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He winced when she pressed the gauze against his side. ‘Now tape it.’ Sam reached into the medical bag with her free hand, and pulled out a roll of tape.
‘Not with that. There’s a roll of wider tape in there.’
‘This one?’
‘Yeah.’
She taped the gauze firmly over the wound, noting with some satisfaction that the bleeding seemed to be stopping. ‘Right. I’ll help you up, and we’ll be on our way.’
‘Aren’t you going to give me pain relief?’
‘No, because I don’t know what to give you. And I’m not going to rely on you to tell me, you’re probably in shock. You’ll just have to put up with it.’ Sam leaned in, wondering whether she could lift his bulk if he couldn’t get to his feet, and he pulled her close.
‘Just a smile, then...’
‘Stop messing around or I’ll stab you myself.’ She couldn’t help but give him what he asked.
‘That’ll do. Feeling better already.’
‘Can you stand up?’
‘Yeah.’ Sam steadied him as he got to his feet, but he didn’t f
alter.
‘Now we’re going to walk to the car. Take your time.’
He walked slowly but steadily, only wincing when Sam helped him into the passenger seat. ‘Your laptop. And you’ll need to reset the alarm. We need to report the break-in to the police, as well.’
‘Forget it. The doors are locked and David’s only fifteen minutes away, I’ll call him and ask him to deal with it.’ Sam leaned over him to clip his seat belt into place then got into the driver’s seat, pulling it forward, and started the engine.
* * *
He was beginning to feel sick and more than a little dizzy. Shock, he supposed. Euan knew that the wound he’d received wasn’t life-threatening, and he hadn’t lost enough blood for that to be the cause of the light-headedness that he was experiencing.
Sam had pulled his phone from his back pocket and slid it into the hands-free cradle, so she could call David while she drove. She navigated the SUV smoothly into the hospital car park, which stood opposite the entrance to the A and E department. When she flashed the headlights an ambulance crew, who were standing outside, came over to help.
‘Let’s take a look.’ A paramedic squatted down by the open door of the car and carefully inspected the damage. ‘I won’t remove the dressing here, we’ll get a chair over and take you inside straight away.’ He looked up at Sam. ‘Nice job.’
Euan shot him a smile. Sam had done well, and she deserved a bit of praise. She was smiling as she got out of the car, walking beside the wheelchair into the A and E reception area.
It was still early, and the Saturday night rush hadn’t set in yet. He was wheeled straight through to a treatment bay, and a nurse helped him up onto a gurney.
‘How are you doing?’ Sam was still by his side, looking down anxiously at him.
‘Fine. I’m fine.’ He found her hand and held onto it, although he wasn’t sure whether it was to give or receive comfort. Or whether he just happened to like holding her hand. ‘We’ll be out of here in no time...’
‘Euan?’
A familiar voice. Euan struggled to sit up, and Dr Rob Ames’s hand on his shoulder pushed him back down again. Euan was a regular at various A and E departments, and had got to know many of the staff here, but he wasn’t usually the one on the receiving end of their ministrations.
‘What’s this?’
Euan opened his mouth to tell Rob that he just needed a couple of stitches, but he didn’t get a chance. Sam cut in, the story tumbling from her lips.
She was an A and E doctor’s dream. Clear, concise, sticking to the facts, and while she left nothing out, she didn’t embroider her account with unnecessary details either. Rob was nodding, listening to her carefully.
‘Right. Let’s have a look at you.’ Rob helped Euan to roll onto his side, and he saw the sharp stab of pain reflected in Sam’s face.
