"Afraid you're going to get more than my legs. My ass is where a lot of the damage is. You sure you still want to be the one to do this? Some things can't be unseen."
"I'm a professional. Your ass is no different than any other. Just a bit bigger than the ones I usually see."
Being she was a pediatrician, Lance couldn't be insulted by her comment. He slowly kicked off his shoes, then slid his sweatpants down his legs. He was going commando because of the injuries, so there was no easing into the discomfort of being naked in front of her.
"Shit, you look like you went a few rounds with a wild cat." Christine frowned at him. "You have to be in pain."
"I've felt better, but it's not bad. Mostly uncomfortable. The tape on the bandages pulls and the cuts are starting to itch really bad. I can't stand around scratching my ass in public, so I have to just deal with it."
"We don't want you scratching. We want these to scab and heal. How did you end up with so many on your ass? Were you standing during the explosion?"
"No, but I fell onto my ass beside Angus, then again when I was trying to get help and passed out. If I'd stayed still, I'd only have a few cuts on my legs and arms."
"Don't forget your face. You've got a nice laceration on your cheek." Christine pointed.
"It's not that bad. Won't scar. It's just long. I think the glass grazed me during the explosion. It's not deep." Lance touched the area, feeling the scratch.
"No, it's not bad, but some of those on your left butt cheek are. Lean over that stack of boxes and let me get to work."
Lance did as told, ignoring how uncomfortable he was with his ass bared to Christine. She might be a doctor, but she was also a good friend.
"So, who were all those ghosts in the room with Lizzy?" Christine asked as she gently pulled old bandages off his skin.
"Not sure. I only recognized a few of them. The ones I know are ghosts who hang around the hospital. One is an old nurse, and a couple others died here and stuck around. They helped with the Sux case a while back. I think I've seen one of the women near the grocery store where they all hang out but can't be sure. Lizzy seems to know everyone."
"Do you acknowledge them when you see them? Like the group from the grocery store? Do you speak with them?" Christine asked as she worked.
"Not really. I'll give them a smile to let them know I see them, but I don't speak with them. I never know who's watching and might think I'm crazy talking to myself."
"Same. I'm even more nervous than you are about it. I don't even try to make eye contact. I'm afraid if they know I can see them, they'll want to talk."
Lance glanced over his shoulder. "You don't have any ghosts you talk to regularly?"
"Bethany and Ray drop by, and there is one guy who haunts the medical building where I work. He drops by my office sometimes when I'm alone and says hi, but other than that, not unless I'm with you. I worry about what Brayden will think if he finds out I see the dead. He's not a big believer in life after death. It could be an issue for us." Christine turned to grab something off one of the shelves.
"We never thought we'd get Franks to believe. Look at him now. He fully accepted it. If you decide to tell Brayden, we'll bring him over to my place and have Lizzy help us convince him that we aren't all crazy."
Christine worked on one of the most painful cuts on Lance's ass. "It's something I'll keep in mind, but for now, I think it's best if he doesn't know. I promised myself years ago I would nevermarry anyone without telling them. If things continue to get serious with Brayden, then I'll tell him, but for now, he doesn't need to know. Besides, I can hardly tell him without outing you to him, and that may affect you at work. I don't want to cause you problems."
Lance closed his eyes at the sting of whatever Christine was putting on his cuts. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. I don't think he'd cause problems for me. If he doesn't believe us, he may just think I'm a bit crazy, but I don't think for a minute that he'd use it to get me fired or cause issues when it came to my job. I'd hate to lose his friendship and respect, but I honestly don't think it will come to that."
"Some of these are going to scar." Christine put a bandage on the side of his thigh.
"Most won't ever be seen by anyone other than Angus."
"Or a pushy doctor insisting you let her help you." Christine moved to his side. "I'm not sure how you're managing to sit."
"I hardly notice them once I'm sitting. It's getting up and down that hurts. Any stretching of the skin around some of the cuts."
"I put some stuff on them that should help with that. I'll drop by tomorrow and we can do this again, unless you'd rather go down to the emergency room or see your own doctor."
Lance shook his head. "Would take too long. If you don't mind doing it, I'll let you. It keeps me close to Angus."
"He's healing. He's stable. You can breathe a little and let your guard down a bit," Christine told him.
"Not until he's completely out of danger. If someone trips and bumps into the bed, or he somehow wakes and moves wrong, there are so many things that could still happen." Lance sighed. "I know I'm overly cautious, but you don't understand. I thought he was dead. I saw his ghost. Somehow, I got a second chance with him and I'm not going to take that for granted. I'llstay close until I know he's not going to leave me." Lance took a deep breath. "I can't stop seeing him leave his body. It's like a loop playing in my mind. For a few moments, I really thought I'd lost him. I couldn't breathe."
"You can pull your pants up now." Christine stepped back. "I can't imagine what that had to feel like, but he didn't leave you. Somehow, he fought and stayed. He did something to reverse what was happening so he could stay with you. Try focusing on that and not the fact that you almost lost him. Focus on the fact that you didn't."
