Chapter 5

 

 

 

Bellamy

 

Waking up swathed in Banshee’s warmth produces a satisfied smile. It’s been a while since I’ve woken up and felt the soreness throughout my body and the twinge of pain between my legs, but you won’t get any complaints from me. With ever stretch, his hand tightens on my hip until I see the time on the alarm clock.

 

Fuck. I’m going to be late, and I don’t want to deal with Deidra’s shit today. I’m working the mid-shift, so I only have to deal with her for a few hours, but those few hours are the worst part of my day. Watching her strut around and order the other nurses around because she thinks she’s holier than thou.

 

I jerk up out of bed and rush to the bathroom. Washing my hair and body like a maniac and erasing the smell of sex and Banshee from my skin is disheartening. After rinsing the suds away, I step out of the shower to an amused Banshee sitting on the toilet. He hands me a towel and pulls me to him not worrying about getting his clothes soaked.

 

“You trying to run from me again, Bells?” He questions.

 

“Nope, I’m going to be late for work if I don’t get my ass in gear, so as much as I’d like to stay wrapped in you, I can’t.” I lower and kiss his lips lightly and quickly disentangle from his arms.

 

He follows me and sits on the edge on my bed watching as I let the towel fall and hastily put my panties and bra on followed by a long-sleeved fuchsia shirt pulling a set of purple scrubs on. Sitting next to him and encasing my feet in multicolored socks and slip into my Crocks,               I turn to face him and take in his eyes. His usual expressionless orbs show want and happiness as they crinkle at the edges.

 

 

“I have to go, Banshee.” I stand to leave, but not before he grabs my wrist and tugs me into his lap. Placing both of his large calloused hands on my cheeks as he draws his mouth to mine in a deep, I-want-to-stay-like-this-for-the-rest-of-my-life kiss. He leans back and stares into my eyes. I’m not sure what he’s looking for, but apparently, he gets his answer as he nods and lifts me to my feet.

 

“What time do you get off tonight?” He asks.

 

“Supposed to be eight, but I never end up out of there on time.”

 

“I’ll meet you here later, and we can order a pizza and chill out.”

 

“Um…Banshee tonight is Wednesday.”

 

“Yeah, I know what day it is. What does that have to do with anything?”

 

“Well, the thing is the Pretty Pinks have events for each day of the week and today is Wet-n-Wild Wednesday.”

 

“What like slip-n-slides?” He says with a mischievous smirk.

 

“Something like that.” I laugh. “I’m not sure you want to be a part of it.”

 

“Do you participate in it?”

 

“I’ve been known to slip-n-slide on Wednesdays.”

 

“Then we’ll do it together.” He grabs my hand and tugs me out of my room and to the kitchen where he makes me a travel mug of coffee, walks me to my car and then gives me a good-bye kiss that eludes me of needing to get to the hospital and wanting to drag his ass back upstairs to slip-n-slide down his length, but he cuts off that thought by leaning back, winking and striding to his bike where I take in his thick thighs straddling the seat. He puts his helmet on, sunglasses and salutes me as his bike rumbles to life and he takes off with Poison joining him. I look behind me to Mauve standing on her stoop disheveled and wrapped in a robe. I wave and leave myself heading to my own personal hell.

 

***

 

When I entered the hospital, it was complete and total chaos. The waiting room was packed tight with the Blue Enigma, one of Georgia’s gangs. I don’t even make it passed the receptionist desk before the arm tugs me and turned around to see Reggie, the leader of the Blue Enigmas with a desperate expression on his face.

 

“Bellamy, there bringing in my cousin, Victor.” He chokes.

 

I turn to the sound of the sliding doors as EMTs rush in a stretcher as I glance at the blood dripping on the floor underneath. Reggie releases me, and I sling my purse to the receptionist, Sara. I rush to the patient and take in his wounds when he starts shaking and seizing. I climb up on the stretcher and straddle the pale-pallor Hispanic man as ER doctors and nurses surround me.

 

“He’s losing too much blood. Need to bag him.” I shout as I start chest compressions to keep his heart beating. I take in the multiple lacerations and stabs to his chest and watch as blood seeps with the pressure I apply to his chest. “We need to hurry. He’s steadily bleeding, and his vitals are dropping every second.” I faintly hear someone talking about typing and crossmatching. The stretcher is rolled into a small area where everyone is frantically moving around this man. I watch in rapt interest as Dr. Roberts attempts to intubate the patient. Before he can get the tube down his throat, the man’s eyes open and he smiles whispering what sounds like angel before his eyes shut as fast as they open and the tones screech throughout the room. Dr. Roberts abandons intubation and grabs the charged paddles as I’m lifted off of the patient.

 

“Clear.” Dr. Roberts bellows and all hands leave the patient. He places the paddles and shocks him with no success. He brings the paddles back down again. “Clear.” Shock. We wait a few seconds before the beeping begins and then Dr. Roberts hands off the paddles to the awaiting nurse and begins to intubate again. Once he has completed the process, he rushes the patient to surgery.

 

As the last of the stretcher is visible, I bend and place my hands on my knees taking slow, steady breaths. What a way to start my shift. Looking down at my blood-soaked scrubs, I leave the room to make my way to the nurse locker room to change and wash the blood from my hands when I collide with someone. Looking up, I see Reggie waiting for answers, answers I have no response to yet until his cousin makes it through surgery.

 

“It’s not good, Reggie. He flat-lined, and the doctor brought him back, but his injuries are extensive. All you can do is wait and pray that he makes it through the surgery.” Reggie nods, and I lay my hand on his arm giving him a reassuring squeeze before I make my retreat.

 

Seven hours later and multiple checks on Victor’s status in the OR, he is placed in a room in the ICU. He’s stable for now, but still critical. With the amount of blood loss and the extension of the stab wounds, he’s lucky to be alive.

 

I’m standing at the nurses’ station filling my replacement in on the patients that have been check in when I hear a commotion in the ER waiting room. The screaming of my name has my feet running to the noise. Throwing open the swinging doors, I see a distressed Reggie surrounded by the sketchiest men I’ve ever encountered battling with hospital security.

 

“What’s going on?” I question Phil, the night security guard.

 

Reggie doesn’t allow him to speak. “I can’t get a straight answer out of anyone in this fucking place. The words that are coming out of their mouths I don’t understand. If I don’t get the answers that I need, I’m going to start fucking shit up.”

 

“I got this, Phil.” I pull Reggie to an empty corner of the waiting room. “Reggie, you need to calm down. Getting confrontational with the staff isn’t going to get you anything but put in lockup and charges pressed against you. If that happens, you’ll be banned from the hospital and who’s going to be here for Victor then.” He relaxes and nods. “Let’s go up to the ICU, and I’ll talk to his doctor.”

 

We head to the ICU packed like sardines in the elevator with twelve men I’ve never met and two that I’ve only had minimal contact with. I leave the men in the ICU waiting room and search out my friend, Kelly, an ICU nurse who can give me the information I’m seeking. Once I find her, I saddle up beside her, and she graces me with the brightest smile. She’s in her late forties, blonde bob, big brown eyes and a few inches shorter than my five-four stature.

 

“Hey, girly. I need some information on the stab wound patient that came in earlier today.” She nods and gives me the lowdown on Victor. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem, Bellamy.” She says softly.

 

Speed walking to an anxious Reggie to give him an update on his cousin’s condition isn’t something I’m looking forward to, but the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can get out of this hospital and put this day behind me.

 

I slow as I approach Reggie and the crew. “Okay, Reggie.” I coo. “Victor suffered from several stab wounds, and some of those stabs hit vital organs. His left lung was punctured, and that’s why he still has the machines helping him breathe. His liver was lacerated and repaired in surgery. He had a stab on the right side of his abdomen that went through a part of his small bowel. They fixed it in surgery, but he’ll have to undergo blood test every four hours to make sure that it doesn’t open up and start spilling into his abdomen, which can cause an infection. One of his kidneys was unable to be fixed, so it was removed. He shouldn’t have any issues there but will require regular checkups with his doctor to make sure. His heart stopped beating in the ER and then again on the OR table, so he’ll be monitored closely for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. If he makes progress over that time, he should make a full recovery with only minor complications. So, I suggest that you go home, shower, eat, sleep and come back in the morning.”

 

“We’re staying.” He says adamantly.

 

“Sure, but don’t cause any problems, Reggie. The hospital isn’t going to put up with a bunch of disruptions.” He agrees, and I stick out my hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll put my number, and you can text me if anything comes up, and I’ll come in. I work tomorrow afternoon, so I won’t be far away.” He hands over his phone, and I plug in my number in his contacts. “I’ll see you tomorrow and don’t hesitate to buzz me if you need.” I smile and leave the band of thugs in the waiting room.

 

It’s ten-thirty by the time I close myself in my car and head for home exhausted and ready to down a couple of shots to unwind.