Page 80 of Dance for Me
“Are too far away. There’s no pulse in this foot, which means it’s in trouble.” Jasper snagged a blanket, tucked it around Bodie’s still form before he knelt by her feet. He grabbed the first aid kit, ripped it open, and took out a bandage. “Ready?”
Grim nods responded.
The moment Jasper lifted her ankle, Bodie stirred. A quick flutter of eyelashes, a twitch of her lip as pain registered. Braun's fingers finally relinquished his touch on her throat, gently brushed her swollen cheek.
“We’ve got you, baby. Jasper’s fixing your leg, so just you hold still for him, okay? We’re not leaving you, I swear. We’re gonna see you through this, little one.”
Tiny fingers flexed as Jasper manipulated her damaged limb. Her body writhed with the smallest movements. The broken cry that slipped through her cracked, swollen lips severed him in two from heart to soul.
He couldn’t take away the agony of this, didn’t know how to stop it. Without hesitation, he’d have taken it into himself to spare her, but it couldn’t be done. All he could do was stroke her face, murmuring to her, as his friend tried to save her life.
The broken cry turned into a keening wail, the distress call of a wounded animal in unbearable agony. Her fingernails scraped over the mattress, seeking purchase.
“Almost there, poppet, I promise. I know it hurts like a motherfucker, but I need to do it. Those EMTs are on their way right now and they’re gonna give you some of the best fucking drugs on the planet.” Jasper’s face was a picture of concentration, his hands pulling on her heel. “Atticus?”
“Bone’s moving. Little bit more and it’ll be straight. There!”
“Okay, get the bandage and wrap it tightly over the break to hold it in place. You know how to do a tourniquet. I’m maintaining traction, but you need to hurry up. That’s it,” he coached in a firm voice. “Tighter, Atticus. It needs to hold until the EMTs arrive.”
Bodie’s skin was no longer pale. She was translucent. Her teeth chattered as much as her abused face would allow.
“That’s my girl. That’s my good girl. So brave, Bodie. Help’s coming, it’ll be here any minute. Just hold on for me. Keep breathing, darlin'. I’m not losing you tonight.” It was the goddamn truth. He’d thought she was dead when he walked into the room; he wasn’t going to let it become truth now he’d been proved wrong.
“Good job, Atticus. Grab one of those pillows. When I lift her leg, slide it under her calf. It’ll help stabilize it until the EMTs bring the right gear for this sort of injury.” When the pillow was in place, Jasper checked the pulse again. “Real good fucking job, brother. Pulse is picking up.”
Bodie whined.
“You’re a fucking legend, poppet. I know grown men who’ve cried like babies with injuries nowhere near as bad as this. Wait until I tell them about the little wisp of a woman who put them all to shame.” Jasper smiled at her, but Braun saw the strain around his friend’s eyes and mouth. “I need you to be just this strong one more time, okay, poppet? One more time.”
Her eyes cracked open, swimming with pain that turned blue to midnight. Her breath whistled uneasily through clenched teeth.
Jasper repeated his examination on her left leg, carefully feeling for the break. He gestured to Atticus with his chin when he located it, further down near her ankle. “This one’s not as bad as the first, Bodie. Nowhere near. Two minutes and we’ll have you strapped up.”
When Atticus took over holding her ankle, Jasper plucked another bandage free. “Just like last time, brother. Nice and steady.”
Bodie’s hand lifted a bare inch off the mattress. Braun immediately reached for it, curling his fingers lightly around hers. She’d gotten some licks in, he noted with pride. Her knuckles were puffy and red, her nails bloodied underneath. He squeezed carefully, aware he could hurt her more.
“We got two cruisers and an EMT rig!” Loki shouted from the front.
Jasper didn’t so much as blink as he wrangled the bone back into position. “Bandage it up, Atticus. You still got pressure on that head lac, Braun?”
“Yes. All good.”
“Excellent. We’re all done, poppet. You’ve done really well. Those drugs are about thirty seconds away, and you've damn well earned them.” Jasper rubbed the top of her feet slowly. “Circulation’s starting to come back.”
“Gonna be a lot of fucking questions we can’t answer,” Atticus said with a grunt. “Cops are gonna lose their shit over this.”
“We tell them the truth about what we know. It’s about time they started acting like cops when it comes to the fuckers who did this, because this sure as hell isn’t their first time beating someone to death’s door.” Braun leaned down and kissed Bodie’s forehead as her eyes became unfocused. “It’ll be their last, one way or another.”
“I’ve got connections,” Atticus murmured as footsteps hammered down the hallway and into the living room. “Just say the word and they’ll be sliced, diced, and part of the menu for the tigers at the zoo.”
The conversation ended as a whip-thin man approached the doorway in a medic's uniform. Two cops were on his heels, followed by another EMT.
Braun let Jasper take over again, explaining Bodie’s injuries and how he’d treated them as the EMTs got straight to action. He was nudged aside as they went to work, installing drips and shooting her with enough pain relief to last for a few hours.
He spoke to the cops, told them everything he had knowledge of, and while they wrote down what he said, he plotted. He planned.
This wasn’t over.