Chapter 27
Ineed a fucking vacation. My new mantra plays through my head as I work on saving the man on my table.
I wince as I dig the bullet out of the back of his shoulder.
Jayden is probably going to be pissed that I’m the one saving the guy, but there was no other option; Dr. Ranlen recused herself from the task.
I don’t blame her. Cole is her nephew, and she has every right to be pissed at the current circumstances.
Hissing when the bullet finally comes out of his shoulder, I step back so Soren can clean and close up the wound.
There’s still one more lodged in his back, and it’s the one I’m truly worried about because, again, I am no surgeon.
The chances of him ending up paralyzed, or having some long-term loss of feeling?
High, given how close to the spine the bullet is. One wrong move on my part…
“Let me do it.”
I look up at Vonny. “You sure?” I sign.
“It’s what you keep me around for,” he replies. “I may not have been able to legally get my degree, but after working besides you and Dr. Ranlen, and my years of schooling thus far…I’m fairly confident.”
I laugh. “We need to get you to train under Murry after all this.”
Stepping back, I wave my hand, letting the trip do his thing, because he’s right; the whole point of hiring him and his brothers is because they have the skills we need.
I keep a close eye on Vonny, but he does a better, more careful, job than I could do with such a delicate and risky procedure.
To think, he hasn’t actually had any on-hands experience with a surgeon, outside of Dr. Ranlen, but he’s already more competent than most fuckers.
At least, poaching him from the Bratva proved to be a good move.
“Got it,” Vonny says, extracting the bullet and dropping it into the pan. “We’re going to need a consult with a specialist once he wakes.”
“Agreed. But that’s not our problem. We just have to get him stable enough to be moved.”
We finish up, giving him another heavy dose of sedatives and painkillers to make him comfortable, and to keep him out for as long as possible.
Two days, max, I’m hoping, and then Leandro can deliver him back to where he belongs.
While the Council voted to let him spend a few days here recovering, I highly doubt anyone in the household will be able to handle more than that.
Not that I blame them. If it wasn’t for my need to make sure everyone on my table lives, I would have been happy to see him die. Leaving a child in a nightmare situation? Not even I am that heartless.
“Okay, Donovan, you’re on first watch, once you and Kail get him cleaned up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Soren and I wash up, and then our roles change once we’re done. He goes from my medical assistant to my Daddy, turning me in his arms and holding me tightly as I try to center myself and prepare for the…less than pleasant interaction I’m going to have beyond the surgical suite doors.
“I’ll be right there, Baby,” he whispers.
“Let’s just get it over with. Then I can drink.” My muttering gets me a raised eyebrow, but other than that, Daddy doesn’t say anything. He probably realizes that I need something, even if he won’t actually let me get shitfaced.
Together, we leave the room. The Council is waiting in the hall, along with Leandro, James, and Roman’s guard.
I should probably be concerned that Roman, or most likely Hollis and Ten, thought he needed his guard on him, but I’m too tired for the bullshit.
Mentally, emotionally, physically, I'm just done in.
“He’ll live. We’ll monitor him for a few days, make sure he’s stable, then you can put him back where you found him.”
Leandro’s face is perfectly blank. “We’re giving him sanctuary. You already said that, Roman.”
“Keegan and Marcus are not okay with that,” Carter argues, though his voice is rough, as if it’s a conversation they’ve had a few times already. “And neither am I. I don’t care that you vouch for him, Leandro. I do not want him in the same house as my son. Either of them, for that matter.”
“He’ll be safe for as long as he’s under our roof,” Roman says.
“But I agree with Carter, his stay needs to be short. I support the promise you made him. We’ll make sure he lives long enough to get into his own doctors’ hands, but that’s it.
We have no formal agreement with his Organization, and until we do, we’re not obligated to do more than we currently are. ”
A spark of pride rushes through me at how grown-up Roman is.
Throughout everything this Family has been through over the years, watching someone I helped bring into this world find their place in it…
it’s special, and sends a pang of longing through me…
one I’ve never thought about before, and now definitely isn’t the time.
“He’s alive, and will be out until tomorrow at the earliest. For his sake, I hope he stays under as long as possible. It’s…not going to be an easy road for his healing, but that’s not my problem.”
“Thank you, Doc,” Carter says. “You’re the best.”
I incline my head, too weary to take pleasure in the compliment. “You can see him in a few hours, once he’s cleaned up. Donovan will let you know when it’s okay. Any problems…ask him or Kail first. I’m done for the night, unless there’s an emergency.”
I don’t stick around, with Daddy and James following closely behind, and not even my cock is interested in having them in bed with me for anything more than cuddling. Part of me is jealous that Javi is out hunting right now. I could sure as fuck use some type of stress relief… Lucky bastard.
When we reach our room, my Daddy and best friend work in tandem to undress me, and as they usher me into the shower, I concede that I might be lucky as well. Too bad I’m too tired to enjoy it.