Page 3 of Hooked On Victor
“Fuck,” he gasped.
“That’s what I thought.” Her voice was dry, but her hands were steady.
He felt her ripping open what was left of his leather jacket. Cool air hit his side. She cursed when she saw the blood soaking through his black t-shirt.
“Goddammit.” She pulled something from a side pocket in her scrubs. A cheap penlight. She flicked it in his eyes, watching his pupils. “Concussed but alive.”
He tried to focus on her. Her face was smudged with dirt, sweat sticking red hairs to her temple. She smelled like antiseptic and old coffee.
“Who… the fuck… are you?” he slurred.
“Your fucking guardian angel apparently.”
He wanted to laugh again. He settled for a shuddering breath.
She ignored his noises, pressing a folded cloth hard against his ribs. He bucked, cursing in Russian.
“Oh, good—foreign cursing. That’s new. Stay with me, Ivan.”
“Victor,” he hissed.
“Victor. Great. Don’t die on me, Victor.”
He glared at her, blood running from his nose.
She lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah? Glare all you want, tough guy. I’m not letting you bleed out in the middle of Bumblefuck nowhere.”
He winced as she pressed harder.
“You’re gonna need a hospital,” she said.
“No…”
“Yeah. Yes. I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re leaking.” She sniffed. “Ribs are fucked, probably a punctured lung. I’m not dragging your corpse to my clinic.”
He felt darkness curling in. He fought it.
“Hey!” She slapped his cheek again, harder. “Don’t you dare.”
He blinked.
“Look at me,” she ordered. “You got family? Someone you want me to call so they can watch you be a dumbass?”
He managed to bare his teeth. “No.”
“Shocker.”
She shifted, reaching for a battered old phone she’d dropped in the dirt. He heard the crackle of her cursing as she tried to get signal.
“Fucking dead zone. Of course.”
He let out a low, broken laugh that turned into a choking sound.
Her eyes flicked to his face, worried despite the scowl.
“Breathe, dammit.” She shoved a hand behind his neck, propping him up just enough to keep his airway clear.
He sucked in air, each breath a blade.
