Jack tried to speak and Miriam looked down at him. He pointed at Avice. "Avice. Partner." Miriam's eyes widened and she raised her hands hastily. "Oh, I do apologize. I only knew that Elyse lived here, and..." She stopped for a moment, her gaze focusing on Avice's burn. "Oh! My dear, come over here. Let me attend to that burn."
"I'm fine," she said quickly, her hands shaking. "I'm okay." Something about her seemed off in the moment, and her eyes revealed her fear and devastation.
Jack studied her carefully, but Miriam pursed her lips. “No, sweet girl. You’re really not. Come kneel by Jack, now, alright? We’ll fix you both up.”
Jack reached out for her hand, his eyes wide as Miriam began to circle the two of them, occasionally making concerned clucks with her tongue.
His fingers were long and calloused and he squeezed her hand weakly as Miriam knelt beside them. “Alright, Jack,” she began, pulling out various vials from her bag. Her tone was strange, as if she were instructing him rather than soothing him. “I’m going to clean the wounds first before applying the salve, alright?”
He nodded slowly, his gaze flickering to the woman. She pulled out a cloth and looked at Avice expectantly. “Arm?”
Her hand was cool and reassuring, and she inspected it for a moment before pursing her lips. “This may sting a little, alright?”
She placed the damp cloth down on the wound gently, cleaning it with an observant eye. Jack watched carefully, his eyelids drooping slightly.
Aubrey seemed calm, resting her head in Avice’s chest. Jack closed his eyes, his chest still rising and falling with unsteady breaths.
