A Dance with Death

Chapter Twelve

"Crissy, find me clean rags and water!"

But my sister just stood there in the doorway.

"Christina!"

She jolted, and ran to do what she was told.

Using the unsoiled part of his jacket, I pressed it onto the wound.

Colin groaned. "I know you hate me, but must you inflict more pain than I'm in?"

"I'm simply trying to suppress the blood before I can clean it."

He muttered a curse under his breathe.

"What happened?"

Crissy finally returned with the strips of fabric and bowl of water and warily handed them to me.

"I'm not entirely sure. One minute I'm walking to my room, and next I'm shot and bleeding out on the floor."

I took the pair of shears and cut around the wound.

I heard my sisters gasping.

"I know how you both feel about Colin but unfortunately we can't let him bleed out so please help me." I soaked one of the strips of fabric into the water and carefully wiped around the wound.

"It'll have to be stitched, won't it?"

I glanced up briefly before continuing my task. "Yes. But first I need to make sure the bullet isn't still inside you."

To his credit, Colin didn't take advantage of my words to use as a sexual joke. Of course I was slightly pressing against his wound.

After cleaning around it with soup and water, i took a pair of tongs. "Is there any alcohol, Aunt Olga?"

Our aunt is was sitting quietly in her corner, sipping wine, shook her head. "Not in here."

"What do you need alcohol for?"

"I need to sterile the forceps so I can make certain nothing that might infect you is in the bullet hole." I looked at Colin. "Do you happen to have whiskey in your room?"

He grunted. "I always have a bottle of whiskey."

I smiled. "Crissy, would you be a dear and get it for me?"

"But that's my favorite liquor!" He moaned.

"Oh, hush, Colin. Arinya won't need a lot anyway."

My lips threatened a smile. Aunt Olga did some nursing work during the war so she knows what she's talking about.

When Christiana returned, I asked her to pour the liquor on the forceps.

"But Mother-"

"Will understand it was for a medical emergency. Now, here." I handed the bottle and metal tongs to her. "I need to find some sewing thread and a needle."

My sister was turning pale.

"Sophia, help her, will you?" I stride into Olga's room and checked her small bag. Aunt Olga never leaves her mansion without it.

Upon finding what I needed, I returned to find Christina passed out like a light in a chair.

"If she wants to become a nurse, these fainting spells over blood will need to end."

Aunt Olga knelt down with Sophie. "Don't fret, Arinya. She's only eighteen."

Colin hissed when the tongs moved inside the hole.

"Sophie, keep the candel up."

She breathed deeply, muttering to herself to not faint.

"How-how are you so calm?"

I felt something hard at the end. Carefully, I separated the tongs apart and inching forward I caught hold of the bullet.

"Have the bowl ready, Aunt Olga."

She held it out, trying to finish the rest of her wine glass.

"Olga, the wine."

"What? I'm multitasking. I'm helping my niece and calming my nerves."

"Just hold the bowl up." Using the last of my arm strength, I pulled out the bloody bullet and dropped it in the bowl with a ping.