goldenelixxir:
“I’m fine.” Josh figured it would be more considerate to not point out Evan’s obvious discomfort. Not while they were still working, anyway.
He stepped away to pull a bag of clear saline solution and all the accompanying pieces out of a cabinet. While Evan finished cleaning him, he hung the bag, started the IV, and stood there until he knew it was getting where it needed to go. Josh waved the friend over and pulled the curtain around the bed to give them some semblance of privacy.
“You don’t have to stay if this is too much,” he finally said to Evan. No one else had come through the door. A brief reprieve. He didn’t expect it to last too long.
“Okay, well good,” Evan nods watching as Josh just, straight up put an IV in the guy without blinking and then it was like it didn’t happen, sort of. Evan was sure that the guy had probably felt better but all things considered — it was a non-event.
Evan frowns at Josh’s question and looks down at his hands before he goes to wash them. “It’s not. I just — I mean you know, I cut hair. I’ve — dealt with this sort of stuff before but It’s always in the background. Not so close, but I’m fine,” he says almost a little defensively. He wasn’t a kid, he could handle it. “I won’t like, pass out on you or anything.” He says, scrubbing hard under his nails. “But It’s not a frequent occurrence I see someone looking like that, you know. I’m glad he’s going to be okay.”
He didn’t want to argue about it. Evan had an out if he wanted, and if he took it Josh wasn’t going to think badly of him for it. Signing up to put some bandaids on people or hand them some Tylenol was one thing and playing trauma response team was another. He knew that Evan didn’t have the latter in mind when he’d asked to help.
Josh handed him a towel once he switched the water off. “That probably won’t be the last time it happens today,” he finally said. “Just do what you did and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“No. Really. I’m okay. I promise. Thank you. It was just — it shouldn’t have been a surprise but I guess in a way it was. We’ve talked about this before that you don’t get to fight at school without seeing shit but it was a different level,” but now he knew. He was braced for it.
“Thanks though. I’ll do that. You’re going a great job, not that you need my like praise or anything but still. If not for you that guy might not have made it,” that had to mean something.















