AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They finished packing t
he abdomen then he began evacuating cysts by strong suction and injecting formalin into their cavities. He repeated the procedure until the return was completely clear then instilled formalin into the cavities.
“We’ll let it sit for ten minutes, evacuate it, irrigate the cavities with isotonic sodium chloride solution. This ensures both mechanical and chemical evacuation and destruction of all cyst contents.”
Helena came back at that moment, sniffed the formalin and frowned.
“Tell her we’re sorry to send her on a wild-goose chase.” He fixed his eyes on Sam’s. “That Sam remembered just after she left that we had none, so I went ahead and used the formalin.”
Sam didn’t bat an eyelid. Dante knew Helena made him uncomfortable, too. He played along, made apologetic gestures at Helena, said sorry in Badovnan.
“Would you like to fill the cavities?” Gulnar nodded eagerly. He made space for her to perform the task. After she was finished she stepped aside and Dante returned to his place.
“Reverse cutting needle? Vicryl absorbable sutures?” Gulnar asked. He nodded and she handed him the needle holder with the threaded needle to close the cysts with. “The main cyst looks too large a hole, Dante. Do you think we need a piece of omentum to fill it first?”
That was a really good idea—using a piece of the fatty sheath of the abdominal organs as filler. “Didn’t think of that but, yeah, I should.”
After he did that, he removed the ruptured bile sac, inspected the inside of the cyst, and sutured the opening where it communicated with the bile duct.
“Done. Sam?”
Sam looked at his monitors. “Strong and steady, like he’s napping.”
Dante yanked his mask down, stripped off his gloves. Gulnar shot him a questioning look. “You and Helena wrap up. Irrigate copiously with formalin then saline. And I mean copiously. Then, if she’s very anxious to get some surgical practice, you guide her through closure.” Her questioning look became one of extreme dismay. It seemed no one wanted anything to do with the buxom Helena.
He got up, giving her a you-got-her-here glance. On his way out she muttered, for his ears only, “You’ll pay for this!”
He stopped, dropped his heated retort in her ear, stopped himself with all he had from pushing her cap off and making a feast of it. “Any price, amore. Any price.”
The razor stroked down his nape. Dante squeezed his eyes tighter and surrendered to the incredible sensation. He was already addicted to this. Gulnar shaving him had to be the most erotic experience of his life. Right next to anything else he did with her. It was even more mind-melting now with them naked, just minutes after they’d made love. The feel of her lushness pressing his back, the feel of her hands spreading the gel foam, feathering his face and skull to adjust the angle she needed, her breath on him as she leaned in to concentrate on the harder-to-navigate areas around his ears, whispering to him how he’d felt inside her, how she craved everything they had together…
How would he ever shave his own head again? How would he ever even breathe, exist…?
“Can I ask you a question?”
His eyes snapped open. Gulnar hadn’t been asking him any questions. She’d told him almost everything there was to know about herself. Her childhood, her experiences in war, her refugee years, her dead fiancé. She’d even cleared away his agony over her and Lorenzo. But she hadn’t asked him anything in return. Sure, she asked just about everything that revealed his character and mind and preferences, just nothing that involved divulging personal data or facts from his past, none since asking about existing commitments. She hadn’t even asked how or why his marriage had ended. It amazed him, her lack of curiosity.
Or was it her way of keeping him anonymous, making sure he ceased to exist for her once he was gone?
If so, it was as it should be. And it hurt.
But maybe she was going to ask now. Should he answer?
With his heart dropping beats, he barely articulated a rasped, “Go ahead.”
Her hair spilled over his shoulder, caressing, scorching him with its heat and beauty. Then her question did. “Why do you keep your head wrapped up all the time?”
Ha. What a fool. Gulnar would never want to know any real information about him, would she?
Why should she when she already knows the only things that matter about you? a voice whispered inside him. She’s the only one who ever asked the right questions, the only relevant ones…
He didn’t want to dwell on this now. Answer her. “I want to be bald, but the world doesn’t agree to my decision. Everyone stares and-or bombards me with questions. A scarf solves the problem. I have a shaved head beneath it and people don’t see it to ask about it.”
“They don’t ask about the scarf, then?”
“It generates less interest. Seems I’m less conspicuous with it on.”
Her nod was thoughtful. “It does detract from your shaved magnificence.”
