The Curiosities Concerning Fate

∷ Chapter 2 ∷

SEBASTIAN ALRIK WALKED into the lobby of the emergency room at Faith Hill Private Hospital, ignoring the murmurs and stares that seemed to follow him. With dried blood caking the side of his face and cracked glasses, he wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes. The commotion had attracted everyone's attention, including the doctor currently preoccupied with paperwork at the nurses' station.

"What the hell happened to you?" Klyde asked, laughing when he saw the state Sebastian was in.

"I'm in no mood for this," Sebastian said, pushing past him and into his office.

He shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie, dropping onto the chair with a heavy exhale. He barely had a minute alone when in strode Klyde Devon, a grin on his face and a tray of medical supplies in his hands.

Sebastian glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and groaned.

"What do you want?" he asked, taking off his glasses.

"I'm going to clean that nasty cut for you so keep still."

Sebastian leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, feeling the inklings of lethargy tugging at him. It was too early to be dealing with the complications that would no doubt arise from his little accident with the girl on the bicycle.

Meanwhile, Klyde was busying himself with tending to his friend's wounds; tearing a piece of alcohol swab and wiping off the crusted blood around the cut. He accidentally brushed against the open gash, earning a wince from the injured man.

"Sorry," he said as he proceeded to retrieve a clean swab and the bottle of saline.

"So," he said conversationally. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure how any of this matters," Sebastian said.

"You come into the ER, grumpy as ever, except this time you're the one doing all the bleeding. You don't think that matters?"

Sebastian remained quiet.

"Keep the pressure," Klyde instructed as he removed his hand from the gauze. "I'm going to have to stitch that."

He walked over to the cabinet at the back of the office, retrieving a sterilised needle and a spool of thread. He placed the two in his tray and switched on the table lamp, angling it directly onto Sebastian's face. The latter groaned and closed his eyes, turning away from the intrusive glare.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he hissed.

Klyde chuckled as he threaded the needle.

"I'm sure in time, you'll see to that yourself. For now, I'm just trying to save you from bleeding to death."

He swatted Sebastian's hand away and proceeded with the tedious task of sewing the deep gash shut. Throughout the entire procedure, Sebastian remained expressionless, wincing ever so slightly once in a while, and only when Klyde tugged on the thread on purpose.

"Would it kill you to express yourself a little more?" Klyde mumbled, taking the scissors from the tray and snipping off the excess length of thread.

As usual, he received no response from Sebastian which only made him exhale and shake his head. He switched off the lamp and squinted at the bruising skin surrounding the cut. He prodded it carefully with his fingers.

"Do you want me to patch this up with a gauze pad, or are you okay with it like that?" Klyde asked, putting away his equipment.

Sebastian was just about to give his reply when he was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, the screen alight with a reminder.