Then I Saw Your Face

Danny

"Whoa! You're putting that in my arm?" Why did I have to say that? I'm not supposed to be afraid of needles!
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Linda wondered, holding the needle in her right hand.
"Well... isn't that a little.... big?"
"Are you kidding? This is the small one! Now hold still. This'll take some time."
She asked if I was ready before she punctured my skin. I nodded, "I'm ready."
I involuntarily inhaled sharply when the needle stuck me. It hurt more that getting a shot oddly.
"You can scream if you want." Linda glances at me.
"No."
"Just so you know, I won't mind."
"I'm okay," I lied. What kind of impression was I making in this girl? First I was yelling at the nurses, claiming I didn't need stitches. Now I was swinging my leg back and forth, trying not to think about the pain.
Linda told me to hold still, so I did. I looked at the walls and everything imaginable except for her. I couldn't look at her. She was driving me wild just by talking to me. And that thing she did with her tongue and wrinkling her nose? Oh, yeah. I was hooked.
Linda finished and sent me to the front desk, but not before more awkward conversations.
********
"How's the arm?" Pops wondered that Sunday dinner.
I shrugged, "it's been better."
"It's not sore at all?" My sister Erin wondered.
"A little bit." I stabbed some green beans. "It doesn't help that I got shot in my shooting arm."
"I'm sure it doesn't." Dad agreed, knowing what that felt like.
Ma sighed, "are you sure you're okay, sweetie?"
"I'm sure I'm fine, Ma." Grabbing my wine, I answered, "in fact, I know I'm fine."
"If you're sure." She said skeptically.
I tried not to roll my eyes.
"He'll be fine," Jamie pipped up.
"Yeah, especially if he sees that pretty blonde nurse that patched him up," Joe smirked, looking at me.
"What?" Pops wondered, smiling a little bit.
I sighed, "Nothing, okay? She just stitched it up, that's all."
"Yeah, and you flirted." Joe snickered.
"We did not!"
"Uh, yes, you did." Erin pointed out.
Changing tactics, I turned to Dad. "Dad, how's the case going?"
"Nowhere and fast." He sighed.
"The Vic isn't talkin'?"
"No, and we can't have do anything unless she talks. And we can't ask the only person who calms her down."
"Oh, yeah." I nodded, I forgot that Linda was linked to the victim. "Will she- the friend- will she talk or do you not wanna burden her?"
"It's like she says, it violates the privacy policy."
"What if she took an oath?" Joe wondered, "you swear her to secrecy."
"Yeah," Erin agreed, "She's a good citizen, right?"
"I assume so." Dad shrugged.
"So give her an oath. If she's a good citizen, she won't go bragging or opening her trap or anything like that." Joe took a sip of his water.
"Very eloquently put, brother." Erin states sarcastically.
"Thank you."
Dad smiled, "I suppose I could ask her on Monday."