The Bleeding Crowd by Jessica Dall Page B

“I’m
thinking of picking up breakfast and then calling in sick. Are you
heading straight to work?”
    “Got an early appointment.” Cassandra
nodded.
    “Will you let Kristen know I’m not coming in?
You can call me if the ER’s insane, but if not, I’m going back to
bed.”
    “Sure.” She put a hand on Dahlia’s forehead
and then her neck.
    “My glands aren’t swollen and no fever.”
Dahlia batted her hand away. “I’m just run down.”
    “You need to stop working so hard,” Cassandra
said.
    “Call me if they really need me, okay?”
    * * * *
    Back at the men’s camp, Jude looked up as the
door to the barrack opened. He stared at Ben for a long moment and
then released a sigh. “So you’re alive.”
    “She’s a good doctor,” Ben said.
    “Not what I was talking about.” Jude shook
his head.
    “ If she had turned us in, do you think
I’d be here?”
    “So.” Jude continued looking at him. “We’ve
got her?”
    “All but.” Ben rolled his shoulders.
    Jude nodded. “You going to let me see?”
    Ben pulled his sleeve up.
    “Deep.” Jude examined it.
    “Needed stitches.” Ben smiled. “Looked a lot
worse few days ago. She made me wait until I had better use of that
arm.”
    “And you insisted on running all the way out
to her before you had someone look at it?”
    “It worked didn’t it?” Ben looked at the now
pink skin before letting his sleeve drop.
    “Women tend to love helping people,” Jude
agreed. “I think it’s that whole maternal instinct thing they’ve
been trying to squash.”
    “Give me two more days and I’ll have her on
board with anything we want her to do,” Ben said.
    Jude released another heavy sigh, but didn’t
debate it. “I got one of the lotto numbers from the kids, so I’m
heading out tomorrow night. We’ll see if it’s anyone
important.”
    “Hopefully,” Ben said. “We don’t have three
weeks to wait on some janitor.”
    “Maybe I could take your approach and turn
them over to our side,” Jude said. “You’re not the only one with
charisma.”
    “We could use a janitor’s help, how?”
    “You aren’t exactly with a magistrate.”
    “She’s a doctor,” Ben said. “There’s always
use for someone who knows how to stitch people up.”
    “And leave the stitches in, eh.” Jude nodded
at his arm.
    “She said she’d call me back in about a week
after the skin heals some more to take it out.”
    “Did she now.”
    Ben frowned at Jude’s half-smirk. “What’s
that look for?”
    “Nothing. You just got this weird little
smile when you started talking about her calling you back. You
aren’t falling for her, are you?”
    “I like her,” Ben said. “She’s generally a
good person. I’m not going all soft and squishy though. I’m not a
woman. I don’t have to fight down my emotions.”
    “Just remember, if things go wrong, she’s
most likely the one we’ll have to throw to the wolves.” Jude looked
at the old analog clock on the wall. “Come on. The boys have been
waiting for you to move on with combat training.”
    Ben shook his head. “You know just as much
about that as I do at this point.”
    “Not in execution,” Jude said. “Besides,
you’re the one who sent Eli to the hospital.”
    “I didn’t exactly escape unscathed.” He
touched his arm and winced.
    “You aren’t the one in the hospital right
now. Albeit you were at your own ‘doctor,’ but it should help you
with your street cred. No one’s dared mess with us, even with you
gone, since then. Brought at least half a dozen of the younger guys
over.”
    Ben nodded. “I just don’t feel much like
fighting right now, Jude.”
    “Not like it’s real. It’s just instruction.
Your arm hurt?”
    “Not really.” He looked at his arm. “Dahlia
all but forced me to eat some poppy-based something or another. It
makes you not really care about the pain. Makes you a little sleepy
though.”
    “Girl who gives you drugs.” Jude smiled. “I
get the look