Page 15 of Trigger Discipline
His eyes dropped to Gabriel’s shoulder. “Let me look at that.”
Speechless, Gabriel watched as the medic finished bandaging Judd’s arm. Still awake, Judd looked more relaxed. His eyes were half closed, and his breathing had evened out. Color was beginning to return to his face.
“Did you drug him?” he asked.
The medic huffed. “No,” he turned his attention back to Gabriel. “Just told him to calm down and stop acting like a baby.”
Phin snorted behind him, and Gabriel had to bite back his own laugh. Judd was tough, but he tended to be overly dramatic when he was hurt or sick. The last time the man had a cold, he had been insufferable.
The medic reached for Gabriel before pausing, realizing his hands were still covered in blood. Hands out in front of him, he twisted to look for something to wipe them on.
“Here,” Gabriel offered him the handkerchief from his pocket. He used it to wipe the sweat and dirt off his face. “It’s a little sweaty but…”
Blood smudged on the green material as he scrubbed his hands. The blood didn’t come off, having stained his skin and sunk into his cuticles. But the medic dropped the handkerchief on the bench between them and reached for Gabriel.
Expertly, he pulled the Velcro on his plate carrier. He sighed, tipping his head back when the heavy vest was lifted clear. The shirt beneath was made of a quick wicking material, but it was saturated in sweat. He could finally feel the breeze on his damp skin.
“Need the shirt off?” he asked, eyes still closed as he enjoyed the relief.
“No,” the medic answered gruffly, clearing his throat as he reached for Gabriel’s shoulder.
Lest he be called childish, he grit his teeth and tried not to think about the pain. The medic’s hands were skilled, confident without being rough. He probed the joint, rolling Gabriel’s arm in circles.
“You dislocated it,” he confirmed. “But I’m pretty sure you managed to relocate it. Unless you pulled something, it’ll be fine. Want a sling?”
Gabriel opened his eyes. The medic was sitting closer to him now, almost in his lap due to the lack of space. His hair was light brown, almost blonde. He had it cut longer on the top, and it was beginning to fall in his eyes. His skin was pale, and now that he wasn’t sneering, Gabriel could see that his full lips were thick and pink. The color of a ripe peach.
He’s pretty.
Which was an absurd thought to have when they were in the back of an ambulance reeking of sweat, being chased by aliens, with blood on the floor. But it was there in the forefront of his mind.
Wiping his nose with the back of his wrist, he looked up at Gabriel expectantly.
“Gabriel Lennox,” he said softly, eyes fixated on a small smear of blood on the medic’s cheek.
“What?”
“That’s my name.”
Phin cleared his throat behind him, and it was like ice water being poured over him. He shook his head, smiling bashfully.
“Sorry, I was distracted. No, I don’t need a sling.”
“Oh,” the medic nodded, clearing his throat. “I’m Blake Lewis. My partner up there is Tommy.”
“Phin,” his grenadier chuckled in a way that made Gabriel want to add rocks to his rucksack the next time they went for a run. “And the bleeding sack beside you is Judd.”
Judd weakly lifted a middle finger towards Phin.
Blake seemed to find the whole thing funny. His lips twisted in an aborted laugh, looking back towards the front of the ambulance. Using the railing bolted to the ceiling, he stood and made his way to the opening between the front seats, leaning in to speak to Tommy.
The young man turned, and he could just see his profile. He looked young. Gabriel’s stomach twisted.
CHAPTER 7
TWIDGET
Blake had seen destruction. He’d watched people die. Pulled their remains from mangled car chassis; told parents their beloved child was gone; held the hands of assault victims while they tried not to relive their worst night imaginable.He’d seen death. He’d seen devastation.