Read Speechless for Free Online Page B

tell her that everything would be
okay and mean it. Instead, he worked silently, quickly, washing the wound with
a disinfectant, applying an antibiotic ointment, then covering it again with
gauze.
    “Done.”
    Thank you.
    “For what, hurting you?”
    For being professional about it.
    “Old habits.” Stone gathered his materials and put them
away, while Eva pulled the sheet back over her. “I want you to take an
antibiotic tonight—that wound doesn’t look good and if it gets much worse, you
could be in for a long healing time.”
    Why is it you have all these things—powerful painkillers,
antibiotics? You seem unusually well supplied.
    “One of the things I learned traveling as much as I have is
what one should never leave home without. Painkillers, antibiotics,
anti-diarrheal medications are a big part of that list. When you don’t speak
the language, getting medical help can be a challenge and some countries don’t
have the pharmaceutical resources we have. I have enough training to know when
they’re appropriate, when over-the-counter medicines will do and when to make
the effort to find a doctor. And sometimes an extra bottle of antibiotics can
grease some wheels, if people know what it is.” Like the EMT story, this one
held more than a nugget of truth. He simply left out the high likelihood of
injury he’d faced, the remoteness of some of his “consulting” and the secrecy
with which he’d often had to travel.
    You use drugs as bribes?
    “In some countries, nothing would get done without bribes.
At least this way, I knew my bribe would actually do some good for someone,
instead of just financing a new AK-47 for a corrupt army.”
    Who are you, Stone?
    “You know I won’t answer that.”
    Sticking to the international consultant story, huh?
    * * * * *
    Eva took the cup of water and pills he handed her and took
her medicine. It suddenly occurred to her that he could be giving her anything,
hallucinogens or something deadly, or that date rape drug that made people lose
whole days and nights. She emptied the cup, washing the pills down.
    “Don’t you ever stop asking questions?”
    I’m a scientist. Asking questions is what I do. You’ve
asked your fair share, you know.
    “Do you want painkillers tonight?”
    Eva shook her head. I don’t like taking a lot of
medicine, especially multiple kinds at any one time. I’ll be okay. She
reached for the Twain book she’d started the night before—rather, that Stone
had started reading to her the night before—and vowed to herself to appear
disinterested in him, to not think about him, his appeal. It was just because
of the mystery around him, she told herself. It made her want to investigate,
like the scientist she was. It took only two sentences for her to break her vow
and shift her attention from the book to Stone. He even managed to look sexy
while washing dishes and she could not take her eyes off his tight backside,
his broad, muscled shoulders, the scruffiness of his too-long hair, evidence of
his two months in the wilderness.
    Would you like me to cut your hair while I’m here?
    Stone turned and regarded her. “What does a scientist know
about cutting hair?”
    I used to trim my father’s hair before I moved out of the
house. I still do sometimes when I visit. I’d do my little brother’s too, until
he hit adolescence and decided it wasn’t cool to have his sister cutting his
hair.
    “You keep talking about your father, but you never mention
your mother, except as one of the people who can hear you.”
    Eva hesitated, felt the rush of guilt she always did when
someone asked her about her mother.
    “I’m sorry,” Stone said before she could decide what to say.
“I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject. I’ll take you up on your offer of a
haircut.”
    Tomorrow, when the light is good. I don’t suppose
barber’s scissors is one of those things you never travel without.
    Stone smiled and shook his head. “Ordinary scissors