“Taking a shark tooth out of your leg.”
“Cool.”
There was nothing cool about it, but she told herself it was the drug talking.
“Did you give me something?” He rolled his head back and forth. “I feel strange.”
He looked strange, too, eyes unfocused, and she was amused in spite of herself. Relaxed and loose weren’t adjectives she’d normally use to describe him, but that’s what he was now. “Yes.”
She didn’t look up as she trimmed excessive loose tissue off of the edge of several of the wounds. “We gave you a painkiller.”
“No.” He moaned again. “Can’t take those. Does funny things to me.”
“Shirley, can you give him a tetanus shot while I suture some of these wounds?” Some were wide and needed suturing, others were narrow but deep and best left alone to heal to prevent the risk of infection. Only one had suffered any significant tissue loss, and even that was fairly minor. Houston would just have a large dimple in his calf once the wounds had healed.
He was obviously a very lucky man. The shark hadn’t inflicted any significant damage. With the blood loss staunched and Houston awake, she was confident that her initial fears were unwarranted. There didn’t appear to be any muscular damage and no major arteries had been severed by the bite. He was going to be as good as new in a few weeks.
“There’s two of you, Josie.”
“Close your eyes, Houston.”
“Then I won’t be able to see your pretty face.”
Hello. She paused in her work, startled by his comment.
She reminded herself the man was out of his mind with pain and drugs, though they hadn’t given him that much diamorphine. But he still obviously had no idea what he was saying.
She couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit pleased. Even though the compliment was given under the influence, she wasn’t above taking it.Prettysounded better thanfluttering like a bird,which was how he’d described her the night before. Finishing with the scalpel, she reached for the needle the nurse had readied.
“Oww,” he complained as Shirley gave him his tetanus shot.
The nurse, who Josie now could focus on since the immediate dangers appeared to be over, was shaking her head. “He complains about a simple injection, but he’s got two-inch puncture wounds all over his leg.”
Josie smiled at the woman with salt-and-pepper hair, glad for her practical and efficient presence. “It’s good to see you again, Shirley. How are the kids?”
“Oh, they’re fine. The older two are having fun at college, and the youngest is adding to my gray hair by joining a garage band.”
Josie smiled. “Sounds loud. Thanks for the great work here. You’re always efficient.”
“Just doing my job.” Shirley looked pleased.
“Do you mind?” Houston said in a petulant voice.
“What?” She finished stitching the first gash and moved on to the next, skipping one that wasn’t as bad.
“You’re not at the damn water cooler gossiping, you’re stitching me up. Pay attention.”
Tugging a little harder on the thread than was necessary, Josie gritted her teeth. It figured he was a lousy patient.
“I have it under control, Dr. Hayes.”
“Oh, it’s Dr. Hayes now?” he murmured. “That’s not what you called me last night.”
Josie snapped her head up. Geez, had she heard him right? Given that Shirley’s mouth was wide open in astonishment she must have. She wondered if he was hallucinating, but that wasn’t normally a side effect of diamorphine. However, one never knew how an individual would react to a drug.
It was probably best to just let that little remark slide. She bent back over his leg, heart thumping hard.
“Josie.”