“I think it was a through and through,” Simon muttered as he tried not to watch her. He hissed as her probe rubbed raw flesh.
“How old is this wound?”
Lana glanced to Simon then shrugged. “Around a week?”
Veronica sighed. “If I trim the necrotic tissue, I might be able to stitch this closed.” She wiped the probe with a Betadine solution then set it in her bag. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any local anesthetic.”
“We have pain pills,” Lana offered.
Veronica nodded slowly as he examined the exit wound. “I’m not seeing any bone fragments.” She slowly extended his arm and made him go through movements, feeling for grinding. “I think you were extremely lucky.”
Simon winced as she reached for scissors. “Do you have any alcohol? That would help relax him for what I’m about to do.”
Both Simon and Lana stated, “No,” so quickly that she gave them a surprised look.
Simon cleared his throat and added, “I can’t have any.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “You wouldn’t like me if I were drunk.”
She nodded knowingly. “Let’s get him some of those pain pills then.” She set her bag on the table and began pulling out different items. “This won’t be comfortable, but we need to do it.” She gave Lana a quick smile. “All things considered, you did a pretty good job of keeping him alive.”
Lana felt her cheeks redden. “Thanks.”
Veronica gave her another look then added, “Once we’re done with him, I’d like to give you a checkup as well. If you wouldn’t object.”
Lana shook her head. “Whatever you think, Doc.”
She smiled as she grabbed the clippers. “Just call me Vee.” She turned back to Simon. “Want something to bite down on? This won’t be fun.”
Simon groaned and reached for the pain pills. “Just give them a moment to kick in before you start cutting off chunks, will ya?” He tossed the pills back and chewed them, praying they flooded his system quickly.
8
“And we do the work ourselves?” Donna asked as she, Trevor, and Brandy strolled down the street.
Trevor nodded slowly as he looked at the different houses. “Stanton said to choose one and start preparing it.” He pulled Brandy back by his side. “Not so fast, Peanut.”
“They’re safe. There’s nobody here but us.” She actually hopped with excitement. “We can choose any?”
He gave her a gentle nod and a wide smile. “As long as nobody else has claimed it.” He let go of her hand and pulled a piece of yellow ribbon from his shirt pocket. “We tie this to the front somewhere to let others know we’ve claimed it.”
Donna looked back over her shoulder. “Where are the others? There’s barely a dozen people here.”
Trevor paused to take in a stucco two story. “They’re coming. Some had things to do first.”
“But the best houses will be taken.”
He shook his head. “This neighborhood is pretty upscale. I don’t think they’ll have any real gripes about the leftovers.”
Brandy broke loose and ran toward a house with a rope swing hanging from a tree. “Daddy, can we…” She froze midsentence and stared at him, her face a mask of confusion.
Trevor stepped over to her and bent to one knee. “What’s wrong?”
She looked up at him, and for a moment he saw the pain in her eyes. Slowly her face softened into a smile and she threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Daddy.”
Trevor had to swallow the lump in his throat as he pulled her into a tight squeeze. “I love you, too, Peanut.” He looked toward Donna and saw her covering her mouth, her eyes beginning to water. “What’s with this?”
Brandy pulled back and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m glad you chose me.”
Trevor wasn’t sure what to say as she broke loose from his embrace and ran to the tree swing. “Can we have this one?”
He came to his feet and had to wipe at his eyes. “We can tie up a rope swing to any of the houses, Peanut.” He walked to the front door and pushed it open. “Let’s see what the inside is like before we choose.”
Donna appeared behind him and loosed a low whistle as they stepped inside. “This is swanky.”
Brandy ran past them and into the living room, her footsteps echoing off of the tile floor. “This is too loud. I wish it had carpet.”
“I’m glad it doesn’t,” Donna stated. “Tile is much easier to clean.”
Trevor walked into the kitchen and smiled. “Just the kitchen is bigger than our entire RV.”
Donna appeared next to him and shook her head. “Not really, but it is huge.”
Brandy pressed her face to the French doors leading to the back and smiled. “This is the one.”
Trevor and Donna both peered over her head and smiled. “A play set?” He reached down and rubbed her head. “Again, though, we could put one in any backyard.”
“But this one already has it.” She turned wide eyes to him then looked to the stairs. “I bet it’s got a room just for me, too.”
“I’ve no doubt,” Donna added as the little girl broke for the stairs. “No running in the house!” she called.
Trevor sighed as he leaned against the door jamb. “You know, you’re not committed.” He stared at his feet as he spoke. “I realize you were scared and wanted away, but now…” he looked up and smiled. “Things are different.”
She gave him an understanding look and reached for his hand. “You expect me to live all alone in one of these big houses?”
He shrugged slightly. “I’m just saying, you don’t have to stick around,” he peered into her eyes, “if you don’t want to.”
She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his middle. “Maybe I want to.”
She lay her head on his chest and Trevor felt his lower jaw quiver. “You want us to be a family, then?” He felt her nodding against his heart and he had to swallow another lump.
Donna pulled back and stared up at him. “It’s different this
