It was unpleasant to watch that initial reaction of pain and discomfort.  Val knew that it was all for the best, but it didn’t make it any easier to see a helpless and innocent victim in pain.  He liked to pretend that he was numb to that sort of thing, especially after all the years he’d had to endure it, but with Charlie it was fresher.  Maybe it was because he wasn’t a job.  He’d wrestled with a bit of ugly, from the sight of the scars littering his body, but the demon seemed to have moved on, probably growing bored of torturing a homeless kid already leaning toward death.  If Val had to guess, it hadn’t been that long ago… just long enough for everything to heal over.  Then again, considering his environment and the lack of nutrition, Charlie could’ve had those wounds for quite a long time before they sealed up.<br/><br/>“Is he one of yours, then?” the doctor asked out of nowhere, shattering the silence of the dim bathroom and breaking Valentin from his thoughts.  The question unnerved him a little.<br/><br/>“No.”  The half demon shifted his weight and pulled out a pack of cigarettes to light one up.  “He’s just off the street.  Whatever happened to him was before we met.”<br/><br/>“Now there’s an interesting story…”<br/><br/>But clear eyes were turning toward them, and so that conversation was over. For now.  Val could tell that the warm water was doing wonders, and that now those brown eyes could take him in.  Now inside and his heavy coat gone, Val wore a pair of black trousers and a dark grey vest.  Under that was a white dress shirt that looked like it might’ve been quite nice, but he’d at some point carelessly rolled the sleeves up to just under his elbows.  His hair was still messy, but had the look that it might’ve been nice before he’d braved the snow storm in search of his frozen friend.<br/><br/>“I see you still have the use of fingers and toes,” the doctor said, making it apparent that he was not the type to shy away from speaking his mind.  He knelt down next to the tub and took one of Charlie’s hands and examined it closer.  “That’s good.  We’ll have to keep an eye on them until we see how far the damage has gone.  I have some medication that’s been shown to help prevent the need for amputation, but it’s a blood thinner, so you’ll have to be careful.  I doubt that will be a problem.  I have a feeling that Val will have you confined to bed, which is where you should be while you recover.”<br/><br/>“I’ll see to it,” the pale-eyed man affirmed, though he stared at Charlie for a long moment before turning and heading out, cigarette smoke lingering behind him.  He had to go let Bernard know what was going on, what to expect.  When he caught up with the older gentleman, he was glad to see that everything was already prepared.  One of the spare bedrooms had already been freshened with a light dusting, clean sheets, and a vase of flowers on one of the bedside tables.  The covers were turned down and ready to receive the guest, and the fireplace at the end of the room was glowing with warmth.  When he returned, it was to deliver a silent nod.  Then he was being instructed to drain the water and haul the dripping, scrawny little thing out of the bath.<br/><br/>“You should sleep well tonight,” he murmured once he had Charlie in his arms, all wrapped up in a towel.  “Safe and warm.”