Brooke sandwiched her phone in the crook of her neck and shoulder and wasn’t the least bit concerned at the obtuse angle of her neck. Normally she would have just put the call on speaker, but she wasn’t interested in disturbing the proceedings in the kitchen, and besides, this was Exchange business. This freed her hands as she dumped the night’s events to the dispatcher. Brooke tried to keep to the facts, but was prone to ramble and make a story of it.
As she spoke, slouched at the foot of the stairs and enthralled with the telling, she held her hand up for examination. The burns she suffered in the battle were red smears that mottled her skin. Still flaky and blackened in places, she idly picked at a burn with a fingernail, feeling none of it and coaxing a clear and viscous seepage from the damaged skin. Brooke’s mouth twisted in disgust and she wiped her palm across the wound. She dithered, then cleaned her palm on her ash-stained jeans.
The distraction caused her phone briefing to stumble and she took a second to pick up where she left off. She’d likely be here for a while more.
As she spoke, slouched at the foot of the stairs and enthralled with the telling, she held her hand up for examination. The burns she suffered in the battle were red smears that mottled her skin. Still flaky and blackened in places, she idly picked at a burn with a fingernail, feeling none of it and coaxing a clear and viscous seepage from the damaged skin. Brooke’s mouth twisted in disgust and she wiped her palm across the wound. She dithered, then cleaned her palm on her ash-stained jeans.
The distraction caused her phone briefing to stumble and she took a second to pick up where she left off. She’d likely be here for a while more.