Chapter Twenty-Six
Sledge
Sledge sat in the waiting room surrounded by his crew. Surprisingly, they had all made it. Some a little better off than others, but everyone would live another day. Everyone but possibly Beth.
Almost four hours ago, she was taken into surgery. Sledge had no clue what was going on. He wanted to rip the place apart until he found her, but that would do neither of them any good. He couldn’t help her if he was sitting in jail.
The mess with Senator Andrews and the Cartel showing up at his house was being handled by DPD and ATF right now. Sledge and his crew had already answered their questions. It wasn’t every day that a huge shoot-out happened in town. At least not of that size.
Suddenly, the double doors swung open and a doctor, covered in blood came through, walking towards the group of Henchmen. Sledge’s stomach fell to the floor. His legs wouldn’t work. All he could do was shake his head. If this doctor was going to tell him that Beth was gone, he would die too. Sledge would kill the man.
“The family of Elizabeth Andrews?” the doctor asked looking around the room.
“That’s us,” Diesel replied.
“All of you?” the doctor asked, “I’m sorry, I meant immediate family, not friends.”
“We are all her family,” Reaper said from Sledge’s side.
“This is her husband.” Sledge felt Tank’s hand land on his shoulder.
“Mr. Andrews?” the doctor asked.
“No. Devin Parks,” Sledge said around the lump in his throat. “Is she...”
“I am Dr. Shaw. Would you like to go somewhere private to talk?” the doctor questioned.
“No. Everyone here is family. We find out together,” retorted Tank.
“All due respect, but hospital policy...” the doctor started to say, but Sledge interrupted him. “We find out together,” Sledge stated.
“Okay,” the doctor paused. “Your wife has been in surgery. The bullet passed between the aortic and pulmonary valves.”
“English, Doc,” Diesel requested.
“The aortic valve pumps blood out of the heart and into the rest of the body. The pulmonary valve carries oxygenated blood to the lungs,” Dr. Shaw explained.
“Okay,” Sledge said, “Is she...”
“She is still alive,” the doctor reassured, causing Sledge to sag against the chair in relief. “It was touch and go for a while. I performed a Biventricular repair. Less than half a millimeter in either direction and it would have killed her instantly. As it was, both valves sustained surface tears but not enough to rip through them. With that being said, her heart stopped twice while on the table, but we were able to revive her both times. Your wife is one very lucky woman,” the doctor finished.
“When can I see her?” Sledge asked.
“Give the nurses about thirty to forty-five minutes to get her situated in a room, and I will instruct them to come get you,” Dr. Shaw informed him. “But only two people at a time in the room. Sorry, but it is ICU and the rules still apply.”
“Understood,” Sledge replied.
Sledge watched as the doctor left the room. Beth was alive. She would be okay. One by one, the members of the Devil’s Henchmen walked past him placing a hand upon his shoulder. A gesture of solidarity, of brotherhood.
“I’ll go call Amber,” Reaper said quietly, “She can let Derek know that Beth is okay and will be home as soon as she can be.”
Sledge nodded his head. “Thank you, Brother.”
“The rest of us will cut out,” Tank indicated the remaining of the group.
“Thank you all for coming,” he stood to address his men. “You have no idea how much your presence has meant to me. And I know once Beth finds out, she will feel the same way.”
“Mr. Parks?” Sledge turned to see the nurse calling his name.
“Yes?” he answered.
“Dr. Shaw sent me to get you,” she told him.
“Go,” Tanks told him, clapping him on the back before ushering the Henchmen out of the hospital.
Sledge followed the nurse down the hall and entered Beth’s room. He was greeted by the sound of machines beeping. Beth was lying on the bed, covered in a hospital gown, but Sledge could see the tubes running here and there. He cleared the distance between them as quickly as he could.
Careful not to touch any equipment, he grabbed her hand. Leaning down, he placed a kiss across her knuckles. He wanted so badly to hold her. To tell her that everything would be okay. That he would always take care of her, but he was afraid to get too close.
“The tube on her left is a chest tube,” the nurse commented. “There was some blood left in the chest cavity after surgery. The tube will allow it to drain. So if and when something comes out of it, don’t freak out. It’s normal.”
“Thank you,” Sledge replied. Because he most definitely would have freaked out.
“If you need anything, press the red nurse button on the wall and someone will gladly help you,” she mentioned as she exited the room.
All Sledge needed was for his woman to open her eyes and smile at him. He laid his head against the bed, and did the one thing he hadn’t done in so long - he prayed. A real genuine prayer.
A soft hand tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep. “I’m sorry,” he told the nurse.
“Mr. Parks?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered, looking at Beth, she was still asleep. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing sir. It’s just past visiting hours.”
“I’m not leaving.” There was no way he was leaving his woman here. If Beth woke up, he wanted to be with her. He didn’t want her to be scared or alone.
“Okay,” she smiled. “Would you like a cot?”
“Please,” he responded, never removing his eyes from Beth’s face.
By the end of day three, Sledge knew he had to go home soon or the nursing staff would send security to escort him out. He needed a shower and to change his clothes. Sledge had arranged for Zander and Amber to come sit with Beth while he went home for a few hours. But since they arrived, he was having a hard time leaving.
“Go!” Amber said, barely hiding her annoyance.
“Devin, she will be fine. You need to go home for a while. Go see Derek. Hug him. He needs to see at least one of his parents right now. The phone calls are great, and have really helped him; but, he needs to see you,” Zander reassured him.
“Okay,” Sledge conceded. Kissing Beth’s forehead, he headed for home.