DEAD IN BED By Bailey Simms: The Complete First Book

PART 1, SECTION 8

He and everyone else. Mrs. Whipple was letting out this long-winded weeping sound and starting to cry.

Ian glanced at me, obviously regretting that he'd let me and Shawn come here with him. But now there wasn't anything he could do about it. He returned his attention to the body, maybe not entirely sure what to do next.

It was missing its thing. Yes, that thing. Where it should have been was just this short fleshy stump. The wound was raggedly scabbed over and looked infected.

I was so stunned that I didn't even feel sick. I'd never seen anything so disgusting.

I could hear Shawn breathing heavily behind me. I worried he was about to pass out and I wouldn't know what to do.

"Holy crap," he whispered. 

In the middle of all of this, Ian's phone rang. He fumbled to answer it.

He listened. "Yeah, it's here," he said. I could tell it was the hospital dispatcher again. "Now you tell me," Ian said, exasperated, then he paused. "Right now?" Another pause. "That's not how we do things. I don't care who—" He stopped and listened again. After a minute, reluctantly he said, "Well, I guess. I guess if that's what they say. I don't know. I'll do what I can. Jesus." 

Ian stood and turned away from us. For a moment he just held his wrist to his head, apparently trying to figure out what to do. Outside, in the distance, the football game's final buzzer sounded over the loudspeakers.

"Crap."

Finally Ian turned toward us.

"We have to get this out of here right now." He gave my husband a hard look. "Shawn, buddy. I hate to ask you to do this. But I need a hand. I can't get it into my rig on my own. I got pretty strict orders to clear this out before the crowd comes through after the game." He nodded in the general direction of the football field. "And everyone's on their way now."

Shawn was silent. He took one step backwards.

Then he threw up all over a changing bench.

Instinctively, I put a hand on my husband's back while he retched. I didn't know what else to do. I glanced at Ian. He looked completely at a loss.

"I'll help," I said. "I'll do it."

I stepped toward the body before I could lose my nerve. Ian looked extremely uncomfortable, but I could tell he knew he didn't have any other choice but to accept my help.

"Ashley," he began, "you don't..."

"I can do it." I said.

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