"Let me look at it."
There's no point arguing with her when she gets that tone, so I sit beside her on the couch and let her unwrap the makeshift bandage. The cut is deeper than I thought, and definitely needs stitches.
"This is bad," she says, examining the wound. "You need a doctor."
"No, we can’t risk a doctor. It needs to be cleaned and closed. You can do that."
"No way! I don't know how to stitch up a cut."
"I'll talk you through it."
She looks at me like I've lost my mind. "You want me to perform surgery on you?"
"It's not surgery. It's basic field medicine."
"I can’t."
"There's a first aid kit in the cabinet by the sink. Should have everything we need. Go get it."
She finds the kit and brings it back, along with a bottle of whiskey she discovered on a shelf.
"This is going to hurt," she warns, opening a package of antiseptic wipes.
"I know, but don’t worry, I've had worse."
She starts cleaning the wound, her touch careful but thorough. I watch her face as she works, the way she bites her lower lip when she's concentrating, how her hair falls forward to frame her face.
"There," she says finally. "Clean as I can get it. Now what?"
"Now you stitch it up. It’s no different than sewing."
"I don't think—"
"Viviana. Look at me."
She meets my eyes, and I see the fear there. Not fear of the blood or the wound, but fear of hurting me.
"You can do this," I tell her. "I trust you. It doesn’t need to be pretty."
"What if I mess up?"
"You won't."
She picks up the needle and thread from the first aid kit. "I’m ready. Tell me what to do."
I talk her through it step by step – how to thread the needle, how to pinch the edges of the cut together, how to make small, even stitches. Her hands shake at first, but she steadies as she goes, focusing completely on the task.
"Like this?" she asks, making her third stitch.
"Perfect. You're a natural."
"I feel like I'm going to throw up any minute."
"Don't throw up on my arm."
That gets a small laugh out of her, and some of the tension leaves her shoulders. She finishes the last few stitches with more confidence, then sits back to examine her work.
"Not bad for my first time," she says.
