“I have to report all gunshot wounds to the police.”
“Now you decide to talk to the police!” said Danny angrily.
“You didn’t let me finish, Danny. You’re a policeman, so consider yourself informed. I won’t inform anyone else, providing Jack stays here where I can keep an eye on him for a few days. If his condition worsens, I will call an ambulance,” she said firmly.
“I can’t do that to you. I’m sure I’ll be fine once I —”
“You’re not going anywhere until I say so! I’ll sleep on the sofa and you’ll use my room. I’m going to start you on antibiotics. Have you had a tetanus shot within the last ten years?”
“Uh, no, I guess I haven’t.”
“I’ll go to the clinic and pick up what I need. Danny, I want you to hold this compress tight to his back until I return.”
“These people are really dangerous,” said Jack. “We can’t trust anyone. I probably shouldn’t even be here. I think I should leave as soon as —”
“You’ll leave when I tell you to! Tomorrow is my day off. We’ll see how you are then.”
“I think you should listen to her,” said Danny. “It’s not safe for you to go home like this.”
Jack moved slightly, and the pain caused him to clench his teeth. “Perhaps you’re right. I don’t feel like travelling very far tonight. Sorry, Natasha. I’m sure that being a doctor on your day off wasn’t what you had in mind. Be careful. We don’t know who we can trust.”
“You said they were bikers?”
“Satans Wrath.”
Natasha arrived at her clinic twenty minutes later. She walked past a car in the parking lot parked near the front entrance. Two men were inside. The driver was drumming the steering wheel with a nervous energy. Natasha noticed the numerous rings across their fingers. Oh, shit!
She found a plastic bag in her office left over from buying a new pair of shoes. She filled it with what she needed, but her mind was still on the two men outside. She took a scalpel and held it in her jacket pocket as she walked to the car. She needn’t have worried. The two men paid her little attention and continued to stare at the front door of the clinic. She drove away from the clinic and breathed a sigh of relief when the other car remained where it was.
It was three o’clock in the morning when Natasha ushered Danny out the door.
“Don’t worry about him. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” whispered Natasha. “I gave him some medication to ease the pain and help him sleep. Say hello to Susan.”
Danny nodded solemnly and said, “I’ll drop back around noon to see how he’s doing. And Natasha … thank you!”
It was noon when Jack woke up to the aroma of fresh coffee. He groaned as he eased over to the edge of the bed and put his feet on the floor.
“How’s my star patient this morning?”
Natasha stood in the doorway. She was backlit by a beam of sunlight.
“I hurt!”
“Pain is a common consequence of being shot and stabbed. Does this happen often?”
“No, I just thought it would make a good excuse to see you again.”
“Next time try phoning and inviting me out. It’s easier.”
“Thanks for the suggestion.” Jack saw a clock in the bedroom and said, “Hey, it’s late! I can’t believe I slept this long. Especially with this sling on my arm.”
“The medication helped you sleep. You needed to.”
“Well, at least I’m not spitting up blood, so my lungs must be okay. If I can borrow your phone, I’ll have Danny drop by and pick me up.”
“You’re not out of the woods yet, buster! Infection could still set in, or a fractured rib or bone fragments could still cause serious problems.”
“Well, I’ll take it easy and I’m sure I’ll be —”
“First thing I want you to do is get in the tub and I’ll give you a sponge bath. Then we’ll take a look and change those dressings again. Your sweatshirt has had it, but I’ll wash the rest of your clothes while you’re soaking in the bath.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll phone Danny and then —”
“Just do it and quit giving me a hard time!”
“Some bedside manner you have! Are you this rude with all your patients?”
“Only those patients who think they know more than the doctor.”
Jack eased the sling off his left arm but gripped his right shoulder with his fingers as he stepped into the warm bath. Moments later, Natasha entered and used a sponge to gently wash his back. Jack hunched forward in the water, hoping not to embarrass himself, or if he did, to make sure that Natasha didn’t notice.
“Sit up straight, I’ll wash your front,” she said.
“No! That part I can do myself!”
Natasha seemed amused. “An undercover cop who’s bashful. Interesting. Okay, soak in here for a while and I’ll wash your clothes.”
Jack relaxed when Natasha left the room. He had to admit the bath did feel good, and the warm water seemed to ease the pain. He heard Danny arrive so he got out of the tub and carefully patted himself dry and replaced the sling. When he was finished, he wrapped a towel around himself and walked into the kitchen where Danny and Natasha were having coffee.
“How do you feel?” asked Danny.
“A little like they succeeded in driving over me last night, but I’ll be okay.”
“They tried to drive over you, too?” Natasha asked.
“Yeah, don’t you hate nights like that?” replied Danny with a grin.
“Danny, I’m sorry. I never even thanked you last night. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t be standing here. I owe you one, brother.”
Danny’s expression became sombre. “After hearing the shots and seeing the blood on the road, I figured they had taken you to either finish you off or dispose of your body. You don’t know how relieved I was to see you! I wasn’t thinking that you would use Marcie’s trick.”
“Marcie’s trick?” asked Natasha.
“He hid under a car.”
“I knew they would find me pretty fast,” said Jack. “I saw their feet as they followed the blood up to the curb. It wouldn’t have taken them long to find me.”
“You mentioned Marcie,” said Natasha. “Is this the same Marcie I treated earlier? You’ve seen her again?”
“Seen her!” said Danny. “Jack’s got her living with his sister and brother-in-law out in the Valley. We were concerned that Social Services might have a leak too.”
“She’s been there less than two days,” said Jack quietly. “I don’t know if it’ll work out.”
Natasha looked at Jack. This guy is pretty special.
Jack flinched as he eased himself into a chair.
“Pansy,” said Danny.
“I’m impressed you were able to convince her to leave her life on the street,” said Natasha. “Most street kids I’ve met are either too addicted or too caught up with the excitement of this whole new world to ever be convinced to leave.”
“Uh … well, actually, it was Danny who took a chance and talked to her. It was a shot in the dark, but it appears to have worked out well.” He turned to Danny to change the subject. “Did you talk to Louie this morning? Does he suspect anything?”
“I told him you decided to take a few days off and go fishing.”
“Fishing! God, you’re a lousy liar.”
“So I’ve been told, but he didn’t say anything.”
“I don’t think I could stand any of his lectures right now. I’ll wait a few days and then let him know we’ve got a new game plan.”
“A new game plan?” asked Danny.
“Time to take the gloves off,” said Jack. He gave Danny a hard look. Danny caught the message and didn’t pursue it.
An uncomfortable silence followed. Everyone took a sip of coffee, then Natasha got up and said, “Well, let’s take a look at you.”