Chapter 30 #2
When the door closes, I turn back to Ashley. “Answer me, otherwise this conversation is going to go places you most definitely don’t want it to go. It still might depending on your answer.”
Her bottom lip trembles and her cheeks are streaked with mascara-stained tears.
She glances around the room, desperately searching for a lifeline, but she won’t find one.
I swear her gaze stays trained on someone for a few seconds longer than everyone else behind me and I make a mental note to look at our security feed later to see who she was looking at.
When she doesn’t answer, I look at Xochitl and Daemon, who had stepped up behind Xochitl. “Take her downstairs to isolation. She can sit on ice for a while. Post a guard outside the door. No one goes in or out without my say.”
As they drag a shrieking Ashley down the hall, I turn my focus back on Ember. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
She gives me a tired smile. “Just a little, but nothing permanent.”
“Chief,” I call out but Ember shakes her head.
“That’s not necessary, Tico—”
I place a finger on her lips, silencing her. “Humor me, Vicious.”
“Humor us both,” Chief grunts as he steps up beside us, giving her a stern look.
With a sigh of defeat, she allows Chief to guide her into his exam room. I follow and shut the door behind me.
“Roll up your shirt so I can look at your ribs. We already have a baseline from when I examined them this morning.”
My gaze snaps up to Ember’s and I narrow my eyes at her guilty look. I hadn’t known Chief looked her over earlier.
“I didn’t want you to worry,” she says quietly. “I knew they were just a little bruised because I know the difference between what bruised and broken ribs feel like. But Chief insisted on double checking just to make sure. I caved because Pyper was with me.”
My jaw clenches. I dropped the ball on this.
At my fighter’s requests, I’ve allowed each of them to be looked over by their own personal physicians after fights because that was what they preferred, though mis hermanos (my brothers) have always had Chief look them over.
I had intended to ask Chief to look Ember over after the fight last night, but with the attack and then him stitching up those that needed it, it had slipped my mind.
“Chief, I’d like Ember to be added to your list. Like with mis hermanos (my brothers), I want you to look her over after each fight going forward.”
Ember frowns. “Tico, that isn’t necessary. I’ve been taking care of my own injuries for years. I know when I need to go in to be seen. I don’t want to waste Chief’s time when he could be helping someone else here or at his clinic.”
I open my mouth to respond, but Chief beats me to it.
“Queenie, you are not a waste of time. I consider it an honor to care for my brothers, and now for you and your family. You could never be a waste of time.”
“Por favor (Please). I just need to know that you’re okay.”
Ember sighs in defeat, thank fuck, and nods.
She looks back over at Chief and pulls her shirt up and then tucks it underneath her bra so that he can examine her ribs again.
My chest tightens when I see the dark blue and purple bruise that has bloomed on her ribs.
Before her fight with Banshee, I knew she had just faint bruising from her fight with Luna.
I also knew she’d covered the bruise up with makeup to try and hide it from Banshee so as to not pull attention to an area of weakness.
Which isn’t uncommon when someone fights before being fully healed.
However, the bruise has now doubled in size.
I don’t think even makeup would be able to conceal the deep blue and purple bruising at this point.
“Is it bigger than what it was this morning?”
Chief gives a subtle nod. “A little, but I don’t know if that is because of the timing it takes the tissue to bruise after a contusion or if the increase is from the few hits that Empress, er, Ashley managed to land,” he corrects with a quick glance at me, following my lead not to use her moniker anymore since she’s no longer a fighter of ours.
Chief feels around her ribs, noting the areas that make Ember wince in pain.
Then he lowers her shirt. “Now, looking you over after a fight is different from everyday things you would need a doctor for. I have several doctors, including female ones, I can recommend if you want. Or I can be your physician. Same for Pyper and Rochelle.”
Surprisingly, Ember doesn’t hesitate, especially since she had protested being looked over just a moment ago.
“I’m okay with you being my physician, Chief. It’s probably for the best anyway going forward. I’m not na?ve to MC life. I know there will be more instances like the attack last night.”
Chief tilts his head in silent agreement and walks over to his desk, pulling out a packet of papers that I know are new patient intake forms that we have new Prospects fill out.
“While I take your vitals and start my exam, you can fill this out. Then we’ll get some blood work done so I know your blood type and have a baseline.”
Squeezing Ember’s knee, I lean forward, kissing her. “I’ll step out to give you privacy.”
Ember smirks and I have a sneaky suspicion she already knows what I’m going to do.
“Go, I’ll be fine with Chief. Go check and make sure nothing was missed tonight and don’t forget to look at the footage for who Ashley was mainly looking at in the crowd.”
Chief chuckles under my breath at my shocked face, and I can’t stop my lips from twitching as I shake my head.
“Sometimes it scares me how well you know me already.” I shake my head again as she chuckles. “See you in a few, Vicious.”