“I know. I know the risks.”
“How are you feeling?” Xander’s dark eyes catch mine.
I can’t look away.
There’s something so comforting about the deep, dark brown of his eyes that melt into black in the right light.
Like the comforting darkness that comes just before sleep. “I feel fine.”
“Are you lying to me?”
A soft rush of air passes my lips. “I don’t know.”
Xander lightly squeezes my elbow then he vanishes from the room, leaving me alone for a few minutes.
Glancing down, I stare at the minuscule pinprick and my heart starts to pound.
That poor patient was clearly distressed and we all did everything we could to calm him before sedating him.
But despite the violence, I should have been more careful. I should have had my head on a swivel to make sure something like this couldn’t happen.
And yet it did.
Just what more can happen to fuck my life over?
My eyes close and my head sags as a sudden wave of despair rises within me and forms a lump in my throat.
Hot tears prick behind my eyelids and my hands curl into fists.
What if this is the end?
Suddenly, a cool touch washes over my fists and I open my eyes to see Xander’s returned.
I didn’t even hear the door.
His hands cover mine. “Are you okay?” Xander asks, and his tone remains soft, like he’s speaking to me as a friend rather than a patient.
“Do we know how high the risk is?” I ask hoarsely.
Xander busies himself preparing the instruments to take my blood. “June’s taken blood from the patient, and once we get his results back, we’ll know what to expect from yours. Protocol is that I take your blood and put you on medication and then regardless of the results, we’ll retake your blood in a month just to be sure.”
He recites information I already know, but it’s like I’m hearing it for the first time, so I nod along to everything he says. “Okay.”
“Ready?”
After I nod, Xander spends ten minutes taking several blood samples from me.
Then, he disinfects the area and covers it with a small floral Band-Aid.
It’s a nice touch usually reserved for children, but the fact that he even thought about it for me brings a touch of warmth to my heart.
“All finished.” Xander cleans up and safely disposes of the needles. “I’ll get these to the lab and we’ll get your results as quickly as we can.”
“Thank you.”
“Wait here.”
He’s gone again and I’m left to the silence of the room, but the door’s barely closed when someone else knocks swiftly on it and enters.
