Deep Red

22

"I really don't know why you insist on getting back to work, before you are properly healed. And not only you, Eraser, everyone else as well. It's great you're so passionate about your work, but you won't be able to do it for as long as you could, if you keep going on like that..." Recovery Girl was mumbling while carefully removing the bandages around Shouta's arms. I was just standing around and watching for now. If the swelling under the bandages wasn't too bad, I'd probably just help taking them off, but if there was still a lot of swelling I'd be the mobile ice pack.

"One day you'll get yourself killed because you got back to work too early after an injury." Recovery Girl said again, as she put away the bandage she had just taken off. Shouta didn't say anything to her.

"Let me take a look at that hand." Recovery Girl said and held out her hands expectantly. Shouta sighed and showed her his hand.

"Hmm... it doesn't look too swollen. Let's just get this over with, I have a million reports to write and I really don't have much time for this." she mumbled.

"Miss Chiyo, I could do it for you. It's not like I have anything better to do right now. And it seems like there's not much to do except taking off the bandages and cooling down the swelling a little. Which was my job anyway." I offered. For some reason I just really wanted to spend some one-on-one quality time with Shouta, especially after remembering that episode from high school.

"Are you sure? If you don't mind and aren't too busy, that'd be a great help." Recovery Girl said with a slightly raised eyebrow. Oh, for fuck's sake. Recovery Girl always knew what was going on. She had some sort of 6th sense for what people were up to, even back when I was in school.

"Sure. I don't have any emails or anything to look through, all I'd really be doing is to prepare my lessons." I answered. We both knew that I wasn't just trying to help and that I offered because I just wanted to have some alone time with Shouta. I didn't even know why, it wasn't like I was planning to talk to him about something specific or anything. I just kind of wanted to vibe with him for a bit.

"Then why didn't you stay at home? You could have easily taken the day off. Well, whatever the reason, if you want to help me out, I'll gladly take your help. I'll be upstairs writing reports. Let me know if you need something. Anything." she told me, before heading out of the door.

She knew. She knew everything.Or at least suspected everything. Let me know if you need something? Recovery Girl knew I was in some deep shit at the moment. She had always known. When I got to school with some bad bruises, she'd know. She'd tell me to come by her office and she'd take care of me. I told her the whole story - how I fell, walked into a door, stumbled on my way to school, but she would never believe me. She didn't tell me that she didn't believe me, but I just knew she didn't.

"Thanks for saving me from the talk." Shouta said once Recovery Girl had left the room. I turned around and looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"The talk?"

"Yeah. She never gives you the Don't push yourself too far talk?"

"Well, she's right, you know?" I replied and pulled up a chair to sit down in front of him. I held his arm steady with one hand and slowly and carefully started unwrapping the bandages.His skin had a slightly violet and yellowish tint underneath the bandages, probably from the bruising.

"Dude, in how much pain exactly are you?" I asked him, taking a look at his bruised arms and hands. It might not be too bad now, but maybe a day or two again it must have been hell.

"Was worse about two weeks ago." was all he said.

"I'm sure it was." I replied with a small smile. I had almost unwrapped his entire arm, which only left the other arm and his face.