Page 120 of A Long Way Back
“I bought lunch.” Tay held up a carrier bag.
“Let me take that and Dog’s lead. Do you know which platform yet?”
“Six. We can get on now.”
Ink wanted to run, but he had to move at Tay’s pace which wasn’t fast. Then again, he hurt too much to run like he had before. When they made it to their seats without incident, Ink let out a shuddering breath. Dog settled on the floor at Tay’s feet but even in a confined space still managed to turn four and half times. They both chuckled. Before Ink put his backpack and guitar on the luggage rack, he took out the small plastic bag the hospital had given him. He lifted Tay’s laptop bag onto the rack and slid his crutch up there too. When he sat and leaned back in the seat, he gave a quiet gasp.
“What is it?” Tay asked.
“I think I’m bleeding again. How are your nursing skills?”
“I faint at the sight of blood.”
Ink rolled his eyes. “Hopefully, the train won’t be too busy so we can do it here rather than the loo. You really don’t want to faint in there.”
Tay took hold of his hand and held on tight. “Did you even think about it?”
Ink knew what Tay was asking. Whether he’d considered continuing to run and not come to the station. “No.”Not this time.He should have. He should have gone to a different station. But for the first time in a long while, he had a friend.
As the train pulled out, there were still empty seats opposite and in front of them, but most of the seats had reserved signs which meant others would be joining later. Ink put the dressing packet and the Steri-Strips between them, then struggled out of his jacket.
“Fucking hell,” Tay whispered. “Your T-shirt’s covered in blood.”
“I thought it might be. Let me get a clean one out of my bag first.”
When he sat down, he angled his back to Tay. Tay rolled the bloody T-shirt up to his neck and Ink pulled it over his head. “Hurry before someone comes.”
“Hey, I’m doing my best not to faint.”
Ink tensed as Tay peeled away the first dressing.
“Fuck,” Tay muttered. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Well, now I feel so much better. What’s wrong?”
“It’s opened up a bit.”
“Try and pull it together with a Steri-Strip.”
“I need to clean it first. Hold on.”
Ink turned to see Tay take a couple of the napkins from the sandwich bag along with a bottle of water. He wet one of the napkins and gently wiped Ink’s back.
Ink winced. “Did the blade miss Bela?”
“Yeah, it did. The wound’s just below her wing.”
He winced as Tay squeezed his skin but moments later, the new dressing had been taped in place and Tay was removing the one lower down.
“This one’s okay. It’s oozing blood, but the stitches are in place. It missed Bela completely. And any major organs. The doctor said it hit muscle. I had to tell them I was your brother to get in and… I’m sorry but they wouldn’t have let me see you or told me anything unless I was a relation.”
“It’s okay.”
Tay taped on the dressing, then wiped his lower back. Ink pulled the clean T-shirt over his head and got rid of the bloody tissues in the waste bin before returning his stuff to his backpack. Exhaustion swept over him.
“How did you manage to lose them?” Tay asked.
“Luck, I think. I played chase on the escalator at the Tube station, then hid behind a big guy until we boarded a train. I took a roundabout route to Euston. I wish no one had seen me come out of your place, though. Reporters keep pushing.”
