Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
I was fully prepared to make a scene to get Micah the attention he needed, but the nurse behind the triage desk immediately came rushing forward. She grabbed a gurney and met me halfway. “What happened, sir?” she asked as she helped me ease Micah onto the gurney.
“He was attacked,” I responded.
Luckily, the watered-down explanation seemed to be enough because she grabbed the edge of the gurney and began rolling it. As I helped her steer the bed toward an open room, the nurse called out to several other personnel. By the time we entered the room, there was a flurry of activity as the medical staff began working on Micah. One nurse began cutting off his clothes while another got an IV going. The nurse who’d met me with the gurney took me by the elbow and said, “I'm sorry, you have to wait outside.”
As much as I would've liked to protest, the sight of Micah being hooked up to machines as the doctors and nurses called back and forth to one another left me feeling numb and helpless. I allowed the nurse to shuttle me out of the room. For a brief moment I was able to watch the staff work on Micah through the glass walls, but even that was denied to me when a nurse pulled the curtains for the room closed, leaving me to helplessly wonder what was going on inside the four walls.
My phone chose that moment to ring. When I saw that it was King on the other end, I answered with, “Do you have them?”
“Yeah,” King said without hesitation. “It still took a while even with that code word, but I've got them. They're in my car.”
“Are they all right?”
“The boy’s pretty messed up. He's got one hell of a shiner and he hasn't said a word. The little one, the girl, she just keeps asking for her uncle.” King paused for a moment before asking, “How's the kid?”
“They're working on him now,” I said. I moved away from the room and sought out a quieter spot to talk to my brother. “Ricky did a number on him.”
“I hope you returned the favor,” King said coldly.
I had no doubt if I didn't answer the man correctly, he’d go straight to that piece of shit’s house and take care of Ricky himself.
“Let's just say he’s still breathing,” I said.
“Good.”
The iciness in my brother’s voice had me thinking that Ricky might not be off the hook after all.
And King hadn't even seen Micah yet.
My brother had a protective streak a mile wide, especially when it came to kids. If he was ready to beat the shit out of Ricky based on Christopher’s appearance and behavior, he’d go positively apeshit when he saw Micah. It didn't even matter that he didn't know Micah from Adam. King protected those who couldn't protect themselves. It was who he was. It was how he was wired. Always had been and always would be.
“Should I bring the kids to you?”
I hesitated as I considered it. As much as the kids needed to see Micah, it would likely be more traumatic for them to see their uncle beat to hell and hooked up to machines. But knowing what had likely happened to Christopher in that house before Micah had interceded, the boy could very well need medical attention.
“King,” I began as my gut roiled. Even giving voice to the possibility of what might have happened to Christopher made me sick to my stomach. “Christopher may have been assaulted.”
My brother didn’t respond but I didn’t need to see him to know the fury that was rolling through him in waves.
“I think Micah may have stopped it, but I don’t know how far—”
“Tell me what you need me to do,” King interrupted. His voice was calm and cool but I knew him better than anyone so I could hear the edge to it. Every fiber of his being wanted vengeance for Christopher and Micah, but he was keeping his focus on the kids.
“Take the kids to my place and tell them Micah hurt his arm and needs to see a doctor, but they’ll see him soon. Downplay it as much as you can,” I said. “If you see signs that Christopher was hurt, bring them both here. I don’t want to traumatize him any further if I don’t have to.”
King was silent for several beats before murmuring, “Will do,” and then hanging up without further comment.
I tucked my phone into my jacket and made my way back to Micah's room. I was normally a calm guy, but for the life of me, I couldn't settle as I waited outside that room. I found myself pacing back and forth in front of the small space. Each time the door opened, I practically threw myself in front of whatever person was exiting the room but most of the time it was just a nurse or tech who politely told me the doctor would talk to me soon. The only thing I could garner from the few times the door had opened was that the room didn’t sound chaotic. I took that to mean that Micah wasn't in any critical danger.