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“Why? Because the last one robbed him blind? Tried to get him arrested? Got him sent to collections, ruined his credit? Tried to get his car repo-ed?”
“‘She’ is an accounting student at the University of Chicago. She doesn’t need to lie, cheat, or steal, and can you please be quiet so the doctor can work?” Vandy hissed.
“I’m Dr. Newport, by the way, and I like her. Can we reduce the yelling by fifty percent?”
“What kind of suture are you using, absorbable or nonabsorbable?” Vandy inquired, eyeing his stitches critically.
“Nonabsorbable. I didn’t need deep stitches, doctor’s kid. I like you less now.” The doctor was much younger than she’d expected. His hair, eyebrows, and eyes were almost the same shade of silver. The eyes had to be natural, the hair definitely wasn’t.
“What year resident are you?”
“Second.”
“Then you’d better be very careful since the paint just dried on your medical school diploma.”
“Never mind. Can the angry cop go back to arguing with you?” He continued his work, unperturbed.
“Or not,” Casey voiced, his hand still on Royce’s chest.
“You said Chicago? How’d you meet him?” Sean said to Vandy.
“My family lives in Cleveland,” Vandy told a half truth. She left out that her parents had moved to their new jobs at MetroGen after her high school graduation three years ago, or that she had been so busy in school she hadn’t visited much since their move.
“Part-time girlfriend. Great,” Sean said.
Casey cocked his head. “Sean, he’s a grown man. He can do what he wants.”
“He’s my brother, and if you had been a little more careful…”
The doctor snapped off his sterile gloves. “Okay, I’m done and, if everyone can stop arguing about who cares about the patient more, can we focus on the patient? Who will be responsible for Mr. Murphy?”
“I will,” Casey, Vandy, and Sean said.
“I’m his best friend. I see him almost every day.”
“I’m his brother. I can come see him every day if needed.”
“I’m his girlfriend. I am staying with him.”
“She’s gonna have sex with me,” Royce said dreamily, his eyes not open.
The nurse started choking back her laughter, and Dr. Newport took a deep breath. “Right. Well, the good news is, the metal stabby part hit nothing essential, so this should heal well. I’ve rinsed it out with Betadine and sewed both sides closed. He needs to get the sutures removed in about ten days. Usually I’d tell you to see your doctor or come back here.”
“Don’t worry,” Casey said. “We’ll take them out at the firehouse. I’ll still be here in ten days.”
“I’ll be here in ten days. I’ll miss the first day of classes if I have to,” Vandy said.
“We’re going to get his discharge paperwork. I want him to have Bactroban ointment applied to his wound three times a day, and he needs to take a five-day course of prophylactic antibiotics.” The nurse took the moment to escape the room rather than watch this argument reach a crescendo.
“Vandy,” Casey said. “I’ve really got this covered. He wouldn’t want you to skip class for him.”
“I’m still standing here,” Sean said.
Vandy didn’t move her hands from Royce’s face. “I’ll ask him when he’s with it again. I’ll definitely stay for a long weekend, and I can monitor his wound for infection. And yes, bad cop, I know what a wound infection looks like.”
“Finally, logic. The Versed should wear off in a few hours. Until then don’t let him drive or cook.” Dr. Newport was typing into the computer affixed to the wall.
“Not to worry. We can get an Uber.”
