#ice-born

Lissandra tilted her head slightly at her nonresponsive patient. Hellboy sat with his neatly sutured left hand in front of her on the (sanitized) kitchen table, a space that was more and more becoming a sort of impromptu triage center for the rather...injury prone residents of the house. It was the first time she'd treated this particular individual, though, as he usually shut himself up in the bathroom to treat what infrequent wounds he sustained in privacy.

Hellboy had somewhat sheepishly asked for her assistance after a particularly nasty slice to the hand ("Haunted swords", he'd told her) had neatly bisected his palm between his ring and middle fingers, giving the appendage a clawlike appearance. When she'd remarked on this, he had been very amused, though as she began her work he grew uncharacteristically still and reserved. He currently was doing a rather convincing gargoyle impression, hunched over in his chair grimfaced and staring at nothing in particular.

She gave him another moment to respond, then said "I'm afraid we're going to have to amputate."

That, thankfully, got his attention. His head snapped back to her with a comically surprised "Whuzzat?"

"I wasn't serious," she replied, amused. "I've been trying to tell you I've finished. How does it feel?"

After a tentative flex of his hand, he made a pleased noise under his breath. "Still numb, but everything's moving the way it should. Thanks, Liss."

"You're quite welcome," was her response as she rolled up the bloodied cloth his arm had rested on. And then, before she could stop herself, "What were you thinking of so deeply?"

For a moment she thought he wasn't going to respond, and so she resumed packing away her medical supplies. She was sanitizing the last of her suturing needles with a simple deep-freezing spell while holding it between thumb and forefinger when he finally spoke.

"Just thinkin' about the last time I got patched up like this. My buddy Kate had to do it. She..." he faded off into a soft chuckle. "She cussed me out the whole time."

"Quite the bedside manner," Liss murmured.

"Yeah, she wasn't the medical kinda doctor for a reason. Plus I'd done something really stupid, so..."

He cut himself off with a heavy sigh. "I just miss her, you know?"

She didn't, but nodded anyway.

They sat for a moment in thoughtful silence before Lissandra smoothly rose and asked, "Tea?"

"Iced?" was his immediate response.