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Just then two of Bash’s men come running in with bags and boxes of medical supplies. Damn, that was fast! I have a strong suspicion they didn’t exactly purchase the materials. I put a pin in that to discuss later with Bash.
“What do you have?” I ask searching through the bags.
“What do you need?” Bash asks, as he hands me some surgical gloves.
“I need to sterilize the area and stop the bleeding. I’m not sure how much he’s lost, so I may need to start a blood transfusion and IV fluids. I’m going to need—"
“Iodine, alcohol and saline drip,” he says fishing the items out of one of the boxes.
I cut him a look. “Yeah.” I take the Iodine from him. “Can you jury rig the saline bag to the bedpost? Where’s the morphine and syringe? I need butterfly needles so I can begin administering the fluids. I’m also going to need to clamp blood vessels and seal them.”
“So, hemostat, sutures, surgical ligature, what else?” Sebastian asks, as he withdraws those items from the curiously available supplies.
Within seconds, everything I asked for is placed in my hands. I administer the morphine and proceed to sterilize the wound with the iodine. My pounding heart finally levels off and glides into calm, familiar waters. I’m in my element now. This is where I thrive and come alive.
I begin clamping the blood vessels, stemming the bleeding, achieving hemostasis. I have Bash monitoring Stieg’s blood pressure and heart rate. I go in search of the bullet lodged deep in below the clavicle but thankfully above the heart and lungs. I cautiously enter the wound and extract the projectile.
“Suction,” I say, and Bash inserts the tube device to remove the excess blood. “Sponge,” I say, and it’s immediately in my hand.
About an hour after we arrived, I’m closing Stieg up, neatly suturing the wound. Bash and one of his men are cleaning up all the bloody gauze and towels. The color in Stieg’s face is finally returning to normal. A quick glance at the portable monitor tells me his vital signs are all within acceptable parameters considering the circumstances. Only then do I breathe a sigh of relief.
I glance up at the guards, and they avert their eyes but not before I see the look of awe and admiration in them. I’ve saved their friend and colleague, and they’re grateful, finally coming to appreciate that I’m far more than just a pretty bobble on Sebastian’s arm.
As I pull off my gloves and toss them into the trash bag along with all the other detritus from the makeshift operating room. I look up to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair is disheveled, and my lovely powder-blue dress is covered in blood. It’s ruined…
And now comes time for the inevitable conversation with my mysterious fiancé. The unsanctioned emergency surgeries on Nick and now Stieg? What the hell is going on and what’s the ongoing part he’s expecting me to play in his world?
More importantly, when I hear it, will I be willing to play it?
Sebastian gives instructions to Ben, informing him to remain in the room with Stieg and to keep an eye on the monitor. If any alarms go off, he’s to alert us immediately.
With that, we withdraw from the room and retire to the master suite. Silently, we remove our soiled clothing and wash away the remnants of the impromptu surgery. Despite everything, I believe Bash easily could have gone into the medical field and have become a great surgeon. Obviously, he’s smart enough and learns very quickly.
Nonetheless, I seriously begin to wonder about his motives and the sincerity of his feelings for me. He proposed marriage…but was he proposing to the woman or to the doctor? And is it only if the doctor will agree to play private surgeon to his comrades?
I could lose my goddamned license even before I earn it!
When I enter our bedroom, Sebastian has an inviting fire going in the fireplace and holds out a glass of what I assume to be a shot of some strong liquor.
“I thought we could both use it,” he says as I approach. He stares at me with those mesmerizing blue eyes which emanate a new level of admiration, if not idolization. “You were incredible.”
But I refuse to be taken in by the flattery or the way he’s looking at me. “What the hell’s going on, Bash?” I say curtly. “I’m assuming you don’t want me to report that gunshot wound either.”
He sighs heavily. “Babe, please,” he gestures at the comfy divan before the roaring fireplace. “Have a seat, let’s talk.”
Reluctantly, I follow him over and sit next to him. I refuse to drink just yet as I sense that my head needs to be very clear for this conversation. My stomach churns with the fear that this engagement may prove to be more short-lived than the one with Natasha.
He places his large, strong hands on mine when he sees them trembling. Thank God they’re steady as a rock during surgery.
“I love you so much, Mads,” he says imploringly, his eyes warm with emotion. “More than anything in this world. I’m so proud to soon be your husband. It will be the crowning achievement of my life.”
I look away, giving a roll of my eyes to offset the smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “If you love me so much, why do you keep jeopardizing my career? You know how much trouble I could get into for this.”
His lips curve into a smile. “You’ve nothing to worry about, we protect each other against any threats. That’s why it was so important to bring you to the wedding tonight as my bride to be, so everyone would know what you are to me. My better half.” He inclines his head, staring intently at me. “And that you’re one of us now, to honor and to protect at all costs.”
I take a deep shuddering breath at Sebastian’s words. Somehow, I feel as if I’ve unwittingly undergone some strange initiation or hazing process and now, I’m formally being invited to join. I’m so deeply entangled in this now, both emotionally with Sebastian and by the things I’ve done. Is there any going back now? Is it even an option?
I lift my eyes to his. The genuine adulation beaming from them is intoxicating. Nonetheless, I have to ask, “If I weren’t a surgeon…would you still have asked me to marry you? What if I’d only been the EMS attendant, would I still be wearing this ring on my finger?”
