CHAPTER TWENTY
Byron
I stared down at the hospital bed listening to the machines beep as Jess slept. She had a severe concussion from her head hitting the rock wall when Skeeter threw her. Thank goodness the doctors had ruled out a brain bleed.
She was also waiting to undergo surgery on her right humerus.
The bullet had hit her right in the bone, shattered it, and gotten wedged there.
A ligament in her shoulder had been completely destroyed, so they would have to put a donor ligament in to repair it properly.
The surgery would be extensive. She also would have to undergo several months of physical therapy.
I told the doctors I would help her through anything.
“She’ll need full-time care for at least a couple of weeks after she’s released,” one doctor had said. “Maybe longer.”
“She’s my girlfriend and she lives with me,” I said. “I’ll be caring for her.”
That’s when the fighting had started.
“Whoa, my friend,” Nadine said. She’d been treated, released, and told not to talk too much. Reynolds had laughed and told them they didn’t know Nadine. She’d given him a look.
“Nadine,” I said, using the doctor’s orders to my full advantage, “you shouldn’t strain your voice.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to work.” She crossed her arms. “She’s my sister, and I’m going to take care of her. You only have her because you won her in the auction.”
“Auction?” the doctor sounded horrified. “What kind of auction?”
Every eye in the room had turned to stare at the doctor.
“Well, it’s kind of a sex auction, but it’s not as bad as it sounds…” Nadine continued every though we were all motioning for her to stop talking.
“I’m not sure that we’ll be releasing Ms. Walker to any of you,” the doctor said, a frown creasing his forehead violently.
“I’ll be keeping her, doctor,” Jess’ mom, fresh out of treatment for agoraphobia, spoke up.
Nadine’s mom patted her hand. Ironically, the two women had become the best of friends despite having both been married to the same man at the same time. “I’ll help you take care of her. I’d like to think of Jess as my niece or something.”
The doctor had nodded. “We’ll see.” Then he turned on some sort of device. “I’m going to need counseling in room 240 for a welfare check,” he said into it, not seeming to care whether we heard him or not.
Later, Jess had to assure what seemed like everyone in the hospital that we weren’t trafficking her. Oh, the irony! We had saved her from trafficking. But they didn’t need to hear that whole story.
Now, I stared down at her as I drank my crappy cup of hospital coffee.
I’d been so scared when she’d first gotten to the hospital.
It had taken us forever to get back out of that cave.
I had plenty of certifications in basic first aid.
You need that as a bodyguard for this exact type of situation.
I’d done my very best with a tourniquet.
I’d stripped off my shirt and ripped off two swaths of fabric to use.
Later, once Jess was safely under a doctor’s care, Reynolds had accused me of wanting to show off my abs.
I think between the pirate eyepatch and the raggedy shirt, I’m probably not attracting the kind of attention he’s thinking I am.
Although Nadine did say the look was ‘dead sexy.’ I’m guessing she’s going to make Reynolds dress up as a pirate soon for some of their shenanigans that nobody wants to hear about.
Except Leo. He always wants to hear, the perv. But he’s probably the one friend that Reynolds doesn’t like to confide in. He still worries that he continues to harbor a crush for Nadine. Maybe he does. I have no clue.
“Byron?” Jess’ mom peeked in the room. “Would you like to come to the cafeteria with us once they take Jessica Fletcher up for surgery?”
Nadine’s mama, never one to hold back, put her hands on her hips. “You know, that name doesn’t hit like you want it to. Jessica Fletcher can’t work as a double name like Mary Sue or Anna Kate. It just can’t.”
Jess’ mom held her head up high. “That’s your opinion. I happen to disagree. I’ve been calling my daughter Jessica Fletcher her whole life, and I’m not about to stop now.”
“Lunch would be really nice.” I smiled at both of them, deciding to cut the potential fight off before it really got started. I didn’t want to take sides. I planned on Jess’ mom being my future mother-in-law, after all.
But Nadine’s mama was kind of scary. I did not want to end up on her bad side.
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