Ariana watched her father’s eyes open slowly, as she stroked his head. She offered him a smile, as he fought for lucidity. She pushed back a need to cry, noting that in just the few days since she’d been here, her father had lost at least another ten pounds. He was so doped up, she wouldn’t have been surprised to hear he’d slept through his last four or five meals.
“Hey, Dad, how are you feeling?” she asked, trying to sound bright—though her whole body was tense with the need to break down and sob. Once again, she’d found him alone, her mother and sister nowhere to be seen.
He moved his mouth to talk and made a face. Ariana reached for the water on his rolling table and held the straw to his mouth so he could drink. It ran down his face, but he managed to swallow a little, enough to wet his tongue but not enough to help his chapped lips. Ariana’s chest ached.
“I’ve been better, but I slept a long time. No one woke me up for hours.” His voice was hoarse, and while Ariana had avoided him for years, she missed the strong man with the deep, commanding voice.
She glanced at the charts on the wall, seeing that he’d had his vitals checked less than an hour earlier. Either her father was losing time or was so doped up to ease his pain that he didn’t even know when the attendants came by anymore. Neither scenario was pleasant to consider. “Well, I’m glad you feel rested, at least. Are you in any pain?”
His face twisted. “Not pain. Sore. Don’t move a lot. Back’s killing me. And dry.” He indicated his mouth with his fingers clamped together. “Don’t get to drink much. I can’t really hold the cup.”
Angry at the rest of her family, Ariana decided that she wasn’t going to leave his side until she found someone who could take her place for a few hours, making sure he had the water he needed. In the meantime, she put the mug down and leaned to place her hands behind each of her father’s shoulders. “Come on, we’ll see if we can’t move you a little, get rid of some of that soreness.”
She lifted him to sit straight, wincing at how feather light he was, and helped him twist from side-to-side. She took his arms and raised them over his head, forcing his body to stretch, even though he didn’t have the strength to do it himself. She put his legs through some exercises, and then she helped him back into a comfortable position, stuffing a pillow behind his back. He had developed a couple of bed sores, causing rage to surge through her. She was going to report mistreatment and see that they were doctored instantly.
“Dad, I’ll be back in just a minute, okay? I want you to close your eyes and rest until I get back.” He nodded vaguely, his head already lolling with the exhaustion of her care. Ariana rushed into the hallway, looking for the appropriate person to level her anger on. She somehow didn’t see the wall of black leather until she slammed into it head on.
Bouncing back and catching herself with one hand on the wall, Ariana’s eyes traveled up the massive barrier and stared in surprise. “Pound?”
Pound gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Hey, little one. Imagine running into you here.” He chuckled.
Ariana rolled her eyes at the pun and started to move on, desperate to tear someone a new rectum. However, she stopped and frowned. She had a bad feeling settling in her gut. “Why are you here?”
He scratched at the handkerchief tied around his head and avoided meeting her gaze. “Oh, you know, one of the brothers had a little issue. We take care of our own and all that.”
He was purposely vague, and she narrowed her eyes. “What happened to Vince?” She wasn’t stupid. If it was anyone else, he would have just answered her straight up. Pound was a terrible liar, and he was worse at evading direct questions.
His big shoulders fell, and he sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “He sort of had a little too much to drink, and I thought I’d get him checked out.”
Ariana closed her eyes and counted to ten. “Alcohol poisoning.” She made it a statement. “Where is he?”
“I’m not sure. They took him back in the emergency room pretty quickly, and they shoved me out after I told them he’d already pumped his own stomach and showed them the evidence.”
Too late she realized he was covered in vomit, and she’d plowed right into it. That explained the odor that had begun to assault her senses. She wrinkled her nose. “Are you the only one here with him?”
“Jude’s around somewhere, but I’m not sure where he went. He was sweet on some little candy striper type downstairs.” Pound smirked. “He’s so creepy sometimes. I don’t understand how he gets laid so much.”
It was more than Ariana wanted to hear, and she held up her hand to stop the conversation. “Come with me. I’ll find some scrubs that’ll fit you so you can get out of those clothes. They reek.” She strode down the hall toward the supply room, Pound dogged her heels like his namesake, and she ducked inside, rummaging for a 3X. She passed him the set and pointed to the bathroom. As he started to walk away like an obedient child, she called after him, “Why are you up here anyway?”
Pound stopped and turned around, and Ariana was amused at his blush. “I sort of knew your father was on this floor and wondered if you were around.” She frowned at him curiously, and he meekly told her, “Someone’s got to talk him out of his suicidal mission, little one. I thought maybe you could give it a shot.”
He walked away, and Ariana clenched her teeth. She had to take care of her father first, perhaps getting someone fired for ignoring their duties; but, as soon as that was cleared up, she was definitely going to find Vince Larson and give him a piece of her mind for his stupidity.