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)
It was probably a good solid hour before a doctor emerged from the room and said to me, “Are you the one who brought Micah in?”
I was surprised that she knew his name because I hadn't mentioned it to the nurse as far as I could remember. I could only assume they had found some form of ID on him.
“I am,” I said.
“I'm Dr. Stern,” she said.
“How is he? Can I see him?” I asked because I wasn't interested in the formality of introductions. I needed to see Micah. I needed to feel his skin to make sure it was still warm. I needed to see his chest rise and fall with breath. I needed to see proof on the heart monitor that his heart was still beating. I needed to know that I hadn’t lost the chance to make up for everything I'd taken from the young man.
“Are you family?” the doctor asked. “Zeus,” she added knowingly. I let out a silent curse because if she knew who I was then she’d know I wasn't Micah's family.
“My husband is a fan,” she added as her eyes fell to my battered knuckles. I hadn't even thought to wash the blood off my hands.
“I didn't hurt him,” I said, because the idea of her believing even for a moment that I’d put Micah in that hospital bed made me want to put my fist through a wall.
The doctor’s eyes returned to mine. Her expression was unreadable. But when she said, “As you know, I can only give information to family,” I heard something in her voice that eased the tension inside me. Something that said she believed me. Something that made me think she was somehow rooting for me.
Dr. Stern continued with, “So, Zeus—”
“It's Con,” I interrupted.
The woman nodded and said, “So, Con, are you some part of that young man's family?”
The words came out before I could even consider them. “I'm his fiancé.”
Dr. Stern studied me for a moment, and I could tell she clearly didn't believe the lie, but she also didn't call me out on it. Instead, she said, “We’re still running tests on Micah, but I’m confident that none of his injuries are life-threatening. The break to his arm is clean so we’ll need to set that and he'll be in a cast for several weeks. There’s considerable bruising along his side so we’re going to monitor him to make sure there's no internal damage to things like his kidneys or liver. We've given him pain medication to make him more comfortable.”
“Is he awake?” I asked.
Dr. Stern nodded. “When he woke up, he was quite agitated and calling for people named Christopher and Rory. He seemed very concerned about their safety.”
“They're safe,” I said, even though I wasn't sure why I was telling the doctor that. But something about her made me feel like she was on our side.
The woman nodded and then continued cataloging Micah’s injuries. It was a lot to follow, but the end result was all I cared about. She expected him to make a complete recovery. When she was finished, I repeated the same question that had been on a loop in my head from the moment she’d stepped outside that door. “When can I see him?”
Dr. Stern paused for a moment and then said, “Give us about an hour.”
I let out a rough sigh and nodded in agreement.
“Con, Micah won’t tell us who hurt him. I don't suppose that's information you can provide? Standard procedure is to call the police in a situation like this.”
I hesitated because the very last thing I needed at this point was the cops getting involved. I didn't care much whether or not I ended up in jail. I was more concerned that if the cops talked to Ricky, he would find out where Micah was. Not to mention the kids. I had no clue what the situation was when it came to custody of them. If Micah didn't have custody, they could easily be sent back to that piece of shit house, and I wasn't going to let that happen.
“Dr. Stern, will it make you feel better to know that the threat to Micah no longer exists? No one will ever lay a hand on him if I have anything to say about it… and I have a lot to say about it,” I said firmly.
Dr. Stern watched me for a moment and then tipped her head at me. I took that to mean she was satisfied with the explanation. She disappeared back into the room.
As relief filtered through my system, I took a walk out to the ambulance bay to get some fresh air. I was still on edge, but the knowledge that Micah would pull through made it much easier to breathe. I could still hear the snapping sound of his bone and the agonized screams that had followed.