Bec’s eyes popped open to see her swiping on burn cream. “I don’t want to see her get hurt, either. If I could go in there and destroy all those pathogens, I would.”
“Wasn’t talking about the pathogens,” Selina said, resting the arm on her elbow so she could start wrapping it in gauze.
“Oh, do you mean me? Why would I hurt Iris?”
“I’m not saying you would.”
Bec bit back the eye roll since the woman held hersore arm in her hands. “It sort of sounds like you are to my ears. Maybe you think something is going on here that isn’t?”
“Is that it?”
“Can I ask you a question?” Bec asked, hoping to buy herself time. Selina nodded, so she plastered on a smile. “Does Cal have a training school on how to answer a question with a question?”
Selina snorted with laughter, which was the response Bec was looking for. Crisis diverted. “Before I worked for Cal, I was a Chicago cop and trained search and rescue K-9 handler.”
“Which means you’re saying without saying that you’ve seen a lot of different ways someone can die?” Her lip tilt at the end was quirky in hopes Selina would laugh.
She didn’t.
“In less than fifteen seconds, I saw what I needed to see, Dr. Roth,” Selina answered, taping the wrapped gauze in place.
“It’s Bec, and I’m not sure I follow.”
“Iris trusts you, but she doesn’t trust very many people in this world. The fact that you gained her trust in less than twenty-four hours says more than words.”
“Call it forced proximity and shared terror?” Bec asked, this time dead serious.
“You could. I prefer to call it understanding and acceptance.”
“I know about lack of understanding and acceptance, so I extend it to everyone until they show me they don’t deserve it. I doubt that will ever be the case with Iris.”
Selina was silent as she packed the supplies and pulledout bottles and vials. “Iris has suffered a lot of terrible things in life, and her family was the cause of them. She has a new family, but we won’t let anyone hurt her.”
“I’m confused about why we’re having the family exerting dominance on the new love interest discussion.”
“Offering fair warning,” Selina said. “Nothing more.”
It was Bec’s turn to snort. “You’re implying that Iris is also gay, and if I had thoughts about, what? Getting involved with her or leading her on? That I shouldn’t.”
“So you know,” Selina answered.
“It was inferred when her laptop sticker said, ‘I might look straight, but lesbihonest.’”
A smile split across Selina’s face. “She loves that sticker.” Selina drew something from a vial into a syringe.
“You’re implying that I also need one of those stickers.”
“I am implying, but lesbihonest.”
Bec’s laughter filled the room at that answer until they were both giggling. “Well played.”
Selina held up the syringe. “This is an antibiotic. Since I can’t do it intravenously, I’m going to give you a heavy bolus intramuscular and then have you take oral pills. Tomorrow, I’ll give you another bolus if we’re still in this predicament. Once I see that the oral antibiotics are clearing the lymphangitis, we can stick with them. Make sense?”
“Yep,” she said, turning in her seat so Selina could access her arm easily. “I appreciate all your help with this, Selina. The pain was getting worse by the hour.”
“I’d give you an injection of pain meds as well, but we need you alert and oriented.”
“Agreed. I can tough it out.”
