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Chapter 11

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With her practiced efficiency, Ella moved swiftly into the infirmary and stocked the cabinet with towels and supplies. Mentally she took note of the things that Bobby was getting low on. She knew that he would give her a detailed list when he did his monthly inventory, but she always liked to be a step ahead, to insure that he never ran out of any of the things that she could easily keep stocked for him.

Suddenly a flurry of activity burst into the outer office. Ella immediately left the examination room to see what was happening. She stepped to the side quickly as Vince rushed in. He was carrying a young lady who was bleeding from a gash on her forehead. Cradling her in his arms, her head was against his chest. So much blood was seeping into his shirt, Ella's hand flew to cover her mouth as a gasp escaped, she could only hope that Vince wasn't hurt too. She watched as he carefully laid the girl on the examination table.

Bobby nodded at Ella as he followed closely behind them. He grabbed some disposable gloves from the box on the counter and quickly slipped his hands into them as he nodded to Vince, using their nonverbal language instructing him to step out and wait for him in the office. Since he was part of the shooting incident, Vince would have to be checked out too before he could go back on duty. Vince closed the door behind him. He turned to Ella and tipped his head, in that certain way he had, acknowledging her, greeting her, respecting her all in that one gesture.

She sighed in relief as she realized that Vince was okay. With a smile, she watched him sit down and grab a magazine from the small end table. She nodded as she walked out of the office, leaving him to read the latest issue of Guns & Ammo while he waited for Bobby. But before she closed the door, she couldn't help but see the concerned looks that he was casting at the examination room door.

The woman had lost a lot of blood but she was conscious, and obviously in a great deal of pain. As a medic in the field, Bobby had seen many wounds that were aggravated solely by the emotional intensity of the incident that caused them. It was his job to not only assess the physical damage, but to also ascertain the degree of emotional trauma the patient was experiencing. He was closely observing her as he started to work on her. In order to examine the gash, he painstakingly cleaned the area, careful not to use too much pressure. Even so, he pulled his hand back quickly when the woman flinched under his touch.

"It's going to be okay," he murmured soothingly to her, as he continued his work.

By instinct, she remained still and stoically held her head up to allow him to do his job. Everything had happened so fast. Bobbie was still trying to catch her breath from being shot at. Her thoughts immediately went to the man who had been there, trying to help her. Images of the past few moments flashed in her mind. That man had acted so swiftly, especially after having shots being fired all around him. The impression that he had been in the military was a logical one for her, based on her own experiences.

He had grabbed her and carried her inside effortlessly, his strength and determination evident. But when he had set her down just now, she had seen the large blood stain on the front of his shirt when he backed away. Was he hurt? 'Oh, please no,' her mind screamed… he didn't get shot did he? She had tried to pull him out of the line of fire, she would be devastated to learn that she had failed. She gasped at the thought.

Bobby immediately pulled his hand away again. "Did that hurt?" he asked, confused, he had not been cleaning anywhere near the gash. Maybe the hit she took had bruised a larger area than he had determined. She just ignored his question and blurted out one of her own.

"Did he get shot?" she asked frantically, her large brown eyes turning to him with concern. "He was bleeding, did he get shot?"

After a moment, Bobby realized that she was referring to Vince, and he started to shake his head. But something about the panic he saw in her eyes made him change his mind. He held his index finger up in a universal 'wait' gesture and walked over to the door.

"Vince, man. Can you come in here a moment?" he said. Bobby figured that the trauma of the shooting incident had her spooked. The sight of blood is always frightening. Usually victims are worried about their own blood. That she was more concerned about Vince told him that there was something different, something special about this girl, and he wanted to ease her mind.

Seconds later, Vince walked into the room. He smiled warmly at the young lady, dipping his head as if he had touched the edge of a hat in a greeting to her.

"How are we all doing?" he spoke with a soft, smooth voice, just a hint of a southern drawl, and he was pleased that she responded with a smile of her own.

Bobbie had been watching his movements. He was not acting like he was injured and the relief she felt melted over her.

"You want to take off that shirt for me," Bobby instructed. That earned a strange look from Vince, but he did as he was told. Pulling the black t-shirt up over his head revealed that the blood did not come from him.

"No shot?" Bobby asked. Vince looked at him in confusion. He was pretty sure that Bobby knew that no one had been shot. But he answered him anyway.

"No shot!" he confirmed it with a sharp nod of his head.

Bobby had kept his eyes on her. He had seen her relax with relief when Vince walked in. And now he had to hide a smile as he saw the spark of admiration that shone in her eyes, if briefly, on seeing Vince's chiseled physique. There was nothing seriously wrong with either of his patients. Bobby smiled as he tossed Vince a clean black t-shirt from the cabinet that Ella had just stocked.

The outer door burst open and Bobby looked up in surprise. It was Stephanie. He rushed out to see if she was coming down here with complications from her injuries. It didn't take her long to convince him that she was okay. In a quiet voice, she immediately started asking questions about the girl in the exam room. Bobby spent a few moments reassuring her that everything was fine. He could tell that Stephanie had been really bothered by the fact that the girl had gotten hurt by stumbling into a trap that had been set for her.

While Bobby did his best to soothe her worries, Vince took advantage of the time he would have to talk to the woman now sitting up on the exam table. He sauntered over, standing close to the table. He looked up through his long lashes at her. Almost giving the impression that he was a bit bashful.

"That was some quick thinkin you did out there," he began. He watched as her big brown eyes registered surprise and looked at him. "I have you to thank that our medic, over there, isn't diggin buckshot out of my backside right now." He held her gaze and said "I sure hope I didn't hurt you."

That soft accent was having a powerful effect on her. It was her turn to lower her eyes. It was nothing. Anyone in her place would have done it, and it suddenly made her feel shy that he thought he owed her any thanks. "It was nothing," she said in almost a whisper.

Vince indicated the table she was sitting on and said, "May I?" Bobbie scooted over a bit more and nodded. They sat there in silence for a moment. Their legs swinging over the edge.

After a minute, he offered his hand to her. "Names Vince," he said. "Vince Austin." He shook her hand and kept it in his as he waited for her to share her name with him. He did not realize that actual physical contact with him again was making strange things happen deep down in her stomach. He had no way of knowing that she was being affected, at all, because she kept her face calm and pleasant.

She pumped his hand a bit in a renewed handshake. "Bobbie Pennington" "It's good to meet you Vince," she added.

Reluctantly, he let her hand go. "The pleasure is all mine." He said. Silence ruled again for a bit. Finally Vince cast a sideways glance at her.

"If I'm not mistaken," he started. "You have some training." Bobbie looked over at him sharply. He had picked up on that? "Military training," he specified. "Am I right?"

She was spared the need to answer when Bobby walked back in. Vince immediately jumped down. He turned once more to her and dipped his head in farewell. "It was sure nice to meet you Bobbie," he said as he backed out of the door. Once again, he closed the door and remained standing there, just staring at it.

'What had just happened in there?' he found himself wondering. He kept getting lost in those soft brown eyes. It seemed a bit hard to take a breath deep enough to actually fill his lungs, though he tried repeatedly. He could still feel her slender hand in his, the very touch of her skin had sent currents of electricity throughout his whole body. With one last attempt to take a deep breath, he turned and sat down. Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands, restlessly going over every second that he had spent with this beautiful lady. A sweet torture that left him hoping that she felt the same.

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