Chapter Two #2
I shouldered my way behind her and headed past the cubicles filled with emergency patients.
Some were alone, and others had a loved one hovering over them.
Monitors and machines beeped quietly, keeping the nursing station informed of their conditions.
Weekends were always busy, and the nurses were the front line of defense.
Thor’s lips twitched upward in a weak smile when I slid behind the curtain sectioning his cubicle off from the rest of the chaos.
His face was pale, and an IV line trailed from a bag of plasma into his arm.
The blood had stopped dripping, which I took to be a good sign.
A nurse was busy hooking up a monitor up to track his vital signs.
“Bet you didn’t think the night was going to end up with you back at work quite this soon.” He reached out a hand toward me, and I winced at the raw flesh on his knuckles.
I plastered a smile on my face and gently placed my hand in his. “Nope. If you wanted a tour of the place, you could have asked.”
He grasped my hand. “More fun this way, don’t you think?”
Joker poked his head behind the curtain. “I’m going to wait up front and direct Daryl when he gets here. I notified Ace and the guys, so once you’re finished grandstanding for Janet, they might want to see you.”
Thor narrowed his eyes. “Asshole.”
Joker laughed. “Feeling better already, I see.” The look he threw my way, though, showed how concerned he was. He’d been a medic in the SEALs and the fact that he was worried ramped up my fear.
I shied away from wondering just how bad this was.
* * *
Thor
The knife wound burned like fire. I fucking hoped the asshole had cleaned the damn knife recently.
Dying of an infected knife wound was not how I wanted to end my life.
Hell, I hadn’t been patched into Riptide all that long.
I wanted to enjoy bossing some of the prospects around for a while before I bit the dust.
Janet dragged the plastic chair closer to the bed without letting go of my hand. “What happened? I went to the bathroom and when I came out you and Joker were both outside.”
I took a deep breath. “I saw a couple guys drag a girl out the back door. Thought she needed help, so I followed. Turned out to be an ambush.” I gave her the lighter version of the story.
She was already skittish about settling down with a biker.
I didn’t want to give her any more reasons to hesitate.
I was already picturing cute little girl babies with her smile and my stubborn streak.
She frowned. “Do you know who those guys were?”
“Fuck, no. Never seen them before today. I haven’t led the life of a saint, but I don’t think anyone personally wants me dead. Maybe someone has a grudge against Riptide or ex-SEALs and I was just a handy target. I’ll get Shadow to look into it once I get out of here.”
A strange look crossed her face, but she gave my hand a squeeze just as two uniformed cops shouldered their way in.
She changed from concerned girlfriend to woman in charge in less than two seconds.
Jumping to her feet, she faced them with her hands on hips, barring them from approaching any closer.
“This patient is not up to being questioned yet. Who let you in here?”
The young receptionist rushed in behind the intruders. “No one. I told them they had to wait, but they pushed right past me.”
“Well, you can push your way back to the waiting room.” Janet raised her arm and pointed the way back to the lobby. “The doctor will let you know when this man is available to talk.”
The first cop started to speak. “But there’s been a --”
“Go! Now!” Janet stomped her foot, gesturing toward the exit.
I had to swallow a shit-faced grin. My woman was magnificent when she was mad.
The cops backed up slowly. They were not happy. “You know we can get a subpoena?” growled the taller of the two.
Janet took a step forward, forcing the man to back up further. “Have at it. I’m sure the judge will be thrilled to be pulled away from his family on a Saturday evening to issue a subpoena to talk to a victim in need of urgent medical care.”
“Biker bitch.” The cop mumbled the insult under his breath.
Janet’s eyes opened wide. “Excuse me?”
The receptionist chuckled and whipped out her phone to snap a picture.
“What’s that for?” the second cop demanded.
“Just something to remember you by. In case you come back some day. Plus, I need some content for the staff newsletter. I thought I’d title it The Dragon And Her Victims .”
He opened his mouth to reply, but his partner grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the exit. “Let’s go.”
With a final glare that took in all three of us, the cops stomped off in the direction of the waiting room. Janet turned and came back to stand beside me. “You, okay?”
I nodded. “Other than the knife wound and a few bruises? Yeah.” I reached up to twine my fingers in her hair, tugging suggestively. “Wanna have some fun?”
The receptionist cleared her throat. “I’ll just get back to my station. You two behave yourselves now. I’m pretty sure there’s a rule against fraternizing with a patient.”
“He’s not my patient.” Janet didn’t take her eyes off me. “He’s my boyfriend.”
The receptionist raised one brow and eyed me up. “I’m not sure ‘boy’ is a fitting description, but okay.” She sauntered out the door.
I started to laugh and winced as a shaft of white-hot pain lanced through my side.
Janet’s face turned to a mask of concern just as a doctor bustled into the room, clipboard in hand. He hesitated a moment when he saw Janet, then turned his attention to me. “Mr. Stennson?”
“Call me Thor.”
Janet straightened up, backing away from the bed to give the doctor some room to work. I missed her warm touch.
“Tell me what happened.” The doctor put the clipboard down and started to examine me. I gave him the short version, leaving out the part where I thought it was an ambush.
“So, how’s the other guy?” he joked.
“One dead, one ran away.”
A startled look replaced the easy smile.
“Two against one? You’re lucky to be here.
” Unwinding a stethoscope from around his neck, he continued his exam.
A few minutes later, he straightened up.
“You are lucky. The knife missed your aorta by about half an inch, and any other major organs as well. It left a nasty gash though and we can’t know how dirty the weapon was, so I’m going to clean it out and then stitch it up.
I’ll numb the area first.” He addressed Janet, jerking his chin toward the waiting room.
“You can wait out there. The nurse will let you know when we’re done. ”
Before she could react, I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to my side. “She stays.”
The doctor shook his head. “This will be messy, and we may need to restrain you. It’s best if your friend isn’t present.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No. She stays. I’m sure she’s seen worse.”
The idiot actually softened his voice like he thought he was talking to someone missing a few brain cells. “I’m sure she has, but she knows you, and people don’t react well to seeing someone they care about in pain, even if it’s necessary.”
I started to sit up. “She goes and I go with her.”
“You’re wounded.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” I pressed down on the bandage on the wound and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“Fine.” The doctor scowled at Janet. “But if you get in the way, I’m getting security to haul your ass out of here.”
That pissed me off. No one talked to my woman like that. “Touch one hair on her head, and I’ll personally make sure you know why one of those guys is in the morgue.”
The doctor turned on his heel and walked out without a word.
I looked at Janet, who shrugged like it was no big deal, but I could see that worried little crease on her forehead. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, but that wasn’t something I was good at.
The doctor returned moments later, followed by a nurse pushing a cart neatly covered with what appeared to be a dish towel.
You know, those big white ones they use if you have to wash the damn plates by hand.
She gave me what I assumed was supposed to be a comforting smile.
She greeted Janet before turning to me. “Hi there. My name is Samantha. Janet can tell you I’m the best nurse in the hospital.
Just relax, and we’ll try to make this as painless as possible. ”
Ignoring Janet completely, the doctor glared at me. His bedside manner wasn’t nearly as good as the nurse. “Lie down and behave.”
I looked over at Janet, and she gave me a slight nod of her head, so I did as I was told. This was her turf, and I didn’t want to cause her any grief.
The doctor and the nurse conversed in hushed tones over the towel covered cart. The nurse removed the towel and picked up something. She turned, and I could see the big fucking needle in her hands. I wasn’t sure if that smile was reassuring or evil. I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth.
The whole thing went as well as could be expected.
I wasn’t good at lying still and letting people manhandle me.
Went against everything I fucking believed.
Yeah, the needle was to numb the area, but it only worked after they finished playing with the fucking thing.
Once that took hold, the doctor kept up a running conversation while he worked.
I didn’t think he was expecting me to answer so I let him ramble on.
He used a needle and a synthetic thread instead of staples which were more common these days, explaining what he did and why as he worked.
He was old school and thought stitches healed better with less chance of infection than staples.
I didn’t care what he used as long as we got this over with.
Once he was done, he warned me to take it easy and left the nurse to bandage me up and clean up the mess.
She’d just finished when there was a commotion in the lobby and Ace came in, followed by Daryl, the club lawyer.
The nurse packed up her little trolley and left the room.
Janet was back at my side, and after a piercing appraisal of my condition, Ace turned to her.
“Do you mind letting us have a few minutes alone with this idiot?”
Janet gave my hand a squeeze. “Sure. I’ll just go check to see what the doctor put on his chart.” She’d been around the club long enough to know we didn’t discuss business in front of anyone not a patched-in member, and that included our old ladies or girlfriends.
After Janet left, I told Ace and Daryl how things had gone down.
Daryl made notes in a little pad he kept on him.
Most guys would use their phone and record stuff these days, but Daryl didn’t trust technology for that kind of thing.
“They can hack just about anything, “he’d told me once, “but they can’t hack a pad of paper jammed in your pocket.”
“Self-defense.” Ace’s mouth formed a grim line. “It sounds like someone has it in for you.”
“Any witnesses? Camera footage from the pub, maybe?” That was Daryl, into proof mode.
I shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at the stitches.
Freezing sure didn’t last long. “The girl was in on it, so not likely any help there even if we knew how to find her. Not sure about cameras. It would be nice, but you’ll have to go ask them.
I was too fucking busy trying to stay alive to check for entertainment systems.”
Daryl scribbled some more notes. “The cops are going to want to talk to you. Dead bodies make more work for them, and they don’t like that.”
“They were here already, but Janet threw them out before they got anywhere near me.”
“Good for her.” Ace narrowed his eyes and turned to Daryl. “Can you set up a time for them to interview him? At the clubhouse would be great, but I doubt they’ll agree to that.”
“No problem. These things always go better when we control them.” He eyed the bulky bandage on my torso.
“If they keep Rambo here in hospital, we can do it once he’s in a room.
Nice neutral ground. If not, I’ll make a point of you and I both being there.
Play up the wounded victim thing. They’ve already talked to Joker, but he wasn’t there until after the fact. ”
“It’s Thor, not Rambo,” I muttered.
Daryl grinned for the first time since entering the room. “Yeah. I know.” He tucked his notepad back into this pocket and looked at Ace. “You can let me know if they’re keeping him or not. In the meantime, no one talks to the cops unless I’m present. Understood?”
Ace nodded. “Understood. We’ll be in touch.”
Daryl gripped my hand. “Take it easy, bro. I’ll take care of the legal shit. You just focus on getting well and maybe tying down that little chick. Not that you deserve her, but I think she’s good for you.”
Ace barked out a laugh. “He’s been trying. She’s playing hard to get.”
Daryl shook his head. “Can’t say as I blame her. Who wants to be tied down to a guy who doesn’t even see an ambush coming?”
“Asshole.” I looked around for something to throw, but he ducked out past the curtain before I had a chance.
Ace settled down beside the bed. Stretcher, actually.
Calling this thing a bed was a bit optimistic.
“I’ve got a couple of prospects out in the waiting room.
I imagine your woman has spotted them. They’ll be ready if you get cut loose, or they’ll guard your room if you have to stay for a day or two. ”
I scowled. “I don’t need armed guards at my room.”
“Not negotiable. Until we know you weren’t a target, or until you’re healed up enough to defend yourself, you get a shadow.”
“Who decides when I’m well enough?”
Ace smirked. “I think I’ll leave that up to the woman who chased the cops out of the room. I have a feeling she cares about you a lot more than she’s willing to admit.”