“Then guard the door. And quit yelling.”
“Why’re you in bed with her?”
“She woke up. Got upset when I told her about whack job.”
Bree opened her eyes. “Don’t call her that.”
Jase peered down his nose. “You fakin’?”
“Just woke up.”
Denise poked Jase in the ribs. “Get out. My turn.” They stared each other down for several moments. It was a pretty even match; no telling how it would go.
Jase sighed and pulled his arm from under Bree. She raised her head, and he eased to a sitting position. He swung his legs to the side and stood. Turning, he leaned down and brushed her hair back from her face. “Careful of her arm.” Bree smiled.
“No shit.” Denise pushed him out of the way and crawled up on the bed. She grasped Bree’s fingers and moved her arm onto Bree’s chest. She lay down on her side, facing Bree, her arm draped over Bree’s hip.
“How’re you feeling?”
“Weak.” Her throat was still dry.
“That’ll happen when you lose most of your blood.”
“Is there water?”
Denise looked over her shoulder, but Jase already had the cup ready. He angled the straw so she could drink. She pulled away and nodded her head. “Thank you.”
He set the cup down and walked around the bed. Shifting her knees, he sat on the end of the bed on her side.
“What’s the rule?” Denise asked.
That was a loaded question. They had a lot of rules. One for almost every occasion - except for getting cut by your crazy medical assistant. They’d never come up with a rule for that. She shook her head.
“Don’t take stupid chances.”
Oh, that one. Jase squeezed her thigh. Apparently, he agreed. “Didn’t have much of a choice. She was in my house when I got home.”
Denise touched her forehead to Bree’s. “You scared me,” she whispered. “Don’t do it again.”
“Agreed.”
“What do y’all think you’re doin’?” An older nurse stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. Her salt-and-pepper hair twisted into a bun on top of her head, and she wore scrubs with a hearts-with-wings motif. “Get off that poor girl.” She stormed forward and waved her hand at Jase, as if shooing away a fly. She smacked Denise on the leg. “Off. Bad enough someone tried to filet her like a fish, she doesn’t need y’all piling on top of her.”
Bree smiled as Denise and Jase did as they were told, grumbling the whole time.
“Nice to see you awake, dear.” Her whole demeanor changed. “I’m Mary Ann. How’re you feeling?”
She shifted onto her back and moved to the center of the bed. “Weak. Thirsty.”
“That’s to be expected with significant blood loss.” Mary Ann raised the head of the bed so Bree was half reclining. She tried resting her arm on her chest, but it aggravated her wound. Laying it next to her on the bed, palm up, relieved most of the pain.
“How much did I have transfused?”
Mary Ann glanced at her as she checked the I.V. bag. “Fifteen units.”
Bree’s eyebrows rose. Denise hadn’t been kidding when she said she’d lost most of her blood.
“I’m gonna take your vitals and change your bandage now that you’re awake.”
