silence reign.” He pulled a wipe from the pack in the door and rubbed it over his hands. Tucking it into the garbo-bag, he got back in the Ute and started her up.
An hour further down the road, the doctor still hadn’t stirred. Was that normal? Reaching over, he shook her. “Time to wake up, doc.”
There was no reaction, not even a murmur.
He slowed to a stop and yanked up the handbrake. He shook her harder. “Dr. Boyd?”
Lucy’s head rolled towards him.
Wow. He realized with a jolt how pretty she was. Full lips, long lashes, small nose, with her blonde hair framing her face, loose strands hanging over her cheek.
He reached out, gently pushing the strands back. Her skin was soft and for a moment, he was tempted to kiss her.
Then his senses returned. “Grow up, Jed,” he scolded himself. “She’s not sleeping beauty. Kissing her is the most idiotic idea you had in years.” He shook her harder. “Doc, wake up.” He tapped her cheek. “Come on, Lucy, open your eyes.”
Her eyelids fluttered.
He tapped her again, a little harder. “That’s it, come on. Wakey, wakey.”
Her eyes slowly opened.
“How ya doing?”
“I don’t…” She sat bolt upright, crying out as she knocked her knee on the door.
His hands gently eased her back in the seat. “Take it easy.”
Lucy struggled to focus on him. “Where am I?”
“In my Ute. We’re about sixty miles from your place. It’s kinda slow going right about now.”
“We should travel by map,” she muttered. “It’s quicker.”
Jed frowned. “Map?”
She reached out and drew two X’s in the dust on the dashboard. “This is where I live. This is the city.” She connected the two marks with a line. “See, there. Much faster.” She rubbed her temples slowly, and pulled a face as she swallowed.
“Here.” He handed her a piece of gum. “It won’t compensate for cleaning your teeth, but I don’t have a limitless supply of water. It’ll freshen your mouth after being sick earlier.”
“Thanks.” She unwrapped the small piece of gum and put it in her mouth. She chewed slowly. “How long was I out?”
“Three and a half, maybe four hours. I was beginning to think I’d killed you.”
“No such luck. What did you give me?”
“No idea. They packed me up a crate of stuff. Got it from the box with the headache pills in. It started with a....” he faltered. “The box it was in was blue.” He pulled the vial and syringe from where he’d tossed them and gave it to her. “That’s the one.”
“Morphine?” she asked, her eyes widening. “How much did you give me?”
“Whatever was in the vial, I didn’t really take note. I figured they’d have given me the syringes containing the right dosage and so on.” He frowned. Her reaction seemed a little over the top. “Was that wrong?”
Her smile looked forced, even to him. “Just don’t do it again. I’m allergic to morphine.”
“Crikey, you’re telling me I could have killed ya?”
“Yes, but you didn’t.” She tilted her head. “You know, for a man who claims to have very few emotions, you sure look a little worried.”
Jed snorted.
“Seriously, your emotions are showing.”
“Lady,” he muttered. “I really don’t care one way or the other.”
“Uh huh.”
He pushed a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want to have to explain to your boss, or mine, for that matter, that I managed to kill a poor defenseless sheila.”
“Oy!” She thumped his arm. “Less of the defenseless.”
“Anyway, now you’re awake, do you need to get out before we go on? I want to go at least another hour before we eat.”
“I’m fine.”
“OK.” He shoved hard on the accelerator and the Ute lurched off over the road.
Lucy turned to face the window, letting the air blow over her face. “Don’t you have any other music?”
“Nope.”
“Why heavy metal?”
He reached out, turning it down a little, so he could hear her without her having to shout. “Why
An hour further down the road, the doctor still hadn’t stirred. Was that normal? Reaching over, he shook her. “Time to wake up, doc.”
There was no reaction, not even a murmur.
He slowed to a stop and yanked up the handbrake. He shook her harder. “Dr. Boyd?”
Lucy’s head rolled towards him.
Wow. He realized with a jolt how pretty she was. Full lips, long lashes, small nose, with her blonde hair framing her face, loose strands hanging over her cheek.
He reached out, gently pushing the strands back. Her skin was soft and for a moment, he was tempted to kiss her.
Then his senses returned. “Grow up, Jed,” he scolded himself. “She’s not sleeping beauty. Kissing her is the most idiotic idea you had in years.” He shook her harder. “Doc, wake up.” He tapped her cheek. “Come on, Lucy, open your eyes.”
Her eyelids fluttered.
He tapped her again, a little harder. “That’s it, come on. Wakey, wakey.”
Her eyes slowly opened.
“How ya doing?”
“I don’t…” She sat bolt upright, crying out as she knocked her knee on the door.
His hands gently eased her back in the seat. “Take it easy.”
Lucy struggled to focus on him. “Where am I?”
“In my Ute. We’re about sixty miles from your place. It’s kinda slow going right about now.”
“We should travel by map,” she muttered. “It’s quicker.”
Jed frowned. “Map?”
She reached out and drew two X’s in the dust on the dashboard. “This is where I live. This is the city.” She connected the two marks with a line. “See, there. Much faster.” She rubbed her temples slowly, and pulled a face as she swallowed.
“Here.” He handed her a piece of gum. “It won’t compensate for cleaning your teeth, but I don’t have a limitless supply of water. It’ll freshen your mouth after being sick earlier.”
“Thanks.” She unwrapped the small piece of gum and put it in her mouth. She chewed slowly. “How long was I out?”
“Three and a half, maybe four hours. I was beginning to think I’d killed you.”
“No such luck. What did you give me?”
“No idea. They packed me up a crate of stuff. Got it from the box with the headache pills in. It started with a....” he faltered. “The box it was in was blue.” He pulled the vial and syringe from where he’d tossed them and gave it to her. “That’s the one.”
“Morphine?” she asked, her eyes widening. “How much did you give me?”
“Whatever was in the vial, I didn’t really take note. I figured they’d have given me the syringes containing the right dosage and so on.” He frowned. Her reaction seemed a little over the top. “Was that wrong?”
Her smile looked forced, even to him. “Just don’t do it again. I’m allergic to morphine.”
“Crikey, you’re telling me I could have killed ya?”
“Yes, but you didn’t.” She tilted her head. “You know, for a man who claims to have very few emotions, you sure look a little worried.”
Jed snorted.
“Seriously, your emotions are showing.”
“Lady,” he muttered. “I really don’t care one way or the other.”
“Uh huh.”
He pushed a hand through his hair. “I just don’t want to have to explain to your boss, or mine, for that matter, that I managed to kill a poor defenseless sheila.”
“Oy!” She thumped his arm. “Less of the defenseless.”
“Anyway, now you’re awake, do you need to get out before we go on? I want to go at least another hour before we eat.”
“I’m fine.”
“OK.” He shoved hard on the accelerator and the Ute lurched off over the road.
Lucy turned to face the window, letting the air blow over her face. “Don’t you have any other music?”
“Nope.”
“Why heavy metal?”
He reached out, turning it down a little, so he could hear her without her having to shout. “Why
Similar Books
