I doubted she knew exactly how difficult some blood stains were to remove.
Then again, she was a surgeon who dealt with animals. Her quick work to rummage through the kit, moving some items to the side and repacking others made me rethink her expertise. Notably, she kept out three things that concerned me. Foremost were the epinephrin and the atropine. The first would be helpful if my heart stopped, and the second effective if it didn’t start up again.
“We won’t need those.”
Her glare dared me to shut up. “Just in case.”
If I died, I wanted neither. “Allie.”
She rummaged harder, searching each closed pouch and box.
“There’s nothing in here for stitches, and it’s worthless for deep sterilization. Even if I could strip some of the silk from that damn wedding dress, this case is fucking useless. Here.” She handed me two over-the-counter pain pills. I swallowed them with a sip from the water bottle I’d brought back with us.
“Your bedside manner could use some work.”
“Animals don’t give a shit about manners.”
Despite myself, I laughed. Then tried to take my pants and shoes off.
But the pain was humbling.
“Let me.” Allie tugged off my shoes, undid my belt, and worked each pant leg off gently.
By the time I was down to my boxers, a fine sweat covered my skin. I shivered.
“That’s it. Get under the sheets.”
I thought you’d never ask.
Funny how that sounded like Ringo in my head.
Belatedly, I realized I hadn’t made room for Allie. I shifted closer to the windows.
“Don’t. These chairs recline, right?”
I nodded.
“Okay. Sleep. You need it.”
I tried, I really did, but somewhere over the Atlantic, my fever got worse. Allie checked on me and placed a cold washcloth on my head.
“Who did this to you?”
“It’s better if you don’t know.”
She frowned and let me toss for another hour in agony.
Between the waves of heat and the thrumming fire tormenting my side, I had a momentary dream. Ringo slipped through the bulkhead dressed from head to toe in black.
“How’d you get in here?”
“Through the door, like everyone else.” He smiled, then looked at Allie’s sleeping form on the chair across from me. Ringo’s grin grew wider. “Have you gotten a piece of that yet?”
“No.”
He sighed. “Are you going to be a Boy Scout your entire life? Let me fix that for you.” He slipped his knife out and sliced her throat.
I sat up straight in the bed and reached for her, but the aisle was miles wide. Her blood poured onto the carpet.
