Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
V alencia
“You know there’s a full moon tonight,” Emily told me as soon as I walked into the ER. “We’re going to have a full house of crazies.”
She believed in karma and magic, as superstitious as anyone I knew. But she was right in that whenever the moon was full, the giant orb acted like an attraction for every nutcase to take out their anger on someone.
The hospital administrator’s determination that every doctor take a turn inside the ER at some point had given all of us practicing in the hospital a better understanding of the atrocities often performed by one human against another.
I’d seen horrors I couldn’t unsee. The first time had left me with nightmares for weeks. Maybe now, I was simply numb to the various brutal activities.
“Yeah, I know. Are we ready?” I asked her as I headed to the main check-in, noticing the waiting room was already full. I smiled at Missy who sat behind the desk. The girl couldn’t be more than twenty-two, yet was one of the most composed people I’d ever met.
“We’re ready.”
“What do we have?”
Emily followed me back into the main section, walking with me as I checked on the patients already being given medical attention. While there were other doctors on the floor, as the senior tonight, I was considered in charge.
“A burn from a stove fire. A car wreck, but mostly cuts and bruises. A child fell from a second story window.”
“Oh, shit.”
“The bushes below caught her fall and saved her life.”
I blew out the air I’d been holding. There was nothing worse than when children were injured. Whether by accident or design. “Thank God for that.”
“I know.”
“Mark. Can we free up the bed?” I asked after taking a look at the intake notes.
“Yeah. Being transferred to ICU. A bad case of the flu,” he answered.
I nodded and continued walking, both Emily and I checking on other patients. There was a solid busy vibe in the emergency room, but nothing too crazy yet. “Maybe we won’t be overloaded tonight.” It was already past midnight, the bewitching hour when numbers often tripled.
As always, I should have kept my thoughts to myself.
Missy raced around the corner. “Dr. Laurant, we have gunshot victims.”
“How many?”
“One DOA coming in privately with another possibly going into V-fib. From what I can tell, shot in the heart. There are also two ambulances arriving with two additional gunshot victims, one considered life threatening.” While she hadn’t gone through but one year of nurse’s training, she was usually spot on with her assumptive diagnosis.
Well, fuck. So much for a quiet night.
“Get the injured man on a gurney!” I ordered one of the medical techs. “Bring him to room four.”
“You got it, Doc.” The young tech acted quickly while I headed toward exam room four. “Emily, get the IV prepared. Have the defibrillator standing by.”
“The guys who drove in the injured man insisted they come back with him,” Missy continued, keeping in track with my long strides.
“Are they family?”
“I don’t think so. They look like bodyguards.”
Her words struck a chord with me. “Tell them they’ll need to wait outside.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I told you it was going to be a crazy night,” Emily said.
“Yes, you did. Handle the other injured victims when they arrive. Rooms five and eight.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Seconds later, the tech rolled the gurney toward me. He was holding a non-rebreather mask over the man’s face to provide oxygen.
I could tell by the pallor of his skin I needed to work quickly. After he was transferred to the portable hospital bed, nurses began their work removing his tie, ripping open his shirt.
“Shit, he’s obviously lost a lot of blood. I need to see if there’s an exit wound.” I slapped on gloves, waiting as an IV was added.
The nurse was careful as she rolled him over. “No exit wound.”
“Okay, ladies. Let’s get to work saving this man.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Does he have identification?” I assessed the wound. This wasn’t good at all.
“One of the men who brought him in said his name was Christos Nomikos. And he’s not from this country.”
I jerked my head up, finally allowing myself one quick look at the man’s face.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Don’t worry, Christos. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”
It had taken an hour to get him stabilized, another three to remove the bullet fragments and to repair damage to his heart. I yanked the cap off my head first, the bloody gloves second. He’d lost a significant amount of blood, but by the grace of God and the fact a cardiologist was on duty when he came in, the man would live.
After washing up, I moved from the main doors, immediately accosted by two men in dark suits and there was no doubt they were both carrying weapons.
“Doctor Laurant. How is Mr. Nomikos?” One of the huge men had the nerve to force me again the wall with just his ominous body language.
I wasn’t in the mood nor was I the kind of woman who could be intimidated by anyone. I threw my hand against his chest. “Back the fuck off. Now.”
One looked at the other, but at least the larger of the two stepped away, giving me space. One I recognized from inside the hotel. From what I could tell, he didn’t recognize me with my bloody scrubs on and my long hair in a bun. I preferred it that way given the tactics they were using.
“How is Mr. Nomikos?” the second man asked. At least his tone wasn’t accusatory.
“He’s lost a lot of blood. I successfully removed the bullet fragments and repaired a damaged section of his heart. He’s stable.”
“When can we get him out of here?” the first one asked gruffly.
No one had ever said that I had patience and when idiots acted as if life could just return to normal after something of this nature, I was instantly driven into a cranky mood. “Your friend or boss or whatever he is was almost killed tonight. If that bullet had hit only a few centimeters to the right, he’d be lying in the morgue. He had open heart surgery. He is not going to be released from this hospital until I allow it and I assure you that’s going to take some time.”
Both men bristled, but the nicer of the two threw his arm in front of the bully. “What about our other friend who came in with Mr. Nomikos?”
“I’m sorry, gentlemen. He was DOA. There was nothing I could do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to arrange to have one of the administrators come and talk with you to sign the admittance papers.”
They said nothing. Why did I get the distinct feeling they would try to take him from the ICU?
“And don’t even think about attempting to check him out of here. He’s the victim of a gunshot and the police will want to talk to him. The girl at the front desk will direct you to the ICU waiting room. Go there.” I looked from one to the other, giving them stern looks.
Finally, they backed away and did what I asked. I took a deep breath as soon as they did. I leaned against the wall, the rush of adrenaline I’d felt earlier already starting to fade away.
“Wow. You were tough. I’m impressed.” Emily moved against the wall with me, looking every bit as exhausted as I felt.
“What about the other two vics?”
“Unable to save them.”
“Did they have anyone come in with them?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of. I can ask.”
“Not necessary. Neither one landed in my ER.”
“And the one who did?”
I rubbed my eyes. “Remember the guy who kissed me from the hotel?”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I were.” I glanced down the corridor as one of the goons turned to look at me before rounding the corner.
“What are the odds?”
“I know.”
Emily laughed. “Think of it this way. You were supposed to save his life. Maybe something will come of it.”
“Right.” I certainly wasn’t immune to violent crime and I had a feeling whatever reason Christos was in town had brought the violence.
“He’s asking for you,” the floor nurse said as I passed the station.
“He?”
She lifted her eyebrows and I knew exactly who she meant. Christos. He’d been in the hospital for three days and there wasn’t a nurse on the ICU floor who wasn’t smitten with him.
“Are his two… friends with him?” I’d almost called them goons, but that wasn’t professional.
“One is. The other went to get something to eat. They won’t leave the patient alone even though we’ve told them Mr. Nomikos is receiving the best medical attention.”
I had a feeling the reason they were hanging around, never allowing their boss to be alone was more about fear of someone finishing the job. “Have the police been to see him?”
“They have. I have no clue what they said, but they left and didn’t come back.”
“Interesting.” At least Christos had improved every day, his vitals continuing to be strong. However, I wanted to keep him in the hospital for at least another two days. His buddies had asked me about his release every day, and every day I’d told them the same thing.
Only when I allowed.
“Let me go see how he’s doing,” I told her and headed toward his room. With no surgeries scheduled, I could afford to take longer than a few minutes with him. The moment I opened the door, the guard was on high alert. I’d instructed no weapons, but they’d ignored me. It would seem the police hadn’t cared either.
Christos had his eyes closed but the moment I came close, he opened them. There was immediate recognition, his pupils no longer dilated.
“Luca. Leave us alone for a few minutes,” Christos told the other guy. While his voice provided a clear indication he’d been through an ordeal, there was still a dark, sensual vibe similar to the one that had thrilled me the night at the hotel.
Luca gave me a hard look just like he’d done before. “Yes, boss.”
I moved closer, standing over him. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been shot.”
“You were.”
“And I understand I have you to thank for saving my life.”
“I’m a doctor. That’s what I do,” I told him. “You should rest.”
“Please sit.”
“I have rounds.”
There was a fire in his eyes much like the night I’d almost met him. “I said sit.”
While I pulled the chair closer, I hesitated before sitting. “Do you always get what you want?”
“Generally, yes.”
I finally sat down, glancing at the monitors to ensure his blood pressure wasn’t increasing. “You lost a significant amount of blood. You’re weak.”
“I understand. My men told me.”
“Your men. Are they your bodyguards? They were certainly prepared to rough me up if necessary.”
His body tensed. “I apologize for their lack of humanity. They will be punished for accosting you.”
“Punished?” I didn’t usually roll my eyes, but his words almost made me laugh. Who did he think he was? “I assure you that if one or both had dared raise a hand to me, not only would they find themselves in a hospital bed, but after they healed, they’d be in jail.”
My words made him smile. Even in a hospital bed, the man oozed power. It would seem I’d been right in my assumptions that he was a dangerous man. While I should feel fear him, the woman inside of me only felt irritation. If there was one thing I hated, it was pompous bullies.
“Dr. Valencia Laurant. A beautiful name.”
“I think we can dispense with the compliments, Mr. Nomikos. Now, would you like to tell me what happened and how you ended up shot? That could help me determine how best to handle the rest of your treatment.” I don’t know why I chose to lie to him. Perhaps I was curious if he’d explain what had gone on since the two goons guarding him had said little to the police. That would likely become instant scuttlebutt within the hospital walls.
Even worse, it was apparent the cops had accepted the bullshit laid out on a silver platter.
Christos narrowed his eyes. The man was trying to determine if I was serious. “It’s best you don’t know. I also must impress on you that what you witnessed isn’t to be repeated to anyone, including to the cops or the press.”
My patience was wearing thin. “Mr. Nomikos. Let me make myself perfectly clear. I’m a doctor. A surgeon. I was attending at the time your friends brought you into the ER, which is likely what saved your life. I’m not in the business of pushing for anyone in law enforcement to be involved. That’s not my job. And we have strict laws within the country that prevent anyone from talking about the status of any patient. Period.”
He seemed to be somewhat amused by my vehemence. “I’m very glad to hear that.”
Why did I have a feeling that if I had seen anything, I wouldn’t be able to talk about it with anyone? The thought didn’t bring fear into my system. It brought anger.
I shoved it aside, reminding myself the man had been through a terrible ordeal. “Do you need anything?”
“Just your company. I enjoy seeing your face.”
“I did check on you several other times, but you were asleep. And I do have other patients.”
“I can have you assigned to only me.”
Anger was shifting into utter rage. “No, Mr. Nomikos. I don’t know who you think you are, but in this hospital, you are patient number nine hundred twenty seven. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”
Now he seemed slightly annoyed. “Why don’t you tell me.”
“It means you are nothing special to me or to any other member of our illustrious staff. However, we are here to ensure you heal. That will be done without interference including from the patient.” I was prepared to leave.
Christos shifted in the bed, trying to sit up. “Valencia.”
“No, you don’t.” I pushed him gently by the shoulders and the electricity I’d felt that night in the hotel returned. “You need your rest.” His tone, like his eyes, was much darker than before.
He wrapped his fingers around my hand, pulling my fingers to his mouth. I struggled at first, but his hold was an indication he could crush my fingers within seconds if he wanted. As he kissed my knuckles, I did my best not to react in any way. However, tingles were crawling down my spine. This wasn’t good. No, this wasn’t good at all.
I gently pulled my hand away, returning to the seat. I’d never felt quite so uncomfortable around a patient.
“I knew you were in the room. I gathered a scent of you,” he said, his gravelly voice having nothing to do with his condition. “You were concerned about me.”
“I’m concerned about all my patients and I don’t wear perfume when I’m at work.”
His smile lit up his eyes. “Your natural scent is all you need, ángelos . You are a true beauty.”
“Thank you, but you have a jaded sense of things. And your compliments, while very nice, will get you nowhere.”
“No, Valencia. I do not have a jaded sense of anything. I know a perfect woman when I see one.”
I’d had men compliment me before. Why did it feel as if I was blushing? He obviously noticed something, his nostrils flaring. “What do you do, Mr. Nomikos?” I wasn’t certain why I was asking other than I wasn’t ready to give up our brief time together. Or maybe his dangerous persona had awakened a twisted sense of curiosity. I certainly wasn’t attracted to him.
“My family owns a large corporation in Athens and we’ve taken our product to other countries. That’s why I was in New York.”
“Products.” I was thinking illegal drugs. It was as if he was reading my mind.
“I assure you the business I’m bringing to New York is perfectly legitimate. I wouldn’t allow it any other way. We own several dance clubs.”
“Ah. Sounds interesting.” I wasn’t certain if the man was telling me the truth. What did it matter? He would return to Athens and I’d be right here. Shit. Was I actually thinking that I wanted to see him again? Not a chance in hell. I lived dangerously enough.
“Perhaps I’ll be able to take you to one at some point. Maybe you’ll come to Greece.”
“Sadly, I doubt it, but that’s a lovely thought. Now, get some rest. Try to eat something to regain your strength.” I stood and felt a strong pull to the man even though I loathed his arrogance. No patient had ever managed to pull me in a more personal direction and that seriously troubled me.
“Thank you for saving my life. I assure you that it won’t be forgotten.”
“Just heal completely and take care of yourself. That’s all the thanks I need.”
“ Na eísai kalá glyké mou ángele. Méchri na xanavrethoúme .”
“What did you say?”
“I said to be well, sweet angel. Until we meet again.”
I smiled and headed toward the door. A part of me hoped that would happen.
Another part told me it could be the biggest mistake of my life. He was dangerous.