Chapter Text
"Listen," Alucard said, holding back the tremor which wanted to appear in his hand, looking over at Sypha, who nodded as she boiled the water of imperfections, then cooled it to manageable level. "Trevor, this wound can be closed. From what I can tell, it missed any internal organs, and didn't go that deep, but it- Listen to me."
The hissed admonishment did make Trevor open his eyes again, but from how limp his limbs were on the table, it was a losing battle. Alucard gritted his teeth. No. He wouldn't let it be in vain.
"Recite your family line."
"...What?" Trevor's voice was hoarse, strained.
"Or list every fact you remember about them, just keep yourself occupied." Alucard pressed the moist cloth to skin and gently wiped away as much blood as he could, feeling as more stained the cloth which he held over the wound. "This will scar, because it is wide enough, and I need to make sure you aren't losing too much blood. So keep talking. We're not losing you before we even make it to Dracula."
Trevor grunted, but at the hand Sypha placed into his, squeezing, he acquiesced.
For several long minutes, he talked about his older sisters, who were quick in their studies of the martial and just as diligent in studies of maths and history. When he waned, looking as if he would pass out again, Sypha prompted him with questions of their hobbies. So as Trevor mentioned only one who embroidered, one who took care of cattle and geese and goats, another who was enamored with the healing arts--"Like you I guess."--Alucard began to sew up the rather long scratch. The fact it extended from stomach to hip, around a curve, made the procedure longer. Alucard hoped it hadn't caught on the pelvis bone, but there was little he could do about it at the moment; He could only hope his assessment of depth was correct.
Sypha spent most of the time distracting Trevor, wiping his brow, squeezing his hand, and occasionally handing Alucard extra materials. She gave him wetted cloths to wipe away more blood, salves when the wound was properly sewn up. As Trevor lost most of his energy, Alucard finally wrapped the bandages.
"You've done well Trevor."
Trevor laughed, a thing so weak it grabbed Alucard's heart and yanked it up to his throat. "Just laid here."
"And that's all you need to do." Alucard remembered how Trevor moved and fidgeted most days, and decided he'd need motivation. "If you promise to stay still and heal up properly, I won't bring up the incident where you tripped yourself with your own whip straight into a pile of cow shit. Deal?"
Sypha giggled. "I might. But I will also put ice in your boots if you think of moving too soon."
Trevor sighed and closed his eyes, his annoyance belied by the little grin. "Sure, sure. Deal."
He mumbled a few unflattering things as he slipped into sleep. When Sypha shot him a look, Alucard could only nod. Trevor would need watching, but with the both of them on the task, he was sure to get better. He just had to. When Sypha reached out a hand to him, he took it.