Chapter 9 #2
I irrigate both the entrance and exit wounds with sterile saline until the worst of the blood is gone. The exit wound is ragged, but the edges are clean enough that I think I can bring them together.
“I’m going to close up the larger tear,” I say. “This might wake him up again, but I need him to stay still.”
“We’ve got it,” Ravage says from where he stands next to me, his hands on Crusher’s legs. “You do your thing.”
I don’t wait for anyone else to chime in.
I ignore everything else and focus on pulling the torn edges of flesh together and making sutures that’ll stay.
I don’t worry about making them neat or looking pretty.
Somehow, I think Crusher will be happier being alive and scarred, than dead with a quilting stitch.
When I get to the end, I check my sutures and the area around them to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and then I tie things off. A quick knot and a snip of the scissors… and I’m done. I pull off my gloves and throw them onto the drape.
I straighten, grimacing at how stiff my muscles are from being bent over and tense for however long things took. Knowing I can’t relax yet, I reach down and check Crusher’s pulse. It’s a little slower than I like, but it’s even and strong, and I close my eyes in relief.
“Is he gonna be okay?” Cipher asks the question I know everyone is thinking.
I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep, so I tell them the truth. “Barring complications, yeah. He should make a full recovery.”
I bend down again and rummage through the medical kit. “As well as pain killers, he’ll probably need some antibiotics. I tried to keep everything as sterile as possible, but the clubhouse isn’t an OR. What does Cutter usually do?”
“I’ll text him and ask,” Ace offers.
“How long until we know he’s okay?” Creed asks as he sets down the flashlight.
I shrug. “He lost a lot of blood. If he remains stable over the next few hours then hopefully, that means he’ll be fine. If things change then you need to get him to a hospital.”
Creed nods and then shocks the hell out of me by taking both my hands in his.
“You should go wash up,” he says. “We’ll clean things up here and get Crusher somewhere we can keep an eye on him.”
I look down and realize my jeans are soaked in blood. Except this isn’t from an animal. It’s human blood, and it belongs to someone I’ve come to know.
The reality hits me and I feel a surge of nausea.
I nod at Creed, not trusting myself to speak, and then hurry to my room.
I tear off my clothes and take the time in the shower to let myself go and have a mini breakdown.
My tears mix with the hot spray, and I let the water wash it away with the pinkish swirls going down the drain.
When I get out of the shower twenty minutes later, I’m composed, cleaner, and feeling more optimistic than I have in a long time.
Things aren’t perfect, and I’m not naive enough to think everything’s going to be easy from here on out but saving Crusher’s life is a win I didn’t know I needed.
Not just because I’m not a sociopath and don’t want to see someone die right in front of me, but because despite them not trusting me—or even liking me in some cases—this club is protecting me and looking for my sister.
I open my door and nearly trip over a box sitting in the hall.
My name’s on it and I take a minute to pull it into my room and open it.
It’s a medical kit just like Cutter’s. Inside are all sorts of medical supplies and I can’t help wondering if one of the guys raided a pharmacy.
After what I just saw and did, I’m not about to question it and I shove the box under my bed to go through more closely later on.
I realize that not only have I proven myself, I think I’ve gotten myself a new role.
When I walk into the main room, I can feel something has changed, and it’s not just that Crusher isn’t on the table anymore and everything’s been cleaned up. The looks the men send my way aren’t suspicious. They come with nods and even smiles, welcoming rather than tolerating.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d want alcohol or coffee, so I grabbed both.” Vandal holds out a beer and a cup of coffee. “Cipher’s with Crusher right now and he said he’ll come get you if something goes wrong. Cutter says ‘good job’. We texted him a photo of your work and told him what went down.”
“Thanks.” I take the beer with an awkward smile. Vandal’s never been cold or mean to me, but I know he’s one of the guys who hasn’t liked me being here. “My nerves are a little too jumbled for caffeine right now.”
“I’ll keep the pot on if you change your mind.”
“Thanks,” I say again as he walks away. I didn’t even think about how my helping Crusher might change some of the attitudes toward me.
“How’re you doing?” Creed asks, startling me as he comes up beside me. “What you did took a lot of balls.”
“I’m okay,” I say before taking a long drink of beer. “Did Crusher wake up when you moved him?”
Creed shakes his head, still looking worried. “Whoever’s watching him when he wakes up is supposed to come get me. There’re questions that need answered.”
I’m about to warn Creed not to push too hard, but I’m interrupted by Stray. To my surprise, he addresses me instead of Creed.
“Do you need something to eat? Shit like that’s gotta have your blood sugar all fucked up.” He lifts a shoulder when Creed gives him a look. “My mom had diabetes. I read up on blood sugar and insulin and all that.”
“Thank you, Stray,” I say. “I think I need my stomach to settle a little more before I eat.”
“All right,” he says. “Let any of us know. We’ll get you whatever you want.”
“You’ve got yourself a fan club,” Creed says wryly as his hand settles into its usual place at the small of my back. “You saved a brother’s life. We all owe you.”
It’s hard to talk around the lump in my throat. “I’m just glad I could help.”
As Creed leads me over to one of the couches, I notice that not everyone’s happy with me.
The moment Tasha sees I’ve caught her glaring at me, she spins around and stalks out of the room.
I look up at Creed, intending to say something about not winning over the head club Bunny, but something about his expression stops me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He glances around us and then leans down to speak directly next to my ear. The moment I hear what he has to say, I know why he doesn’t want anyone else hearing it.
“We either have a leak, or someone’s watching us closer than I thought. No one outside the club should’ve known about Crusher’s route.”
Well, shit.