“Where the hell do you keep the cups?” She looked over her shoulder at Mavis before quickly turning away.
“How would I know?” Mavis didn’t look up. She was threading her needle and getting ready to stitch.
“It’s your house.” Ava said it so calmly I knew she was forcing the words through her teeth.
“No it isn’t.” Mavis replied.
“What do you mean it isn’t your house?” I watched Ava turn around and look at us.
“I mean, I don’t own it. Don’t live here. Don’t stay here.” Mavis looked over at Ava in exasperation. “I’m kind of busy, if you haven’t noticed.”
“But—you knew there was a first aid kit.” Ava twisted the rag in her hand. “Whose house is it?”
“An old man that now lives in assisted living. I knew there would be medical supplies here, because he’s been sick for a long time.” Mavis started stitching, her attention on the wound, her words an afterthought. “I saw him being helped in here by nurses one day and then out in an ambulance another day.”
“There might not have been a medical kit here.” Ava frowned before turning around to search for cups and I let myself be distracted by the view of her ass as she bent over. “That was a big gamble. What would you have done if there hadn’t been anything?”
“Made do.” Mavis stuck one end of the thread in her mouth as she tied off one knot. “Here, come over here and try one.”
Ava set a cup of tea next to me and one next to Mavis. I saw the liquid splash over the rim as her hand shook. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. After a second she moved closer to me and peered down at the wound.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Cleaning out the foreign debris.” Mavis squinted at my arm. “I missed some earlier.”
“That’s just great.” I felt my eyebrows draw together.
“Shut up.” Mavis snapped at me before turning to Ava. “Here, when you’re stitching someone, you want to use the smallest needle possible.”
Ava took the needle with shaking fingers.
“Maybe you should just let Mavis so this.” I watched the needle with apprehension.
“I trust you, you trust me.” Her hand stilled and she glared at me.
“Fine.” I let out a slow breath. Her fingers were cold on my arm as Mavis coached her through where to place the stitch and how to tie the knot before cutting the thread. If I wasn’t mistaken, they were using a thin fishing line.
“Move over a little bit to the right.”
“Here?” Ava touched a spot below the wound.
“That’s good.” Mavis nodded.
I closed my eyes as they worked, making no sound when Ava pulled the stitch a little too tight. When it was completely closed Ava bandaged the area with gauze and white tape. Her hands had been steady as she’d stitched my wound, but they were shaking again now that she was finished.
“Are you okay?” I asked her quietly.
“What?” She opened her eyes and looked at me. “Sure I am. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not like people don’t get shot every day; or break into houses to use medical equipment. Totally normal. All of this.” She took a sip of her tea. “Every bit of it.”
“It really is for me. Thanks, Mavis.” I rolled my shoulder when Mavis finished dressing the wound. Grabbing my bloody clothes I got up and put them in the trash bin. If I took the trash out before we left then no one would even check to see if there was a bloody shirt inside.
“I know.” Sighing she turned around and poured the rest of the tea in the sink.
“Not good?”
“No matter how much I try, I just don’t like it. Tea should be sweet and cold.” She smiled sadly.
“I tried sweet tea once in New Orleans. It was like drinking a cake through a straw.” I wrinkled my nose. She laughed and the tension between my shoulders loosened a little.
Mavis was cleaning up the mess quietly, her expression blank. I knew from experience that a blank expression was a bad sign. She was worried.
“Are we safe here tonight?” I asked her.
“Should be.” She shrugged. “I was careful, but you never know.”
“Okay. We recoup and strategize.” I headed out of the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Ava asked.
“To find a new shirt.” I offered her a weak smile.
“You’re going to steal an old man’s clothes?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Would you rather me run around naked?” My smile grew. “I could do that.”
Red filled her cheeks and her eyes darted toward Mavis before coming back to me. She waved her hand in the direction of the stairs. “Do what you have to do.”
I chuckled as I turned a corner and took the stairs slowly. At the top I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. I’d lost more blood than I realized if walking up the stairs winded me. Looking around I saw the door that led to the bathroom slightly ajar. Pushing through I turned on the sink and splashed water on my face.
Blood was smeared along my jaw so I used a wash cloth from the shelf to scrub it away. There was a small cut that would heal pretty quickly. I rinsed the rag carefully before cleaning off the sink and throwing it in the trash. There were two other doors on this floor and one led into a small bedroom.
I checked the bureau and pulled out a white shirt. It smelled a bit like mothballs but it was better than nothing. It was tight but didn’t pull at the bandage which was good.