Steven looked wan in the light of the lantern, but he smiled when he saw Emma. That distracted him from the fact that Sing Cho was opening a large brown bottle. Just when Sing Cho doused the long cut with alcohol, Emma stuffed the biscuit into Steven's mouth and stifled what she was sure was a string of shouted curses. His eyes narrowed, and his jaw moved angrily as he chewed and swallowed. "Damn it, woman," he rasped, "when something hurts as bad as that, a man has a right to cuss." "You did enough cussing the first time," Emma replied, watching as Sing Cho wrapped a fresh bandage around his arm.
In a tense moment illuminated by a lantern's glow, Steven appeared pale yet managed a smile upon seeing Emma, which provided him with some solace amidst his pain. Meanwhile, Sing Cho was preparing to treat a deep wound on Steven’s arm by applying alcohol. To alleviate the moment, Emma quickly fed Steven a biscuit, preventing what she feared would be a series of curses from escaping his lips as he experienced the sting from the alcohol.
Despite the distraction, Steven expressed his frustration, asserting that a man in pain has the right to curse. Emma, however, reminded him of his previous outbursts, as she observed Sing Cho carefully rebandaging his injury. Their banter amidst the painful situation highlighted their close relationship and the care they showed for each other during challenging times.
