Vera Wave caught sight of the falling vase out of the corner of her eye. She screamed and instinctively pushed him away.
"Watch out!"
The man stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Vera lifted her face to look at the falling vase; there was no time to raise her hand to shield her head. She could only squeeze her eyes shut.
THUD!
The vase struck her forehead at an angle, then slid down onto her body. The remaining water inside spilled all over her t-shirt, then gurgled and rolled across the floor to Kris Cooper's feet.
"Ahh!"
Vera screamed, raising a hand to her forehead.
"Vera!"
Kris Cooper instinctively rushed over and pulled her into his arms. "How are you? Are you hurt? Move your hand, let me see..."
He accidentally touched her wound, causing Vera to hiss in a sharp intake of breath. She irritably smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch it! It hurts like hell!"
"Okay, I won't touch it! You... just move your hand so I can see!"
