“No.” She picked up another syringe. “Does Paps know about this?”
“Not yet, and don’t you call him. No sense in waking him up. I’ll tell him tomorrow.”
“What about Ransom?”
“I’m waiting on him to call me back.”
“Sounds familiar.” She laughed and hosed down the side of my head again.
I cringed, unsure of what hurt the most: the gash in the skin or the pounding inside my skull. Through watery eyes, I saw the lobby door open and my boss walk in.
Because he’d been on his way back to the Drexler when the 911 call came in, Essex had been the first officer on scene. He’d stayed behind with the driver of the car that had hit mine when I was taken by ambulance to the ER.
I muttered the F-word into the pillow, then steeled my nerves—and my face—as Celise bathed the wound in betadine.
Essex squatted beside me. “Nyx.” A lot of emotion was packed into my name. Worry. Pity. Relief. All those feelings surged in his dark eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Do I look all right?”
He let out a sharp sigh. “You look better than you did. God, there was so much blood.”
“Pretty common with head wounds,” Celise said. “Lots of capillaries in the scalp.”
The information didn’t seem to help Essex relax. “When I pulled up, I thought you were dead.”
“Right now, I feel like I’d rather be.” I winced as Celise dabbed the deep gash with gauze.
“Didn’t you numb her scalp?” Essex asked her.
“She refused,” Celise answered. “I’ve learned better than to try to argue.”
Essex scowled at me. “You know, Nyx, normal people aren’t so well acquainted with the emergency-room staff.”
“You know everyone who works days in here.” Our job required regular trips to the hospital: suicide attempts, DUI blood draws, rape kits.
“Yes, but they can’t identify my personality flaws.”
I pointed at Celise. “Well, this one gave birth to my niece, so . . .”
Essex looked surprised.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Celise said to him. “All the other doctors and nurses know her flaws too. Are you new on night shift?”
“First week,” he answered.
“Good luck,” Celise said with a grin.
I made quick introductions. “Celise Kendrick, this is Sergeant Tyler Essex. Celise survived a short time being married to my brother.”
They shook hands over my head.
“The Sergeant Essex?” Celise asked, casting me a teasing smile.
“What’s that mean?” he asked.
“We’ve just heard a lot about you. Good things, which is rare coming from this one.” She pointed the syringe at me.
My cheeks burned as he looked at me. “That’s good to know,” he said.
Ugh.
She touched my shoulder. “Be right back.”
“Been talking about me, huh?” Essex asked when she was gone.
“Yeah. Complaining.”
He smiled. “Did they do a head CT?”
“Let me sit up.”
He grabbed my arm to help, but I wrenched it free and pushed myself up against the thin mattress. My whole body ached, and stars twinkled around my boss’s face. I forced my squinted eyes to relax.
God, he’s hot.
I was lightheaded. Must’ve been the concussion.
Touching my chin, he turned my head for a better look, then cringed. “Damn.”
I pushed his hand away. “I’m fine.”
“Your ear’s dangling. You’re not fine.”
“CT was clear. No bleeding, but doc says I’ll need staples to close my head and sutures to reattach the top of the ear.”
I could feel the sticky blood dried on the side of my face and down my neck. Celise had tried to clean it off, but she’d mostly just diluted the mess, making it spread. As much as I could see of my undershirt was soaked in dark blood.
Essex was still visually cataloging the damage. “You’re lucky that mirror didn’t take off your head. You hurt anywhere else?”
“Mostly sore from the fall. My ass will have some spectacular bruising.”
Red burned through his cheeks. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Do you remember any of it?”
“I remember everything until I blacked out. I didn’t even hear the car coming until it was almost on top of me. It’s like it wasn’t even running.”
“Electric motor.”
“Was the guy hurt?”
“Not a scratch. Just shaken up.”
“Was he drunk?”
“No. Said he thought he saw a person in the middle of the road.”
“I was nowhere near the middle of the road.”
“I’m sure he was distracted by blue lights and hit a slick spot. It’s a good thing you parked where you did. He sends his condolences, by the way.”
I’d woken up in the emergency lane with the chick I’d pulled over cradling my head in her lap. Blood had been everywhere. All over her. All over me. She’d called 911 before beginning roadside triage. “What happened to . . .?” I couldn’t remember her name.
“The woman you pulled over?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s still here. Saw her in the waiting room when I came in.”
“Really? She’s been here the whole time?” I looked over his shoulder like she might be standing right behind him.
“I think so.” He grinned. “Maybe she’s hoping you’ll let her off with a warning.”
“Ah, damn it.” Celise dropped her arms against her sides when she reentered the room. “Why did you sit up? Do you know how long it took me to fish all that black hair out of the way?”
“Got any scissors?” I asked.
Puzzled, Celise opened a drawer on the rolling cart by my bed. She handed me a pair of shears, and in two quick moves, I lifted up the right side of my long hair and sliced through it.
I handed her back the shears, along with the twelve-inch handful of blood-matted locks. “Here. Donate this to a wig program or something.”
Celise’s mouth was gaping. “This isn’t Master Clips. We don’t do that here.”
Essex was staring at the clump of hair. “Is this part of the concussion?”
“Nope. This is just crazy.” Celise dropped it in the red trash bag.
“The hair was in the way. Now it’s not.” I lay back on the pillow. “Gonna have to shave it off anyway.”
“Why?” Essex asked.
Smiling, I draped my forearm over my eyes. “How else will I show off the scar?”
I heard both of them snicker.
Celise pushed my face toward the pillow. “Now, be still.”
I cringed as she pulled strands of hair from the wound again.
Essex lifted my arm off my face to look at me. “Take the damn drugs, Saphera. You’re going to be off for a few days anyway.”
“I don’t need—”
“Calm down. It’s our weekend off anyway,” he reminded me.
“Oh, right. But I am going to my interview tomorrow.”
“I’m sure they can reschedule it.”