Page 75 of State of Suspense

“Can Nick come?”

“Of course. Not sure if you’ve heard, but he’s the boss around here.”

“Don’t make me laugh when I’m freaked out.”

Harry wheeled her into the other room and got her settled on the table as she tried not to scream from the pain.

“Easy, honey.” Nick smoothed the hair back from her face.

She wanted so badly to be brave so she wouldn’t upset him, but that was easier said than done when needles were involved.

A nurse wheeled a table into the room that contained a variety of things that Sam quickly realized she’d be better off not studying too closely.

She focused instead on Nick’s handsome face.

Harry lifted the right side of the gown and painted something onto her skin. “Just some Betadine to clean the area. We’re going to start with a shot of lidocaine to numb you up,” Harry said. “You’ll feel a small pinch and a slight burn as it goes in, but it shouldn’t hurt. Okay?”

Nothing about this was okay. “Uh-huh.” After a pause, she said, “Have you done this before?”

“Many times when I was a resident.”

Sam practically levitated off the table. “How long ago was that?”

Harry laughed as he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her still. “Don’t worry. It’s like riding a bike.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered. “Get me out of here.”

“How long does it take to work?” Nick asked.

“Some people get immediate relief. For others, it takes a day or two.”

Sam hoped with all her heart that she was in the former category. She didn’t have a day or two to wait for relief. “I’m sorry this happened right before your big day.” Her chin quivered as she looked up at Nick.

“Don’t give that a thought.”

“Right. It’s just another Monday around here.”

“All I care about is that you’re okay. The rest will work itself out.”

“Here we go, Sam.”

The “small” pinch and “slight” burn took her breath away and brought tears to her eyes.

Nick took her left hand and held on tight. “You’re doing great.”

“Yeah, cuz that was the easy part.”

“You’ve got this, Sam. I’m going to inject a small bit of dye to make sure we get the exact spot where you need it most.”

She felt another needle go in, but that one didn’t hurt, thankfully.

“There it is. Right there. Hang tight, here we go.”

Oh, holy fucking shit, that hurt!

“Don’t move. We’re almost done.”

“Please,” she gasped as tears rolled down her face.

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