Stitches

By Top Writers Block

How far can you stretch stitches?
In this collection of short stories, you will find stitches involved in mystery, fantasy, comedy, intrigue, true to life situations and even horror. Twelve short stories to read in a dentist's waiting room, as you travel or as you wait for your pet's toenails to be clipped, There is something for everyone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Top Writers Block
• Release date: Oct 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301454099

Top Writers Block

Top Writers Block is a diverse and eclectic group of talented writers who decided to write stories together - just for the fun of it! We are happy to announce that authors proceeds have always gone, and will continue to go, to Sea Shepherd.fr every time Smashwords has made a payment! Thank you to those who have supported the group, independent authors, and Sea Shepherd. Our collections are usually written with one theme or genre in mind. Each author contributes when they have the time, so some of the collections have as many as twelve authors participating. Every collection has something new, with stories and poems ranging from romance, drama, and adventure to mystery, fantasy, and horror. All the Top Writers Block's proceeds will go to Sea Shepherd, so by buying you are helping to keep our oceans alive! Thank You all so much!

Book preview

Collection of Short Stories

by

Top Writers Block

based on the theme

'Stitches'

by

Copyright©October 2013 Top Writers Block

Published by Top Writers Block at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781301454099

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

http://suzystewartdubotbooks.weebly.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Credits

Book cover design : Suzy Stewart Dubot

Table of Contents

Justice for Paula by David H. Keith

Knit One by Suzy Stewart Dubot

Stitches by Don Bick

She Haunts Me by Elizabeth Rowan Keith

Is Everybody Happy? by Barnaby Wilde

Stitch Bitch by Melissa Szydlek

Various Little Birds by Anna Scott Graham

Dingy Ways to Die by Bill Rayburn

HON HEN by Jeffra Hays

Knitting, Stitching and Story Telling by Debra Thomas

Running Stitches by Barnaby Wilde

Sacred by Melissa Szydlek

Justice for Paula

by

David H. Keith

Dave is an unrepentant Hippie nature child who still firmly believes in such outdated concepts as peace, love, sustaining our Earth, and Freedom, including the inviolable right of the First Amendment. He currently works as a writer, editor, and medical professional. He has been a newspaper reporter, photographer, Army combat medic, paramedic, and teacher. In his life are two phenomenal women: his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, and their dog, Belle.

Copyright 2013 by David H. Keith

Dan Jackson, MD, was feeling good about himself…finally. His kid sister’s murder six months ago had shattered his world. Paula was the only family Dan had left—their parents had died several years ago in a car wreck and Dan’s marriage had died a hard death soon after. He’d never remarried and had no children of his own. Didn’t want to. Didn’t want the pain.

Paula was all Dan had left, until she’d become the latest victim of the Beast, as the news rags were calling him. This Beast had killed seven young women over a year’s time in the next state and was apparently still on the loose. The whole area was living in fear. The cops still had no clue as to the killer’s identity, although they assured people they were actively investigating and would have a suspect in custody soon.

Dan had pretty much let his cosmetic surgery practice go after Paula’s death. It just didn’t seem to matter anymore—making aging rich women look young again to stroke their egos wasn’t worth it to him after Paula. He had nothing left, nothing that mattered anyway. Oh, he still had an office and admitting privileges at the local hospital, but hadn’t seen a patient in months. Not since Paula had been yanked from him.

Today, though, he felt good as he sipped his third cup of Yrgacheffe coffee. It was a beautiful, sunny, summer’s day and he was sitting on his patio eating a leisurely breakfast and actually looking forward to going to the hospital this morning.

He was going to remove Thorne’s stitches today and was eagerly anticipating enjoying his handiwork. It wasn’t the money Thorne had paid him—cash, up front—but more the artist’s looking forward to seeing the results of his art that was making him so upbeat. Dan had chosen to specialize in cosmetic surgery for the money, like most of his colleagues, but soon found that he enjoyed the challenge of making people look their best. He saw it as art and his patients his canvas.

He’d been browsing the sports section of the paper as he ate and turned to the front page to catch up on some of the news. The headline screamed at him, THE BEAST IDENTIFIED, followed by a police sketch of a man the police believed to be the Beast. The accompanying story said they’d obtained the sketch from a witness who’d seen one of the killings.

Dan looked at the sketch…and felt his stomach heave. The Beast was Thorne, the patient he’d just operated on three weeks ago. The one he’d done a complete facial reconstruction on. Thorne had told him he was on the run from drug dealers and needed it for his own safety. That he’d offered twice Dan’s usual fees—and the challenge he presented—had convinced Dan to go back into the operating room.

Dan walked into Thorne’s room and looked at the man, his face and head still swathed in bandages. He had thought about notifying the police about Thorne’s identity, but believed that HIPAA regulations prohibited that. Like priests in the confessional, the federal patient confidentiality laws prevented doctors, nurses, or other medical employees from giving any information that would identify any particular patient. Like many doctors, Dan took that to mean he couldn’t even identify a patient to the police.

He couldn’t just turn his back, though. Paula deserved justice, as did all those other women Thorne had slaughtered. He had to make sure that justice was done.

At the hospital, Dan gathered some supplies and walked to Thorne’s room.

Good morning, Mr. Thorne. Are you ready to meet the new you? Dan asked as cheerfully as he could manage.

You bet, Doc, Thorne replied. His voice was muffled by the layers of bandaging, but Dan was used to that so understood him perfectly.

Well, before I do, I need to tell you a few things, Dan said. It’s vital that you don’t touch your face for the next several hours because of the risk of infection, so I’ll have to strap your hands and arms to the chair for a bit, just to make sure you don’t inadvertently reach up to rub your nose or something. Also, I’m going to give you some pretty powerful antibiotic into your vein to fight off any infection that may have already started. You’ll be sitting like that until the IV is removed, but I’ll make sure you’re comfortably reclined in the chair.

Sure, Doc, Thorne said. Just get on with it.

Dan helped Thorne into the chair and made sure he was comfortably settled. He adjusted the head rest so that Thorne’s head was slightly extended, his chin pointing upwards. He adjusted the examination light so he could see easily but made sure the light wouldn’t shine directly into Thorne’s eyes. Dan was a careful surgeon, after all, and didn’t want his patient to suffer any more than needed.

I’m going to start that IV now, Mr. Thorne, Dan said. I’ll be using a rather large needle—a 16 gauge, if you must know—so that we can get the antibiotic into you and fighting any infection as quickly as possible. You’ll feel a large stick, but that will go away in just a second or two.

With that, Dan deftly inserted the IV needle into Thorne’s vein and hooked up the liquid he’d hung on the pole next to Thorne’s chair. He positioned the bag so that Thorne couldn’t easily see it, but didn’t open the line to start the liquid’s flow. That would come soon enough.

Dan carefully removed the bandaging from Thorne’s face and head, then the stitches. Finally, he stepped back and looked at his handiwork.

Perfect. This Thorne bore absolutely no resemblance to the original: everything from mouth shape to cheekbone structure to hairline made Thorne completely unrecognizable to anyone who’d known him before. Dan had to admit it was his best reconstruction job to date, even though the patient was the monster who’d killed Paula.

He held a mirror up so that Thorne could see the new him. He saw Thorne’s eyes light up in pleasure. He felt no remorse about taking Thorne’s money. He leaned over so that Thorne would have no trouble seeing him.

I know who you are, Mr. Thorne, Dan said softly, only loud enough to his patient alone to hear. "I know why you wanted your face changed.

"You’re a killer, Thorne. You’re the one the press is calling the Beast, the one who killed how many young women over the past year? You had me change your face so that no one would recognize you as the Beast. It might have worked, too. Except that my little sister was one of the women you killed. It seems only just that you would have me do your reconstruction.

"I’m going to walk out of here in a few seconds, Thorne. I’ll leave you strapped into the chair.