"Ah, now that makes more sense," she narrowed her eyes on his ears while Sorin eyed her, prepared to defend Cas if he needed to. "So it's definitely not osmophobia, since you aren't human." She went over to wash her hands and sanitize them before she put gloves on. The nurse grabbed a small white towel and wet it just a bit with cold water before she handed it to Cas. "Here, put this under your nose."
"I-I dunno. It could be that as well…" Cas coughed again, holding the towel up to his face. He trembled a bit, but his coughing grew less frequent and violent.
"Actually," she tilted her head slightly as she threw away her gloves. "it could. But then again, your species's senses are different from any human." She shrugged and went back to the sink to wash her hands again. "Forgive me, I haven't treated someone like you before."
"That's alright…" Cas turned his ears back, keeping his eyes closed as he tried not to smell the alcohol. Not only was it very strong to him, but it also reminded him of living with his dad. His injured arm hung limp at his side.
After the nurse dried and sanitized her hands, she put on another pair of gloves. She brought the tray closer to the examining table and gave Sorin a smile with a subtle nod. He took the hint and sat down in a chair.
"Now, this might hurt a bit, okay? I'm letting you know now," she handed him a small ball. "Squeeze this when the pain is too much."
"Okay…" Cas sounded nervous, but he took the ball, keeping the towel to his mouth with the other hand.
She squeezed a tube of water on the wound and patted it dry with a sterile towel. Then, opened one of the large wipes and wiped his cut with it, blood staining it rapidly.
Cas gritted his teeth, screwing his eyes shut, but he didn't squeeze the ball yet. He meowed loudly in distress, his shaking getting more violent.
Sorin walked over to him and stood next to him, which the nurse didn't really seem to mind. "I know, I know, it hurts. But you're almost done," she threw away the wipe and opened another one. "Wouldn't want you getting an infection now, would we?"
Cas just shook his head, holding his breath. He bit his lip and gripped the ball tightly when the nurse pressed against the wound again.
The nurse threw away the blood-stained wipe and opened another. "Just one more, okay?" Sorin put a hand on his knee and looked at him reassuringly.
Tears stung Cas's eyes and a great deal of anxiety was evident in his eyes. He yowled when the nurse touched the wound again, crushing the ball.
"I know, I know," she threw away the wipe along with the gloves. "There, all done with cleaning." She put on new gloves then unscrewed the cap of the small tube and squeezed a bit of translucent paste on her fingers. "This, is an antibiotic. It should help the pain." She rubbed a bit on his puncture. "And keep the wound moist."
Cas grimaced again, shying away from the nurse. He fell into a coughing fit again, even with the towel.
"I'll get you some water when we're done, alright?" The nurse pressed a gauze, and wrapped the area near his elbow with bandages. "M'kay, we're all set." She smiled brightly at the two of them before going over to throw away her gloves once more.
Cas huddled close to Sorin, trembling. His arm still stung, and the towel was starting to work less and less.
"I'll get him some water," she said and Sorin only nodded. He held Cas, stroking his face lightly.
"How bad do you feel?"
Cas just whimpered, hiding his face in the crook of Sorin's neck. He still seemed scared, and his arm was hurting quite a bit.
The nurse returned with a small water bottle and handed it to Cas. "This should help with the whole possible osmophobia thing," her attention turned to Sorin. "Make sure he cleans off that wound daily. You could buy some over-the-counter antibiotic cream to help prevent the likelihood of infection. And as for his osmophobia," she glanced at Cas. "Chewing gum helps. And fresh air."
Cas nodded a bit, sipping the water. It didn't help much in the long run, but the temporary relief would work for now. He was sitting in Sorin's lap by now, his ears still turned back.
"So we're good?" The nurse nodded and held the door open for them. Sorin, holding Cas in his arms, sped walk as quickly as he could out of that hospital.
Cas took a deep, raspy breath once they were outside, glad the alcohol smell was mostly gone. He huddled against Sorin with the water bottle still in his hand.
Sorin walked for quite a bit until he got to the park, thankful there was barely anyone there. He under a tree and let Cas rest him head on his lap.
Cas closed his eyes, taking in the fresh air gratefully. It was a welcome change from the hospital atmosphere, and though his throat was still raw, he was breathing better.
"You know I took you there because I love you, right?" Sorin began playing with the soft hair that glided off from between his fingers each time he picked up a few strands.
"I-I know, but I always hated hospitals… the smell is unbearable; in addition to the alcohol, I can scent fear, pain, blood… it's a horrible place, really." Cas shuddered a bit.
"True, but where else to get treated for things such as this?" He pointed to his injury.
Cas shrugged. "Let it heal on its own terms?"
"Anything that comes into contact with that wound could get infected. You could get sepsis if you leave it untreated by professionals."
"Well… yeah, but I never went to the hospital for any wounds when I was living on the streets, and I'm okay."