Page 30 of Huge Dynamite
“If you can speak, Colt,” I explain, “I need you to say yes to my question. Do you want me to treat you?”
“Y-yes.”
Snapping my head around, I look at one of the men in a Knights jacket who’s wearing a cowboy hat. “Go get towels,” I command.
He scurries off as I remove the blanket from Colt’s arm.
“What you have is a laceration.” I smile at Colt. “You’re lucky. Your brother had a puncture—those are riskier.”
“Yeah, he always one-ups me,” Colt murmurs.
Furrowing my brow, I look at Seth to see if he caught that and wonder what it could possibly mean. It didn’t sound like Colt was teasing. Maybe there’s some animosity between the brothers?
The man with the cowboy hat comes back and hands me a stack of clean towels. “Here ya go, doc.”
Nick takes them from the man and holds them for me.
Thanking them both, I turn my attention back to the injury and explain my process as I work, pressing towels against the cut. The way I’m situated, wedged next to his injured arm, his blood seeps onto my shirt and jeans. “Again, luckily, the laceration isn’t deeper than a half inch and—” Removing a towel, I look at the wound. “—the bleeding seems to be lessening with pressure, so I think I’ll be able to take care of you here.” Nodding to my bag, I turn to Seth. “Can you please grab the large brown bottle?”
He hands it to me, and I flip open the top. “This is sterile water,” I tell Colt as I begin cleaning his wound. Nodding to Seth again, I point to the bag. “Now, the antiseptic. It’s in a long white tube.”
Our hands touch briefly as Seth hands me the tube, and I look up at him, making eye contact.
Clearing my throat, I continue. “Colt, the laceration is mostly cleaned, so now I’m applying antiseptic ointment. Then, since the bleeding has slowed enough, I’m going to wipe down the immediate cut and use something that’s like a medical-grade skin glue to suture it closed.” Leaning closer to Colt’s arm, I feel all eyes on me as I wipe down the wound and then suture it closed. Applying butterfly bandages, I explain, “These will keep the pressure off of the wound.” Grabbing gauze from the bag, I apply it over the laceration and tape it in place with medical tape.
The whole time, I feel Seth’s gaze on me, and I grow warm in my belly.
“Without a puncture, you won’t need a tetanus shot, but you will need to follow up with your own doctor next week.”
“Okay. Thank you, doctor.”
Sitting back on my heels, I exhale. “You’re probably cold.” Turning to Nick, I give directions. “We need to get him wrapped up and keep him warm.”
“Aye, aye, doc.” Nick salutes me.
Smiling, I turn to Colt. “You need to keep an eye on this. I think the ointment will take care of any possibility of infection, but if it feels warm to the touch or sore, or if redness develops around the wound, it means there’s an infection and you need antibiotics right away.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Smiling at Colt, I get caught up in how much he looks like Seth. He’s younger and sweeter looking, but they have the same eyes and strong chin. “Call me Holly, please.”
As he nods, Nick claps his hands together. “How about we buy the good doctor a beer?”
As I stand, I get a round of applause from the men, who cheer for me. Laughing, I get caught up in the moment. I save lives nearly every night of my life, and no one so much as says, “Good job.” These men are ready to throw me a parade for fixing little more than a scratch. A warm feeling builds inside me.
Turning around, I look for Seth. I glimpse him standing just outside the group of men with his chin dropped down and his hands tense at his sides.
“Seth?” The warm feeling in my tummy turns to lead. “What’s wrong? Seth?”
Glancing over at Bullet, I see him motion to Seth and raise his eyebrows. Avery nods in response. Then, the two men walk by Nick and slap him on the shoulder.
“Come on,” Avery says.
“Well, uh, doc.” Nick smiles at me as the Knights begin to walk off. “Thanks again. I hope you’ll come by soon for that thank-you beer. Come on, boys.”
Nick leads the entire club inside the bar, leaving me alone with Seth. It’s like they all speak this secret “man language” that I don’t understand. What is happening here?
“Seth?” My heart is thumping so hard I can feel it in my head. “What’s the matter? You seem—”
