Locking the bedroom door behind him, he sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand over his aching ribs. That hit was a solid one, rather than the one on the shoulder. After making sure that his parents are asleep, he made his way to the kitchen, grabbed some ice from the freezer, placed it on a small towel, wrapped it around a polythene bag, and went back to his room.
Xal exhaled slowly, then bent down and grabbed the small first-aid box from the cupboard. Soft curse escaped as he peeled off his shirt and looked at the bruises spreading across his ribs and shoulder. The skin was a bit swollen and dark.
He shook the arnica spray and applied it over the bruises, the cool mist settling on his heated skin.
Pressing the makeshift cold press against his side, he counted his breaths until the sharp ache dulled a little. After about fifteen minutes, he wrapped a compression bandage around his ribs, not too tight, remembering that one time he almost collapsed from making the bandage too tight. He placed the cold pack over the bandage again, letting it work against the swelling.
When he finally straightened up, he felt better and steadier. He packed the kit away, sat back on the bed, and let the cold settle into his skin, numbing the pain enough to breathe easier.
He turned off the light and lay down, the ache settling deep in his muscles. For a moment, he thought he heard Xahelya's voice again, loud yet so distant, almost like she was still watching over him, worried, yelling at him for getting hurt.
For her, he decided to give one more chance as Kian's bodyguard and stick through the days as planned.
Tomorrow would be another long day.
But maybe, tomorrow, he could find something about Khem.