Neil Josten;:

"A bullet tangent, " he said dryly, not even waiting for questions. "Investigator Minyard. *"

"* Nurse Josten, " Neil replied just as dryly. "And I don't care about positions as long as I see blood. *"

"* It's not mine *," Andrew noted carelessly, but sat down on the couch.

Neil took off the remains of his shirt, saw the wound, and began to clean it, not looking the patient in the eyes. But he felt that his gaze did not leave him for a second.

"* You know, " Andrew said as Neil was suturing the wound, " your hands are too sure. For a nurse. " " Your voice is too calm for someone who just got shot. *

A brief exchange of glances—and then silence again.

It hadn't been three days since Neil's adventure...

Neil had already forgotten—or rather, tried to forget—the fair-haired investigator with the shamelessly calm gaze.

That night, he was on duty in the surgical ward. On the second floor, at the end of the corridor, there was a guarded ward—an important witness in a high-profile case was lying there. Neil only knew that he needed to check the IVs and change the bandages; the rest was "none of your business."

He had just finished his examination and was about to leave when he noticed movement outside the window out of the corner of his eye. A moment—and a dry pop was heard in the silence. The glass next to his shoulder cracked like a web, and a dark spot spread across the sheet next to the patient.

Neil froze. Then he turned to the window – there was no one there. There were shards of glass on the floor, and the sound of guards’ footsteps was heard outside the door.

*“ Are you okay?! *” one of the police officers shouted, running in. *“ I… yes, ” Neil breathed out, realizing that the bullet had passed mere centimeters from his head.

In the morning he was summoned to the police station “to clarify details.”

He opened the interrogation room door and, to his surprise, saw a familiar face. Andrew Minyard was sitting at the table, leaning against the back of his chair.