Page 3 of Atone in Darkness
That took care of his upper body, but the condition of his sweats made it clear that his legs had also sustained damage. “I’m sorry, but I should’ve reminded you to take your pants off before climbing up on the table.”
“No need.”
Translation:The bleeding has already stopped and nothing wasbroken this time.
“I’d rather be the judge of that. I don’t want to risk infection setting in.”
The jerk actually snickered. “Come on, Doc. You know as well as I do that I don’t get infections.”
And if she didn’t at least get a look at his wounds, her records would be incomplete. She suspected he wouldn’t give a damn about that. “At least tell me how bad the injuries were.”
His face was ablank slate as he stared at her for several seconds before finally answering. “Fine. They used a fixed-blade combat knife to slice open my right thigh. The cut was about six inches long. For the record, it hurt like hell, but they didn’t nick any major blood vessels or do much muscle damage. Otherwise, nothing else noteworthy besides the usual assortment of bruises and minor cuts.”
Those bastards.What kind of men did stuff like that to a fellow human being?
Some of the anger Chase had to be feeling finally leeched into his expression. “The kind that get paid a lot of money. Of course, I’m sure some of those guys would do it free ofcharge just for shits and grins. Don’t let it upset you. I’ll be fine.”
Her face flushed hot with embarrassment when he spoke. Had she actually asked thatquestion out loud? Well, duh, obviously since he’d answered her. What could she say to that? It wouldn’t help either of them to admit how scared she was. “And you’re sure you don’t need stitches or at least some butterfly bandages to make sure that wound stays closed?”
“No, the gash is already healing, and the ibuprofen will help with everything else. Just give me the ice pack for my ribs, andI’ll be good to go.”
“Fine.” While she got the pack out of the freezer, she gave him the rest of his instructions for the time being. “Let me know if you want more ibuprofen or even something stronger. Rest will help more than anything.”
She stepped back to give him room to slide down off the exam table but stayed close enough to offer assistance if he wasn’t steady on his feet. Even thoughshe knew he never appreciated her hovering, she trailed after him to make sure he made it all the way back to his cot safely. While he got settled, she debated whether or not to lock the cell door. The guards wouldn’t like it, but each second’s delay could be critical if his condition took a sudden turn for the worse.
Chase rolled over on his other side to face the back wall. “Just close thedamn door on my cage. I’ll be fine.”
She did as he ordered even though he was wrong about that last part. The truth was neither of them would ever be fine again.
