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something about the strong, intense biker that intrigued me and made me feel that deep down he was a good man.
    The doctor moved forward and pressed the scalpel against Nick’s skin.
    “You’ll barely feel it,” he said.
    That was obviously a lie. As the sharp steel cut into Nick’s shoulder, his body jerked in response to the pain.
    The doctor grunted and used his body weight to try and pin Nick’s shoulder back down on the bench.
    “You,” he said to me. “Get on his other side and try to keep him still. It’s not easy to work in these conditions, you know.”
    “Can’t you give him more pain relief?”
    “No, it doesn’t grow on trees. A big tough man like him should be able to cope with a little pain. If they go around getting themselves shot, they need to deal with the consequences,” the doctor grumbled.
    I froze with one hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Shot?”
    The doctor smirked. “How did you think he got this injury? Falling off his bike?”
    I hadn’t even considered the possibility that Nick had been shot. I’d been too caught up with my own problems. I looked down at Nick.
    The drugs were obviously making him feel a little out of it. He licked his lips and started to say something, but then he groaned in pain as the doctor set to work again.
    “Hold him still!” the doctor ordered.
    I leaned down, pressing my body against Nick, trying to keep him steady, but it wasn’t easy.
    My face was so close to his I could feel his hot breath on my cheek and see the sweat forming on his brow as he struggled against the pain. I grabbed hold of his hand, and he gripped mine tightly.  
    It seemed to go on for ages. The doctor had started sweating too.
    Nick started to grow pale, and I was worried he was going into shock.
    “Can’t you go any faster?” I begged the doctor.
    He didn’t bother to answer me. He was so intent on pulling the bullet from the wound in Nick’s arm.
    Then finally he said, “Got it!” With a pair of forceps, he wriggled the bullet free from Nick’s flesh.
    The sight of the small nugget of metal covered in blood made me feel dizzy. My year of medical school hadn’t prepared me for this. I started to think I wouldn’t be much good in the operating room.
    By the time the doctor had cleaned the wound and put on a fresh dressing, Nick was out for the count. I wasn’t sure whether that was because the sedative had kicked in fully or whether his body was just exhausted from the trauma.  
    I ran a hand through my hair and noticed that my hands were shaking, so I crossed my arms over my chest.
    The doctor jabbed Nick again, this time with a smaller syringe.
    “What are you injecting him with now?”
    “Antibiotics. He should be all right now if he manages to keep the wound clean.” The doctor threw the dirty syringe onto the counter by the sink.
    Then he walked towards me, so close I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Ifanything does happen to him, you weren’t here, he wasn’t here and you’ve never seen me before in your life, understood?”
    I nodded, wishing I could tell the doctor exactly what I thought of him.
    He turned away to wash his hands again, and I took another look at Nick. He was still sleeping… he wouldn’t notice if I left.
    I tried to sound casual as I said to the doctor, “I’m just going to go and get a drink.”
    The doctor didn’t bother to answer or even turn around, so as quickly as I could, I left the room, going back down the corridor towards the main bar.
    I paused in the doorway and took a moment to search the bar for the other bikers. Chad, Tom and Damien were sitting together at the same table. They each had a woman fawning over them. I was pretty sure they were paying for the company.  
    On the far side of the bar was a raised platform where female dancers wearing glitter covered bikinis were gyrating their hips in front of a crowd of bikers. The bikers waved dollar bills and called out to the dancers, encouraging them to remove