Shayne lit a cigarette and went to the bathroom door to watch the level of water slowly rise in the tub. When it was half full he returned to the bed, lifted the limp figure in his arms, carried it into the bathroom, and dumped it into the tub.
Ludlow thrashed and shivered in the cold water. His eyes came open and he stared about wildly, mumbling curses. He tried to grab the edge of the tub to pull himself up.
Shayne shoved him back each time he tried to get out, and finally held him down until his lips began to turn blue. Then he caught Ludlow’s arm and lifted him to his feet. He helped the shaking man to remove his sodden shorts, steadied him when he stepped onto the bath mat, handed him a towel, and said curtly, “Rub yourself down with this.”
In the bedroom, Shayne retrieved the whisky bottle and a glass that had rolled under the bed, poured a good two inches of liquor into the glass, and returned to the bathroom. The photographer was sitting on the toilet seat with his head lolling back against the tank.
“Snap out of it,” Shayne demanded sharply. “Here, drink this if you think you can hold it down.”
Ludlow looked up, his teeth chattering, and tears streaming down his cheeks. He tried to take the glass, but his hands trembled too violently to hold it. Shayne put an arm around his shoulders, pressed the glass to his lips, and ordered, “Swallow.”
Ludlow gulped half the whisky down, shuddered, and sputtered. “God! ’S horrible.”
“Finish it.” He held one hand at the back of Ludlow’s head and pressed the glass against his lips again. The photographer swallowed mechanically. His trembling gradually subsided, and color came into his face.
Hauling him roughly to his feet, Shayne took a towel and began rubbing his body vigorously, pummeling any fleshy spot he could find with his fingers. He wondered how, in the name of God, a buxom blonde could fall for a guy like this!
When Ludlow started howling with pain from the redhead’s rough treatment, Shayne shoved him into the bedroom and onto the bed, pulled the sheet over him, and growled, “Stay there and relax. When you’re over the shakes we’ll talk.”