dot.

25: Painkillers

  Nimue sat herself down on a little spinning chair next to Felix, humming lightly as she prepared herself. Tiro dashed about the space, running back and forth to fetch everything she asked for the second she wanted it.

  "You have to give me painkillers."

  "No I don't."

  Felix hadn't expected his first attempt to work, so moved on to the next plan after Tiro gave him a quick nod.

  "You do. Because if Dot knows you hurt me like this, he'll never forgive you."

  She paused, her humming stopping in its tracks. "He already hates me." She spoke delicately, as if the slightest misshap could send her off the rails.

  "But maybe there's a chance to redeem yourself? Maybe if he hears from me that you made it so I wouldn't feel any pain, then he'll think that you're not all bad."

  "You lie to me."

  "What do I gave to gain from lying to you?"

  "Painkillers."

  This was true.

  "I think we should give him something to at least dull the pain. It's cruel." Tiro joined the conversation.

  Nimue snorted, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Says you."

  "Yeah, well..." Tiro struggled to think of a good enough response, ultimately failing and just replying with "Yeah."

  "But could you please do it anyway? For me?" Tiro jumped in front of her to buy Felix some time, putting her hands on his hips while keeping one of his on her shoulder and the other on her cheek.

  What?

  "Hmm." Nimue flushed pink and stroked her thumbs over his hips. "You could be a little more persuasive than that." She smirked, looking up at him expectantly.

  Were they... together?

  He kneeled down and kissed her lightly, seemingly forgetting the Felix was still here, and that he was somehow in even more distress than before.

  Felix gave a loud 'he-HEM', reminding them both to pull away before things got too uncomfortable. "You're not alone in here."

  "You're bold." The red decorating Nimue's cheeks faded back to her normal tone as she shuffled closer to Felix.

  "Well, yeah, I'm very nervous right now, and, uh, my filter is gone."

  He wasn't lying.

  "I can see that." She accepted the explanation with a chuckle and injected him with a weird liquid Tiro had hastily prepared, completely numbing his pinkie finger so quickly that he couldn't even feel the needle being pulled out.

  "That was fast." He noted, weirdly impressed.

  "We have access to the very best that medical science has to offer here, thanks to my sponsor."

  "You have a sponsor?"

  "Yes, but no more questions. Tiro, can you please stand behind him? Make sure his head stays upright."

  "Alright." Tiro stood behind him, keeping one and on his shoulder, pushing him back, and another on his jaw. "I'm... sorry." He mumbled into Felix's ear, hoping Nimue couldn't hear him. "Close your eyes." He pulled Felix's jaw slightly upwards so he couldn't look at what Nimue was doing and kept it there. Probably for the best, Felix thought, as looking down at his hand would have made him feel even more ill than he already did.

  They sat in silence as Nimue worked, Felix grateful to Tiro for moving and putting his hands over his ears so the sounds were dulled as he scrunched his eyes shut tight.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Nimue sighed and rolled away from the man, calling Tiro over as he dared to open his eyes once more. He peeked down at the hand, unable to resist the temptation.

  What did he feel, looking at the missing finger? Loss? Sadness? Anger? He couldn't quite place the emotions, and while he had expected to to consumed by a swirling terror, grief-stricken, he was instead filled with a weird, numb calm feeling. His mum had always joked how there was nothing in this world that could stop Felix from talking, but since coming to this lab there had been many moments when he had been stripped of his speech.

  He couldn't even make a noise to show the doctors that he had registered what had happened, instead just sitting there, strapped down onto the chair, feeling absolutely... nothing.

  In a weird way, he was almost glad that this could be something he could relate to Dot on. He tried to flex the residual skin and failed, feeling himself be struck by the first stinging spear of loss and panic.

  Tiro left the room, taking a little box with him, and Nimue unstrapped Felix.

  "Do you feel okay?"

   He gave a very slight nod, barely moving his head at all.

  "You're very still."

  She was not granted a response this time.

  Nimue sighed and turned away from him, finishing packing away all the tools and wiping down the bloodstained armrest where Felix's hand lay.

  "It's probably going to be very sensitive, for a very long time. If it gets too dry or painful, just tell me and I'll sort it out. Try not to keep it wet for too long. Understand?"

  Felix inhaled heavily and nodded downwards in the biggest sign of life he had shown since losing the small digit, assuring Nimue that he had not been affected too badly.

  "Tiro, can you take him back to his room? Dot will know what to do." She addressed the man who had reentered the space a few seconds previously, this time without the little box he had been holding when he had left before.

  "Come with me." Felix felt Tiro wrapping his arm around him and half-carrying, half-aiding him back to the room, where he unlocked the door and placed him back inside.

  "Goodluck." He muttered, and the door swung shut.