Romance on the Edge 01 - Hooked

issued. He knew Sonya wouldn’t want him as a witness to her hurting. The woman liked to put on a tough front. Being someone who did the same, he understood where she was coming from. He didn’t give a damn if she didn’t want him there. Right now, it was about what he wanted. Making sure she was all right was at the top of his list.
    Sonya wore a hospital gown toga-style over blood-spattered jeans. Her right shoulder was bare so the doctor could access the cuts that criss-crossed her shoulder and arm. He sucked in his breath when she turned toward him. The right side of her face was traversed with nicks and cuts. Most were superficial and didn’t require stitches, but blood had matted her hair from a deep gash, already stitched closed, near her hairline, and two butterfly stitches taped over a slash on her cheek. Half an inch higher and she would have lost an eye.
    “Get the hell out of here.” She might be wounded, but her voice held enough fire to make him think of stepping back, which he knew was her intent. All bark but not enough strength to bite.
    “I’m not going anywhere.” He turned to the woman with striking salt and pepper hair, cut just below her chin. She was dressed in pink scrubs with a small moose pattern printed on them, holding a wicked pair of tweezers in her latex-covered fingers. He tried to steel his features into a mask that wouldn’t give away how worried and upset he was over Sonya’s appearance. “How is she?”
    “Who are you?” The woman took in his uniform, not intimidated or impressed.
    “Garrett Hunt, Alaska Wildlife Trooper. I’m investigating the incident that sliced up your patient today. And you are?”
    “Dr. Wanda Abalmasoff, but everyone calls me Wanda.” She turned to Sonya. “You told me you were cut because of a broken window?”
    “The window might have been broken by a bullet,” Sonya mumbled under her breath, while her eyes shot payback promises at Garrett.
    “Sonya,” Wanda scolded. “If your injuries are a result of a crime, there are certain procedures that need to be followed.”
    Garrett bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. Sonya seemed as repentant as a hungry child caught snitching a cookie before dinner. The relief of knowing she would be okay was enough to make him giddy, even though he still relished catching the son of a bitch who’d done this to her.
    “Do I need to call Inga?” Wanda asked. At his questioning brow she added, “Inga is our VPSO.”
    “As a courtesy, you can share whatever information you want to. But this incident happened in open waters, during a fishing period, which falls under my jurisdiction.”
    Wanda gave him a nod. “If you have to stay, then make yourself useful.” She pointed to the cabinet behind him. “I need more gauze. Top shelf on the right.”
    “No, no, absolutely not,” Sonya sputtered in a rush. “I don’t want him staying. What happened to patient/doctor confidentiality?”
    Wanda raised her brows. “Are you kidding me?”
    “No. I’m half dressed and in no mood to entertain a fish cop.”
    “No entertainment needed,” Garrett said. He’d had enough excitement for one day. “You’re not getting me out of here, Sonya. Might as well resign yourself to the fact and deal with it.” He grabbed the packaged gauze and handed it to Wanda. She took them and dropped them on the tray within easy reach.
    “Do you two know each other?” Wanda asked.
    “No.” “Yes.” They both said at once.
    Sonya eyed him with retribution. He relished taking whatever she could give him, just as soon as she was up to it.
    “Glad you cleared that up.” Wanda went to work with the tweezers. Sonya gasped as Wanda pulled a sliver of glass from the deep cut in her shoulder. “Hunt, since you’re obviously sticking around, wash your hands.” She indicated a sink with a jerk of her head. “Then get over here. I need a nurse.”
    Garrett scrubbed up, and then snapped on a pair of latex gloves. He knew a thing or two about getting sewn back together. He’d had to stitch himself up a few times. He tore into the package of gauze, trying to separate himself from the pain that Sonya must be feeling. She looked like hell.
    When Wanda exchanged her tweezers for a needle filled with a numbing agent, he reached for Sonya’s left hand that had escaped the flying glass. Sonya didn’t fight him, instead she clamped down on his fingers as the needle pierced the cut. She also added a few more swear