Once Bitten || Fox, Zach, & Matt || Day 08
Zach watched the woman uncertainly, but it was clear that his father trusted her, which meant he should probably trust her too. So finally he nodded, though he didn’t pull away from his father. He needed that connection—that touch. He hated that he was acting like such a stupid scaredy-cat, but he was terrified and he couldn’t stop being that way just because he wanted.
He hissed, whimpering softly when she pulled at his makeshift bandage, nodding jerkily at her soft question. Though sore wasn’t how he’d have described it. It felt like his leg was on fire, and it ached so deep even his bones seemed to hurt. He felt dizzy and his stomach kept flipping until he thought he’d hurl if he wasn’t careful.
Matt hugged him a bit closer and then swung him up gingerly into his arms. “Come on. We need to get you cleaned up so we can get that taken care of.” He said gruffly, glancing at Katya. “Go get the supplies we got from that AMS center. I’ll take him to my bedroom once he’s clean.”
He made tracks into the house, taking the stairs two at a time. He set son down despite Zach’s protest and vanished long enough to grab some clean clothes, grateful that they’d packed some smaller items.
When he returned to the bathroom, Zach was starting to slump over and he cursed softly. “Alright bud, we’re gonna get you out of these clothes and clean you off. Fox can’t really help you if you’re covered in grime.” He glanced up as Fox returned. “Think I’m going to need your help getting him out of—”
“No!”
Zach twisted into his father, shaking his head, tears escaping his eyes despite his best attempts to keep them at bay. “Just you.” The last thing he wanted was this woman he didn’t know to find out he’d peed himself. It was one thing for his dad to know, another for a stranger to know what a big baby he was.
She nodded, watching the little boy carefully. He was so scared, and her heart went out to him. She got to her feet as Matt picked his son up, brushing herself off, and nodded. He did have to get all that dirt off him, and it was making her skin crawl to think of the mud and bacteria and everything that was getting on his skin, into his wounds, his blood.
Still, she knew she had to put that aside. She remembered her mother’s voice. It’s okay, Katerina. Breathe. A deep breath in, and a long breath out. That’s it. Now, remember, that our bodies are very good at defending themselves. They are clever, and they are ruthless. You are not going to get sick.
She smiled at Zach, reassuringly, and then nodded. “Okay. I will bring them up to you.” She headed to go and get the supplies she’d carefully sorted, making up emergency incident packs, thinking about what could happen, splitting the resources so they could make sure that everyone had everything they needed, and nothing would be wasted.
She grabbed one of the larger packs, and headed back up to Matt’s bedroom, smiling at the young boy, though he clearly wasn’t keen on her. She didn’t blame him, she didn’t really give off an air of being warm and cuddly. “Zach?” She said, quietly. “Your Papa is hurt. He is okay, but he still hurts. And I know it is not nice. But you know, I was a kind of soldier. And when I was hurt, I had to let the... doctors... look at me and my hu- injuries. And it was scary, I did not like it. But if I waited for my Papa then I might get even sicker.” She could smell him, now, and knew what he was embarrassed about. “Sometimes I had done things that I thought were silly. Look!” She showed him her cast. “I fell over. It was very silly. But I could not say to the doctors that I was okay because then my arm would get worse, da?” She smiled. “Even though I was embarrassed about it. I am supposed to be all... kung fu and fighting and scary, and I fell over and broke my arm.” Not strictly true, but it served her purposes. “Because I had to get myself back in shape. And now I have a... cast.” She struggled for the word for a moment. “And it will fix my arm, and soon I will be back to my best.” She smiled. “So do you think it is okay if I help? I think you have been very brave, and very smart to get all the way here and find us.” She smiled.


















