It was about 3AM when the sound of someone banging on the door roused Eva. Her hand slid over to her gun before she was fully awake. Dressed in loose fitting pants and a tank top, Eva trotted barefoot down the stairs that led from her room to an alley off of the Marketplace. She held the gun low at her side as she pulled the door open a crack. In front of the door were two men, if you could call them that as neither looked much older than a teenager. One supported the other who was slumped over and clearly favoring his left arm.
?Are you the doc??
?Go to the hospital.? She started to shut the door.
?We can?t! Come on! I heard you?ve done this before ? someone told me they remembered you. He said you were good.?
Eva hesitated. She couldn?t see much in the darkness, but she could tell the injury needed to be treated immediately.
?You have cash??
The kid nodded.
?Alright, bring him up.? Eva backed away from the door and let him pass, locking the door behind them.
In her bedroom she pulled the desk chair over, and the injured man was placed into it. The friend hovered nearby, anxious.
?He?s my cousin. It was an accident. We weren?t doing anything bad, I swear, we were just minding our own business when out of nowhere-?
?- If that story was remotely believable, you'd be at the hospital. I don't want to hear it. Move the rug out of the way.?
?The rug??
?Yeah it doesn?t belong to me and I don?t want your cousin to bleed all over it. What?s his name??
?Oliver.? The kid rolled up the carpet and moved it to the side of the room. Eva pulled a side table close to the chair and pointed the lamp at the wound. It was a gunshot wound, deep into to the meat of the upper left arm. Eva frowned. She reached up and grabbed the kid by the chin, trying to get him to open his eyes.
?Oliver. Can you hear me??
The kid groaned in response. Eva cursed.
?He?s lost a lot of blood already.? She moved to the closet, pulled open the door and dragged out her medical bag. She unzipped it and started getting organized.
?It took me a long time to find you.? The kid shifted his weight back and forth behind her.
?Well you should have just gone to the hospital. If he goes into shock, he?s going to die.? She pulled on her gloves, and began preparing an injection. She was efficient in her movements, years of practice making her a one woman surgical team. ?I won?t do this for less than two grand.?
?Two grand!??
?That?s what I said. Put the money on the table.? Eva nodded towards the bedside table. Behind her, Eva could hear him shuffling, and then the muted splash of money hitting the wood. She glanced over. It looked like enough, or close to it. ?What?s your name??
?Jamie.?
?Do you know if your cousin is allergic to anything, Jamie?? Eva squeezed Oliver?s arm and slid in the needle. Oliver didn?t react.
?I don?t think so.?
?Alright.? She motioned a bloodied finger towards the cushioned chair in the corner. ?Sit down, this is going to take a while.?
Jamie settled in and watched as Eva worked for the next hour. It was difficult to do in the bad lighting and without the proper equipment, but she got it done. She was clean and careful with the wound, taking her time to repair the nerve and muscle damage, and stitched it neatly. After she was done, she let Oliver sleep in her bed while she cleaned up. She collected her equipment for sterilization, bagged and sealed the biohazard, and scrubbed the floor all the way down the stairs. An hour later, Oliver was starting to come around. Jamie had fallen asleep in the chair, and Eva kicked his foot to wake him up. Jamie got up and moved towards his friend.
?Hey, Ollie, you doing okay??
?Yeah?.? His voice sounded watery, but when Eva leaned over him and shined a pen light in his eyes, they were clear and responsive.
?You?re going to have to put him straight back to bed. Alright, Jamie? He needs rest.?
Jamie nodded, listening as Eva continued her instructions. She handed him a small bag of antibiotics, and another bag with a couple pills for the pain. She instructed him on how to change the bandage, and how to recognize infection.
?You know, two grand wasn?t that much for all this.? Jamie smiled gratefully at Eva. She nodded, but said nothing.
"You're not gonna tell anybody are you?"
?Not unless I want us both to get arrested. C?mon, let?s get you on your way.?
She helped the two boys stand and started them towards the door. At the bottom of the stairs Oliver suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.
?Hey, can I have the bullet??
?No.? Eva?s answer came before he?d barely gotten the words out.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not a trophy to display on the wall, or show off to your friends. You could have died. Do you get that?"
Oliver looked confused and upset, looking to Jamie for support. Jamie just shrugged. "Come on, Ollie, you don't need it. Let's go."
Behind them, Eva shut and locked the door, then climbed the stairs back to her room. She finished returning all of the furniture to its original place, and changed the sheets on the bed. She was exhausted. She moved towards the bed to lie down, but the money, still sitting on the bedside table, caught her eyes. She stood looking at it for a moment, then pushed both hands through her hair and cursed.
?Are you the doc??
?Go to the hospital.? She started to shut the door.
?We can?t! Come on! I heard you?ve done this before ? someone told me they remembered you. He said you were good.?
Eva hesitated. She couldn?t see much in the darkness, but she could tell the injury needed to be treated immediately.
?You have cash??
The kid nodded.
?Alright, bring him up.? Eva backed away from the door and let him pass, locking the door behind them.
In her bedroom she pulled the desk chair over, and the injured man was placed into it. The friend hovered nearby, anxious.
?He?s my cousin. It was an accident. We weren?t doing anything bad, I swear, we were just minding our own business when out of nowhere-?
?- If that story was remotely believable, you'd be at the hospital. I don't want to hear it. Move the rug out of the way.?
?The rug??
?Yeah it doesn?t belong to me and I don?t want your cousin to bleed all over it. What?s his name??
?Oliver.? The kid rolled up the carpet and moved it to the side of the room. Eva pulled a side table close to the chair and pointed the lamp at the wound. It was a gunshot wound, deep into to the meat of the upper left arm. Eva frowned. She reached up and grabbed the kid by the chin, trying to get him to open his eyes.
?Oliver. Can you hear me??
The kid groaned in response. Eva cursed.
?He?s lost a lot of blood already.? She moved to the closet, pulled open the door and dragged out her medical bag. She unzipped it and started getting organized.
?It took me a long time to find you.? The kid shifted his weight back and forth behind her.
?Well you should have just gone to the hospital. If he goes into shock, he?s going to die.? She pulled on her gloves, and began preparing an injection. She was efficient in her movements, years of practice making her a one woman surgical team. ?I won?t do this for less than two grand.?
?Two grand!??
?That?s what I said. Put the money on the table.? Eva nodded towards the bedside table. Behind her, Eva could hear him shuffling, and then the muted splash of money hitting the wood. She glanced over. It looked like enough, or close to it. ?What?s your name??
?Jamie.?
?Do you know if your cousin is allergic to anything, Jamie?? Eva squeezed Oliver?s arm and slid in the needle. Oliver didn?t react.
?I don?t think so.?
?Alright.? She motioned a bloodied finger towards the cushioned chair in the corner. ?Sit down, this is going to take a while.?
Jamie settled in and watched as Eva worked for the next hour. It was difficult to do in the bad lighting and without the proper equipment, but she got it done. She was clean and careful with the wound, taking her time to repair the nerve and muscle damage, and stitched it neatly. After she was done, she let Oliver sleep in her bed while she cleaned up. She collected her equipment for sterilization, bagged and sealed the biohazard, and scrubbed the floor all the way down the stairs. An hour later, Oliver was starting to come around. Jamie had fallen asleep in the chair, and Eva kicked his foot to wake him up. Jamie got up and moved towards his friend.
?Hey, Ollie, you doing okay??
?Yeah?.? His voice sounded watery, but when Eva leaned over him and shined a pen light in his eyes, they were clear and responsive.
?You?re going to have to put him straight back to bed. Alright, Jamie? He needs rest.?
Jamie nodded, listening as Eva continued her instructions. She handed him a small bag of antibiotics, and another bag with a couple pills for the pain. She instructed him on how to change the bandage, and how to recognize infection.
?You know, two grand wasn?t that much for all this.? Jamie smiled gratefully at Eva. She nodded, but said nothing.
"You're not gonna tell anybody are you?"
?Not unless I want us both to get arrested. C?mon, let?s get you on your way.?
She helped the two boys stand and started them towards the door. At the bottom of the stairs Oliver suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.
?Hey, can I have the bullet??
?No.? Eva?s answer came before he?d barely gotten the words out.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not a trophy to display on the wall, or show off to your friends. You could have died. Do you get that?"
Oliver looked confused and upset, looking to Jamie for support. Jamie just shrugged. "Come on, Ollie, you don't need it. Let's go."
Behind them, Eva shut and locked the door, then climbed the stairs back to her room. She finished returning all of the furniture to its original place, and changed the sheets on the bed. She was exhausted. She moved towards the bed to lie down, but the money, still sitting on the bedside table, caught her eyes. She stood looking at it for a moment, then pushed both hands through her hair and cursed.