Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,15

thrown around in the car, glad he thought to put my seat belt on. I chance opening my eyes to see that he’s driving like a maniac.

‘Slow down! I don’t want to be killed in a car accident.’

His forest green eyes turn murderous. ‘I’m just trying to get you to the hospital before you lose the thumb.’

‘Lose the thumb?’ I squeal, starting to feel sick. ‘I could lose my thumb?’

A smile creeps across his lips. The sadistic bastard that he is.

‘Okay, you probably won’t lose the thumb.’ He chuckles, like this is funny. ‘But I’m guessing you’ll be wanting some pain relief asap?’

Dammit, I hate that he’s right.

‘Okay, fine!’ I roar. ‘Just get me there.’

‘We’re here, Poodles.’

I ignore the ridiculous nickname, annoyed he’s remembered it, and attempt to get out of the moving car, my nostrils flaring with rage. Its bloody hard one handed.

‘Woah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he shouts, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back. ‘Wait for me to park, you eejit.’

I hate how he calls me an eejit. I pout and throw myself back fully into the seat, clutching at my hand, seconds feeling like hours.

I impatiently wait for him to park. Annoyingly it is a perfect parallel one. I could never park that well. He runs around the car, to open the door for me, but his gentlemanly gesture does nothing to dampen my hatred for him. Not when he acts like an arse ninety percent of the time.

‘Come on. I’ll take you to A & E.’

I’d argue, but I have no idea where I’m going, and the pain is unbearable. If it wasn’t for his arm around my waist guiding me, I think I’d be stumbling around like a drunk.

By the time we’ve found the desk and he’s telling the receptionist about my injury, I’m starting to feel weak. It’s like all my blood has fallen to my feet. I chance a look at the thumb and immediately wish I hadn’t.

The nail is almost black, the thumb swollen to twice the size and the skin around it purple. Shit, he wasn’t joking when he said I could lose it.

My eyes flutter, the blood suddenly rushing around my head. My head feels as heavy as a bowling ball, the effort to keep it up zapping all energy from me. I lose the battle to keep it upright. The last thing I see is the floor.

Chapter Nine

When I open my eyes, I’m on a bed and nurse is shouting, ‘Phoebe?’ in my face.

‘Huh?’ I croak, my throat dry.

‘She’s awake,’ the nurse says to someone over my head.

‘Thank God,’ someone else says with a big sigh. I turn my head to see its Clooney. An ice pack falls from my forehead.

‘Did I pass out?’ I still feel sick and as weak as a kitten. My forehead throbs.

‘Yeah.’ He nods, shaking his head as if I’m a massive inconvenience.

‘Right,’ the nurse says, pulling up a chair. ‘Let’s have a look at this thumb shall we?’

The second she touches it I jump and my other hand reacts, slapping her on the side of the head.

‘What the hell?’ She holds her head, her mouth hanging open in shock.

Oh my god. Did I really just slap a nurse in the face? What the hell is wrong with me?

‘Phoebe!’ Clooney shouts, a smirk on the edge of his lips.

‘I’m so sorry!’ My cheeks heat with embarrassment.

‘Now listen here, missy,’ she says sternly, narrowing her eyes at me, ‘We won’t take that kind of abuse here. It might work in England, but here in Ireland it’ll end up with you seeing the guards.’

‘Guards? You have security guards here?’ I look to Clooney, my stare wide and wild.

‘She means the police.’ He clutches at his forehead as if I’m giving him a headache.

They call their police guards? Well, that’s a bit weird.

‘I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to slap you. It was just an instinctive reaction. I’m just in so much pain.’

It hurts so bad. I really need to be nice to the nurse with the potential drugs.

‘Instinctive if you’re from a the mean streets of London,’ Clooney mutters under his breath. Why is he still here? He could have just left me with the nurse.

‘Sorry. I promise I won’t do it again.’ I smile, pleading with her not to give up on me. Poor woman’s just trying to do her job and I’m slapping her silly.

She looks warningly at me before going closer to inspect it again. The second