Page 23 of Retribution
“No. I’m not going to take my own life or anyone else’s.”
I swallow hard, knowing I lied because eventually I’m going to find Jedediah and the others. My mind is all over the place with things. Today is an overwhelming mess. Tomorrow might be better. I don’t know which way is up and which way is down.
“I can still feel him inside me and I don’t know how to make it go away.”
She folds her hands on her lap and nods slightly in understanding.
“That’s expected. It will get easier with time, but it’s important to work through all the emotions. You cannot heal from it if you don’t deal with it.”
I imagine she doesn’t mean by killing people, which is my preferred method of handling things.
“Can Dr. Knight examine you?”
“Yes.” I say even though I want to say no.
I pull my shirt up and she touches around the branding on my flesh.
“This must hurt. It’s infected. I’ll prescribe a strong antibiotic. If you don’t notice a difference in a few days, please call me.”
When she presses two fingers to my ribs I jump as I whimper in pain.
“A few of these are probably broken, but there’s nothing we can do other than give your ribs time to heal.”
Next she examines my face and sighs softly.
“I’m sorry this happened to you. It must’ve been terrible.”
I admit, “That’s an understatement. It was hell. I would’ve preferred for him to kill me.”
She touches along my discolored cheeks and then down to my split lip.
“I think this will heal soon. No surgery required but if the pain doesn’t ease up in a few days we will need to schedule x-rays. Things to watch for include a fever, if the branding site has worsening redness and more oozing. Someone should stay with you for the next twenty-four hours in case of a concussion.”
“Do I need to stay awake? I’m so tired.”
She shakes her head.
“No, we don’t advise that anymore, but you will need to be woken up every two to three hours. Just for tonight.”
She places some pill bottles on the nightstand.
“One is an antibiotic and the other is for pain as needed. I suggest alternating the pain reliever with ibuprofen for the next few days to control your discomfort as much as possible. You can take ibuprofen and this, three hours apart.”
She pulls on a fresh set of gloves, and I’m instantly nervous.
“I need to do an internal exam to check for injuries. I’ll be as gentle and quick as possible.”
I lie back and close my eyes as I wait for it to be over. I’m glad she is quick.
“Everything seems okay, but if you have abnormal bleeding, please let me know. The antibiotic will protect against some STDs, but I’m going to test for HIV. Is that okay?”
I sigh with annoyance, but say it’s fine. This shouldn’t be necessary. I’m a little irritated with Carter. He killed Noah quickly. I’m still dealing with the aftermath, and Noah feels nothing.
She moves to leave, and I ask, “Can you check the branding on my back?”
Her face pales as she apologizes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
