Chapter 7: Hospital Round Two

Doctor Corwin walked through the door and stopped. He stared at Jonas and Clevis for a moment then shook his head before grumbling, "I told you that you should stay. You've probably torn it open and made it worse than it was to start with."

He walked to the bedside and was puzzled that the blood soaked portion of the shirt wasn't around the chest or wrists. The right side of the scrubs shirt the doctor had loaned Jonas earlier in the evening was soaked with blood. He looked quizzically at the two men.

Jonas tiredly shook his head and closed his eyes as he laid his head back on the pillow.

Clevis cleared his throat before saying, "Ah, Doc, this is a new one. I think the problems he had before are still OK. He got shot this time instead of stabbed."

Doctor Corwin's eyes widened in surprise before he gently pulled the material back from the wound. "Detective, I think your friend here has made history for the hospital. Admitted twice in one day is unusual enough. Getting stabbed through the heart, or nearly so, and coming back later after being shot takes unusual to a whole new level. Did you shoot him?"

"Not me," Clevis protested with his hands up in a warding gesture. "Someone was trying to shoot me and Jonas got in the way."

"I couldn't let you be shot," Jonas explained tiredly, again. "You may not be as innocent as that woman and her daughters but you are one of the good guys."

"Well, thanks for that," Clevis said gruffly. "I think."

Jonas just smiled to himself as he felt the doctor and his nurse start working on him.