“Sure, baby. She’s wonderful.” I laughed, carrying her into the clubhouse. Descending the stairs, we could both hear Roxy and Healer shouting at each other.
“I don’t give a damn! This is my clinic!”
“And she is my daughter!” Roxy countered. “I will not have some backwoods doctor lay one finger on her!”
“Woman, I went to John’s Hopkins!”
“Pish, that ain’t a medical school. I went to Vanderbilt!”
“I studied in General Surgery and Trauma!”
“So, did I, but I also studied obstetrics and gynecology!”
“Only cause you’re a woman.”
And that was when Roxy hauled off and punched Healer square in the face. Blood spurted as he grabbed his nose. “Fuck woman! You broke my nose!”
“Now, you need a doctor too,” Roxy smiled, turned, and pointed to the gurney. “Put her down there and then go get her a change of clothes. I brought her things from Tennessee. They are up in your room, Ghost. Something comfortable, like those pink sweats I got her from Victoria Secret.”
Doing as Roxy said, I quickly kissed Ari’s forehead and raced to do her bidding. I didn’t want to leave her, but she was safe here, and with Roxy watching out for her, I really felt sorry for any fucker who dared lay a finger on Ari.
I was only gone a few minutes when I returned to see Roxy listening to Ari’s heart. Healer was sulking in his favorite corner with gauze stuck up his nose.
“Okay, baby girl, take another deep breath.”
Doing as she was directed, Ari did just that as I placed her clean clothes on the gurney next to her. Reaching for her hand, I squeezed it lightly, noticing her hands were a bit clammy.
She turned to me, smiling.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.
She looked tired and worn out.
“Baby, are you okay?” I asked, concerned. I should have insisted she rode in the medical van with Healer. The trip was too long. She’d already been through hell. Fuck, I was still messing up. I couldn’t tell her no when she climbed on the back of my bike. I wanted her there. I needed her arms around me, yet I should have thought about her, not me. Now she was worn out, and it was all my fault.
“Feeling a little tired, but I’m happy to be home.”
I grinned. “I like that you think this home.”
“Wherever you are Baltazar, is home.”
I kissed her forehead, not knowing what to say. God only knows what my woman had been through, and still, she could bring me to my knees with a few simple words. Looking at her, I noticed she was cold. Her color looked off.
“Lungs are clear,” Roxy said, standing placing the stethoscope around her neck. “Okay, baby, I need you to lay down and lift up your shirt.”
I helped her lay down. As she raised her shirt, I gasped, seeing the bruising on her stomach. I wanted to kill Malachi instantly. I’d never seen such damage before in my life. There wasn’t a part on her torso that wasn’t colored. Her stomach was damn near black with dark purple mixed in. “Son of a bitch.”
“What?” Healer asked, lightly touching his nose as he got to his feet and walked over to see what was happening.
“I’m going to kill that bastard.”
“I’ll help,” Healer muttered, touching his nose, as he glared at Roxy. I wanted to laugh. The man looked as if he was sulking. It wasn’t every day that a woman came into Healer’s clinic and took over. I had to give it to him. He was taking it a lot better than I thought. I expected him to rant and rave, not sit in a corner and sulk like a child.
“Nobody is killing anyone right now,” Roxy said.
“Maybe not today, but soon.”
“Alright, baby girl,” Roxy smiled, helping her to sit back up. “You look good, but you need to give those bruises a few days to heal. Nothing strenuous, just relax. Maybe a nice hot bath.”