I steeled my nerves as I followed the club’s resident medical professional down the hallway. I had no idea exactly how this man could operate on a woman in the back of a cabin, but as I’d told Scooby, I was all in, so I needed to hold back my judgement until I had all the facts.
I was shocked to find a full surgical suite. One that rivaled the most modern and state of the art hospitals in the country.
“Wow,” I breathed out.
“Not what you were expecting, huh?” Needles said.
“No,” I admitted. “Sorry.”
He grinned. “It’s fine, sweetheart. It’s not something we want anyone to know about.”
“What can I do?”
“I’ve called in a buddy to help with anesthesia, but in the meantime, I need to get some x-rays and handle her pain. If you can get a central line in, that’d be great.”
“I don’t even know her name,” I rasped.
“Jill,” Needles said. “And she’s special to all of us, so we’re gonna take extra care, okay?”
I nodded and went about washing my hands, centering my thoughts, and calming my mind, my years of training and experience kicking in.
* * *
Scooby
I paced the great room, dragging my hands down my face. Needles’s doctor buddy had arrived over an hour ago, and I was crawling out of my skin. “What the fuck’s takin’ so long?”
Before anyone could answer, Rowan came walking down the hallway. I met her halfway and pulled her in for a hug. Lord was right by my side, obviously feeling my worry.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s good, honey. The surgery to repair her arm went beautifully and the x-rays showed a few fractured ribs, but nothing that won’t heal on their own. She has some contusions and lacerations on her face, which will also heal on their own in a few weeks. She will need a lot of rest, but otherwise, she’s doing really well.”
“Did she say who did this?”
“No. She was pretty out of it and once we pumped her full of pain meds, she was out. Needles is finishing up, and then they’ll bring her out of anesthesia, and you can talk to her when she wakes up.” She gripped my cut. “But it’s probably going to take an hour or more for her to be lucid. I know this is hard, but you need to be patient.” She stroked my cheek. “She’s good, honey. I promise.”
I let out a sigh and nodded, dropping my forehead to hers. “Thank you.”
“I have to say, this is one heck of a way to meet your mom.”
I smiled with a nod. “No shit.”
“I need to get back in there, but I just wanted to give you an update.” Lord let out a quiet growl, and Rowan hunkered down in front of him. “Thanks for watching out for him.” She kissed his head, then rose to her feet. “Did he go out?”
“Yeah, baby, and I made sure he’s got enough water.”
“Okay, thanks.” She gave me a quick kiss, then made her way back down the hall.
“Brother, let’s go wait in my office,” Sundance suggested. “It’ll be quieter.”
I nodded and followed him down the hall, practically falling into the sofa, smiling when Lord jumped up beside me and settled his head in my lap.
“You wanna tell me what happened with Stanley?” Sundance asked as he leaned against the desk.
“The guy on the news said he killed himself.”
Sundance frowned. “You gettin’ cute with me?”