*Claire*

After breakfast, we were all standing in the kitchen. I asked Ivan how his stitches were holding up. “Let me check it. You might need a bandage change,” I said, trying to peek down the back of his shirt. He didn’t hesitate this time to take his shirt off for me. I peeled back part of his bandage, to look at how it was healing. It still looked red and angry, but no signs of infection.

Eric walked over to inspect the stitches while I had the bandage pulled ...