10. Lily
Lily
10
“What kind of doctor are you?” With a strong resemblance to a modern Viking, the large and imposing blond man raises an eyebrow as he voices his skepticism.
I don’t blame him, considering the circumstances. He doesn’t know me, and anyone with common sense would be cautious about allowing a stranger to take care of them. Especially someone who was part of a gunfight in broad daylight with a woman he obviously cares a lot for.
“I practiced as an emergency doctor at the leading level one trauma center in Chicago and also did a few tours in Columbia with Doctors Without Borders.”
“Oh. So, you like…know your shit, then,” Enzo praises me.
I quietly chuckle to myself. “I guess so.”
Raphael strides over and shoves Enzo back into his chair, ignoring his shout of painful protest. “Just sit back, shut up, and let Lily help you two.”
“Evie first,” Enzo demands, ignoring the shut-up part.
“Absolutely not. You were shot!” Evie shouts back at the brooding Viking. “And you dislocated your shoulder. Lily needs to take care of you first. My wrist and cut can wait.”
“The hell she will,” Enzo growls. He narrows his piercing blue eyes on the blonde beside him, who is still a striking woman despite being a little banged up and bloody.
Raphael gave me a crash course on the pair before they arrived. Enzo is Raphael’s oldest friend, and someone he trusts as much as his own brother. I already know that Evie is Rose’s best friend and the one who helped her escape when she found out she was pregnant, but what I did not know is that Evie is also practically royalty, incredibly wealthy, and visually stunning.
“Stop being so bloody pig-headed, you big brut,” Evie snaps, her British accent cutting through strong. “If you don’t let Lily take care of you first, I won’t shag you for a week.”
The room goes silent, and I’m suddenly thankful that Mei is in the other room, preoccupied with a movie.
Enzo twists in his seat, pinning Evie with a look. He swallows down a grimace when the move pushes on his dislocated shoulder before he leans forward into her space. Evie visibly swallows but doesn’t move away.
“And what do I get if I do behave?” Enzo’s voice deepens, sending vibrations through the air, and Evie visibly shivers in response, her face blushing harder.
“A date,” Evie answers after she composes herself. It’s a simple answer for us, but it looks like Enzo’s just won the lottery from the way he grins broadly.
“Deal.”
It feels like I’m watching a highly erotic moment between the two, caught in their web of intimacy, and it’s only when Raphael coughs do I realize how absorbed I am in it.
Enzo leans away, settling once again in his chair before looking at me. “I’m all yours, Doc. Just make it quick. Please.”
I’m not sure if I should be impressed or concerned at the mini hospital Raphael brings me in the number of supplies. From simple Band-Aids to IV bags and everything between, he has every medical supply imaginable, covering all bases.
Michael arrives with Rose and Liam just as I’m cleaning off the blood around the wound to Enzo’s lower leg. It’s more of a graze than an actual gunshot, but it still requires medical attention, not just the few stitches I plan to add.
Rose hands Liam to his father before she rushes over to kneel beside Evie, her hands and eyes scanning every inch of her friend. “Oh my God, Evie. What happened? Is that blood? Where are you hurt? Show me.”
Evie reaches out with her good hand to grab Rose’s shoulder. She shakes her friend lightly as she repeats, “Hey, hey, look at me. I’m fine. Rose, look at me.”
“No, she’s not,” Enzo grumbles before hissing between his teeth when I dab alcohol on the bullet graze.
Rose leans over and smacks Enzo’s dislocated arm. Shouting from the jolt of pain, he forcefully pulls his entire body away from me in response.
I freeze at the sudden movement and close my eyes, fear shooting through me as I wait for him to lash out at me.
“Lily?” A large and warm hand falls on my shoulder. “You okay?”
I open my eyes and look up at Raphael. He stares down at me with concern swirling in those amber depths. Something about the sincerity in the emotion draws the truth from me. “Yeah. He just spooked me when he moved so quickly.”
Raphael’s eyes snap up to his injured friend. He’s oblivious to our interaction, distracted by his argument with Rose. Before he can scold Enzo, I reach up and lightly place my hand on his. His eyes lower to me, and surprise replaces the annoyance there.
“Really. I’m fine.”
Raphael hesitates for a moment before he finally nods and steps back. I try hard not to notice how cold my shoulder feels after his hand slips away and focus back on the task at hand.
“You could have both been killed.” Rose scolds Enzo like she’s not a tiny redhead that he could snap like a twig. “What were you thinking?”
Enzo bares his teeth in Rose’s face, but just like Evie, she doesn’t back down. “I wasn’t thinking. Is that what you want to hear? I was too busy—”
“Enzo!” Evie cuts in, and he stops midsentence.
“No, Evie. Let him explain. Too busy with what, Enzo? You put my best friend’s life in danger. And for what? Because you were distracted? Are you kidding me?”
“Yes, I was distracted,” Enzo snaps, ignoring Evie’s attempt to stop him. “Distracted because your best friend had my dick in her hand.”
Silence falls heavy over the room.
What the hell have I fallen into here? They’re shouting and bickering at one another like they want to kill each other, but instead of feeling malice in the air, all I feel is…love. They genuinely care for one another enough to lash out and be honest with their feelings.
For so many years, I’ve kept my own feelings locked down, shoved so deep behind door after door that I don’t even know which one hides them in the maze of my mind.
“Wh–what?” Rose stammers.
“My. Dick. Her. Hand.” Enzo enunciates each word like it’s even necessary. We all heard him clearly the first time. Hell, half of Miami probably heard him.
“Well, on that lovely note,” Evie says, turning toward me with a bright smile. “Do you think the gash on my forehead will need stitches?”
Like a bucket of cold water thrown on a raging fire, the room settles down. Rose only calms down once perched on Michael’s lap with Liam in her arms. She holds Evie’s uninjured hand but is otherwise quiet. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind right now. Rose told me that Evie is like a second sister to her. But more than that, Rose literally owes Evie her life. Evie is the very reason she and Liam are alive and with Michael now.
Enzo stays silent too, borderline pouting as I finish treating him. With Raphael’s help, we pop his shoulder back in and set it with a brace to keep the weight of his arm off the joint.
Evie’s injuries are similar and easy to treat as well. The gash on her forehead won’t scar and doesn’t need stitches, but I add a couple of butterfly closures to be safe. Her wrist is lightly sprained, and I wrap it in an ACE bandage with strict instructions to ice it in intervals and to avoid…said extracurricular activities as much as possible until healed.
It’s not until I’m putting supplies away and cleaning up my mess that I realize I voluntarily touched Raphael’s hand and another man for the second time in twenty-four hours…without my mind venturing to a darker place. I even got close to Raphael when he helped me with Enzo. Close enough that I felt his breath fan hot across my neck.
And it felt good. The entire thing. Taking care of Enzo and Evie without being forced to has made me feel human again…I feel like a doctor again, and I like it.
“What happened again?” Michael asks.
Enzo leans back against the couch and pulls Evie to his side when she tries to shift away. At first, she struggles but then relents and curls up against him, resting her head on his uninjured shoulder. It won’t take long for the pain meds I gave them to take effect as the adrenaline rush from the accident subsides.
“We were crossing the bridge when they surrounded us. We had nowhere to go except into the water. Evie got a hold of my gun and fired back. She took down two bikers, giving us time to get off the bridge. My girl here has quite the aim.” Enzo smiles down at a blushing Evie.
“Grandad believed a lady should know how to shoot,” Evie explains.
“Damn right he did. He taught us both,” Rose adds. “I remember being so scared when Uncle James found out. I was worried he was going to tell my dad, but then he actually bought me my first gun.”
“I knew I liked your uncle for a reason,” Michael comments.
Rose softly laughs before she pushes up to kiss Michael on the cheek. He turns at the last second and captures her lips instead.
“Go on, Enzo,” Raphael orders.
“When we got to the corner of Antonia and Fifth, a truck ran straight into us. When I came to, Evie was still out, and we were being fired on. I fired back.”
“And you’re sure they were Triads?”
“Positive.”
“Any survivors?” Michael asks.
Enzo shakes his head. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be certain. Maybe one got away or something. I’m sorry, Michael.”
Michael shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. Dominic’s checking the cameras, and he’ll report back any findings.”
“You two just concentrate on getting better,” Raphael adds.
“I’m so sorry,” I spit out, the words finally breaking free from my mind. “He attacked you because of me. Because I have Mei.”
“None of this is your fault, Lily,” Raphael insists.
“But it is. Because I left with you. I took Mei, his daughter, and now he’s lashing out.”
“Lily, we knew this could happen,” Michael says. “We honestly expected it to.”
“Kind of hoped it would,” Enzo adds with a sly smile. The drugs are taking effect on him too. “Just preferably without Evie in the car.”
Evie pats his thigh as if her touch will console him. He grabs her hand before she can pull it away.
“He won’t stop,” I warn them, a little annoyed that they’re not taking this seriously enough. “Someone’s going to get hurt worse than this, and that will be my fault.”
This time Raphael says fuck it and grabs my hands between his. I try to pull them back, but he holds firm. “I’ll say it again, Lily, and I need you to listen. Not a single bit of this is your fault. Xiao is responsible for his own actions, his own decisions. Do you understand?”
Not really…but yes, too. At least, I will. Maybe. We’ll see.
“Mommy?”
Mei’s voice draws my attention, and I twist to see my daughter standing in the hallway's mouth. She has Mr. Cuddles wrapped in her arms as she stares with big eyes at the crowd gathered in the room.
“Come here, princess.” I gesture with my hand and hold my arms open when she runs to me.
Cradling her to my chest, I meet Raphael’s striking eyes over her head. “Can you really stop him?”
“With your help…we can.”
Call me crazy, but…I’m beginning to believe him.