Jillian Chantal

Today’s word is ruthless. I am still woking on the new story taking place in the bar where the heroine cut her hand. She is now being treated by the bar owner’s brother, a doctor. Be sure to read the other tales of the week here. 

“How does a champagne flute break in one’s hand?” The wrapping was off and Ian’s gentle touch on her hand sent a shiver up Lanett’s spine. He looked her in the eye. “Was it a flute or one of the round ones on a stem? If the stem snapped, it wouldn’t shatter glass like this so I’m thinking it was a flute?”

“Yes. It shattered in my hand.”

“I don’t see how that could happen without a lot of force.”

“Hey, mate, how it happened doesn’t matter to your medical care of this lady, it only matters for my report,” Simon said.

“It does matter. Despite what bar owners want, doctors always take a medical history of their patients.” He turned back to Lanett. “What happened? Was there great force?”

“It sure was. I was supposed to be drinking a toast to celebrate my friend’s divorce but—”

“You celebrate divorce?” Ian looked horrified.

“Well, no, not normally and that’s really where it went wrong.”

“What’s that, love?” Simon asked as he wrote on something on the desk that Lanett presumed was the incident report.

“I reminded my friend Amanda of how happy she was when she got married and how we bridesmaids saluted her with champagne then. It seems that didn’t sit well and she crashed her glass into mine.”

“She sounds like a charming lady,” Ian said.

“More like ruthless, you ask me,” Simon said.

Ian nodded over at his brother. “Hand me my medical bag.”

“Do you doctors still really carry those?” Lanett asked. He still held her hand and she realized she could sit there the rest of her life with her hand in his and be content. It was a shock since she’d just met the man and didn’t usually react that way to anyone.

This week we have a picture prompt and it has actually served as the inspiration for this new story that I posted the beginning of last week. This week’s snippet picks up where last week leaves off which I don’t do often as I like to leave a lot out- one particular reader will like that I didn’t skip anything (Iris- lol). These posts are limited to 300 words each. Here’s the picture and be sure not to miss the other stories here.

Lanett held her glass aloft anyway and before she could stop herself, the words slipped out, “I just can’t help but think about the night three years ago when we were toasting your wedding as your bridesmaids. You were so happy–“

Before she could finish the sentence, the other three woman clinked their glasses together. Amanda hit hers so hard against Lanett’s that the glass in Lanett’s hand shattered, spilling champagne on her suit and cutting her hand.

Flinging the remnants of the glass to the floor, Lanett jumped from her bar stool and grabbing her purse from where she’d set hung it on the back of the seat, shoved the strap over her shoulder and stalked toward the ladies room to tend to her hand.

Once she was in the empty restroom, Lanett took several paper towels and wiped the blood from her hand to see how bad the cut was. It was difficult to see it since the blood kept flowing. Turning on the warm water and bracing herself against the sting she knew would come as soon as she dunked her hand, Lanett took the plunge, sucking in a deep breath as she did so.

There was still some glass embedded in the flesh. Lanett gritted her teeth and leaned over to try to get it out. The big piece came easily but there were still splinters that hurt and seemed to go deeper the more she attempted to remove them. “Great. Now I have to spend the rest of this lousy night at the emergency room. Just peachy.”

“Are you okay?” Marcia came in and asked as the door shut behind her.