Chapter Ten
Leighton
I shot Az a worried look before turning my attention back to Victoria. Guiding her gently away from the door, I pulled her close as Az slipped by us to check on Rich.
"He's burning up," Az said loud enough for me to hear. "And he's muttering absolute nonsense."
"Wouldn't Ma love her? Come on, Joe, you know I'm right." Rich spoke as if to highlight Az's words.
"Shit. I'll call Lacey."
"Not Harrison?" Victoria asked, barely containing the panic laced in her tone.
"No, Lacey already knows we're here and she has the resources to take care of Rich. As much as we all respect Doc, we can't risk it. Why don't you go wake the others while I make the call."
She looked from me to Rich and took a step toward the bed. "I should be here. He's sick and…" She trailed off, searching for something to use as a reason to stay by Rich's bedside.
I thought momentarily, trying to think how Joey or Craig might approach her since she found their presence comforting. I reached for her slowly, gently, and turned her to face me. I chucked her under the chin and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
"He's going to be okay, ma petite . We're going to get him help, but we need to make sure the others know what's going on. Do that for us?"
Her bottom lip trembled, but she nodded silently and moved across the room toward Craig and Joey's door. I blew out a breath, satisfied that I'd managed to emulate my friends well enough to get her moving, and turned back into my room. Absently, I rubbed my knuckles against my chest, the expression on her face stirring hope I didn't know I was capable of. Stowing the thought for later, I raced to the nightstand I'd claimed and retrieved one of my burner phones.
"Do you know what time it is?" Lacey hissed when she finally answered our coded ring system.
"Rich needs a doctor." I replied, ignoring the thinly veiled venom in her tone. "Get your ass up and get one here."
I could hear movement on her end of the line and the hushed whisper of her voice as she soothed whoever was in her bed back to sleep. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Make it faster, Lacey." I shot back, ending the call before she could reply and moving back into the den. "Help's on the way," I said to nobody in particular.
Joey sped out of his room so quickly that he nearly slid across the floor. "What's wrong with my brother?" he asked as he approached his bedside.
Rich's unfocused eyes landed on Joey, and his face became childlike. "It's not fair Dad, I told him he had to ask to use my stuff!"
"What?" Joey said, looking at Rich with confusion.
"Is he hallucinating?" Craig asked, following behind Joey a moment later, a laptop in his hand.
"What the fuck is happening?"
"If someone will tell me his symptoms, I might be able to narrow down what's going on while we wait for help. So, is he hallucinating?" Craig asked again.
"If y'all are smart, you'll stay away from Mrs. Bristol's daughter. You're asking for trouble following her around like whipped puppies." Rich all but shouted, rolling his head in Az's direction. "She's too young for you, she's only ten." He continued squinting his eyes as he tried to focus. "I'm looking at you in particular Az."
"He's definitely hallucinating." Craig said, typing away on his laptop while Az shifted awkwardly and took a keen interest in the floor when Victoria turned to look at him.
"This feels like a front row seat to a replay of y'all's childhoods." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Victoria stepped forward, pushing past the others to check Rich's temperature with her wrist. In a sudden moment of semi-clarity, Rich grabbed her arm. He jerked her onto his lap roughly, burying his face in her neck and inhaling deeply.
"The things I want to do to you, Princess." He said just loud enough for the rest of us to hear.
I was beside the pullout in two short steps, plucking Victoria from his grasp. "Now's not the time, big guy. You couldn't handle her in your current condition." I chuckled.
"Bunny, why don't you grab some Tylenol from the bathroom and a glass of water?" Craig spoke. "We can at least start dealing with his fever." He waited until she was out of sight before his face fell into a grim expression. "So, I know WebMD is always death and doom, but it's looking a whole lot like Rich might be turning septic. I hope Google is wrong, but nothing else makes sense with the symptoms we're seeing."
"His wounds looked fine when I checked this morning." Az said. "Granted, the bastard fought me over taking a look, but I didn't see anything to point toward infection."
"I've been shot and maimed enough to know that there's not always external signs." I interjected before Craig could respond. "Rich is a pin cushion of bullet wounds, any one of them could have abscessed without us noticing."
Az made a noise and nodded his head ever so slightly toward the direction of the bathroom just before we heard her footsteps padding quickly across the floor, so we let the subject drop for now. She would hear it from whatever doctor Lacey brought. Still, I imagined the rest of the group were of the same mind, not particularly interested in being the bearers of more potential bad news.
She gave him a couple of Tylenol and one of his pain pills and gingerly helped him with the water so that he could swallow them. He continued to mumble unintelligible things, carrying on conversations in his mind that none of us were privy to. There was little we could do but wait and hope what we'd given him worked. Joey and Az worked him out of his sweat-soaked shirt while the rest of us paced around, checking the time.
A knock at the front door sent me racing to answer it. Lacey stood outside looking annoyed, and I stepped back to allow her inside. An older man stepped in behind her with a black leather bag, and another younger man followed him.
"He's just over there," Lacey addressed the men, pointing toward the nook.
I waited until the pair moved away and roughly grabbed Lacey by the arm. "What the fuck are you thinking bringing some random dude with you? Are you trying to get our location leaked?" I whisper-shouted as I leaned into her space.
Lacey frowned, pushing my shoulder to force me back. "You asked me to bring help. If you didn't want it, you shouldn't have called."
"I asked for a doctor, not whoever the fuck was warming your bed when I called." My anger caused my voice to rise above the hushed tones I was aiming for. "I'm starting to think you're trying to get Victoria killed and us with her."
"Honestly, Leighton, get control of yourself." She replied, shaking her head and turning to move toward the nook.
I seethed momentarily as I watched her join the group around Rich's bed before following her. She sidled up to his bedside and sat on the edge across from the doctor, who was busy taking Rich's vitals.
"Looking a little worse for wear there, big guy." Lacey crooned, brushing her fingers against Rich's shoulder.
He turned his unfocused gaze toward her and smiled tenderly. "I've had worse. What happened to Daddy? When did I become ‘big guy', Princess?"
Lacey's brows knit together in confusion. "Well, when did you start calling me ‘princess'?"
Rich chuckled and groaned at the movement. "We've called you Princess since we met you, Tory. You sure you're okay?" He said lightly before slipping back off into unconsciousness.
Lacey stiffened, barely contained rage flitting across her face as Az stifled a laugh. Standing in one smooth motion, Lacey schooled her features before excusing herself from the room. I shot the guys an amused look. Being called by Victoria's name was the least of what my sister deserved, and we deserved a second to revel in that.
"Is something funny?" Victoria asked, her gaze flitting between us all in confusion.
Joey shook his head, smirking, before squeezing her shoulder. "I'll tell you later, Sweetheart. Just know we're not laughing at Rich."
Looking toward the doctor one last time, I slipped away from the others to follow my sister outside. She was standing on the far end of the porch, her arms crossed in front of her chest, scowling toward the door.
"Ah, did whittle wacey get her feewings hurt?" I cooed, barely able to contain my glee.
Her entire demeanor shifted as if she were a shark sensing blood in the water. Uncrossing her arms, she plastered a saccharine smile on and stalked toward me.
"Did someone get booted from the harem?" She drawled.
"What the fuck are you on about?"
"Awe, come now LeLe, the only reason you'd be out here attempting to gloat is if your precious Princess has shut you out. She did give the impression the last time I spoke with her that you were the last man she'd turn to for anything, let alone comfort in her time of need."
"Fuck off, Lacey. You don't know what the hell you're talking about." I gritted out, anger coiling tight in my chest.
"What did you do, anyway, that got you banned from her bed?" Lacey smiled viciously.
"What's going on between any of us and Victoria is none of your business. You're the last person I'd seek relationship advice from." I spat.
Lacey leaned back, her eyes raking over me as she pursed her lips. "Interesting. You think you're in love with the spoiled thing, and you've done something that's left you on the outside pining away like a poor, lost lamb."
I cocked my head at my sister, considering whether or not she was worth breaking my one rule. As much as I enjoyed causing pain, I'd never hurt a woman who wasn't willing or an immediate threat that couldn't be handled another way.
"Poor, broken Leighton. Such a sad, lost, hollow little puppet even after all these years." Lacey crooned. "Obsessed with another woman who will never want you the way you want her. If only you were a real boy and could feel things like they do."
"Stop telling me how I feel." I hissed, clenching my fists by my side.
"Why? It's not as if you could figure out how you feel on your own." She snapped. "I warned you; I won't deal with another Angelica incident."
Her gaze flicked over my shoulder as she finished her sentence, causing me to turn my head to see what had drawn her attention. Victoria stood just over the threshold, guilt painting her face. It was enough to tell me she'd heard enough of the conversation to know she was intruding. I tried to relax my face into a reassuring smile. Whatever she saw there caused her eyebrows to raise in alarm before she hurried back inside and closed the door. My shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing I must have scared her.
"You know I'm not responsible for what our mother did, Lacey so why the fuck are you doing this shit to me?" Victoria's reaction left me not caring how my sister would weaponize my words against me.
"I'm trying to protect you from yourself, LeLe." Lacey sighed, her face softening.
"I'm not a child anymore. I don't need your protection." I replied, turning and stomping toward the door. Glancing over my shoulder, I called back to my sister. "I used to think that being like you and our parents was just who I am, but I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't you that stunted me."
Shoving the door open, my eyes popped open in surprise as Victoria stumbled back, a sheepish look on her face.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have been eavesdropping," She muttered as I caught her arm to steady her. "If it makes you feel better about it, I didn't hear everything, and it offered me a much-needed distraction from what's happening over there."
"Are you offering me an olive branch, ma petit démone ?" I chuckled, leading her back toward the nook.
Victoria looked up at me, studying my face. I could see the gears in her head turning as she worked out how to answer.
"I think I'm starting to realize why you are the way you are." She said finally. "But I still haven't decided if that means an olive branch. I'll let you know when I do."
Before I could respond, she slipped into Joey's arms and turned her gaze to Rich. He was still unconscious, but now there was an I.V. line in his arm, and the younger guy was jerking a painting from the wall to hang the bag on the exposed nail.
"I have good news, and I have bad news." The doctor spoke, addressing all of us. "It appears your friend here is turning septic. It's easy enough to treat, but if we want to ensure that he doesn't get worse, he will need more than antibiotics, pressors, and I.V. fluids."
"Whatever it is, Lacey will get it for us, Doc." I interjected.
"It's not that simple, son. The nurse and I will need to reopen his abdominal wound and evacuate the abscess that I believe to be the cause of his situation. Unless you all are willing to have him transported to a hospital, the procedure itself poses serious risk since this isn't exactly a sterile environment."
"We're not taking him to a hospital. It's too risky." Az confirmed.
"Hey, now wait a fucking minute. Is the risk of someone finding him there anymore than the risk of having him have surgery in a fucking cabin in the woods?!" Joey exclaimed, pulling away from Victoria as he turned his attention to Az. "You can't just decide that!"
"I can. With Rich indisposed, I'm the one that makes those calls."
"And I'm the next of kin. I'm the only one who can make his medical decisions while he's indisposed." Joey snapped.
"This isn't a democracy Joey, and you know damned well next of kin means fuck all in our line of work. You don't have to like it, but do you really think with everyone looking for us, risking another shootout, this time in a fucking hospital while Rich is in surgery, is wise?" Az bit back.
"If he dies, Casadei, it's on your head. You can explain how he died to Ma and Pa." Joey growled at Az before turning on his heel and storming from the cabin.
Victoria stared after him in bewilderment, and I sidled up next to her. "You don't want to be here for this anyway, ma petit démone. Go check on your guy and keep him from doing something he'll regret."
She gave me a surprised look as if she was blown away by my perceptiveness and nodded. Shooting her a wink, I turned her back toward the door and gave her a gentle push to get her moving. Turning back to face the bed, I subtly shifted to block her view if she decided to do something stupid, like look back.
"Fellas, I didn't mean we'd do the surgery in the bed." The doc spoke, "I need a flat, clean surface to work on."
"Dining room table it is." I shrugged. "Come on, Craig, let's bleach the fucking thing before we move him."
We wiped the table down with clean water before finding the bleach and dousing the table and the surrounding area. I stepped away while Craig was wiping up the excess to find something to cover the floor. It took a minute, but I found some old painter's plastic in a closet. I came back and started laying it out under and around the table while Craig moved the chairs away.
We'd barely finished cleaning and preparing the space when Az yelled for one of us to come help him move Rich into the dining room. It took the three of us to carry him easily from his nook and lay him out on the table.
"Fuck, dead weight is heavy." I said absently after we'd finally gotten him in position on the table.
Az cut his eyes to me with a narrowed side-eye. "Really, L?"
"That's… not how I meant it to come out," I said after realization dawned on me. We were all tense, and I was doing my best to try and be aware of what might make it worse.
"This isn't going to be pleasant without anesthesia, boys. You may have to help, so I need everyone to scrub up. We can do our best to keep it as clean as possible." The doctor said matter-of-factly as he started the seemingly overly complicated process of washing his hands.
We mimicked what he'd done after he finished and took up ready positions around the table in case we were needed. The younger guy, I'd finally realized must be a nurse, had done as thorough a job as possible disinfecting Rich's wound and the tools the doc would need and was now placing them on the table beside Rich. Grumbling about the lack of gloves, the doc moved to his side and picked up his scalpel, dragging it along the line of stitches in Rich's abdomen.
No sooner than the doctor had started cleaning away the abscess–that had become sickly apparent as the scent of infection filled the dining room–Rich came to sudden consciousness and started screaming. He started squirming, yelling, and trying to stop the pain that he didn't understand.
"Little help here boys." The doctor said; somehow, his voice was still as calm as it had been when examining Rich before.
Az and Craig flew into action to pin his arms away from his body while the nurse held down his legs.
"Watch the door, L. Make sure Joey doesn't come running in here with a gun." Az shouted over Rich's screaming. "The last thing we need is him dropping me while I'm holding his brother still."
I snickered at the image that called to mind. "He's not going to shoot you. But he still doesn't need to see it." I said as I moved to the door.
"Victoria doesn't need to see this shit either." Craig added offhandedly as he struggled with Rich's attempts to flail against his hold.
I bit back the urge to tell the doc to work fast as Rich's screams became the background music to the doctor's movements. Taking in the sweat starting to bead the doc's brow, I realized it was going to be a long fucking night.