Look at me, lying here waxing poetic. I needed to get up because lying here wasn't accomplishing anything. Sighing, I tried to get out of bed and search for my clothes. I instantly regretted it.
The moment I lifted my arm, pain shot through my upper chest and shoulder.Fuck, I needed one of my pills.Moving caused me to tug on the IV line, dragging the pole forward and bumping it into the bed.
The metal stand rattled loudly as it rolled across the floor. Terzo jerked awake, his eyes flying open. For a second, he looked confused. Then he spotted me and relaxed, slumping back down in the chair as he rubbed his eyes.
"Look who finally decided to join the living,” Terzo drawled.
"How long have I been out?"
"Two days."
Fuck!
"Two days?” I’d been thinking how many hours I’d been out, not days.Shit. “The casino? How's the casino?"
"Shouldn’t your first question be,How is Terzo? I nearly broke my back carrying your big ass away from a burning house."
"The casino, Terzo. How is it? Have the Corradinis retaliated?"
"My cousin and your cousin have a handle on things at the casino. And the Corradinis haven’t done shit. What the fuck can they do?"
Relief washed over me. I pushed myself up a little farther.
"I need to get back to work. There are things I need to take care of before returning to the States and..."
Terzo was out of his chair before I finished speaking. He strode over and stood beside the bed with his arms folded.
“You’re not getting out of bed. Especially not while wearing a gown with all your ass out. Nobody wants to see that shit.”
“Give me my clothes, Terzo.”
“If you need clothes, the nurse will help you with that.”
“Well, get the nurse.”
“I will. But even if I get her, she’ll only help you dress. They won’t let you leave yet.”
"Why the hell not?"
"Dude, you almost died."
"I'm fine now,” I lied, pain radiating all over my body.
"You’re not fine. You're stubborn. There's a difference."
I glared at him.
Terzo glared back.
"You lost a lot of blood. You needed four units of blood. Four.”
Four wasn’t so bad.
“The doctors spent the last two days trying to make sure your dumb ass didn't die. You got shot and then pushed yourself past your limits, all because you couldn’t feel shit. Those pills are going to get you killed one day."
I just needed to tweak the formula. Those pills were worth almost dying for. They did more good than harm.
"You won't be going back to work for a few more days. Doctor's orders,” Terzo told me.
