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face burned.
    “You need to put the kneecap back,” Tim said. “You know how to do that?”
    Vic nodded. “Yeah.”
    Lucy closed her eyes, screaming in pain as his fingers probed. She knew he was being as gentle as he could, but he might as well be shoving red hot knives into her.
    “OK. On three.” His hands cupped her knee. “One, two…”
    Intense agony pierced her, pinning her to the table as Vic shoved her knee back into place. Tears streamed down her face. “You…said…three.”
    “Yes,” Vic told her. “You do the same. I didn’t want you tensing and making it hurt more.” He examined her leg more thoroughly, fingers probing from the top of her thigh down to the tips of her toes. “I don’t like this. I wish we had the facilities here for an X-ray. I’m not convinced this is right now.” He caught her gaze. “Oh, the patella is back in place, no worries there.”
    She pushed herself up on her elbows. “Then what?”
    “Don’t move until you’ve been plastered. Mani, give her some morphine for the pain. Might make her sleep a little as well.”
    “No!” Lucy shook her head vehemently. “Not morphine or pethidine. I’m allergic to them. Codeine or paracetamol. And no sedative either.”
    Vic raised his hands. “Lucy, be reasonable. And I’m sending you to the city for an X-ray.”
    “No,” she cried. They’d send her home and she didn’t want to go home. She needed to be here. “No hospital and no plaster. Just give me the codeine and strap it up with lint, bandage, and tubigrip.”
    “Don’t be awkward,” Mani told her.
    Lucy pushed up on her elbows. “You need a doctor here and that’s me.”
    Vic held out the meds. “Then physician, heal thyself,” he snapped. “Take these and let me strap you up.”
    Lucy swallowed the pills and lay down. She bit her lip, clutching hard on the sides of the table as Vic started to bandage her knee.
    Spots swam in front of her eyes.
    “Not going to faint on me, are you?” Vic’s voice came from a long way off.
    She fought her way back to him. “No…Just give me a minute.”
    Loud, heavy metal music filled the compound.
    She sighed. “Great, just what I need.” She pushed up on her elbows and sat. “Give me that tubigrip.”
    Vic shook his head. “For crying out loud, Lucy. You are the worst patient ever. There is no way you’ll be able to put that on your own knee right now, and you know it.”
    She had to admit, grudgingly, that he was right, but there was no way this side of heaven she was going to tell him that. She bit her lip as the bandage slid over her swollen knee, pressing into it.
    “Anyone home?” Jed’s voice echoed through the window. “Come out, come out wherever you are.”
    “I should go.” Tim ran outside.
    Lucy looked at Vic. “Pass me those crutches and let me be.” She rolled her eyes at the expressions of disapproval that met her. “Don’t even bother to argue. Just do it. Then give me a few minutes alone.”
    Mani leaned the crutches against the side of the table and he and Vic headed outside.
    Once she was alone, Lucy screwed up her eyes. It hurt more than she wanted them to know, despite the meds. It shouldn’t be so bad, not now Vic had put the patella back in place. What have I done? Her mind listed the possibilities. Dislocated the actual knee joint? Broken the joint? Torn ligaments?
    She sat up slowly and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stifled the involuntary cry of pain.
    Footsteps echoed on the verandah. No way would she be found sitting. She wouldn’t have anyone think she couldn’t cope with this. She grabbed the crutches, gripped them tightly, and pulled herself up. “Agh!”
    There was no way she could bear weight. She could barely balance. Her fingers turned white as she gripped the handles.
    The door swung open with a thud. “Dr. Boyd. What’s a good looking sheila like you, doing in back o’bourke—” He dropped the box on the side with a crash. His gaze ran over