"X-rays?Not a CT Scan?"
"Steeljacket. Probably not the best idea to put you in a machine with giant spinningmagnets. You'll scramble what you got left."
"That'spleasant."
"Oh,I'm sorry. Did you want me to sugar coat the fact that you have a fuckingbullet lodged in your brain?"
"Maybe."I grinned without looking at him.
"Justdo me a favor. Promise me that if you survive this, you'll stop puttingyourself in situations where you end up in my hospital?"
"Ididn't plan on being here to begin with. Not every day you get shot by thedickhead you were trying to save."
"Iheard."
"Youdid?" I opened my eyes again. Involuntary reflex. The lights didn't seemhalf as bright and the pain was almost gone.
"Yeah.You came in with an entourage. They were calm but chatty. Almost like they knewyou weren't in any danger?"
"Yeah.Short of incinerating me, I'm a pretty tough cookie."
"Nut."
"Nut?"
"Cookiesare sweet. Nuts…"
"Arecrazy?'
"Tough.Hard to crack."
"Idon't know if I should be flattered or insulted." I sat up and turned onthe bed, attempting to stand.
"Whatthe hell are you doing?" He stepped forward and pushed me back down.
"Yousaid I have to go for an X-ray?"
"Yeah.I've got some orderlies coming to wheel the bed down, dumbass." He huffedand shook his head, staring at me incredulously.
"Don'tthink you're supposed to call your patients dumb."
"Ididn't. I called you a dumbass. It's a term of endearment."
"Awww.You like me." I grinned.
Hechuckled and leaned over, pushing a few more buttons on the machine. I was kindof surprised. Usually doctors didn't have a fucking clue how the arcanemachines worked and left them to their much smarter counterparts. Nurses. "I'venever seen you do harm. Only good. That makes you sort of okay in my book."
"Gee.Thanks, Doc."
"Don'tmention it."
"I'msurprised Materos let me in through the front door."
"Youcame in the back. ER entrance."
"Well,I'm surprised he didn't wheel my bed out the front door into traffic."
"Materosis…indisposed at the moment."
"Howso?" He had officially piqued my interest.
"He'ssitting in a jail cell."
"What?What for?"
"Hewas the one who shot you."
∞∞ ∞
"Idon't fucking believe it." Shapiro was holding the X-ray up to the light,blinked twice and actually took the time to clip it into the wall reader. He flippedthe switch and put his face about three inches from the giant picture of myskull.
"What?"
"It'sgone!"
"Mybrain?" I chuckled at my own joke.
"I'mnot sure if that was ever there to begin with. I meant the bullet."
"Itjust disappeared? You sure it didn't come out the other side?"
"Seethis darker area?" He used the tip of his first two fingers to swirlaround a spot somewhere between my ears.
"Yes?"
"That'swhere it was. I saw your initial X-ray. I was thinking it was scarring,but now I'm not so sure."
"Whatdo you mean?"
"Ithink the bullet disintegrated."
"Disintegrated?"
Hesighed and turned to me. "Are you just going to repeat everything I say?"
"No."
Heturned back to the X-ray. "See the pattern around what should be a wound?It's too dark to be scarring. I think it's metal."
"So,I have metal swirling around my brain?"
"Itlooks like it. The walls of your veins are pretty thick. The veins in yourbrain…they're a lot thinner. Probably because they're not surrounded by muscle.It's like the bullet's being absorbed into them. See how the darkening getsworse along this line?"
"Yes?"
"That'san interior cerebral vein. Now see how it turns here?" He slid his fingerover a little more.
"Doc.Blah, blah, blah, science stuff."
"That'syour inferior anastomotic vein. It's like it's getting sucked into it. I can'tbelieve it. You are pretty fucking incredible. If there wasn't metallic dust inyour head, I would send you down for a CT scan anyway." He put his handunder his chin and refused to tear his eyes away from the film.
"WhenI'm dead, I'll donate my body. You can study me to your heart's content."
Heturned to me and narrowed his eyes. "Can't study a body once it's beenincinerated. Since that's the only way you'd end up in my morgue, I'm shit outof luck."
"You'dtotally dissect me now if you could. Wouldn't you?" I was almost afraid.He had that mad scientist look in his eyes. When he turned to look at me, itwas like I was a big juicy steak.
"Ofcourse not. But, when you're all healed and the metal is out of your head,would you mind stopping by for a couple of tests and scans?"
Inarrowed my eyes at him. "For your own personal curiosity or for a medicaljournal?"
Hesighed. "I'd love to say my own personal curiosity, but the temptation toshare what you are, and what you can do, with the world would be too great.Even if I ask again, say no."
Ichuckled, slid off the hospital bed, and kissed him on his cheek. "Thatwas for being honest. And not poking and prodding me while I was unconscious."
"Judgingby my waiting room, I think you get enough poking and prodding." Hechuckled and wiggled his eyebrows.
Forthe first time in a very long time, I blushed. "You have no idea."
"No,but I can imagine. Go on. Get out of here. You're taking up a valuable hospitalbed."
"Howmuch do I owe you.?"
"Youwere never a patient here. Can't charge you." He winked and left mestanding there.
Anurse came in moment later with a set of hospital scrubs. "I managed tosave your shoes, but they were about the only thing not soaked in blood,"she said and set them on the bed beside me. She turned to leave, but stoppedand faced me. "You're real, aren't you?"
"Lasttime I checked?"
"Imean witches. What those assholes were protesting in the square. You're really,really real, aren't you?"
Iopened my mouth to deny it, but I stopped myself. A vague recollection of anurse eating her lunch and running for her life stopped me. She was there. "Doesthat scare you?"
"Honey,I was in the square. I just saw shit that would scare a doctor's handwritingstraight. You weren't the bad guy."
"No.Those were vampires," I answered slowly. "But not all of them arelike that."
"Itwasn't them that scared me, either. It was the crazy look in those assholes'eyes. Especially Dr. Materos. You had literally just saved his life when hepulled a gun on you and shot you. Those are the things that scareme." She shuddered but then flashed me a brief smile. "You keep true.And tell
