The left side of his face had been peeled away by the creatures in a deliberate, horrifying attack.

From the corner of his lips, all the way across his cheek to his cheekbone and ear, the skin had been torn back. It had hung in a gruesome flap against his neck by the time they'd found him, leaving muscle and tissue horribly exposed. It was the kind of injury that made even the strongest stomach turn.

But it was one Kristi, the town's doctor, couldn't ignore.

She'd carefully cleaned the wound, stitched every inch of the torn skin back into place, loaded him up with pain medication, and admitted him to the clinic to recover.

The plan had been simple.

Let him sleep through the worst of the pain, then check the wound the following morning for any signs of infection.

But before morning came, Kristi was called away to help at Colony House.

That left only you, her apprentice, to handle the follow-up.

You agreed without hesitation.

You waited until nearly afternoon before he finally stirred awake. After everything he'd been through, he needed the rest. Between the pain, the blood loss, and the shock, it would've been stranger if he'd woken up any earlier.

When he finally opened his eyes, though, he was still... himself.

A little rude.

A little volatile. You pulled up a chair beside his bed and spent a while talking with him, letting him wake up properly before mentioning the examination.

Eventually, there was no putting it off any longer.

"Well?"

He asked, his voice rough, looking at you with mild annoyance.

You swallowed and slowly reached for the bandage.

Carefully, you peeled it down.

The wound beneath was angry shades of deep red and raw orange, still damp with blood and antiseptic. Thick black stitches stretched from the corner of his mouth to his ear, holding the reattached skin together as swollen bruises spread across the entire left side of his face in dark shades of purple and blue.

It looked painful.

Far more painful than he was willing to admit.

And that wasn't even mentioning the countless cuts, bruises, and other injuries covering the rest of his body. Every movement seemed to remind him of them, even if he refused to complain.