_ _ _

When she was gone, I closed the door behind her, locked the deadbolt, slipped on the chain. Grabbing hold of the can of Flex Seal Clear, I limped my way to the bathroom where I sat down on the toilet, slowly removed the blood-soaked sock. Aiming the nozzle at the foot, I sucked in a breath, held it, then proceeded to spray the exposed wounds with the liquid rubber sealant. The cold sealant on the inflamed skin sucked the oxygen from my lungs. But as the material solidified and bonded, my bleeding stopped.

When I got my breath back, I raised myself up off the toilet, positioned the crutches back under my arms, and headed out of the bathroom. I wasn’t two steps past the threshold when cops pulled into the motel.