“No,” she said, grimacing with pain.
“You are,” he said. “Let’s see you stand up.”
He let go of her and she began to go over.
“My ankle,” she said. “It got a little twist. Let me sit down.”
Having lowered her gently to a sitting posture he got down on his knees and regarded her anxiously.
“That all? Just the ankle?”
“I’ll be all right in a minute or two,” she said. Pointing to the vanquished lump she asked: “What about him?”
“That?” he said. “Don’t worry. It ain’t dead. It’ll come to after a bit.”
Her breath was in her throat and her mind was filled with after images of the event. She was still outside of herself with excitement.
“I was on your side,” she said naïvely. Some secret thought then touched her and she doubled up with a tickled sound. Her suppressed feelings were exploding.