Page 70 of Demo
“Sure. Sure,” Doc says as he stands with the cup. “I’ll just get this cleaned up. When I come back, we’ll numb the fingers and I’ll get to work. In the meantime, do you want something to calm your nerves?”
“No,” I shake my head.
“You sure? We can give you—”
“I said no.”
Doogie silences, then looks between me and Lizzie. “OK, then,” he says and leaves, closing the curtain behind him.
“Knox,” Lizzie starts in. “You can take something for the pain.”
“He’s gonna numb me. That’s all I need.”
“I know, but—”
“I don’t want to take anything.” I look her dead in the eyes, which show sympathy for me and even a touch of kindness for the first time since she entered the ER.
“You’re not an addict, Knox. You can take something in a situation like this.”
I just shake my head.
She lets out a breath and plops down next to me, so we are shoulder to shoulder, our arms touching. “What are you doing?” I ask.
She looks at me like I’m stupid. “I’m waiting for the doctor to come back to stitch you up.”
“Ohhhh no,” I shake my head. “Nope. Get the hell out of here.”
“What?” She feigns innocence, but I can see from the mischievous look on her face she knows exactly what she’s doing.
I drag my good hand down my face. “Lizzie, I swear to God, if you don’t get the hell out of here before Dr. McDreamy gets back and starts drooling all over you when he’s supposed to be stitching me up, I’m going to lose my shit.”
Pretending to be surprised, she replies. “You think he’s attractive? I hadn’t noticed.”
This time Bram snorts behind me.
“You, too, asshole!” I turn toward him, then back to Lizzie. “Both of you get the hell out of here and let me get my finger reattached in peace.”
Bram starts making his way around the bed. “I’m getting hungry anyway,” he says, turning to Lizzie. “Wanna grab a burger?”
She looks at me, then back at him. “Sure. I guess all the fun here is over anyway.”
As she stands, her arm slides along mine and I curl two of my fingers—on my good hand—around hers. She looks down at our hands then shoots her eyes up to mine.
Thanks, I think.
She nods.
Chapter 20
Ten years ago …
LYZBETH
“So,howfaralongare you?”
Shocked, I whipped my head up to stare at Dee. “What? Wh-what are you talking about? I’m not—” and I laughed nervously, trying to lie to my coworker—and my new bestie—who apparently had ESP.
“Please,” she said as she sat across from me at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and sipped her beer. “You’ve never not had a drink on our post-work nights out. You’ve been drinking decaf coffee, and you keep touching your stomach. Either you have a mean case of irritable bowel syndrome, or you’re pregnant.”
