Page 4 of Daddy's Little Patient

“Set the things on the nightstand and give me my bag.”

He quickly took out a syringe and filled it to the maximum dosage he could give her.

“What’s that?” Mara asked.

“It’s a strong antibiotic and a tetanus shot. It needs to start working soon, or I won’t have a choice but to call an ambulance. I’m also giving her a shot for pain because I don’t want her to feel anything when I work on her injury.”

“Alex … she said she didn’t want an ambulance.”

“I know, honey, but her life is more important than what’s happening. We’ll fix it all, but I need to get her well.”

“Okay, just tell me what you need.”

Alex had to go into doctor mode. The injury was worse than he thought, and he was highly concerned about taking care of her at his house. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, though.

“Ms. Barker. Get more warm water and a cloth for Mara. She’ll help clean Sally up as I work on her injury.”

“Yes, sir.”

He looked at Mara after he’d tucked some towels under Sally. “Honey, you might want to turn around for this.”

“I’m fine.”

He hoped she wouldn’t vomit or pass out on him because he didn’t have time to take care of her. He put on gloves, took the scalpel, and sliced open the wound. It would leave a four-inch scar, but that was the least of his worries. The woman moved, and she cried out.

“I know, honey. I’m sorry, but this is going to make you feel better.”

He watched the wound drain all the puss and blood onto the towels. He waited until it just dripped before using a cloth and hot water to thoroughly clean the wound. Time seemed to drag, and he wanted her stitched, bandaged, clean, and comfortable. Mara was doing a good job of wiping her off, and she amazed him by not being squeamish, as most people would have been in that situation.

It was as clean as it would get. He put a small drain that looked like a short rubber straw in the bottom and then stitched her up. He’d take the drain out in the morning if it looked better. He didn’t want any buildup of puss again.

He helped Mara finish cleaning Sally and then pulled the blanket up to her chin before he took off his gloves. He walked into the bathroom and washed off.

When he walked back in, Mara sat beside the girl, smoothing her hair, and whispering to her. He knew the girl couldn’t hear her because of the sedative he’d given her. Depending on her recovery, this little woman would need to be taken care of for several days to weeks, depending on how she healed.

He paused. Why did he feel desolate about her leaving? He hadn’t seen the color of her eyes or seen her smile. He had no idea who she was and hadn’t even talked to her, but he was becoming attached and didn’t know if he could stop his feelings from growing.

Alex had never had this problem with any other patient.

Chapter Three

Alex looked up when he heard a person clear their throat behind them.

“Daddy!” Mara whispered. She ran to Rafael, who picked her up and kissed her passionately as if they hadn’t seen each other a few hours ago.

Alex would have teased them if he hadn’t been worried about the girl, and admitted he was envious of his friend.

Rafael walked over with his arm still around Mara and patted his shoulder. “How’s she doing? Mara told me a bit about what happened.”

“The way the cut was, I’m guessing she got caught on something, and it happened two or three days ago. When Mara found her and called me, I normally would have called an ambulance, but she freaked out and said no hospital.” Alex turned to Mara. “Did she say anything else?”

He could tell Mara knew more than she was telling them right away. That was one thing with littles—they couldn’t hide their emotions.

“Baby, if you know something, you need to tell Alex.”

Mara bit her lip. “She talked about hiding from someone but didn’t say who or why. I just know her name and how she got to the barn. I could tell she was terrified of whoever it was.”

“What’s her name?” Alex said. “I doubt it’s Sally.”

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