Page 103 of Death Wish

“Stick around. I can use a hand treating her injuries.”

“You sure you don’t want Sam in here?”

“No one else but you for now,” Simone said. “Suck it up and deal, Sawyer.”

He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Jesse pulled equipment and supplies from his mike bag and laid them on a cloth-covered rolling table and locked the wheels.

He cradled Simone’s hand in his. “I need to flush out your wounds, baby. The process is painful but necessary to get rid of foreign matter still inside the wound. After that, I’ll have to close the wounds with stitches, then start you on antibiotics and IV fluids.”

She flinched. “Doesn’t sound fun.”

“It won’t be.” He squeezed her hand. “I can take the edge off the pain with Lidocaine, but you’ll feel everything I’m doing.”

“What’s the other option?”

“Knock you out with a drug that will put you to sleep for a few hours.”

Simone studied him. “But you don’t want to do that.”

“I’d prefer you stay awake and alert so I can monitor you better.”

“Then we’ll go with the Lidocaine. Make it fast, all right? I’m not a glutton for punishment.”

He kissed her palm. “You got it.”

Jesse prepared the hypodermic, used an alcohol pad to clean the skin close to her wounds, and injected the medicine near her entrance and exit wounds.

When the areas were numb to the touch, Jesse prepared the saline. He brushed his mouth over Simone’s. “Ready?”

She gave a curt nod.

“I’ll need to remove your shirt. Are you okay with that?”

“Do it.”

“Would you like me to ask Sam to take my place?” Sawyer asked. “It’s your choice, Simone. I understand if you’d prefer another woman in here.”

Simone bit her bottom lip and glanced at Jesse.

“Your choice,” he murmured. “We’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Ask Sam to come in, Sawyer.”

“You got it, kid.” He patted the top of her head and left the room.

A minute later, Sam poked her head in. “Need me, Jesse?”

“Yeah. I need to cut off Simone’s shirt and flush out her wounds.”

Sam grabbed the scissors, cut away the shirt, and tossed the bloody remnants into a lined trash can. “How can I help?”

Jesse eyed Simone. “I can either do this myself or Sam can work with me. She can take one wound while I take the other.”

Sam squeezed Simone’s hand. “If we work together, we’ll finish in half the time.”

“Sold.”

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