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There was another pause. “You care a great deal for him,” she commented and his hand flexed, carefully. “Mr. Felinus, nearly every one of Issac’s ribs has fractured in some way. One of his ribs stabbed into his lung, causing it to puncture though we are not sure exactly when. There is a fracture in his skull that thankfully didn’t hemorrhage. Not to mention the bruising we found on his wrists, ankles, and neck.”
Felinus could feel her eyes on his own neck, the hickeys and teeth marks that Issac had peppered over his skin their Sunday in bed together exposed when he scrubbed the blood off of him.
“Najjar did mention that you and he have a sexual relationship that seemed… rougher than basic sex,” she said. “If this was play taken too far-”
“No,” Felinus said immediately, anger flashing through him. “I’m careful with him. Najjar made his condition and the risks very clear. I don’t push those limits. This was-” He made himself stop, wishing he could have killed Finnegan himself instead of the instant death he had been gifted by a kid who shouldn’t have been there. But then, the angel on his shoulder pointed out, you might not have him right now. That kid probably saved Issac’s life.
“…I have worked as a doctor in this city for twenty-five years,” the woman said after a pause. “I know what you are, Mr. Drago. I know what those men in the waiting room are.”
Felinus glanced at her at last, his hand tightening on Issac’s.
“I also remember how things were when I first started and how they have changed over the years,” she continued, almost seeming pleased that he had finally looked at her. “If I told the resident doctor who was threatened every other night, that there would be Italians and Russians sitting in my waiting room together while their friend was fighting for his life and not a single one of them threatened violence on the staff? She would think I’d gone mad. I know when to ask questions and when to leave them alone. What I need from you is to know if I need to contact anyone about what happened to Issac?”
“No,” he told her, studying her carefully. “You don’t.”
“Is anyone going to come looking to do him harm while he is here?”
“No,” he said, looking back at Issac. “It’s been handled.”
She nodded and rose to her feet, moving a small red button from the bag of clear fluid and setting it next to Felinus’s hand. “This is his morphine drip,” she told him. “The pump will automatically administer the painkillers at the scheduled time, but if he starts feeling pain before, you can administer it up to an hour early. If he is still in pain, call for a nurse and we will do what we can to make him comfortable. Najjar and I both feel that he should remain admitted until he is mostly if not completely, healed due to the unstable nature of his condition. He’ll be moved into a permanent room once we have everything processed. You can of course come with him and people may visit once he has been moved. I would ask that you limit it to one guest at a time until he is able to be awake for more than a few minutes, and perhaps see about setting up some sort of rotation so you can-”
“No,” Felinus said. “I’m not leaving until he can come home.”
She paused. “Mr. Drago, I understand your commitment but-”
“I’m. Not. Leaving. Him. Again,” Felinus repeated, looking up at her.
She blinked then nodded with a small grimace. “Very well. I will let you know when he is about to be moved.”
Felinus looked back at Issac as she left the room. His pocket vibrated and he pulled out his phone to see a text from a group called “The Holy Trinity.” He rolled his eyes at Snake’s insistence on joke codenames and opened it to see the Don’s messages over the last eight or so hours; first setting up the group with introductions then a request for Felinus to update the three of them with Issac’s condition. The Pakhan sent one not too long ago to inform them that Adrian had reported Felinus’s running to the back. The last was again from the Don, pointedly mentioning that Nikola told him Felinus was back with Issac and the others had been sent away.
He opened the contacts for a moment and stared at the crown and clover contact now saved to his phone. Many people thought it was him who saved his contacts like this, that he made his ringtones joyful and cutesy sounds because it was some sort of head game or proof that he was more of a Cheshire Cat. He let people believe that because it was good for his business for people to feel uneasy around him. The truth was it was all Snake. Felinus might have named Snake and Tiger, but it was Snake who took great joy in coming up with fun ways to play on those nicknames and leaned into them.
Taking a deep breath, he went back to the chat. He did not want to tell O’Hare anything. He didn’t care that the man had apologized to the kid and seemed upset about what had happened in his Ring. Felinus didn’t trust him, not after he failed Issac so completely and who knows how many others like him by not keeping Finnegan O’Riley under control. But much like Saturday, he didn’t have a choice. Removing O’Hare from the loop when the Don had invited him in would only create more issues in the long run, and Felinus needed things to be as calm as possible while Issac was in the hospital.
He kept the message brief: that Issac was resting and would be admitted for long-term care in the hospital. Visitors were not advised for the time being. No additional details. Nothing more for now.
He put the phone away and lifted Issac’s fingers to his lips, kissing each in turn. “I’m right here, baby boy,” he murmured. “So don’t you quit on me.”
* * *
Issac stirred in a dark room surrounded by soft beeping and the faint sound of people somewhere. He could feel things in him, annoying, uncomfortable things that restrained him when he went to move his arm. He reached to take them out.
Warm fingers wrapped around his, pulling his hand gently back. “Leave them alone, baby boy,” Felinus breathed, touching Issac’s face as he guided his hand back to his side. “They need to stay in.”
“Felinus,” Issac said, his voice far smaller and frailer than he would have thought possible. Leaning into the hand on his cheek, he winced as something in him hurt.
“That’s me,” Felinus said, still stroking Issac’s face. “Go back to sleep, baby boy.”
Issac heard a beep that seemed off from all the others and forced his eyes open, just making out Felinus in the darkness and noting that he wasn’t wearing a dress shirt or vest. Was that a sweater maybe? His eyes closed as he squeezed the hand that slipped into his. “Stay-”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Felinus’s voice sounded so far away. “I will be right here, every time.”
