Dead Secret

can.”
    What the shit is this about? she wondered. Since hearing that Mike was out of danger, her fear had been replaced by anger. Dammit, who in the hell goes to a funeral and stabs people? She wondered if anyone else was stabbed.
    The doctor stepped around the table and stood where she could see him.
    “We need to irrigate the wound before I can sew it up. It’s going to be uncomfortable, but nothing you shouldn’t be able to handle.”
    “I’m fine. I just want to get this over with and go home.” Diane suddenly remembered the pills she’d taken. “I just took a couple of aspirin.”
    “That’s probably why it started bleeding again.”
    “Why didn’t I feel anything?”
    “You felt nothing?”
    “A twinge when it happened. I just thought I had injured a tricep when I was rock climbing at the gym this morning. I often pull muscles when I’m climbing. But I didn’t feel like I had been stabbed.” Diane felt incredulous that this had happened to her. She could imagine how Mike must feel.
    “Probably all the adrenaline in your system’s been giving you some pain protection. When did you first feel the twinge?”
    “Just after I saw Mike fall to his knees at the cemetery. I was pushing through the crowd to get to him. I remember someone stepped on my foot, and right after that I felt a sharp pain in my arm. As I said, I thought it was a pulled muscle.”
    Dr. Nolan moved to the end of the table and examined her feet.
    “There’s no bruising. Flex your toes. Does that hurt?”
    “Just minor soreness. It wasn’t that hard. It was just pinned to the ground for a moment.”
    “Any other pains or sore spots anywhere that you didn’t have before?”
    “No, nothing else. Just the arm and the foot.”
    “We’ll get you fixed up. I’ll come back when the nurse has cleaned your wound. Is your tetanus up-to-date?” Diane nodded. “Good. I’m going to give you some powerful antibiotics,” he continued. “And we’ll have to take precautionary blood tests for possible infections, but I don’t see any reason you can’t go home right away.”
    “I’d like to see Mike before I leave.”
    “He should be awake by then. Now this is going to sting. . . .” The doctor stuck in the needle to numb her arm.
    Damn, she was pissed at whoever did this.

    Neva and Korey were waiting for Diane when she walked back into the waiting room after the doctor had stitched her muscle and skin back together. She was surprised anyone was still there. It seemed like it had taken several hours. Neva said she had taken Kendel and Andie to the museum and had come back.
    “What did the doctor say?” asked Korey.
    “Just a few stitches and minor muscle repairs. They’re letting me go home. How is Mike?”
    “Mike’s doing okay,” said Neva. “He had me go to his apartment and bring him some things. I left him asleep, but if you’d like to go see him he may be awake. I’m going to stay the night. . . .”
    “Don’t worry about coming to work tomorrow morning. We’ll call if we need you.”

    Mike was asleep when she, Neva and Korey entered his room. Diane and Korey turned and started to leave.
    “Hey, guys.”
    Diane turned around. “You awake?”
    “More or less,” Mike said, sounding a little groggy. “I think we must have really pissed someone off in an earlier life. Neva said you were getting sewn up.”
    Diane shrugged and sat down in the chair Neva had pulled up for her. “The doctor said I’ll live.”
    Mike moved and winced in pain. “What the hell happened? Who’s doing this?”
    “I don’t know. Do you want me to call your parents?”
    He shook his head. “They were so worried when I was shot; I’ll tell them myself when I’m not feeling so out of it.”
    “Do you know of anyone who doesn’t like you?”
    “Enough to stab me? No. That detective—Garnett—asked the same thing. Graduate school can be cutthroat, but not literally. Besides, that wouldn’t explain why they went after you.”
    Diane deeply hoped that this was not somehow her fault, that it had nothing to do with the crime scene lab. She would never forgive herself if it did.
    “Hey, Doc. Don’t look so glum. This isn’t your fault.”
    It was as if Mike had read her mind, but she guessed he had merely read her face.
    “How are you feeling?” she said.
    “Actually, pretty good. Got me hooked up to some sweet painkillers. But I don’t think I’ll be able to go caving this weekend.”
    Diane gave him a weak smile