Shot in an Alley: Cleaning Wounds and Cell Phone Calls

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"Okay, Jason, we made it!" she encouraged softly, she'd been trying to encourage Jason along the whole way, and was beyond relieved that they had gotten to her studio. At times she really wasn't even sure herself if he could walk that far. Jason was looking the palest she had ever seen him. She and Jason managed to shuffle to the couch. Elizabeth gently lowered him down. She took a deep breath as she watched him wince and try to keep himself conscious. They had gotten to safety, but the hard part wasn't over.

Elizabeth scrambled around the room for her supplies - not that she had a whole lot. A first aid kit, towels, bowl of warm water, scissors, blankets…

"Okay, Jason, lets start with your shirt and jacket."

Her patient nodded weakly. Elizabeth watched him, nervous and suddenly aware that they were going to have to do this alone. No Bobbie this time.

She grabbed the scissors, cutting up his shirt. Then, at the same time, she got both his shirt and jacket off. Jason winced and moaned quietly at the movement.

"Sorry, alright now?" she asked him with concern.

"Yeah, Elizabeth… you don't have to do-"

Elizabeth cut him off firmly. "No, Jason, I do. You were my friend, and I miss that. I miss you. I want to help you" She hoped her voice didn't betray the sadness at the "were my friend" part.

"Thanks" he told her even more quietly than before. He winced again, and was strangely glad that he had the pain to blame it on, but the second that Elizabeth said that she missed before he'd been guiltily reminded of his earlier relief that it had been her to find him and not Courtney.

"You're welcome, now lie down." She instructed while helping him to the more comfortable position.

Once Jason was lying down Elizabeth tore a rag from one of the towels. She tried to remember what Bobbie had done. She'd cleaned the wound, obviously, but…

An exit wound! Bobbie had checked him for an exit wound before they'd even left the boxcar.
"Jason I need to check your back, okay? We need to know if there's an exit wound."

Jason nodded his consent. He felt Elizabeth slip an arm under his upper back and slowly start to move him to his side.

"Okay Jase, you have a exit wound. Be happy. This means I don't have to go fishing around in you stomach any time soon."

Now to clean the wound. She dipped the rag she had cut before into the bowel of water. Then she began to wipe the blood away.

Her hands were quickly cleaning him up. A few minutes later she was done and began getting bandages from the kit.

"Okay Jase, you did good. I'm almost done, I promise. You-" Elizabeth ended her sentence short when she heard a odd ringing – her cell phone.

Elizabeth grabbed her now blood-soaked sweatshirt and sure enough in the pocket her cell was ringing. She took what she was hoping would be a calming breath. She couldn't let her voice go shaky or give away that something was wrong.

"Hello" she tried to force cheerfulness into her words.

"Elizabeth, honey, its me Ric."

"Ric?" Her mind cast back to her cover story for him. "Oh hi baby! I sorry I forgot to call and tell you!"

"Tell me what?" He asked, sounding puzzled, but thankfully not suspicious.

Elizabeth didn't have to try hard to make herself sound concerned, "Gram is sick. She has a really bad case of the flu. I'm going to be here all night with her. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, hey here's an idea! How about I pack a backpack and join you there? To keep you company. Sound good?"

Hope you don't mind the cliffhanger! Please review!