“What can I help you with, Doc?” Our hospital has it set up that you check medicine in and out of a locker room, so I let Rene know what I need and for what patient it’s for.
“Thanks, Rene,” I murmur after she gives me what I need.
“You’re welcome. Someone must be getting the VIP treatment. I haven’t seen you over here in a while,” she responds.
“Something like that.” I usually only come and grab medicine when we’re understaffed and I can help alleviate the nurses in the hospital. I’m back in Fallon’s room within minutes. Monroe has started her fluids in the IV attached to her vein.
“She ready?” I ask.
“Yeah, you want me to push the meds?” Monroe is quieter than normal, leading me to believe that shit is gonna get worse before it gets better.
“Please, I’ll get everything written down. Apparently, Barb was in here earlier and Fallon refused to talk to her,” I tell Monroe.
“Can you blame her? Barb probably blamed Fallon for getting hurt. I don’t know how she still has a job with that awful bedside manner of hers.” I stand back, watching Monroe do her thing, hating that there’s nothing I can do for Fallon. She hasn’t coded, her heart rate and breathing are completely fine. If I had to bet, the pain was so bad it made her pass out.
“Not at all. Thinkin’ more and more about working less.” Monroe disposes of the needle after pushing in the pain meds.
“I think that’s a good idea. Do you have Fallon’s phone?” she asks as we wheel the bed out of the emergency room, already knowing we’ll have a complaint against us because we are working together without someone else. It’s fucking ridiculous, and Monroe is here enough to help when she can. She just picks up a few shifts for extra money now and then.
“Rage has it. You wanna tell me what’s going on?” I ask her as we make it inside the elevator. I already called up to radiology when I got a glimpse of Fallon being wheeled in from the ambulance.
“Hold your horses. I don’t want her waking up and hearing our chatter.” Just as I expected, it must be pretty damn awful.
“Fine, you know patience was never my strong suit.” The elevator dings. Jenny comes around the corner, taking over. Monroe and I don’t take our eyes off Fallon until she’s out of sight.
“Fess up, daughter.” I stand back, cross my arms over my chest, and give her the dad stare.
“I don’t know her record, but what I did find was what looked like an open-heart surgery scar. It was old and small. So, I’m thinking it happened when she was younger, way younger, but the fact that she passed out, that there’s bruising all around it, I’m thinking we need her doctors’ records, and her parents need to be notified.” A knife was just cut through my chest with her words. That dumb fucker. He had to have known what she went through, and then for him to attack her at the most vulnerable spot.
“I’m going to kill him.” I start to walk away, needing to get out of this building, the walls caging me in.
“Dad, you can’t. Fallon may not know this right now, but she’s going to need you and the club. What we need to focus on is taking care of her. That includes you getting on the phone, calling her parents. And I’ll call Shovel. Persephone will be all over this, like white on rice. She’s been in kind of the same situation and knows how to tread carefully, yeah?”
“Yeah. Christ, I don’t know how I got so lucky raising a kid like you, keeping me level-headed when I’m ready to go off half-cocked.” I pull Monroe into my arms, giving her a hug, kissing the top of her head.
“I am pretty incredible. Now, let’s get shit done. It won’t take Jenny long. That girl is a Godsend. Plus, the hospital is going to be pissed if you don’t see other actual patients.” She rolls her eyes at that.
“It’s a good thing that I’m about to be done for the night, then.” I glance at my watch and see there’s only thirty minutes left in my shift.
“Good. Let’s go take care of business. You call her parents, and I’ll deal with her apartment. You’re a great man, Daddy. You deserve happiness.” She pats my chest and then walks away, showing me yet again just how great of a woman she’s grown up to be.
Four
Doc
“I hope you slaughter him.” This comes from Monroe, who’s been stuck to my side like glue ever since I got off shift. Thankfully, this time around she was here and on the same rotation I am. Jenny gave me the report. I’ll probably never forget her face when she handed it over. In short order, it’s a miracle Fallon is still alive. There were past injuries of broken bones, current injuries, bruising around her heart and lungs, a fractured rib, a broken rib, and then there’s the fainting spell we’re all hoping is caused by the pain. It was hard for me to give up the reins on this one, but my area of expertise isn’t surrounding the heart. Which is why I called in a favor from the best cardiologist on this side of Texas. He’s in there with her now while I ask the club for help.