Page 20 of Attraction

“Hey, calm the hell down, the Doc’s going to fix this. That’s right, isn’t it Kat? You can handle this? I mean, they all keep saying what a great medic you are. Now it’s time to prove it.”

“Ryan, I don’t know what’s going on here, but shereallyneeds a hospital.” She looks at Ellen’s pale gaunt face. “But I get why she doesn’t want to go. This isn’t a miscarriage… is it?” She looks at Ozzie, waiting for him to confirm her suspicions.

“No.” He sighs. Clearly, the explanation is not so easy to say. “No, she… she had an…. an abortion—some woman, a friend, gave her the address.” Ozzie takes a hold of Kat’s arm, holding her still as he stares at her. “Just no hospital… okay? They’ll tell her parents; she still lives at home and they’re super,superreligious. They’ll disown her if they even know she’s been with me, let alone if they know she got pregnant and had—”

“Oh hell….” Kat sighs, rubbing her hand across her forehead. “Alright, I’ll take a look. Can you give us the room, please?” She waits for them to close the door.

“So, Ellen, I’m going to have a look at you, is that okay? Let’s see if we can make you feel better?” She smiles reassuringly, then takes a deep breath and lifts the shirt covering her waist.

* * *

Opening the door to the bedroom, Kat steps into the hallway for some fresh air. Removing the blood-covered latex gloves, she looks up, watching Ozzie and Ryan pace around the kitchen.

“Well?” Ozzie looks at her, distraught.

“I’ve given her some pain relief, but I will need to go back to the office to get additional supplies—antibiotics, blood… and some other things. Then it’s a case of watch and wait. I need to see how she goes overnight. You know, women’s healthcare, it’s not my remit? I’m a surgeon and field medic, not a gynecologist.”

“But you can fix her? Right?”

“Yeah, I guess….” She sighs. “But just so you know, I’m breaking rules, ethics, and God knows, even laws here. And if I get found out I could lose my license.”

“You won’t—we’ve got your six on this. Don’t worry, no one will know.” The concern on her face is obvious and Digby tries to reassure her. “Kat, you’re not gonna get in any trouble. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll go get it.”

“Shit,” she says nervously. “You know you seriously owe me for this?”

“She’s not going to die, is she?” Ozzie frowns and Kat can see his genuine concern. “I really care about her… oh God… I should have talked her out of this, but she insisted the woman was okay. She knows friends who’ve been to her.”

“Ozzie relax, she’s going to be fine. Just try not to worry. Ellen needs your strength right now.” Kat looks at Digby. She’s trying to reassure not only them, but herself, too. “I just need that stuff. I’ll text you a list. Oh, and the keys for the storeroom are in the top drawer of my desk.” Turning back to Ozzie, Kat asks, “so, what did the woman charge for this butchery?”

“Five hundred bucks. Hell, I knew I should have gone with her.”

“No, she shouldn’t have gone. Full stop. Geez… home abortions shouldn’t still be happening.” She takes a breath, getting herself together. “Sorry…. Look, just get me some warm water and some towels to clean her up.”

* * *

“How is she?” Digby places the bag on the floor and hands over the cool bag containing the blood packs Kat requested.

“Yeah, she’s okay, but she’ll feel much better once I get some of these fluids and a bloodline up. The bleeding’s settled for now.”

“Good.” He smiles, brushing her hair away from her face. Taking a deep breath, he’s hesitant with his words. “So… just a heads up, Darius is on his way.”

“Oh, shit. Great… that’s just what I needed to hear.” Kat sighs, her frown making deep lines on her forehead. “I can’t believe this. You said no one would know. You promised you had my six.”

“And we do, but this is not about that. Look, I had to tell him. I told you we don’t do secrets.”

“And what did he say… about this?”

“He’s pissed, and that’s why he’s comin’.”

“Fuck!” Her apprehension is real, and she takes the bag from his hand. “Go make yourself useful and get me some coffee while I finish up here.” She solemnly heads back into the bedroom.

* * *

An hour later, Kat emerges, quietly closing the door behind her. She smiles as Digby leaves Darius and Ozzie in the kitchen.

“So, how is she?”

“Yeah, she’s stable and resting. I’ve given her some morphine for the pain, so she’ll sleep for a while.” Swallowing nervously, she can see Darius pacing in the kitchen.

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