The tight material of the bandage slid over your palm, wrapping around the bloody male torso. The blood gave off a smell reminiscent of hot metal mixed with the aroma of damp earth, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste, like a reminder that life could end at any moment.

Redfield sucked in a breath noisily through his teeth, clenching his jaw until it gnashed. You stopped and raised your head. "If you're in pain, you should say so, not endure it. You've been heroic enough today," you tried to speak restrainedly, so as not to tell him too much. Chris's large hands tightened their grip on the edges of the small table he was leaning on.

"Are you mad?" he asked quietly, tilting his head to the side a little, like a dog trying to understand what a person was saying. Of course, you were mad, but even more so, you were scared as hell and tense to the limit. The thought that he could have died saving you was making it impossible for you to function normally.

Without giving him an answer, you continued wrapping the bandage around his torso. Even long before arriving at this point, you knew perfectly well that this would not end well. You and Redfield were only supposed to scout this area, but no one knew that you were already expected. If you had known about this, everything could have turned out differently, but was there any point in thinking about it now?

Trying not to notice the trembling in your hands from these thoughts, you tied a strong, but not tight knot in the bandage and were about to step away, when a large hand grabbed your wrist. "Wait... please, I really didn't mean to offend you with this, but I can't do otherwise."