Flesh 02 Skin(74)
“Take him inside, now,” Finn directed the other man.
They hustled him into the house. A good thing—his head didn’t hurt so bad out of the sun. Roslyn was stretched out on a double bed in what had probably once been a bedroom, though most of the contents were gone now in favor of medical equipment. Her beautiful face was too pale. Her red hair looked shockingly stark in contrast. Sean was helping Lila strip her out of her bloody shirt, carefully cutting through the bulk of the bandaging. The medic cut through the strap of Ros’s bra and peeled the bloodstained material down a little, away from the wound, exposing the top curve of her breast.
“Don’t look,” he growled and Finn and Sean kept their eyes averted. Just as fucking well. He was losing what little remained of his mind seeing her lying there so still. “How is she?”
Lila, the medic, pointed to chair beside the bed. “Sit here.”
Sean pulled a pair of shattered reading glasses from the pocket of Ros’s bloody shirt.
Nick could only stare. “She’s going to be mad. She’s always losing her glasses.”
“What do you need, Lila?” Sean asked, hovering by the woman’s elbow. He couldn’t remember the captain ever hanging onto a woman’s skirts before, but there was a first time for everything.
“I just need to clean the wound first so I can see what’s going on,” she said, her hands constantly moving.
Nick fell into the chair beside Roslyn and Finn fiddled with the cuffs, producing another pair so that he was connected to the sturdy iron bed frame. Then Finn stood at the end of the mattress, pistol in hand. The sheriff’s eyes never left him. Fuck them. Whatever. So long as they helped her. He slumped tiredly in his chair. The place smelled of cleaning fluids, antibacterial stuff. Roslyn obviously wasn’t the first patient they’d ever seen.
“Finn?” Lila sighed at the cuffs on Nick’s wrists. “Isn’t this overkill?”
“They stay on,” said the sheriff. “Work around them.”
The medic grumbled but didn’t raise the subject again. Nick leaned over, resting his elbow on the frame to make it easier on the medic. Lila wrapped a band around his upper arm, preparing to take his blood. Next she swabbed Roslyn’s forearm then got busy filling a syringe with something.
“What are you giving her?” he asked.
“Morphine for the pain,” said Lila, a little frown of concentration on her face. Her teeth were sunk into her bottom lip. “Something to make sure she doesn’t wake up while I’m digging the bullet out of her.”
The way the woman said it gave him pause. “You’ve got experience in this sort of thing, right?”
Lila didn’t meet his eyes. “A little.”
“What? What do you mean?” Fear flashed through him and he jolted upright in his seat.
“Easy,” Sean warned.
“What’s going on here?” Nick edged forward and Finn raised his gun, pointing it at his chest.
Lila took a deep breath. “I’m a dental nurse. But I’m the best chance you have for her.”
A wave of dizziness came over him. He almost had to hang his head between his knees. “A dental nurse? Y-you’re a fucking dental nurse?”
“I will do the best I can for her.”
Nick hissed out a breath. “Shit. She doesn’t need her teeth cleaned.”
“Lila’s the only chance you’ve got, Nick.” Sean gave him a look not entirely without compassion. “Just sit back and let her work. This isn’t the first bullet wound she’s seen.”
“Oh fuck.” Seriously, he thought he might hyperventilate. Lila stuck the needle into Ros’s arm and he nearly decorated the floor with his puke. He couldn’t stand it. “Please don’t kill her. Please.”
Lila glanced at him but didn’t answer.
“Who is she?” asked Sean.
“Her name is Roslyn Stewart. She used to be a librarian.” Nick breathed deep, did his best to get his shit together. Ros needed him.
His former captain watched him through narrowed eyes. “I’ve never seen you get intense about a woman before.”
Nick ignored him. What the fuck could he say?
“How did you meet her?” Finn asked, lowering his weapon.
The medic picked up some ages-old–looking instrument of torture. A small pump in the middle, with tubing topped with a needle either side. Nick couldn’t watch. He’d never been scared of needles or blood, but this whole scene terrified the shit out of him. The sight of her blood wrecked him. His hands shook, rattling the cuffs. Best to stare at the pale green walls, the butt-ugly dog picture.