Bandages and scars

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Ford rolled the sleeve of the girl's shirt up, almost cringing at the scars and scratches covering the limb. He took a clean rag and soaked it in a sterile solution.

"Ok, so I'm cleaning your wounds now." He said before applying it. "It's going to sting, but it is going to help you heal. You can hold onto Dipper's hand if you'd like."

The girl didn't give a sign that she understood, but she stayed still as Ford held her arm in one hand and pressed the rag to her skin with the other.

The girl immediately clenched, her eyes squeezing shut and a small hiss leaving her mouth. Dipper stepped closer, his hand slowly reaching out to her free one that was grasping the stool. But as soon as his skin touched hers, her head jerked to look at him and her hand moved away. Dipper stepped back again, his hands up.

Ford continued to clean the old wounds and then did the other arm before wrapping them in medical bandages with a type of salve on them. Most of them were already dried and no longer fresh, making him unable to stitch them. So all he could do was bandage them. Due to the sheer amount of exposed wounds, by the time Ford was done, almost her entire arms were wrapped in bandages.

Ford also felt her hand and realized her finger was broken. He made a splint and placed it around the finger, instructing the girl to try to not use it.

Dipper watched with light fascination. "How is she so calm? She has all these scars and broken bones, but she's still quiet."

Ford didn't look up from his work as he answered. "I have two theories. One, years and years of abuse could have dulled her senses to the point that it would take a while for her to acknowledge any serious pain. Or two, since she is now in a different world, perhaps her senses have yet to fully be awakened to show the pain she is in."

Once her arms were done, Ford moved to her legs. They weren't much better. There were even criss-crossed Xs traveling down the back of one. Her feet had small cuts and red irritation. Ford did the same treatment, bandages completely covering anything between her knees and ankles. Her feet were bandages as well, though to a lesser degree so she could still walk.

Ford then moved to her face. Gently touching her cheek, he inspected her still dark black eye and the dried blood by her temple. He couldn't really help the black eye, but there was a cut by her hair that required stitching.

He took out a clean needle and thread, not missing her small tense at seeing the sharp object. "It's okay. I'm going to do something that will help you. It will hurt, but try to control yourself. I'm helping you." He said that quite a few times, wanting to make it clear he did not want to hurt her.

The girl didn't stop him, but she was still tense when he threaded the needle and brought it up to her forehead. She breathed in once he started it, her hand reaching out blindly to grab something.

Dipper flinched as her hand grabbed onto his shirt, her knuckles almost turning white as they gripped the fabric tightly. He was frozen for a moment as Ford continued the stitching, and slowly relaxed and stepped a little closer. The girl didn't notice, her eyes still squeezed shut, but her hand didn't leave.

Soon Ford finished and cut off the thread at its base. The girl unclenches her body and opened her eyes, her free hand slowly reaching up to feel the skin near the spot. Her eyes then went to her other hand and realized she was holding onto Dipper's shirt. Meeting his eyes, Dipper offered her a small smile. She didn't return it and her hand quickly retracted back to her chest. Dipper wouldn't consider that a win, since she was still clearly skeptical of him.

Next came the area Ford was loathe to cover. He took the girl's hand and led her over to a small bench that he had slept on many nights after falling asleep while working. After some coaxing, he got her to lie down.

"Uh..." Ford hesitated, not sure how to say what he needed to say.

"I need you to...remove your shirt."

The girl stared up at him, her eyes widening a tiny bit. Her hand went to her chest, fisting the fabric.

Ford immediately placed both his hands over hers. "I don't mean it like that. You're injured, and I have to look at what is hurting you. I will do it was quickly as I can, and I won't...ask you to do anything else. Please, trust me."

The girl stared at him, her hand slowly loosening from her shirt. Slowly and nervously, she worked it over her head.

Dipper turned his head, wanting to give her some semblance of privacy. Ford on the other hand got the full view of what she looked like, and a small part of him felt like throwing up.

It was a myriad of various scratches, symbols, or just plain scars. He saw a triangle, an eye, and a few other things among them, each seeming more disturbing than the last.

Taking a deep breath, he placed a hand on her shoulder to get her to lay down on her back. He then repeated his previous actions of cleaning the cuts, stitching any that were too big to simply let heal.

Once he did that, he helped the girl rotate to lay down on her stomach. He leaned back for a moment when he saw those words again, big and red across her back. There were a few other minor scars around it, which were easy to clean. He then cleaned the words, sympathy hitting him every time he felt the girl tense of jerk under his hands.

Finally, he bandaged her middle, which took a little longer than the limbs did. After he was done, he picked the shirt up again and gave it to the girl once she sat up.

"Put this back on. If you feel any pain that seems unusual, let me or one of the others know. Every couple hours, the bandages need to be changed, so either me or my brother will do that."

Not waiting for an answer, knowing he wouldn't get one, Ford stood up again. The girl slowly stood up as well, one hand holding onto her other arm. She stepped forward, staring down at her bandaged feet probably trying to get used to them. Dipper kept a hand out, ready to catch her if she fell.

"Dipper, would you mind taking her upstairs? I have a few things I need to get done, and it wouldn't feel right keeping her cooped up down here."

Dipper nodded. "Got it, uncle Ford. What should we do with her?"

Ford gave a small smirk. "Oh, I think Mabel already has a few ideas."

Dipper chuckled a little before turning to the girl and gesturing to follow him. She did so, keeping close as they both went to the elevator.

Ford watched as they left before turning back to the big window. Walking over, he looked in on the old portal remains.

"What's your next move, Bill?" He asked himself. Something didn't sit right with him. That child got here somehow, with ways she herself probably didn't understand. Bill could still reach their world, whether in the dreamscape or possession through deals. He might try to take her back, though how he didn't know yet.

But Bill didn't matter. What did matter was his niece, nephew, brother, and even the child. He would try to keep them all safe with the best of his abilities, no matter the cost.

Yes. He will watch over them, and protect them.
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I don't know if I got the medical scenes right. I think I did, but I might have made a few mistakes.

Anyway, enjoy!

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