Chapter 39 DAN
DAN
“You look like shit.” Dom’s voice has me cracking open one eye as I tilt my head in his direction.
“Good to see you too, brother.” Pain ripples in my side as I try to adjust myself. “Fuck.” I groan and clench my back teeth.
“Here, let me lift the bed if you want to sit up.” He holds the remote control for the bed and pushes a button.
The electronics hum as I’m raised slowly, my hand clutching the padding over my ribs.
“Want me to get the nurse?”
“Yeah. I need more pain relief. This stings like a bitch.” Sweat coats my skin and I let out a strangled breath as another ripple of pain hits. “Have you seen Rose?”
Dom pushes a button at the side of the bed for the nurse. “Yeah, she’s in the ICU, still unconscious, but stable after the op.” Dom sits in the chair next to the bed. “The kid and Elio are with her now.”
I wipe my brow. My body temperature climbs as nausea rises from my stomach. “I’m gonna be sick.”
Dom hands me a cardboard bowl and I vomit the small remnants of food I have in my belly.
The nurse hands me a tissue and a glass of water. “It’s the side effects of the anaesthesia.” She takes the sick bowl from me. “I’ll get you some more pain relief, but it will probably make you drowsy again.”
I nod. “A coma is the best thing for her. I don’t want her in this kind of pain.”
Dom’s lips curve upwards in the corner as he reclines back in the chair.
“What’s that shit-eating grin for?”
“I always knew she was the one. It’s why I’ve never known you to be with a woman longer than a week.” He shakes his head. “I should’ve realised it thirteen years ago when you said you needed more time for the mission. The only extra intel you wanted was to find out the colour of her knickers.”
I glare at him in a warning. “You mention my future wife’s knickers one more time and I’ll kick your arse.”
“I’d like to see you try. The only thing you’ll be kicking is the bucket if you don’t take it easy.
” Dom smirks, stretching his legs out in front of him like he’s at home.
“Face it, you’re not the intimidating hard-ass you were before they sliced you open.
You’re just a guy in a gown flashing his arse every time he shifts in bed.
” He chuckles. “And it’s not your best angle. ”
I scowl at him, adjusting the sheet over my lap. “Piss off. I could still beat your ass in one-to-one combat.”
He chuckles again, clearly enjoying himself. “Look at you, all helpless and cranky. You need anything? Extra pillow? Cup of tea? Bed bath?”
I shoot him a murderous look. “If you come near me with a sponge, I will end you.”
He holds his hands up. “All right, all right. No need to get your stitches in a twist.” His smile fades slightly, and he exhales, running a hand over his face. “You scared the shit out of me, man.”
I sigh, some of the tension draining from my shoulders. “Yeah, well… you and me both.”
Dom nods, his gaze flickering to the machines beeping quietly beside me. “When I walked in, you looked half dead. Rose was already fighting for her life, and then you pull this self-sacrificing shit—”
“She needed me,” I say, my voice hoarse. “And I’d do it again.”
“Yeah, well, don’t. You’re not some invincible superhero, Dan.
You’ve got a kid now who needs you around.
” His jaw tightens before he forces a grin back onto his face.
“And, selfishly, I don’t fancy spending the rest of my days explaining to people how my idiot brother bled out on an operating table because he had a hero complex. ”
“Having a hero complex must run in the family.” I nod at his leg. “How’s that bullet wound, Dom?”
Dom leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Getting shot by my woman’s psychotic relative isn’t the same as offering a piece of your liver.”
The nurse returns with my pain relief. “I think it’s really heroic what you did, sir.”
Dom waves a hand in the air. “Don’t go fanning his hero complex. Tell him he needs to put himself first and take care of himself before he can take care of anyone else.”
She gives me a drink of water. “We’ll get you back on your feet in a few days or so.”
“Can I see Rose?”
“We’ll get you out of bed in a while and I can wheel you to her room so you can sit with her.” She takes the water from me with a smile and walks back to the front desk.
“How’s Angelos doing?”
“He’s a moody little bastard, but that’s to be expected.” Dom quirks a grin. “Must take after his old man.”
I huff out something between a chuckle and a groan with the pain in my abdomen. “What if the kid hates me?”
“He doesn’t.”
“He tried to put a bullet in me.”
“The kid’s got balls. I must admit there’ve been times I’ve wanted to do the same.”
Another huff of a laugh sends a shooting pain to my lungs. Everything aches. “Stop making me laugh. It hurts.”
“At least the kid’s grandma likes you.”
“How’s Elio been with you?”
Dom shrugs a shoulder. “He doesn’t like me pointing out the weaknesses in his security. His mother keeps him in line. I think you giving up an organ has earned you a sliver of respect.”
Dom watches as I blink sluggishly, the painkillers already working their magic. "Christ, you’re a lightweight. One shot of morphine and you're halfway to snoring."
I let out a grunt, my head sinking heavier into the pillow. "Not a lightweight… just appreciating modern medicine."
"Right. That’s why you look like you’re about to drool all over yourself."
I crack one eye open, fighting through the drowsiness. "You’re a real pain in my arse, you know that?"
Dom huffs out a laugh. "Oh, I know. And you’re an even bigger pain in mine. But lucky for you, I’m too damn fond of your ugly mug to let you die on me."
I huff out a weak laugh. "Touching. You gonna get that put on a greeting card?"
"Already in the works. ‘Happy Birthday—don’t die, you stubborn bastard.’"
My eyelids grow heavier, my body sinking deeper into the mattress. The warmth of the painkillers dulls everything, making it easier to let go.
Dom’s voice softens just a fraction. "Get some sleep, yeah? You earned it. And when you wake up, I’ll be here to remind you of what an absolute idiot you are."
I let out a half-hearted grunt, but I don’t fight it.
“Bloody hero complex.”
On the verge of sleep, the warmth of the morphine dulling the ache in my side, I don’t have the energy to respond. As my eyelids grow heavier, I hear Dom mutter, “Told you she was the one,” and even half-conscious, I know he’s right.