the- oh. I passed out again, didn't I?" Henry asked with a sheepish grin.

            "Yes. You did." Sammy couldn't hide the grin when he saw the dazed look on Henry's face.

             "And ya actually decided to slap me?" He hadn't expected Sammy to actually do it.
             
             "Well you told me to. I need to wrap it now." He makes grabby hands towards his companion. "Give me your hand."

       "How many times have ya said that Sammy?." Henry said while reaching the arm out, a streak of tiredness tinging his voice.
 
         "A lot. Now hold still." Sammy wraps the arm in gauze, then in the bandages. He didn't draw anything on them this time. Because of the motion and peroxide on the cuts, they've started to bleed again. "If they don't stop bleeding, I'm gonna have to numb and stitch em up."

         "You could've numbed it the whole time?!" All of the tiredness was gone. Now he was just upset.
 
          "I didn't want to stick a needle in em if I didn't have to. Besides, you handled it fine."

           Henry couldn't argue with that. The pure thought of putting a needle anywhere close to the cuts made him inwardly cringe.
  
       "Fine. I guess that makes sense." He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. "What now?"
  
         "Well, I think you should get some sleep." Sammy hadn't truly needed to sleep for some time now, and he had no idea what not sleeping would do to Henry.

           Henry's eyes snapped open at Sammy's words; he looked scared.

           "No. No, I-" he paused. "I don't think that's a good idea. The- the last time I fell asleep the Dem...the Demon got me. How did it do that Sammy? How did it do that?"