Barb looked back into the alley, where was the sniper?  To expose her body would be risky.  She turned and saw Penny stuck in the grate.  She was about to slip from hiding to help her when she heard the crack of the rifle. 

Penny cried out in pain and fell.  Barb saw the sniper slip back into a setback in the building and disappear.  She hit the button on her radio, “Unit 55 shot fired, officer down.  Need assistance in Charles and Windsor Avenues.”  She pulled her pistol, got one glimpse at the fleeing figure and fired.  The shooter dropped from sight.  She watched but he did not reappear.

Barb dropped next to Penny and pulled out her flashlight.  Penny was groaning, “My leg, my leg.”

“Which one?”

“My right one, the one that was shot before, it hurts really bad.  I think it got hit by another one of those exploding rounds.”

Barb clicked on her flashlight, the foot and lower leg of the prosthesis was still standing in the alley, stuck in the drain and Penny was on the ground.  This was no time for modesty.  She slid Penny’s trousers off and lay them over her.  The suction socket and a portion of the knee joint were still on Penny’s stump but there seemed to be blood everywhere.  Barb released the suction socket and slipped the socket off Penny’s stump so she could see the damage. 

As she did Penny moaned, “God it hurts.  Be careful.  It feels like something is stabbing me.”

“I know it hurts, but I have to get the bleeding stopped.”  There were several nasty looking wounds in Penny’s stump.

“Is it bad?”

“The bullet blew your right leg clear off.  It’s over there.”

“My stump, what did it do to my stump?  Is it still there?  Can you wear a leg without a stump?”  It was interesting later when Barb reflected on the comment.  Penny was concerned about her stump.  It had become a part of her.

By then Barb had used her handkerchief to mop the blood.  “Your stump is still there.  You have some bleeding.  It doesn’t look bad.  Your stump looks intact, but a little perforated.  They’ll have to probably put in a couple of stitches.  The wounds look almost like a smiley face.”