enemy to doctor - the hating game

6 - stitching

I feel uncomfortable as I realize that I'm laying here with nearly all my upper body exposed, probably covered in blood and looking half dead.

"Ohh shit, Josh."

The voice is deep but not as deep as Josh's and then I see a guy around the age of 27 stepping into my view. Our eyes meet and he smiles, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Hey. I'm Leo. It's nice to meet you- I guess."

"Hi," i say "I'm Lucy."
A few seconds pass as Leo looks at me and then steps closer to put a hand on Josh's shoulder. His eyes start traveling across my body and come to a halt at the IV hanging out of my arm.

"Seems like you've already done most of the work, hm. Now, can you guys maybe fill me in on what the fuck happened here?"

And then Josh starts talking. He tells him how we went paintballing and about the following bus ride, how I passed out and hit my head and how he took me to his place. Then he starts talking in something that sounds a lot like a medical language because I don't understand anything anymore.

"Surgery eleven days ago, lower abdominal incisions and partial removal. Check out the reports."
He points his head towards the table on which a few papers lay. He must've printed them out from my phone earlier.

Leo scans the pages and for a minute it's quite. Nobody speaks a word.

"Fever?"

"40.8° the last time I checked. Maybe an hour ago, I'll check again."

Josh takes the fever measurer and leans in to tuck a few strands of hair behind my ear. Then I again feel a pressure in my ear and wait for the beep.

"41.1°"

Leo releases a breath running a hand over the back of his head.

"Put on the Ekg. Just in case."

He hands Josh a bigger kit who unzips it and takes out this device- I don't even ask anymore. Let them do what they think is best.
He doesn't waste time in explaining anything and unfolds a number of wires with some sort of stickers at the ends and then his hands are already on my skin where my shirt is still unbuttoned and I flinch.

"Sorry" he mumbles. "Trust me?"
A few seconds pass. I nod.

Like I have another option.

He sticks a total of four stickers on my chest and then lifts me up to place another four on my back.
I start coughing all of the sudden and hold my hand in front of my mouth.
Something wet meets my skin. Josh takes my palm and stars at the blood inside of it.

"Are you fucking kidding-" Leo's eyes are wide with shock.

"Don't judge. I'm taking her to my brothers, first thing tomorrow in the morning. He's in shift right now."

Josh takes a tissue and wipes my palm clean. Leo opens his mouth but Josh snaps at him before he gets a chance to speak.

"Just shut up Leo and help me here. We don't have time and she's already been through enough today. We'll talk about that later."

The snappy sound in his voice is impossible to overhear. I don't like the ‚we'll talk about that later'. I don't like it at all. There's a uncomfortable silence during which the two man simply star at each other.

"How much did you numb completely?"

Josh and Leo start talking about the wounds and I occasionally feel slight pressure somewhere in the abdominal area. It's weird. So weird to have the man who I work with, who is my biggest enemy at the moment and some random guy who I've never seen before, talk about me and my body like some medical project. I zone out and already feel the sleep creeping it's way into my limbs when I notice a hand softly shaking my shoulder.