table.
The doctor looked at it, “This appears to have blood on it. Is this the knife you took from her foot?”
“It’s a shiv,” he offered.
The doctor frowned, “And who put it there?”
“That is irrelevant,” Reed barked.
Anna glared at him before turning back to the doctor, “Someone who is now locked up, thanks to Captain Reed.”
The doctor didn’t ask any more questions, but sent her to radiology. Slater paced the lobby while they waited for results.
“Would you mind sitting down, Captain Reed? You’re making me dizzy.”
He sat down, but now his bouncing leg was shaking the whole row of chairs.
She kept her mouth shut, not knowing what he would resort to next.
“It shouldn’t take long, Reed.”
“He thought I did it,” Reed sounded like he was speaking to himself.
She laughed softly, “You were acting a little suspicious.”
He grunted.
She looked up at the clock. It was oh three hundred. No wonder she was tired.
“When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep, Captain?”
“It was my fault,” he ignored her question. “I should have stayed up a little longer.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Slater,” she reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
“I should have started on the tape two seconds earlier,” he explained, “but I was afraid she would come back in and check on me.”
“And then she would have shot me for giving you that knife.”
He shook his head, “She wasn’t going to shoot you.”
“You don’t know that. She did stab me.”
Slater laughed a little, “When I felt you slipping that knife into my pants, I thought you were getting fresh with me.”
She laughed, “You did not. My fingers do not feel like cold steel,” she paused. “I was going to put it in your hands, but I thought she might see it.”
“It was a smart move. I might have lost it while I was trying to move the cart.”
She didn’t respond.
“Of course,” he continued a couple minutes later, “if you should ever feel the need to do that again, you could just put it between the first and second layer. You don’t have to tuck it in the shorts.”
She looked at him, aghast, “I didn’t.”
He shrugged, “I’ve had worse things done to me.”
She covered her mouth, but a snicker escaped, “I’m so sorry.”
He leaned away from her, staring at her.
She laughed again. Pretty soon, she was laughing so hard she had to cover her mouth with both hands to prevent drawing the attention of the hospital staff.
“I think you must be over tired.”
She nodded, “Plus,” she spoke between bouts of laughter, “this day has not turned out the way I planned, and it has been strange, strange , strange .”
Slater was more accustomed to the lack of sleep as well as the strange days. He stood up to get her a drink of water.
She accepted it.
“What were you planning to do today?”
“I was going to get off the plane and go visit my grandmother,” she looked down at the wrinkled mess she was wearing. “Wearing this dress.”
“Do you think she’s panicking that you haven’t shown up?”
Anna laughed, “Nah. She’s so forgetful. She probably assumed she got the date wrong.”
“How did your dad react?”
“I just told him I ran into some problems after I got stateside, but he wants all the details.”
“Where do you go after this?”
She began to answer but the doctor entered.
“Captain Barnes, I have your x-rays.”
“And?”
“I think we’ll wrap it up and let you go. I’d like to put you on an antibiotic, but there doesn’t appear to be any permanent damage.”
“Doesn’t appear to be?”
“There’s still some swelling,” the doctor explained. “She’ll have to be seen again in a couple days.”
The doctor did give her a walking boot and some crutches so she did not have to rely on Slater to carry her.
“Ready to go?” the lieutenant was waiting by the doors.
“Yes,” Slater followed Anna, ready to catch her if she fell.
The
The doctor looked at it, “This appears to have blood on it. Is this the knife you took from her foot?”
“It’s a shiv,” he offered.
The doctor frowned, “And who put it there?”
“That is irrelevant,” Reed barked.
Anna glared at him before turning back to the doctor, “Someone who is now locked up, thanks to Captain Reed.”
The doctor didn’t ask any more questions, but sent her to radiology. Slater paced the lobby while they waited for results.
“Would you mind sitting down, Captain Reed? You’re making me dizzy.”
He sat down, but now his bouncing leg was shaking the whole row of chairs.
She kept her mouth shut, not knowing what he would resort to next.
“It shouldn’t take long, Reed.”
“He thought I did it,” Reed sounded like he was speaking to himself.
She laughed softly, “You were acting a little suspicious.”
He grunted.
She looked up at the clock. It was oh three hundred. No wonder she was tired.
“When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep, Captain?”
“It was my fault,” he ignored her question. “I should have stayed up a little longer.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Slater,” she reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
“I should have started on the tape two seconds earlier,” he explained, “but I was afraid she would come back in and check on me.”
“And then she would have shot me for giving you that knife.”
He shook his head, “She wasn’t going to shoot you.”
“You don’t know that. She did stab me.”
Slater laughed a little, “When I felt you slipping that knife into my pants, I thought you were getting fresh with me.”
She laughed, “You did not. My fingers do not feel like cold steel,” she paused. “I was going to put it in your hands, but I thought she might see it.”
“It was a smart move. I might have lost it while I was trying to move the cart.”
She didn’t respond.
“Of course,” he continued a couple minutes later, “if you should ever feel the need to do that again, you could just put it between the first and second layer. You don’t have to tuck it in the shorts.”
She looked at him, aghast, “I didn’t.”
He shrugged, “I’ve had worse things done to me.”
She covered her mouth, but a snicker escaped, “I’m so sorry.”
He leaned away from her, staring at her.
She laughed again. Pretty soon, she was laughing so hard she had to cover her mouth with both hands to prevent drawing the attention of the hospital staff.
“I think you must be over tired.”
She nodded, “Plus,” she spoke between bouts of laughter, “this day has not turned out the way I planned, and it has been strange, strange , strange .”
Slater was more accustomed to the lack of sleep as well as the strange days. He stood up to get her a drink of water.
She accepted it.
“What were you planning to do today?”
“I was going to get off the plane and go visit my grandmother,” she looked down at the wrinkled mess she was wearing. “Wearing this dress.”
“Do you think she’s panicking that you haven’t shown up?”
Anna laughed, “Nah. She’s so forgetful. She probably assumed she got the date wrong.”
“How did your dad react?”
“I just told him I ran into some problems after I got stateside, but he wants all the details.”
“Where do you go after this?”
She began to answer but the doctor entered.
“Captain Barnes, I have your x-rays.”
“And?”
“I think we’ll wrap it up and let you go. I’d like to put you on an antibiotic, but there doesn’t appear to be any permanent damage.”
“Doesn’t appear to be?”
“There’s still some swelling,” the doctor explained. “She’ll have to be seen again in a couple days.”
The doctor did give her a walking boot and some crutches so she did not have to rely on Slater to carry her.
“Ready to go?” the lieutenant was waiting by the doors.
“Yes,” Slater followed Anna, ready to catch her if she fell.
The
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