Page 32 of Cole (Dirty Misfits MC 4)
So, I decided to whip up some breakfast for us both before I attempted to wake her up.
“Mmmm, something smells good in here,” Molly said through her yawn.
I peered over my shoulder before I flipped her omelet closed. “You a veggie omelet fan?”
She walked over to my side and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Can’t say I make them, no.”
I chuckled. “Then, prepare to be amazed, because you had all the right ingredients for a hearty one. I figured we could split it in half since I used, like, half a dozen eggs and seven different kinds of vegetables.”
She peered into the pan. “Are those brussel sprouts?”
“Is… that a problem?”
She sipped her coffee. “It is if we don’t have bagels, too.”
I grinned. “Then, by all means, stand here with the pan and make sure this doesn’t burn while I stick some in the toaster really quickly.”
I scooted off to the side and opened her small pantry door to retrieve the only bread she had in there, which were her everything bagels. I toasted up two as she watched the omelet percolate, allowing the eggs to fully cook through before I split it in half and covered mine in hot sauce. But just as the bagels popped out of the toaster, something crashed to the floor.
Before Molly cursed.
“Holy fuck,” she hissed.
I whipped around and saw her holding her hand. “What is it? What happened?”
She flipped the nozzle to the active stove burner off quickly before rushing to the sink. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
I peered over her shoulder, ignoring the spilled coffee on the floor. “You burned your hand. That’s not nothing. Here, sit down.”
She turned on the cold water. “I’ve got it. I just—Cole!”
She squealed my name as I gripped her waist and hoisted her into the air. Warm water wouldn’t do shit for her hand, and we needed to get something on it quickly before the damage spread. I wasn’t sure how badly she was wounded or if she’d need a doctor, but I didn’t smell burning skin so that was a plus.
“Stay there. Just give me a second,” I murmured.
I rummaged around for a clean cloth before I ran it under cold water. I soaked it through and pressed the cloth against her palm, dabbing it as she hissed beneath her breath. I didn’t wipe for fear of popping blisters that might appear, but I knew I’d need to wrap her hand up in order to protect it from any of the other elements.
“Do you have an ace bandage or some gauze anywhere?” I asked.
Molly cleared her throat. “Uh, below the kitchen sink. There might be a first aid kit or something?”
I dipped down and ripped open the cabinet doors before I laid eyes on the kit she was talking about. It looked a bit old, but it had everything I needed so I ripped it open instead of judging the outdated thing. I ripped open gauze and slathered ointment on her hand that seemed to take away the discomfort that had etched itself across Molly’s features. And after wrapping up her hand, I packed everything away and gazed into her eyes.
“You’ll need to change your gauze at least a couple of times a day, okay? I tell people to do it when they eat one of their big meals during the day, so their stomach gets full while their hands get clean. Do you have any gauze or ointment anywhere else in your place?”
She gawked at me and shook her head. “Uh, no. I don’t.”
I nodded. “Then, I’ll have some delivered before I head out so you can rest. Okay?”
Her head tilted off to the side. “How do you know all of this?”
I cleared my throat. “I, uh…”
“Were you a doctor in another life or something?” she asked with a breathless giggle.
Might as well tell her. “Actually, this is what I did in the Army. I was a combat medic.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding me.”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“So, you’re a doctor.”
I snickered. “I’m a former combat medic. There’s a difference.”
“Well, yeah, but you have to go through training, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you have to take classes and shit, right?”
I blinked. “Well, yes.”
“Then, in my eyes? You’re a doctor. And I think that is really awesome.”
I smiled softly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“You must’ve seen some horrible things though, right?”
I swallowed hard. “Here, let me help you down from the counter.”
But my help still didn’t stop her from throwing questions at me that I didn’t want to answer.
“I know it’s probably a sensitive subject and all, but could you tell me a story? Maybe one from when you were going through classes?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. “Maybe some other time.”
“Promise?”
Her puppy dog eyes were hard to resist. “I promise. Just not now. Sometimes, it brings up old memories, and I don’t like reliving those old memories.”
