Still cradling Chris in his arms, he walked her over to the bed and sat her down with great reverence. Unable to be apart from her, he kept his hand on her forearm.
Brennan followed in behind him, careful not to rush any of Zeven's thoughts or actions before he could resolve them in his own heart. However, from the look of Chris's shallow breathing, it was clear that he needed to nudge him along.
"Is there a med kit around here?" He did not ask Zeven to leave her side, but just a gentle reminder of the severity of Chris's wound.
Without looking up, Zeven told him where it could be found. He squeezed her arm, mentally preparing for what would come next.
He let go only to grab the knife off his belt. Cupping her face with his rough hands, he knelt down and whispered an apology before he began to cut the dress off her.
There was no easy way to clear the area around the arrow. It had struck through the lace, and the blood had dried with bits and pieces embedded inside. The whole left half of the dress had to go. He was gentle as he could be as he began to rip fabric away.
Brennan came in with a wet rag and the med kit. Zeven took the rag and started whipping at the blood covered lace, trying to loosen it so it wouldn't rip away at her skin.
When it was off, all that was left was the arrow. Her snow white bosom was covered in blood, both fresh and dried.
They lacked proper tools to make this as quick and pain free as it could have been, but there was no way to get them so they would have to make due and hope that Chris didn't wake up during its removal.
Zeven grabbed the arrow by the small part of the shaft that stuck out from her shoulder. Ever so slightly he rocked it back and forth, trying to determine if the tip was lodged into bone. But as it wiggled freely he felt slightly better knowing it wasn't.
It could be safely extracted. He held out his hand for Brennan to pass him the curved wire. The hardest part would be making sure that the arrow head didn't break off from the shaft while it was still inside.
As he worked the wire inside the wound. Wrapping the hook around the head of the arrow. She winced and flinched underneath him, but thankfully her eyes remained closed. Using both hands he pulled both the wire and the arrow out at the same time.
Slowly but surely the arrow started to come free. As soon as it was out more blood rushed to the surface, creating a new stream down her front. Zeven grabbed the gauze from Brennan and started to staunch the blood. But as it kept leaking through they were growing desperate fast.
"Start a fire. We are going to have to cauterize it. It won't clot."
Brennan nodded. At the current rate she was bleeding and how much blood she had already lost, their only option was to act quickly and use whatever means would stop it fastest.
He lit a small fire in the harth, coaxing it to grow hot and quick. As the flames leaped up and cracked, Brennan took the small knife from his belt and held it directly into the flames. Waiting for it to grow red and burning before pulling it out and carefully taking it back to Chris and Zeven.
Zeven had already removed his belt and had put it in her mouth. So that she couldn't break her teeth or bite her tongue in pain. He looked back at Brennan, motioning him over with the tilt of his head.
She was still bleeding when Zeven lifted the gauze from her shoulder. He discarded it to the floor as he held her upper arms down firmly against the bed. Nothing else needed to be said before Brennan placed the burning hot metal down over the wound.
It sizzled and burnt her flesh as it pressed into her skin. Chris's eyes flew open as she struggled to alleviate the pain. She fought against the hands holding her, her eyes never quite becoming clear as she writhed. The belt in her mouth muffled any words she might have said. But her outburst didn't last long. Only a few seconds that seemed like hours, before she collapsed again.
Brennan pulled the blade back, checking the injury. It didn't bleed, but the skin around it was red and angry, blistering and burnt, painful and horrific. But the worst threat was out of the way. As long as the cauterized wound didn't become infected, they were out of the proverbial woods.
He laid the knife down and grabbed more gauze and bandages. Passing them up to Zeven who took them and sat them down on the bed. His focus was consumed by Chris, empathizing with her pain, wishing he could take it on as his own.
Like a mother holding her newborn child, Zeven began to bandage her. Attentive to even the smallest movement of her body and face to determine if he wasn't being gentle enough. Unlike before, his hands did not shy away from touching her bare skin. Now they sought it. Running over it with the side of his hands as he bandaged her. Indulging in the proof that she was still alive.