Jessamy
There was a waiting area at the hospital with several Pagans and Warriors mostly standing as they waited to hear about Iceman when we arrived. As tired as I was, there was no way I could go home and rest. Not until I knew he would be alright. The amount of blood at the scene terrified me. When Iceman would close his eyes, I was scared it meant he died. Spotting Agony and Eliana across the room, we went straight to them. Someone must’ve given her a change of clothing because she was in a different set, and there was no blood on her. She and I hugged each other.
“How’s Iceman? Where is he?” I asked as we eased apart.
“They have him in the back. They’re prepping him for surgery the last I heard,” Eliana said.
“How bad is he?” I asked fearfully.
“It’s not good. He took a bullet to the chest. It missed his heart, or he’d be dead, but there’s no way to know how much damage it did until they open him up. He’s in good hands. Dr. Tuttle is on call. He’s a great surgeon and ER doctor. He’s doing the surgery. I’m not sure who’ll assist him. All we can do is pray and stay strong for him,” she told us.
My eyes filled with tears. This was all my fault.
“Don’t you fucking say that again,” Mace growled. That’s when I realized I’d said it aloud.
“But it is. If I hadn’t gotten your club mixed up in this, your friends wouldn’t be either. He was shot trying to protect me.”
“And if he dies, he’ll die happy knowing he saved you. But don’t count the bastard out yet. He’s tough and stubborn. You watch. He’ll be up and sucking up the attention in no time,” a voice behind us chimed in.
I glanced back to see Renegade standing there. I knew that he and Iceman were best friends. The two of them, Stalker and Predator, had been sent to help us out. The latter two were also best friends.
“Yeah, don’t cry for him. It’ll give him a big head,” Stalker added. Their antics made me smile.
“How did it go down at the police department? Did Laramie get you all taken care of?” Agony asked.
The others heard him ask and gathered closer to listen. We were diverted to telling them what happened. I bet that was partially why Agony asked, although he’d want to know. No one was happy with the crap Officers Oliver and Ingram tried. Mace assured them it was to be handled by Laramie.
About twenty minutes later, a woman came out and told Eliana that Iceman was in surgery already and that we could wait in the OR waiting area. The ER waiting room was rather full, and we were taking up valuable space. Eliana thanked her and then showed us to the other waiting room.
Mace insisted I sit. I got as comfortable as I could in a hospital chair and began the vigil. I didn’t talk much but kept a stream of prayers rolling. An hour after the move, Bull, Jocelyn, and a few others from Hunters Creek walked in. Greetings were exchanged. Guilt filled me again, but Bull was the one to tell me not to blame myself. I guess I didn’t have a poker face.
It was three hours later when we got the word that he’d made it through surgery. The doctor warned us that there was still a chance for complications, so Iceman wasn’t out of the woods yet, but he had a more than okay chance.