Rapture in Death (In Death #4)(82)

“I might just give you a call.” Deciding it was more foolish to huddle in the water than to climb casually out, Eve stood.

“You know where to reach me — Dear God, Eve, what happened to you?” Instantly, Reeanna was swinging her legs back, rising. “You’re black and blue.”

“Hazards of the job.” She managed to snag one of the body towels stacked near the edge and started to wind it around her when Reeanna tugged it away.

“Let me have a look at you. You haven’t been treated.” Her fingers probed at Eve’s hip.

“Hey, do you mind?”

“I certainly do.” Impatient, Reeanna lifted her eyes. “Oh, be still. Not only am I female and have personal knowledge of the female body, but I’ve got a medical degree. What have you done for that knee? It’s looks nasty.”

“Ice bandage. It’s better.”

“Then I’d hate to have seen it when it wasn’t. Why haven’t you been to a health center, or at least an MT stop?”

“Because I hate them. And I haven’t had time.”

“Well, you’ve got time now. I want you to lie down on that massage table. I’ll get my emergency kit out of the car and deal with this.”

“Look, I appreciate it.” She had to raise her voice as Reeanna was already striding away. “But they’re just bruises.”

“You’ll be lucky if you didn’t chip a bone in that hip.” With this dark promise, Reeanna stepped into the elevator, and the doors snapped shut.

“Oh, thanks, I feel heaps better now.” Resigned, Eve toweled off, put on her robe, then reluctantly went to the padded table beneath an arbor of wildly blooming wisteria. She’d no more than settled when Reeanna was back, stalking over the tiles with a neat leather case in her hand.

The woman could move, Eve mused. “I thought you had a salon date.”

“I called, switched times. Lie back, we’ll deal with that knee first.”

“You charge extra for house calls?”

Reeanna smiled a little as she opened her case. Eve took one glance inside, turned her head away. Christ but she hated medicine.

“This one’s free. We can consider it practice. I haven’t worked on a human in nearly two years.”

“That inspires confidence.” Eve closed her eyes as Reeanna took out a miniscanner and examined her knee. “Why haven’t you?”

“Hmm. Well, it’s not broken, so that’s something. Badly wrenched and inflamed. Why?” She dug into her case again. “Roarke’s part of the reason. He made William and me an offer impossible to refuse. The money was seductive, and Roarke knows which buttons to push.”

Eve hissed as something stingingly cold was pressed to her knee. “You’re telling me.”

“He was aware I had a long, personal interest in behavioral patterns and effects of stimulation. The opportunity to create new technology, working with virtually unlimited funds, was too tempting to miss. Vanity couldn’t resist the chance to be a part of something new, and with Roarke behind it, undoubtedly successful.”

Closing her eyes had been a mistake, Eve realized. She was starting to float. The throbbing in her hip slowed. She felt Reeanna’s gentle fingers smoothing something cool and slick over it. Her shoulder received the same treatment. The absence of pain was like a tranq and tugged her deeper.

“He never seems to miss.”

“No. Not since I’ve known him.”

“I’ve got a meeting in a couple hours,” Eve said thickly.

“Rest first.” Reeanna removed the poultice from Eve’s knee and was pleased to see the swelling had already gone down. “I’m going to put another deep healing poultice on this, then an ice bandage to finish it off. It’s still likely to be a bit stiff after prolonged use. I’d advise you to baby it for the next couple of days.”

“Sure. Baby it.”

“Did you get all this last night, rounding up your suspect?”

“No, before. He didn’t give me any trouble. Little bastard.” Her brows knit, digging a line between them. “Can’t nail him though. Just can’t nail it down.”

“I’m sure you will.” Reeanna’s voice was soothing as she continued the treatment. “You’re thorough and involved. I saw you on one of the news channels. Going out on the ledge with Cerise Devane. Risking your life.”

“Lost her.”

“Yes, I know.” Efficiently, Reeanna coated the treated bruises with numbing cream. “It was horrible. Visually shocking. More so for you, I’d imagine. You’d have seen her face, her eyes, up close, as she went off.”

“She was smiling.”

“Yes, I could see that.”

“She wanted to die.”

“Did she?”

“She said it was beautiful. The ultimate experience.”

Satisfied she’d done all she could, Reeanna picked up another towel, spread it over Eve. “There are some who believe that. Death as the ultimate human experience. No matter how advanced medicine and technology, none of us escape it. Since we’re destined for it in any case, why not see it as a goal rather than an obstacle?”

“It’s meant to be fought. Every bloody inch of the way.”