Wow, she had not been expecting that one. Tiffany cringed as the sound of more muffled laughter rang out. Chewing her lip, she worried that it would escalate the man who was already displaying a tenuous grasp on his emotions. This whole situation was just hitting a little too close to home for her comfort, making it hard to process all the complexities of the seemingly straightforward interaction.
As a result of their intimate conversation, one of the law enforcement officers stuck his head into the bay. “You two might just call it even, but I call that a confession in front of at least a dozen witnesses. You already had your rights read, so I advise you to button it up for your own good.”
Naturally, the man stared the officer in the face defiantly as he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Sweetness, they tell me I can’t talk to you no more! These sons of bitches are crazier than we are if they think for goddamn minute they can keep us from talkin’ to each other.”
Tiffany sighed, knowing neither of them were probably going to cease trying to communicate with each other until the officers remanded them into custody.
To sum it up, not only was it going to be a long night, but afterward she’d have to listen to the entire episode being retold in lurid detail by a bunch of people who should know better. Unfortunately, Tiffany had discovered early on that her co-workers had become cynical to certain situations, chiefly by virtue of the sheer volume and intensity of the crisis situations they encountered on a daily basis.
Her genuine affinity for her coworkers notwithstanding, insolent and belligerent people with no internal controls being used as sport by people who could do it with impunity rubbed her the wrong way on several different levels. Rare moments like this made her wonder if this environment was the best fit for her after all. Maybe on her next do over, she’d pick another medical setting to ply her wares.
~ Ryder ~
Ryder’s eyes slowly opened and the room drifted into focus. Looking down, he tried to see his injuries. Immediately, it all came flooding back with several stark realizations hitting him all at once.
Thank fuck that he was alive, thinking coherently, and breathing on his own. Grateful to the old man who had intervened when Ace was about to blow his brains out, he realized how close he’d come to dying. Making a mental note of the life debt, Ryder vowed to repay it as soon as he was on his feet again.
There was a sharp, stabbing pain in the back of his head near the base of his neck, and it was severe enough to make his lip quiver. That shit hadn’t happened to him since he was a fuckin’ kid, and it was pissing him the hell off.
Stand up, shake this shit off, and be a man.His father’s words reverberated through his aching head, leaving behind hollowness where warmth and motivation should be. His old man had been one mean son of a bitch and lived his life by an arcane set of beliefs that felt peculiar to Ryder.
He’d raised him and his sister all by himself, engraining more than a bit of his weirdness into them, but Ryder missed him anyhow. Subsequently, the cumulative effects of getting run over by a truck and catching a few bullets virtually guaranteed following his father’s advice would prove an impossible task tonight…assuming it was night.
Steeling himself for the pain he knew was sure to come, Ryder forced his body up to a sitting position. The searing pain in his head literally took his breath away and made the room spin in lackadaisical circles. Closing his eyes to stave off the nausea climbing up this throat, he eased back down on his pillow. He was in serious pain, and the drunk couple yelling totally transparent, lovey-dovey shit back and forth was not helping.
That’s when it finally hit him; he appeared to be in a medical facility of some sort rather than jail, which was always a possibility when you were dealing with cops. He couldn’t be just sitting around on his dick when Ace was still out there somewhere, looking to do harm to his brothers. Regardless of the excruciating pain, getting back on his feet was the only thing that mattered to him at the moment.
Ace’s mocking face rose in his mind, and Ryder knew he would have to be diligent about finishing the job he started by shooting him. Trying to sit up once again, he accidently knocked over a side table. He’d seriously underestimated the effect of whatever drugs they had given him. For the first time in his life, merely moving his arms took all the strength he could muster.
This whole situation was total bullshit, caused by whatever poison they were pumping into his veins. Refusing to allow it to break him, he pulled furiously at the IV hanging from his arm to keep any more of the meds from entering his body and consequently making him weak. Cursing under his breath, he realized that someone was going to hear the ruckus he was making, and he was in no condition to effectively defend himself until the damned drugs wore off.
Just as he’d feared, one of the nursing staff came rushing into the room, appearing astounded at his clumsy attempts to get out of bed. Hastening her way over to him, she tried vainly to push him back down onto the bed. Her small hands on his massive chest were a barely noticeable distraction. In his drug-induced haze, he found the idea of her trying to physically move him totally fuckin’ hilarious. Did the diminutive nurse actually think she could push him even an inch? Smiling up at her, he resisted the initial urge to gather her up in his arms and sit her pretty little ass in his lap.
“You have a concussion, Mr. Staunton, therefore you shouldn’t be trying to get up. Do you mind if ask why you tore out your IV?”
In response to her unwanted interrogation, he gave the inquisitive little bitch an icy glare as he responded brusquely. “Does it ever occur to you folks that maybe we don’t all want that poison dumped into our veins?”
Of course, she was in professional nurse mode at the moment and not in the correct frame of mind to accept him advocating for less medication. “You’re injured and not thinking properly right now, Mr. Staunton. You need the medications to keep from getting an infection, and the IV provides fluids when you’re unconscious and can’t consume liquids on your own.”
Shaking his head in disagreement, Ryder was certain that in her mind all her trite justifications made perfect sense. In his opinion, doctors didn’t have the right to pump a man full of shit he never agreed to. Rather than mansplaining all about his theory that doctors should render minimal lifesaving care until the person gives consent, he decided to stick to the point.
“That may be, but you need to back the fuck up and talk to me like I’m a fuckin’ human being and not some senseless fuck like the guy down the hall, screaming romantical nonsense to his old lady. I know that I’m supposed to be all grateful and compliant and shit, but that ain’t the way the good Lord made me, doll.”
Unclear what he’d expected her response to be, he was pleasantly shocked when a contrite expression instantly jumped onto her lovely face. “I honestly wasn’t trying to be disrespectful or coerce you into accepting medications you clearly don’t want. Many patients wake a little discombobulated and not thinking clearly. I can now see you do not fall into that category, so you have my sincerest apologies. What would you like to know?”
“What the hell is wrong with me? My head feels funny.”
Tilting her head slightly, she articulated her words carefully for no reason he could discern as she explained the obvious. “You were hit by an oncoming vehicle, causing a severe concussion. Then you were shot twice.”
“Any particular reason you’re takin’ me on this scenic guided tour down memory lane? In case you forgot, I was fuckin’ there, so clearly I know all about that shit. What I need to know is what happened after I came here.”
Rather than showing irritation, she smiled indulgently at him as she responded, seemingly not as offended by his gruff manner as most women he’d met. The ounce of acceptance and understanding when he was having the roughest day of life loosened something slightly in his chest.
“Unfortunately, EMS had to sedate you on the chopper, and that’s contraindicated for individuals who’ve sustained a head injury.”
“Contra what? Can you speak freakin’ English, doll?”
Rolling her eyes at him, she quickly explained in a way he could understand. “I know this is difficult to believe, but you fought the emergency responders while you were being transported in the medical helicopter. They sedated you for your own safety.”