Chapter Two
953 Words

He didn't have training in medicine but he had spent enough time in combat to know that sterilization was necessary or you risked further injury…he also knew he had to get her in a stable position without moving her any more than necessary. He propped her head up with a pillow to allow blood flow to her brain, and began to boil water to sterilize the knife and tweezers. He kept checking her vitals as he wiped down the area with bleach.

Twenty minutes later, he heard her…that blood curdling scream…the one that made every nerve ending in his body tense up.

The first thing that crossed his mind when he heard it was that there was something wrong internally. He had been shot enough times himself to know that internal bleeding was a serious issue and she had lost so much of it already.

"Where does it hurt baby," he asked? He knew it was probably a stupid question but he also knew the first sign of accessing the damage was to see just how bad it was. He was afraid for her now. He had never seen anyone in so much pain.

"Give me the damn Vodka," she yelled, not bothering to answer the question at hand. Bo knew it was probably because she hurt everywhere. She was being remarkably strong now but he wondered just how long that could last. A moment passed before she urged him to continue.

"You have to do it now Bo…we both know if I lose any more blood, it's all over. "

"This is really going to hurt Red…I'm sorry but I'm not a doctor."

"No, just the man who's going to save my life."

He took a deep breath as he slipped on the gloves and reached for the instruments. He knew he didn't have much of a choice but the thought of holding her life in his hands scared him…he would never want to be a doctor.

"I'm going to count to ten now Nora…When I get to ten, you need to prepare yourself. "

He handed her a tennis ball he had lying around the basement and told her to squeeze it when it hurt. It might keep her mind off what was happening.

"I'm ready," she said.

But she wasn't ready…she wasn't ready for so much pain…the alcohol only numbed her so much.

"You can do it baby," he said, as he tried to block out the sound of her agonizing screams. If someone had walked in from the streets, they would have assumed someone was having a baby…that's what it sounded like.

It took him nearly two hours to remove the bullet, given that it was lodged deep in her gut. He quickly applied a pressure tourniquet to stop any more bleeding once the bullet was out.

"You're going to need to hold this while I get more supplies," he told her. "Can you do that Nora, or do you need some water? You're looking kind of pale.

"I can do it," she told him. She had given birth to two children and survived…she could definitely survive a little pain from a gunshot wound. It only took him five minutes before he returned with a first aid kit and some purified water. He took out some gauze and poured some water on it to clean the wound. Then he took some antibiotic ointment and plenty of gauze pads and applied them to her injury. When the wound was all cleaned, he removed the pressure tourniquet.

"You're going to have to watch this Nora. If it gets infected, I'm taking you to the emergency room whether you like it or not. You might need a tetanus shot. You could bleed to death. There are all sorts of things that could happen. Are you going to tell me who shot you now?"

"You're not going to like it very much."

"I already don't like it. Somebody left you for dead. "

"Yeah and that somebody was working with my client. How do you think they found out what I knew? Because you told her…"

"Her?"

"Stop playing dumb Bo. I don't have the energy to explain. Your current girlfriend is a cold blooded killer and I'm not sure how much longer you have before she turns on you…this isn't a game anymore Bo. Lindsay's in with the big shots now…everything would have been fine if you hadn't ignored my wishes…there was a reason I didn't want anyone to know what I was doing…"

"So this is my fault now?"

"Bo, listen to me…I was shot because private secrets were leaked to the press…and I think Lindsay was the one who did it…to cover her own ass. Now you can choose to take her word over mine once again but if you do that, next time, I might not be so lucky…next time you might be taking our son to my funeral…Are you okay with that? Are you honestly okay gambling with my life that way when you just removed a bullet that she put in me?"

"Do you have any proof of that?"

"Do I need any? I just need one answer…I am putting my life in your hands right now…and if you choose wrong, it could get me killed…so tell me the truth Bo…Please, if you ever loved me, tell me the truth…I need to know if you are going to sell me out once again…this time, you really do have to choose…Look in my eyes and tell me the truth…I know you don't trust me but would I lie about something like this…please, tell me you believe me…tell me I didn't just put my trust in the wrong man once again…