Page 40 of Thorn Kiss
“Let’s take a peek.”
We rinsed her hand under the tepid water and I kept my expression neutral. The cut was deeper than I’d expected. A lot deeper. A long slash running from the web between her pointer and middle finger to the middle of her palm.
“You really got yourself with the scissors,” I murmured.
“It slipped. I wasn’t being careful.”
“It’s okay, Laura. We got this, okay? We’re a team.”
This was my fault. I should have given her gloves to wear or had her not do a task with something sharp, but she was always so insistent on proving she could handle bigger jobs. I also should have saved my breakdown for when I was home and in bed.Fuck.
I grabbed the hand towel off the hook and wrapped it around her hand. Then I slid my arm around her as she cried harder.
She did actually maybe need stitches.
The bell at the front jingled, followed by quick footsteps. Evie appeared with a bright smile, meeting my gaze in the mirror for a split second before jumping into help mode.
“I heard we had a little accident,” she said. “I got the first aid kit.”
“We may need to go in,” I said under my breath.
“No,” Laura sobbed. “I don’t want to.”
Evie crowded in with us and leaned over Laura’s shoulder. “Show me your hand, darling.”
Out of all of us, Evie was the queen of work injuries. Running a bakery was one of the toughest jobs, in my opinion. Burns, scrapes, bruises, cuts—the kitchen posed all of the dangers. If she said we needed to go, then we’d go.
Laura’s face tucked against me as I showed Evie her hand. Evie’s eyes widened and she met my gaze with a quick nod.
Fuck.
“All right, honey,” Evie said gently. “We’re gonna take a ride to the doctor, and it’s going to be just fine. Dr. Jacobs is the best and I’ll give him a quick text so he’s the one that takes care of us. He’ll help get everything fixed up. Okay?”
“I’m so-rry.” Laura shivered.
I hated seeing her like this. My chest physically ached.
The bell rang up front again and Avery filled the doorway. Evie turned around. “Did you park in front?”
“Yes,” she breathed out. “We need to go?”
Evie and I nodded. Laura shook her head, but at this point, I couldn’t wait for her to move on her own.
“Come on, spider monkey.” I tried to sound playful despite the worried panic settling into my bones. “Get on my back. I’ll carry you to the truck. We’re going to the hospital.”
“You’re not a sparkly vampire,” she cried.
Evie helped me guide her outside.
Avery already had the truck doors open. I lifted Laura into the back and slid next to her.
“I’m getting blood everywhere,” Laura hiccuped.
“It’s okay,” Avery said as she got into the driver’s side. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Evie got into the front, and once all doors were shut, Avery floored the gas. We all lurched as the truck peeled forward and she drove like a damn racecar driver. I wasn’t sure when this truck had last been driven this fast.
“How are you feeling, Laura?” Evie called back.
