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AS THE OLDEST OF THREE siblings, Sam Stevenson witnessed plenty of atrocities. On top of that, Sam had spent the last eleven years as a registered nurse in a busy downtown city hospital. It took a lot to fluster him.
The churning in Sam's stomach at the moment had nothing to do with the gruesome evening unfolding before him. Nor was it hunger, though it had been at least six hours since he’d taken the time to eat. The thing that sent the shock of nerves down his spine whenever he thought of it and threatened to cause complete gastrointestinal upheaval was Sawyer and Carmen's wedding rehearsal. It was happening right at that moment, and Sam was supposed to be in attendance. As eldest brother and best man, he was required to be in attendance. Sawyer had yet to lift the best man probation he placed on Sam for missing his bachelor party, and here Sam was, about to screw up once more.
Sam heaved a sigh, then instantly regretted the deep intake of breath when the onslaught of odours hit him full force. They were in the thick of summer, and Sam stood in the hospital's Emergency Room. Everywhere he looked, there were lawn mower mishaps, cases of alcohol poisoning, and campers who had sought treatment for their various illnesses before showering. The plethora of scents was staggering.
"Stevenson!"
Sam winced at the crack of the doctor's voice and turned, holding his clipboard against his chest like a shield.
"Go on, get in there. It's not getting prettier the longer you stare. Surfer boy is next. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you should prepare for gastric lavage." She gave Sam a smile that was more a canine bearing of teeth than a display of joviality. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Sam said dryly. "I'm on it." Drawing a shallow, guarded breath, Sam braced himself and waded into the room, ignoring the barrage of questions hurled at him from the people seated there.
One woman snatched at his sleeve. An angry rash covered the left side of her face and neck. "How much longer? I've been sitting here for two hours!"
"Hey! I got here long before you did, lady!" Another voice cut in from a row behind her.
Sam forced a smile. "We are doing the best we can, ma'am. I am sure it won't be long now." He freed his sleeve from her clutches with a tug and strode towards the muscular lump sprawled across two seats.
As it turned out, Surfer boy was uninclined to wait for the stomach pump. The shift from laying across the plastic chairs to an upright position proved too much for his abused guts. The evidence of the man's excess squelched between Sam's toes with each step as he made his way to the next patient.
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