Chapter 12 Doc
“Do we need to call in a specialist?” I ask wearily.
“I don’t think so; at least, not now. We’ll let Jayden do an assessment in a few days and discuss it then, but I can repair the tendons.”
Watching Sarah and Vonny work in tandem as they take care of Lio would be beautiful on a normal day.
They dance around each other as if they’ve been doing it for years.
Sarah may not be in the operating theater very often anymore, and Vonny is still training to be a surgeon, but they both have skills and patience that I do not.
If only the circumstances weren't what they are, then I could appreciate it more…
I’m getting sick and tired of having these people under suicide watch.
Sarah stitches Lio’s wrists back together, and as soon as the last suture is in place, she steps back and lets out a heavy breath. My friend is too professional to have a breakdown now, but the tension is in every line of her face.
I wish I didn’t have to ask this of her, but Vonny was worried he wouldn’t be able to do it without help, and while I could have stepped in, I think this is what Sarah needed. Making sure her friend didn’t die has helped calm her nerves. Getting the call from Leandro…
Fuck.
“Let’s get him cleaned up,” Sarah says.
“Soren and Kail can do that.”
She gives the nurses a considering look, but doesn’t say anything, her lips pressed into a flat line. I get it, it grates, but I understand; it was one of mine that was supposed to be on duty to prevent something like this from happening…
“I’ll give them an update.” I look at Sarah to see if she will take the hint and come with me, but her focus is on gently washing Lio’s wounds so they can be dressed.
Soren meets my eye and, like the perfect Daddy he is, reads my needs in a single glance. He mutters something to Kail, who nods, a devastated look on his face—Rose is his best friend after all—before joining me at the sink in the corner of the room.
We toss our gloves and wash our hands, and Daddy places his hand on my lower back for a moment while I take a deep, centering breath.
Leaving Sarah, Kail, and Vonny to finish up, Soren and I go to give one of the hardest updates of my career.
The hallway outside the surgical room is packed.
Nearly everyone is waiting for news on their Boss and friend.
Hollis and Tennant are the ones that capture my attention though.
Ten has the “burn the world down and fuck the consequences” look in his eyes that I’m very familiar with.
I can already feel the migraine of having to clean up after his mess.
Hollis, on the other hand, looks like his world just ended.
His dark brown eyes are bloodshot, and his hair is messier than usual, as if he’s been tugging on it.
This situation is exactly what he doesn’t need.
We’re still trialing his meds, seeing what works for him and what doesn’t.
Almost losing his lover…especially this way…
it could have dire consequences on his already fragile psyche.
Fuck, I need a drink. And a vacation.
“He’s alive,” I tell them, my voice rough with stress and lack of sleep.
“He didn’t sever his tendons completely, but until the swelling goes down and we can run some tests, we won’t know the severity of his injuries.
We might have to call in a specialist if it’s not something Jayden and Nico can fix with just PT.
Right now, we’re going to keep him sedated, let his arms heal for a few days, and give him a break from having to make any decisions. ”
I swallow and brace myself, glad I have my Daddy at my side for what I have to say next.
“No visitors for a few days—”
“Fuck that,” Hollis says. He takes a few steps toward me, and Daddy places his hand on my arm, ready to move me out of the way should Hollis get any closer. “You cannot keep me from him.”
“I have to worry about what’s best for my patient,” I shoot back. “And right now, he needs time and space to heal. I understand you’re worried, but what you want and what he needs are two very different things.
“He’s being placed on suicide watch. Dr. Ranlen and I will work on getting him the care he needs: meds, therapy, whatever it takes. That is our priority. I’m not saying you can’t see him at all, but for right now, we need the space to care for him.”
“He needs to know he’s not alone,” Tennant says.
“And he will. You’ll be able to tell him that, but not now.
Seeing him right now…” I pause to take a fortifying breath.
“What Lio needs is for his Daddy and Owner to be the men who love him, and who are strong for him. Use this time to pull yourselves together. It’s hard, and devastating, but what he needs is to be reminded he has support, people who love him and care for him.
You can’t do that if you don’t take care of yourselves.
Besides, Lio isn’t the only one who needs you; Roman does as well. ”
I’m concerned we’ll have to put him on suicide watch as well. I’ve never ran so fast in my life…but when I was told Roman was freaking out after waking up without Lio…I had no choice but to sedate him again.
Fucking hell. We might need to recruit two therapists for this mess. Lest this fucked-up family break one of them.
“Just give us a day or two. Let him rest, give yourselves time to process what happened, and then we’ll do limited visits, okay?”
Neither look happy, but they know better than to argue with me in this situation. I will not sacrifice Lio’s health for their own comfort and ease of mind. If they can’t trust me and my staff to do our jobs, there’s a bigger problem than all of them trying to fucking die on me.
“Now that’s been established, I have something I need to take care of.”
“I am more than happy to do it for you,” Tennant says, a gleam in his icy eyes that has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
“Unnecessary. It’s my problem. Besides, you have your own issue to deal with.”
He grins a little. “Yes, yes, I do. And I am very much looking forward to it.”
“Good. If you have any questions, any of you,” I make sure to meet the eyes of every single family member, “Please ask me first. Dr. Ranlen deserves to be left alone after what she just had to do. And please, don’t harass my staff.
I know it’s hard to believe right now, but they’re good at their jobs, and can be trusted. ”
I see the doubt on the faces of the Martellis, but hopefully, my next task will take care of that. The last thing we need is for them to give my people a hard time because of one person’s negligence.
Soren and I leave them to their vigil, heading to the small room that has apparently been deemed as a holding cell.
James and Rose are waiting for us. My best friend’s face is grim, he knows how devastating this is for me.
“How is he?” Rose asks, her eyes bright and shiny, cheeks stained with tears.
“He’ll live, no thanks to you.”
“This was not my fault!” she argues. “I didn’t give him the glass and leave him to have fun! You cannot put this on me.”
“You were supposed to be the one sitting with them,” I hiss. “It was your task to be with them both.”
“They were sleeping! Do you know how fucking boring it can be sitting around, waiting for someone to wake up? Oh wait, you don’t because you have us to do it for you! You and Dr. Ranlen got to take a break, leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack.”
“It’s part of your job. When I say sit with the patient, I mean fucking sit with them.”
“They were sleeping. It was the middle of the night!” Tears fill her eyes. “I didn’t think a quick break would matter.”
“You’re right,” I say, my tone level once more as I pull myself together.
“You didn’t think. Instead, you let me down.
I assured Tennant and Hollis that both Roman and Emilio would be fine, that someone would stay with them.
You let me down, Rose. I trusted you, and you fucked up.
If it was anything else, any other instance, maybe we could have worked on you earning that trust back, but this…
” I shake my head, sorrow filling me as I hold my hand out and James places his gun in it.
“Doc, please…”
“No. This was your one and only chance. If Leandro wasn’t such a nosy, obsessive bastard…things could have ended very differently.”
“I’m sorry,” she sobs.
“Me too, Rose. Me too.”
Adjusting my grip on the gun, I take a deep breath, and then another.
The sound of the gun is loud in such tight quarters, but it drowns out the sound of my heart breaking, so I’ll take it.
Two shots to the chest, and one to the head as she crumples to the ground, because I’m not taking any chances here. I need her dead, and the least I can do is put her out of her misery.
The gun almost drops to the floor as violent tremors take over my body.
James takes the weapon from me while Daddy wraps his strong arms around me. I don’t look away from the body as I sob. Not until James checks her pulse to call time of death, and then steps into my line of sight.
I gasp big, heaving breaths as my best friend and my Daddy hold me between them. It’s not that I haven’t killed before…but never did I think I’d ever have to put one of my own down.
What happened with Emilio is devastating enough, but having such a violation of trust from someone I handpicked… Knowing I put my family’s lives in her hands for so many years…
I don’t know how to recover from this. I’m not sure such a thing is even possible.