"Pauvre petite." Remy heard the hitch of pain and humor warring in his own tone. "Thank you, Mari. You were very brave." He reached around to hold the compress himself, so that she could take care of her own needs. He'd rather have taken care of her himself, but this was the best he could do at the moment.

"S-sorry," she stammered. "I'll g-get you bandaged up. Just give me a second."

She took a glass from the counter and rinsed out the sink while the water continued to ...