Free Storm Season by Nessa L. Warin Page B

were going.
    No. But my feet do hurt.
    Jasper was starting to wonder if Tobias had hit his head or lost a lot more blood than they’d originally thought. His short term memory seemed shot. “We’re going to take care of that.”
    Okay. Tobias looked so vulnerable that Jasper had to fight the urge to wrap him in his arms and promise he would make everything okay. It would be a lie, and he had no right to think those thoughts.
    The car swerved suddenly, and Jasper found himself holding Tobias despite his resolve not to. He quickly let go, but as the car swerved again, Tobias doubled over, clutching at his stomach, and Jasper had him back in his arms without making a conscious effort to do so. Hurts , came the thought, but requests for elaboration were met with silent moans of pain. Jasper didn’t know if he should ask Darius to speed up so they’d get there faster or slow down so the bumpy road and quick turns didn’t hurt Tobias further.
     
     
    T HE doctor was a good friend of Darius’s, and agreed to come out to Darius’s house on the edge of town rather than have them bring Tobias into his office and risk attracting the attention of half the townsfolk. It was a small favor for which Jasper was grateful. The doctor alone was bad enough. Tobias didn’t need to meet Mrs. Bidwell, Mrs. Haverds, or any of their numerous daughters and daughters-in-law. The two families existed simply to outdo each other with small town gossip, and in a slow time even Jasper’s semi-regular trips to the town store became a major event. A new person―a new injured person―would set off a week’s worth of rumors even before they discovered that he didn’t talk.
    Whoever ferreted out that knowledge would have the juiciest bit of gossip for the whole wet season and would spend the next three or four months in a position of particular honor among her family. It was far better to take Tobias straight to Darius’s. Doctor Parks’ trip out would generate enough gossip on its own.
    Tobias sat still and silent as he was treated, only moving when Dr. Parks asked it of him, and not sending anything, not even to Jasper when the doctor wasn’t touching him. His eyes widened and his muscles tensed when the doctor brought out needles, but he accepted the shots of antibiotic and sedative with the same pliability he’d exhibited while the doctor examined his cuts and bruises. Jasper helped him lie back, and he was asleep before the doctor had removed the suture kit from his bag.
    Forty five minutes later, the doctor tied the bandage around Tobias’s left foot and began cleaning up. “He needs to stay off his feet as much as possible for at least a week or those cuts will break open again. I put twelve stitches in the biggest ones, but more of them will need stitches if they open again.”
    “But he’ll be okay?” Jasper asked, glancing from the white bandages to the doctor’s face. “He was disoriented earlier.”
    “His pupils dilated evenly.” The doctor picked up a penlight, lifted Tobias’s eyelids one at a time, and checked again, nodding when he got the same result. “He just needs rest and food. I could hear his stomach growling while I worked on his feet.”
    “He hasn’t eaten much,” Jasper acknowledged.
    “Feed him when he wakes up, and have him take one of these.” The doctor handed Jasper a packet of small, red pills. “If he won’t sleep,” the doctor continued, pressing another packet into Jasper’s hand, “there are sedatives in here. He should take one of the red pills every eight hours until they’re gone. Only give him the other if he needs them.”
    “Thanks.” It wasn’t much, considering how helpful the doctor had been and how few questions he’d asked, but Jasper didn’t know what else to say. His mind had already jumped ahead to how he was going to break it to Tobias that they wouldn’t be able to go anywhere for a week. He stayed by the bed, watching Tobias sleep and contemplating the